Instructional Routines
Instruction and practice of the different pillars of literacy can be embedded in the routines below.
Click on the link for each routine to find a support document with:
- examples from classrooms
- explanations
- ideas for building explicit instruction and practice of the pillar components into each routine


Reading Conferences – click here
Kindergarten video – click here
Gr. 1 video – click here
Gr. 2 video – click here
What: Teachers read one on one with each student to provide feedback, support their development as readers and collect assessment information to inform planning. These conferences are short: 1-2 minutes per student.
When: Daily
Writing Conferences – click here
Kindergarten video – click here
Gr. 1 video – click here
What: Teachers meet one on one with each student to provide feedback, support their writing development and collect assessment information to inform planning. These conferences are short: 1-2 minutes per student.
When: Daily
Read Alouds – click here
What: Children should have lots of opportunities to listen to adults read fluently. Read alouds are a time for experiencing joy in books and reading, thinking and talking about texts, and modelling and practicing the components of the pillars of literacy
When: Daily
Story Workshop – click here
What: Using materials and art supplies to create and share stories, build oral language and generate ideas for writing.
When: 1-2 times per week
Literacy Talks (Cloze reading with missing words) – click here
What: This shared reading routine provides opportunities for differentiation while modeling and practicing different components of the pillars of literacy.
When: 1-2 times per week
Writer’s Workshop – click here
What: Opportunities for writing can occur throughout a day. Writer’s workshop often includes a mini lesson, time for students to talk and generate ideas, and time for teachers to have 1:1 writing conferences with students.
When: Daily
Song and Poems – click here for teaching ideas and here for example songs
What: This is shared reading routine provides opportunities for differentiation while modeling and practicing different components of the pillars of literacy.
When: 2-3 times per week
Guided Reading – click here
What: This small group routine provides time for teachers to read with students and nurture literacy skills and strategies that support the students’ reading goals.
When: 1-2 times per week
Literacy Centres – click here
What: This is a time for students to practice the skills and strategies taught during whole class or small group lessons. Teachers might use this time to have 1:1 reading conferences or work with small groups.
When: 1-2 times per week
Independent Reading – click here Browsing Bags – click here
What: Students should have opportunities to read books of their choice (books that match their interests and that they can read accurately). This is a time when teachers can be having one-to-one reading conferences with students to support their reading development.
When: Daily
Reader’s Theatre – click here
What: This routine helps build fluency and supports decoding.
When: Every couple of weeks
Social Emotional Learning and Literacy – click here
What: Teachers can find opportunities to embed social emotional learning into literacy learning throughout a day or week.
When: Embedded