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Building Blocks Literacy Program is a kindergarten program, which combines self-selected reading, guided reading, writing, and words with themes and units that are part of every kindergarten day. This program helps teachers teach children reading, writing, and phonics in a developmentally appropriate way. Building Blocks began because of the need to teach kindergartners how to read and write without it being too hard for them. Four Blocks was the first guide for teaching children to read and write and learn phonics. However, it was only appropriate for first through third grades. Teachers wanted something to do in kindergarten and so they used Four Blocks but it was not developmentally appropriate for kindergartners. Therefore, Building Blocks began. This framework was implemented after Four Blocks became well known and widely used. Patricia Cunningham and Dorothy Hall started Four Blocks. It began during the 1989-90 school year, in a first-grade classroom. The next year, 16 first-grade teachers used it in their classrooms. Since then, Four Blocks has been used in many different first, second and third-grade classrooms. The Four Blocks are Guided Reading, Self-Selected Reading, Writing, and Working with Words. These four ar