SHIFTING THE BALANCE
Kari is a co-author, with Jan Burkins of the groundbreaking and best-selling book, Shifting the Balance: Six Ways to Bring the Science of Reading into the Balanced Literacy Classroom.
That book was followed, in fall of 2023 with Shifting the Balance: Six Ways to Bring the Science of Reading into the Upper Elementary Classroom, co-authored with Jan Burkins and Katie Egan Cunningham.
You can learn more about Shifting the Balance below.
Shifting the balance:
The Podcast
Maybe you’re new to the work of The Six Shifts yourself. Maybe you’re looking for a simple way to start a conversation about more science-aligned literacy instruction with colleagues.
The Six Shifts Podcast is an introduction to this work. With seven short and accessible conversations, we invite you to join us on this journey of making learning to read easier-not harder- for children.
Shifting the balance:
The Books
Are tired of trying to sort out the truth from the rhetoric when it comes the current literacy debates?
Maybe you’ve learned some science but don’t quite know how this science translates into classroom practice.
Or maybe you are a literacy leader working to support meaningful professional development for your school or district.
If so, we can help. We’ve written the Shifting the Balance books to support anyone who is ready to make learning to read easier-not harder- through the use of more science-aligned practices.
The twelve shifts described in these two books offer a logical pathway to sound instruction across the elementary grades.
Shifting the Balance (K-2): 6 Ways to Bring the Science of Reading into the Balanced Literacy Classroom is co-authored with Jan Burkins.
Shifting the Balance (3-5): 6 Ways to Bring the Science of Reading into the Upper Elementary Classroom is co-authored with Katie Egan Cunningham and Jan Burkins.
The two books work together, with the first serving as a “Phase I” of instructional change, and the second book, or sequel, presenting a blueprint for “Phase 2.”
Shifting the Balance books are written to support you with both the head work and the heart of making reflective and meaningful change to current practice on behalf of children.
Shifting the balance:
The Online Classes
Shifting the Balance: The Online Classes take the shifts from each of the books deeper offering even more practical and proven ways to bring more science-aligned practices into the literacy classroom.
When you register you get 12 weeks of access – six weeks of new content plus six additional weeks to spend more time – whether that means catching up on previous content, or reviewing what you’ve learned.
New content is released each Monday for the first six weeks of the course. But don’t worry! These ready-when-you-are learning modules can work with your schedule, no matter how busy it is!
During each class we offer two live Q & A sessions with the authors. You can submit your questions and tune in live to get in on the discussion. Or, if the date and time doesn’t work for you, you can catch the Q and A sessions on recording, beginning the following day.
We also offer private cohorts of these online learning experiences, allowing your school or district to customize the schedule and take even more time to unpack the learning. For information about customizing a Shifting the Balance: The Online Class contact [email protected] .
