FAQs

How much time should I spend on Language Arts each day?
But how many actual minutes should one spend?
Why are long blocks of time for Language Arts so important?
How much time do elementary school teachers actually spend on Language Arts?
If so much time is being spent on Language Arts, why are so many students still struggling?
How can administrators enable teachers to maximize Language Arts time?

1. How much time should I spend on Language Arts each day?

What does the research really say? The research is very clear. "Across virtually every study of classroom effectiveness in elementary schools, one finding stands out. That is, teachers who allocate more time to reading and language arts are the teachers whose children show the greatest gains in literacy development" (Allington and Cunningham, 1996). Thus, the amount of time spent on language arts does matter.

2. But how many actual minutes should one spend?

Research from CIERA (CIERA Report #2-006) indicates that in the most effective schools students spent approximately 134 minutes a day on reading alone, 30 minutes of this total being independent reading. Reading was a priority.

"A good first principle in organizing a school more efficiently is to provide every classroom with at least two and one-half hours of uninterrupted time. This uninterrupted block does not have to be assigned exclusively to reading and language arts instruction but doing so has some substantial benefits, especially when a more fully integrated curriculum is in place". (Allington, 2001, p.38).

In addition, research from Michael Pressley (1998) indicates that the most effective classrooms allocate large blocks of time daily for language arts, with most of that time being used for reading and writing. Allington (2001, p.40) also noted the same thing by indicating that two hours of the instructional day should be allocated to just reading and writing (including reading and writing in content subjects also). In fact he found that the "most effective teachers routinely have children reading for 40-45 minutes of each hour allocated to reading". Taylor, Pearson, Clark, and Walpole in their studies (1999) also confirmed the importance of time spent on independent reading. However, what is important to note here is that for independent reading time to be effective, students must truly be engaged, reading texts that they can read, not be faking it.

Common sense tells us that some students simply need more time than others to have their language arts learning scaffolded. Direct instruction (modeling, demonstrating, and explaining the strategies used by good readers and writers), guided practice, and much independent reading and writing are crucial. The irony is that the students who generally need to spend the greatest amount of time in authentic reading and writing activities are generally the very students who spend the least amount of time really engaged. Keith Stanovitch (1986, 1994) describes this as the Matthew Effect, as in the gospel of Matthew. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. The good readers read a great deal at school and at home and get better and better. The poor readers read very little and the gap widens between them and their more literate peers.

3. Why are long blocks of time for Language Arts so important?

Long blocks of time are most beneficial. Coherent high-quality classroom literacy instruction is most easily achieved when classroom teachers have large blocks of uninterrupted time. (Allington & Cunningham 1996). Teachers often bemoan the fact that frequent intercom announcements, students being pulled for special programs, assemblies during language arts, etc. impact both teaching and learning.

Long blocks of time allow students:

More continuity across their language arts block- more connections between reading and writing, for example, and integration across subject areas. There is less fragmentation and more connected learning.
The time to really "get into" their reading and writing. "It takes time to read deeply and to write thoughtfully." (Allington, 2001, pp 41)
More opportunities to integrate a variety of subject areas.
To delve more deeply into their learning. "Research indicates that using longer instructional blocks often results in productive and complicated work being achieved." (Allington and Johnson, 2001, pp 161)
To become more motivated and engaged in the tasks at hand.

Long blocks of time allow teachers:

The opportunities to integrate literacy meaningfully across all subject areas.
The opportunities to link teaching and learning effectively across all the language arts strands (speaking, writing, listening, and viewing).
Fewer disruptions due to transitions resulting in more real time for teaching and learning. With frequent transitions, children often lose up to two hours a day of valuable learning time.
The ability to get it all in!

In a survey which asked elementary teachers to identify their greatest challenges in improving the quality of classroom reading instruction, a lack of time ranked second. Baumann, Hoffman, Moon, and Hester (1998) reported that teachers indicated frustration with "too much time spent on unimportant or uncritical issues at school- not enough quality time to teach; finding enough time to devote to reading instruction; time interruptions and other curriculum demands."

4. How much time do elementary school teachers actually spend on Language Arts?

There is a huge variation among schools and within schools. Within any one school some teachers spend twice as much time as others. According to Allington (1996), the teachers who spend the most time on literacy are generally those who:

Rank literacy as one of the most important subjects
Believe that all children can learn to read and write

Baumann, Hoffman, Moon, and Hester (1998) also reported that teachers surveyed indicated that they spent on average 2 hours and 23 minutes each day on reading and literacy instruction.

In an American Federation of Teachers Poll, 80% of elementary teachers said their schools recommend a language arts block of two or more hours each day (E.D. Hirsch Jr. 2003). However, simply because it is recommended does not necessarily mean that it is happening.

PIRLS (Progress in International Reading Literacy Study), April 2003, informs that teachers of 4th Grade students communicate that they spend much time daily (more than 6 hours a week) on reading instruction.

5. If so much time is being spent on Language Arts, why are so many students still struggling?

There are many factors (at home and at school) which impact teaching and learning. Although the quantity of time dedicated daily to language arts is crucial, how teachers structure that time (the quality) is equally important. It is crucial that students spend a great deal of the language arts time involved in authentic reading and writing experiences. "Research indicates a reciprocal relationship between reading and writing opportunities and proficiencies (Tierney and Shanahan, 1984) particularly the links between comprehension and composing". Oral language, the foundation of literacy learning, also needs to play a major role. In addition, teacher scaffolding is also crucial.

6. How can administrators enable teachers to maximize Language Arts time?

The role of the administrator is crucial. When administration schedules timetables, the language arts block must be the first priority. Teachers need at least a two hour uninterrupted block of time to make the most of language arts teaching and learning.

"Creating the two-and-a half hour uninterrupted blocks begins by setting that as a firm organizational guideline. Classroom teachers need time to teach. They need uninterrupted time to teach. Kids need time to learn. To read. To write. Uninterrupted learning time." (Allington, 2001, p.39)

"Sometimes well-intentioned principals create interruptions during the instructional blocks. During a recent morning observation in an elementary classroom we listened to nine intercom interruptions… Each announcement was made separately, and although each took less than a minute, each announcement effectively stopped all classroom work while everyone stared up at the box on the wall." (Allington, 1996, p.116)