The Lone Star Literacy Institute for grades 6-8 is a two-day learning experience designed to immerse district facilitators into an effective literacy block. Learners will engage in using a balanced literacy approach to assist teachers with integrating reading, writing, listening, speaking, and thinking into literacy instruction for all students. Participants will also receive assessment, differentiation, and classroom management techniques necessary to provide responsive, differentiated instruction in the middle school classroom. Participants will leave with strategies, tools, and resources to implement in the classroom immediately.