Pat has done a masterful job of combining the best balanced literacy practices into one easy-to-manage program. Her 4Blocks model is a surefire way to ensure that your students are learning from all angles. My only criticism is that the guided reading block does not quite fit for grades 3 and above. Pat says that your kids should read multiple books over the course of the week - each at different levels. However, beyond second grade, books are much longer, thus making it impossible to expose your students to such a wide range of levels each week.