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e in English departments, are more likely to be successful than initiatives that are confined to English or SEN The purpose of this booklet is to provide teachers with quick and easy literacy strategies for any subject that uses language – spoken or written, English or languages. These are not a finite number of strategies so please use them as a springboard for further activities. Your feedback is really welcome and if you would like any other ideas under any of these headings please drop me a line: [email protected] What is literacy? Literacy is: the ability to create and make sense of symbolic forms of communication; the ability to encode and decode messages and the ability to take action based on information. For teachers, literacy is about improving students’ speaking, listening, reading and writing skills, but as a starting point, Chiswick is focusing on how students access text and transfer skills and strategies from subject to subject. Isn’t literacy an English teacher’s job?! Any subject which uses text has a responsibility to help students overcome difficulty with understanding ideas and concepts and must explicitly teach them how to transfer reading and writing skills that they use in English and other subject areas. 0 Chiswick Community School November 2011 Volume 1, Issue 1 IMRPOVING READING, IMPROVING WRITING Use this booklet to help you differentiate your lessons Literacystrategi es

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“Approaches that involve curriculum areas other than English, together with work done in English departments, are more likely to be successful than initiatives that are confined to English or SEN departments.”

The purpose of this booklet is to provide teachers with quick and easy literacy strategies for any subject that uses language – spoken or written, English or languages. These are not a finite number of strategies so please use them as a springboard for further activities. Your feedback is really welcome and if you would like any other ideas under any of these headings please drop me a line: [email protected]

What is literacy?

Literacy is: the ability to create and make sense of symbolic forms of communication; the ability to encode and decode messages and the ability to take action based on information. For teachers, literacy is about improving students’ speaking, listening, reading and writing skills, but as a starting point, Chiswick is focusing on how students access text and transfer skills and strategies from subject to subject.

Isn’t literacy an English teacher’s job?!Any subject which uses text has a responsibility to help students overcome difficulty with understanding ideas and concepts and must explicitly teach them how to transfer reading and writing skills that they use in English and other subject areas.

Literacy is based on ten key principles (The EXIT Model)

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Chiswick Community School

November 2011Volume 1, Issue 1

IMRPOVING READING, IMPROVING WRITINGUse this booklet to help you differentiate your lessons

Literacystrategies

Should be done at the start of the lesson

Through learning objectives

Discussion

Why?It encourages shared thinking and verbalised learning. It is immediate; all pupils can participate no matter what level of literacy; it creates opportunities to

recognise, share and value different experiences and knowledge from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures, and key ideas and vocabulary can be introduced within a supportive context.

Ground rules: Everyone must participate Everyone must co-operate Everyone must know the answer, i.e. anyone in the

group should be able to explain the group’s thinking, and talk, acting as spokesperson.

They must use three key questions: what do you think? Why do you think that? What do you mean by that?

Pitfalls: Most discussion is ephemeral – usually no record of what was said remains. However, at the report back session, the teacher can scribe the responses, thus ensuring that key ideas are highlighted and the correct written form of key words are available.

Brainstorming (topic webs/word webs)

Why?

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Communicating information.

Assisting memory.Evaluating information.

Making a record.Monitoring understanding.

Interacting with text.

Locating information.

Establishing purposes.

Elicitation of previous knowledge.Adopting an appropriate strategy.

Must be taught explicitly

Teacher modeling of appropriate reading or writing strategies

See all of the activities below

Teacher reading aloud to students, modeling thought

processes and identifying next steps/judgments

See ‘discussion’ below

This activity stimulates further ideas and more details can be added and provide teachers a chance to introduce technical vocabulary which will be relevant and timely.

How?Students discuss what they know about a topic. This can then be developed into concept mapping by encouraging the pupil/group to look at their initial brainstorm for words/ideas that are linked in some way. Then, these ideas can be gathered together under headings.

Rules: there are no rules. The more colour, the better. Students will be used to using mind maps from Opening Minds. Encourage students to also use symbols where possible.

Concept maps

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Why? o They’re a rough and ready way to assess a student or group’s progress.o Brainstorming/concept-mapping can be used both before and after a unit of

work, which will allow the maps to be compared.o Students can add new learning in a different colour pen.

How?o The teacher can provide the headings already in place and students can

brainstorm around each heading. o Students can be given words or phrases connected to the topic scattered at

random and students link any words which they see as having a connection. This strategy has the advantages of not only activating prior knowledge but also of giving teachers evidence of misconceptions or partial knowledge.

o Students can also identify gaps in their own knowledge as they can place a question mark against any words they are unable to link in any way.

Interactive readingBuild opportunities for ten-minute reading sessions into lesson times; set dedicated subject reading homework; ensure a wide range of library-type information books are available and used within subject classrooms; have an ‘in the news’ notice board with current newspaper and magazine articles about your subject.

Using visual sources/artefacts

Why?

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This is an easy way to get students thinking about a topic (prior knowledge) and is easily accessible to SEN/EAL students. These strategies make students explicitly aware that learning is an active process as they are constantly making links between what they are seeing/reading/hearing and what they already know.

How? Give pupils a new picture, diagram, graph or artefact to examine and discuss.

They write what they have learnt from it. Pupils can brainstorm around a picture or artefact, listing what they can see

and what they think it tells them. Then they list any questions they want to ask. The picture is then passed on to another pair/group who adds further observations/comments/questions (think/pair/share).

Students watch a few minutes of a video. Then get them to discuss and note what they have learnt so far, anything it makes them think of and predictions about what else will be covered in the tape.

Using grids, e.g. KWL/KWEL grid

What do I Know, what do I Want to know and what have I Learnt? (Optional: what Evidence have I got?)

Why? It is both a written record and the format of the grid acts as a structural organiser, helping pupils see more clearly the stages of their learning. The procedure is based on three cognitive steps – accessing prior knowledge, determining what needs to be learnt, recalling what has been learnt. The final column is a summary after the pupils have undertaken some research.

How?What do I know? What do I want to know? What have I learnt?

What do I know? What do I want to know?

What evidence have I got?

What have I learnt?

Ten strategies for use with key words

1. Subject specific dictionaries: pupils can more quickly locate words within these than in a large, general dictionary and they give a technical dictionary. Discuss and clarify meanings and get pupils to define the word in their own words.

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2. Creating word banks: After brainstorming/concept-mapping, key words from this activity are identified and written on strips of card by pupils. These are sorted alphabetically around the room. New key words are added each lesson. Constantly revisiting the lists in this way reminds pupils of their extent and purpose. Students can also create their own word lists in the back of their books.

3. Word and definition cards: students match key words with definitions related to the unit.

4. Creating interactive glossaries: An empty glossary is given to students with key words in alphabetical order which they glue into their books. Another A4 sheet with the key word definitions is provided, however the definitions are jumbled up. As students discover a new key word, they find the definition and write it in. This must be continuously revisited and revised.

5. Key word crosswords/word-searches: exactly what it says on the tin. These can be created online and then kept as a permanent resource for the department. Alternatively, students can be given a completed crossword and are asked to write the clues.

6. Creating word clusters: draw pupils’ attention to patterns to be found in words (e.g. equal, equalise, equate, equilateral, equality, equation, equidistant, equilibrium and so on), pointing out their root (equa/equi, from the Latin word meaning to make even) and how that helps both spelling and meaning. Pupils can create word cluster posters and display them in subject rooms.

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7. Creating mnemonics: mnemonics are sentences which help students remember something e.g. ‘Richard of York gave battle in vain’ (r, o, y, g, b, i, v – the colours of the rainbow). Students could be given a key word to do for homework and the more amusing the better!

8. Creating calligram posters: calligrams are visual representations of a word that refect its meaning.

9. Using icons: icons and symbols alongside key words can act as memory prompts and are particularly useful for pupils struggling with literacy.

10.Playing word games: a. Put key words on

the board spread around. The teacher reads out the definition and two students compete to choose and touch the correct key word.

b. Half a word can be put on the board and students have to complete it.

c. Hangmand. You provide the

definitions and students write the words.

Teacher (metacognitive) modelling

Why? To make explicit the thought processes of an effective reader, processes which are usually invisible. How?Read aloud to pupils in a variety of ways and from a variety of texts as well as textbooks. Try to show the thought processes you employ to demonstrate how to actively interrogate and respond to a text – ‘I wonder what that means?...Well

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Write

that surprises me...I knew that’ – as well as demonstrating scanning or tackling difficult words and so on.

Understanding textDARTS (Directed Activities Related to Text): activities that require students to reconstruct a text or diagram by filling in missing words, phrases or sentences, or by sequencing text that has been jumbled.Why? When students interact with texts, their reading comprehension improves. They also become more aware of how texts are constructed. As students' understanding of how text is constructed improves, so too does their own writing. Research has shown that interacting with texts also improves students' cognitive development.How?Certain words from a passage in a text are deleted and the students are asked

to complete the text. Note: it is an activity best used in pairs or groups rather than a solitary activity because much of its value lies in the discussion or possibilities.

Ideas:

Text completion (Fill in missing words, phrases or sentences.)

Sequencing (Arrange jumbled segments of text in a logical or time sequence.)

Grouping (Group segments of text according to categories.) Table completion (Fill in the cells of a table that has row and column

headings, or provide row and column headings where cells have already been filled in.)

Diagram completion (Complete an unfinished diagram or label a finished diagram.)

Prediction activities (Write the next step or stage of a text, or end the text.)

Text marking (Find and underline parts of the text that have a particular meaning or contain particular information.)

Text segmenting and labelling (Break the text into meaningful chunks and label each chunk.)

Table construction (Draw a table. Use the information in the text to decide on row and column headings and to fill in the cells.)

Diagram construction (Construct a diagram that explains the meaning of the text. For example, draw a flow chart for a text that explains a process, or a branch diagram for a text that describes how something is classified.)

Questioning (Answer the teacher's questions or develop questions about the text.)

Summarizing

Analysis activities

If the text … you may have developed …

… compared and contrasted two or more things a table or Venn diagram… described a process a flow chart. … described a fictional or non-fictional sequence of a flow chart.

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events… described how something can be classified a branch diagram.… described an object a labeled diagram. … presented an argument a spider diagram or mind

map.  Use how you interacted with the text as a basis for your DART. For example, if you developed a flow chart while reading the text and you want your students to do a reconstruction activity, develop a relevant flow chart and then delete some of the information from the chart. Your students must fill in the missing information as they read.

SequencingIn text sequencing, jumbled up text is given to pupils who have to re-order it into a coherent, logical or sequential text. In doing so they must read and re-read the text to confirm their choices. This can be differentiated by careful selection and size of text and is best done as a collaborative activity. Students’ reconstruction may not be quite the same as the original order so students must justify their reasoning. It is also best done as a kinaesthetic activity so pupils can physically move it around and try out possibilities.

Text-marking

Why? These activities help students to understand that reading is an active, not passive process.

How?

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Highlighting/underlining information/numbers or writing in the margins of a text (annotating). Students can use different colours to differentiate categories of information.

Text-marking – the main idea/summariesPupils can be asked to underline what they think is the sentences that tells you most about the passage or a sentence which sums up each paragraph.Text-marking – making notes in a marginThis can be further information or questions they have. You must model this.Text-marking – numbering text to show a sequence of eventsStruggling readers may lose the thread of basic events, so when the text is sequenced it can be recreated in a flow diagram of the process.

Text restructuringStudents read information and then show the information in some other way. In doing so, they have to understand it. This is a good activity for homework. Students can restructure texts as:

o A news report or science storyo A grido A visual representation which is annotatedo A labelled diagramo Pictograms, graphs or Venn diagramso A cartoon/comic strip

Teachers can just say ‘show me that information in another way’ for more able classes.

Trash and treasureIntroduce the idea of ‘trash’ (words you don’t need) and ‘treasure’ (vital words). Treasure words to be emphasised in some exciting way such as a zigzag outline.

Note-taking

Why? It is an important skill in gathering and synthesising information and consolidating learning. As students progress through the education system,

note-taking becomes increasingly important and they can use it to: Bring about an active engagement with the text,

e.g. underlining something because they think it is important

promote concentration and focus by making notes as reading progresses;

create a recode for later use, e.g. for revisiting a few weeks later;

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act as a brief aide-memoire which will be discarded, e.g. as a prompt for a talk.

How? Teacher modelling is the best way to introduce note-taking. Make notes from a source in front of the pupils whilst explicitly discussing what it is you are doing and why. Make the focus for the note-taking explicit.It is imperative that students know why they are taking notes and who it is for, such as:

Example:

Helping scaffold their understanding of what is being read by:

1. Finding key words/phrasesText highlighting, underlining or writing on a sheet alongside the text. Decide on those words which are crucial to the content.

2. SummarisingFind a key sentence to summarise each paragraph. Students put these ‘main ideas’ together to create a précis (summary).

3. DeletingLeave out unimportant sentence creating words (e.g. ‘and’, ‘the’) as notes do not need to be in sentences. Leave out redundant material (e.g. repetition, unneeded details). Younger and less able pupils may need to cross out this redundant material, initially.

4. Substituting Combine lists or groups of items when possible (e.g. ‘apples, pears and grapes’ could be written as ‘fruit’).

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“We’re looking at Tudor food so I’m going to note down anything about food, cooking and meals.’ As you read and annotate, you must also demonstrate that:

Notes don’t have to be in your best handwriting; Layout, writing size, asterisks, underlining, etc., can

be used for emphasis rather than punctuation; Headings and other forms of graphic organisers can

help organise the notes; Annotated drawings, visual prompts, rough graphs,

etc., can be included.

Next, use your notes to demonstrate their purpose. Use them for oral recall or to create a piece of report writing.

Gradually hand over some of the process to the pupils in shared sessions before asking them to make notes in independent work. A useful intermediary stage can be for an adult to read the text aloud to pupils.

5. AbbreviatingUse standard abbreviations and signs (e.g. BBC, =, etc.) A good dictionary will have a list of them. Encourage students to create their own as well, (e.g. E1 for Elizabeth the First)

GridsPhysically restricting the amount of space for recording reminds some pupils to use words rather than sentences. QUADs grids are handy:

Question Answer Details Source

Using headingsLists and skeleton written outlines can be broken up with headings. Initially you may wish to supply the headings, plus a set number of empty bullet points to support pupils.

Diagrammatic representations (graphic organisers)Spider diagrams and tree diagrams help to organise key ideas. Follow the mind-mapping steps.

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Playing the ‘Notes Game’Students must summarise a lesson or unit in the fewest possible words. This can be used as a plenary activity.

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Finally, teachers must constructively comment on students’ note-taking attempts, rather than regard them as the unlooked part of a students’ work.

Differentiating a text Break a text into smaller chunks for weaker readers. Use headings and draw their attention to how the text is broken up. Matching – it requires no writing but enables the learner to show they can

read, understand and evaluate. Sequencing – as above.

‘Dyslexia Friendly’ Tips for Supporting Writing

1. Use Lucida Handwriting font or Comic Sans – they’re easier to read2. Writing frames and plans 3. Writing checklist to tick off as writing progresses4. Close texts/sentences to complete5. Sentence/text/picture jumbles to rearrange6. Multiple choice questions7. Mapping/drawing a line to link8. Personalised word books with useful phrases/vocabulary (link to type of writing

e.g. persuasive words/ descriptive words)9. Highlighting/underlining10.Word mats for useful/tricky vocabulary11.Alphabet strips and letter formation and joining guide stuck to table12.Spelling cards/posters13.Coloured paper14.Tramlines and margins to aid height and placement of writing on page15.Mini – whiteboards for ‘guessing’ before checking in dictionary16.Electronic dictionaries/thesaurus17.Word processing/spell checking18.Writing buddies19.Word magnets (http://www.triptico.co.uk/ is really handy to create these)

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Whole school approach to spelling

Have you tried these ways to help yourself?

Sound out the word Think about how it looks Think about a similar word Is there a memory sentence for this word? (e.g. big elephants cannot always use

small exits) Find the word in a list –

o Key words listo Frequently used words listo Your own word bank

Look it up in a dictionary/spellchecker Ask a friend or teacher

Once you’ve solved it, don’t forget to add the correct spelling to your own word bank if it’s a word you think will be useful at other times.

Classroom talk: questioning

Why? Language and thought are intimately linked and students’ cognitive development depends a lot on the forms and context of language which they have encountered and used. All pupils should have the opportunity to think and express their ideas.

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Generate ideas – dump, or brainstorm ideas about the topic. Emphasise ‘get it out’ not ‘get it right’

Sort ideas into themes – rearrange the DUMP words into groups. Sort the groups by shared features.

How? There are four types of classroom talk, but please try not to rely on IRF:

Dialogic Talk Exploratory Talk IRF (initiate, response, feedback) Socratic Talk

In dialogic teaching there are five principles:

Collective: Teachers and children work together on a task Eg: Modelling and shaping an answer together for an essay on the causes of the First World War.

Reciprocal: Teachers and children listen to each other and share ideas E.g. Evaluation of a product and how one might improve it in D and T.

Supportive Articulate ideas freely without embarrassment of wrong answers. E.g. Valuing individual and alternative perspectives in poetry analysis

Cumulative Teachers and children build on own and each other’s ideas and change them in to coherent lines of thinking. E.g. Use of discussion and brainstorming leading to completed pieces of writing.

Purposeful Plan and facilitate dialogic talk with a particular educational goal. E.g. Hot seating characters in drama to improve understanding

Questions to consider when planning your lessons:

1. Are you structuring questions so as to provide thoughtful answers?2. When you ask questions, how long do you wait for a response?3. What strategies do you use to create a climate for questioning?4. Do you see that answers can promote further questions and can be seen as the

building blocks of dialogue rather than its terminal point?

Helpful tips: Give at least 7 seconds after asking a question and 7 seconds after. This

encourages students to really consider an answer and respond. Ask open questions more than closed. Get other students to build on other students’ answers. You can allow students to collaborate before answering.

It is important that pupils’ contributions are listened to and taken seriously by both the teacher and the class. You should model this by ensuring that you make appropriate responses to contributions and are not critical. You could also model making mistakes yourself to show that being wrong is acceptable.

Use questions to develop collaborative work Begin a lesson by giving pairs of pupils a question to answer from the last lesson Ask pairs to discuss a question for a minute before they answer it Make questions a normal part of the lesson. “Earlier this lesson I asked you two

questions. Turn to your partner and see if you are ready to answer them yet” Get one group or pair to set questions for another group or pair to answer.

Saving Reluctant Writers: The DOM approach Dump – Organise - Map

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4. Sequence the themes into paragraphs – Put the branches into the order you will use them. Each main branch can be a paragraph or section of several branches.

5. Rehearse the plan by talking it through – Place the map between the pair of students. In pairs, and in sequence, explain personal maps to each other. Add additional details as you talk about them.

6. Write out the plan – Place the map in front of the pupil. Write according to the plan. Include the extra details mentioned in the talk.