EARLY WRITERS

LITERACY BELIEFS

1. All students come to school with individual strengths, needs and diverse literacy experiences

2. Parents and the wider community are partners in the success of school literacy learning

3. All teachers are teachers of literacy

4. Extended blocks of time are essential to practice and apply skills and strategies, modelled by teachers and by other students

5. Immersion in meaningful print, and access to a rich array of texts develops literacy learning

4

LITERACY BELIEFS (CONT)

6. Whole class, small group and individual instruction, allows students to learn from instruction and from each other

7. Students become independent, experienced readers and writers when each day includes time to be read to, to read with peers and to undertake independent reading and writing challenges

8. Students learn literacy best when they have real life purposes for reading and writing

Loddon Mallee Region. Foundation Literacy Module

5

BuildingLeadershipCapacityMoral

Purpose

ProfessionalLearning

Precision

Per

sona

lisat

ion

Breakthrough- Fullan, Hill & Crevola

Precision

Assessment Data

Daily Instruction

Personalisation

Readiness to learn

Appropriate Pedagogical experiences

Professional Learning

Focused daily learning of teachers individually and collectively

3

5

GRADUAL RELEASE OF RESPONSIBILITY

MODELLINGThe teacher

demonstrates and explains the literacy focus being taught. This is achieved by thinking aloud the mental processes and modelling the reading, writing,

speaking and listening

The student participates by

actively attending to the demonstrations

SHARINGThe teacher continues to

demonstrate the literacy focus, encouraging students to

contribute ideas and information

Students contribute ideas and begin to practise the use of

the literacy focus in whole class situations

GUIDINGThe teacher provides

scaffolds for students to use the

literacy focus. Teacher provides

feedback

Students work with help from the teacher and peers to practise the use of the literacy

focus

APPLYINGThe teacher offers

support and encouragement when

necessary

The student works independently to apply the use of

literacy focus

Role of the teacher

Role of the student

Pearson & Gallagher

DE

GR

EE

OF

CO

NT

RO

L

8

LITERACY ELEMENTS• Read Aloud

• Shared Reading

• Guided Reading

• Independent Reading

• Write Aloud

• Shared Writing

• Guided Writing

• Independent Writing

SPEAKING & LISTENING

OBSERVATION&

ASSESSMENT

9

LEZANE

• Started school February 1

• 24 of 54 Letter Identification Test (mainly letter names, knew 1 sound)

• Words: recognised only his name

Lezane

March 4

• Knows all letter names

• 8 sounds still to learn

TURN & TALK:

What else has Lezane learnt about being a writer?

Lezane

July 21

• Sight vocab of 32+

• Increasing bank of written high frequency words

• Reading Level 7

What has happened in this classroom?

Link to video Shared Writing

kennington march videos\shared writing prep march.AVI

VID00002.AVI

JENNA

• Started school February 1

• Knew 30 of 54 Letter Identification Test (mainly letter names, knew 11 sounds)

• Recognised only her name

Jenna

• March 4

• Knows all letter names and all but 3 sounds: i, u, y

Jenna

July 21

Independent Reading Level 9-11

Knows many words, lots about spelling

What else helps Jenna be such an effective learner?

Knowing Themselves as Writers

Metalanguage…. Students have a language to talk about what they are doing as writers. Articulate daily writing goals.

Link to Reflection Time

kennington march videos\reflection time prep.wmv

What students in Sherilyn’s class brainstormed re writing skills. July

• Capital letter at the start of a sentence.• Full stop at the end of a sentence.• Re read writing to see if it makes sense.• Spaces between words.• Use lower case letters in words (not capitals)• Say words slowly, listen for the sounds and write

down a letter or letters for the sound heard.• Start letters in the correct spot.• Keep letters the same size.

Reading & Writing ConnectReading and Writing: interactive, support each other.

Research: high achieving classrooms link two.

Effective teachers who have high achieving students do more writing and reading on whole texts and spend little time on stuff….activities about reading and writing.

Marie Clay…. Growth in reading positively impacts writing, growth in writing positively impacts reading.

Oral language/Language Experience:“What I think I can say.

What I say can be written.What is written can be read.”

Link to video Shared Reading. kennington march videos\shared reading prep march.AVIInterview 18.26

Raising Expectations• High expectations and trusting relationships: safe to

take risks, approximations welcomed and accepted• Structured, planned routines• All students go through similar stages of literacy

development: some need more demonstrations, more shared experiences, more guided practice

• Intentional teaching at point of need• Daily quantity does matter: students who are excellent

writers write a lot

Raising Expectations…

• If conventions are under control, the writing process speeds up. Handwriting, spelling, punctuation

• Handwriting matters: we need to teach it (early), demonstrate it and value it

• Spelling matters: teach high frequency words and expect kids to use them correctly

• Writing notebooks: messy covers, scribble, lack of pride. “Let me show you what I expect”

Engaging Kids

• Link to interview: How Do Kids Get Into Writing 0-6.36

• kennington march videos\Sherilyn Interview.AVI

With many thanks to Sherilyn Butler and her Prep students

at Kennington Primary School, especially Lezane and Jenna

Resources• Effective Literacy Practice in Years 5-8

Chapter 2. Knowledge of Literacy LearningChapter 4. Instructional StrategiesChapter 5. Engaging Learners With Text

• VELS Standard Statements

http://vels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/english/intro.html

• DEECD Literacy & Numeracyhttp://www.education.vic.gov.au/studentlearning/litnum/default.htm

• DEECD Literacy Professional Learning Resourcehttp://www.education.vic.gov.au/studentlearning/teachingresources/english/literacy/default.htm

• Regie Routman: Writing Essentials12 Writing Essentials for All Grade LevelsSKMBT_C45010072016310.pdf

• Fullan, Hill & Crevola. Breakthrough