The Four-Blocks® framework was developed by teachers who believed that to be successful in teaching ALL children to read and write, we were going to have to do it ALL! Doing it all meant incorporating on a daily basis the different approaches to beginning reading. The Four-Blocks®--Guided Reading, Self Selected Reading, Writing and Words--represent four different approaches to teaching children to read. Daily instruction in all Four-Blocks® provides numerous and varied opportunities for all children to learn to read and write. Doing all Four-Blocks® acknowledges that children do not all learn in the same way and provides substantial instruction to support whatever learning personality a child comes with.

The other big difference between children--their different literacy levels--is accomplished by using a variety of formats to make each block as multilevel as possible--providing additional support for children who struggle and additional challenges for children who catch on quickly.

The Four-Blocks® framework was developed in 1989-90 in one first grade classroom (Cunningham, P. M., Hall, D. P. & Defee, M, 1991. Nonability grouped, multilevel instruction: A year in a first grade classroom. Reading Teacher, 44, 566-571. ). Since 1991, the framework has been used in numerous first and second grade classrooms and in third grade classrooms where many children still struggle with reading and writing (Cunningham, P. M., Hall, D. P. & Defee, M., Nonability grouped, multilevel instruction: Eight Years Later. Reading Teacher, 51,May, 1998). In 2009-2010 there has been a resurgence of interest in Four Blocks, Building Blocks, and Big Blocks instruction. We welcome your emails (halldp@wfu.edu or cunninpm@wfu.edu)