Literacy Newsletter - Autumn 2009 (for Web)

8/14/2019 Literacy Newsletter - Autumn 2009 (for Web)

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The Lancashire School Effectiveness Service

Literacy NewsletterPromoting excellence, creativity and enjoyment in English and literacy through partnership with schools.

Well...that went quickly, didnt it! I expect manyof you have remarked that it doesnt seem likefive minutes since the end of the summer term!We hope that this, the Autumn issue of ournewsletter, helps you ease your way back into thechallenges of school life.

As always, we would really appreciate anyfeedback or suggestions you may have. If youwould like to submit a book review for our regularHave you Read section, or have a creative wayof teaching aspects of reading and writing let usknow!

Unfortunately, we have to say some sad farewellsto three of our team members, Clare Cherry,

Jacqui Dunn and Caroline Garland. All three havespent a very productive and successful yearas consultants and are now moving on to newchallenges.

Clare is leaving to offer her Early Years expertisein a nursery setting. We know that she loves

teaching very young children and will be in herelement.

Jacqui has been pinched by one of ourneighbouring authorities, Sefton, and willcontinue her great support for schools there.

Caroline joined us as an established consultantfrom East Sussex but is now returning to schoolas an Associate Deputy Headteacher.

We would like to thank them for their greatcontributions to the team and the schools that

they have supported whilst working with us. Wewish them the very best and hope for regularreports about their new roles.

However, we are very lucky to have recruitedJanet Pay from Broughton-in-AmoundernessPrimary School. We know that she is an excellentclassroom practitioner and will have a great dealto offer both the team and the schools that shewill be supporting.

And it is with great pleasure that we arewelcoming Sarah Watson back to Lancashire. She

has spent the last two years as Regional Adviserfor the National Strategies and is now returningas the Principal Consultant of the Literacy andMaths teams. We have missed her greatly andlook forward to working with her once more.

Both Janet and Sarah will be joining the teamafter the October half-term.

Autumn 2009


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Senior Adviser / Team Leader Lyn Ranson

Principal Consultant Sarah Watson

Literacy Consultants Sue Dean (Senior Consultant), Helen Atkinson, Julie Clack,Marie Feathers, Edwina Maskell, Janet Pay, NicolaTomlinson, Anita Yearsley, Louise Young

CLLD Consultants Vanessa Andrews, Lesley Dodd

ECaR Consultants Shirley Gott, Jayne Nicholas

Administrative Staff Julia Page - Admin Manager, Alison Kenyon - DeputyAdmin Manager, Daniel Hayes - Admin Assistant,Angela Jamieson - Admin Assistant, Lynn Smith -Admin Assistant

You can contact us by

Phone: 01257 516160Fax: 01257 516103E-Mail: [email protected]: www.lancsngfl.ac.uk/nationalstrategy/literacyPost: LPDS Centre, Southport Road, Chorley, PR7 1NG

We are unfortunately unable to provide additional copies ofthis newsletter but you can download the file from our website

and, if you dont have a colour printer, commercial printerswill be able to print any or all of the pages for you.

Contents

Where did we go wrong? KS2 writing results 2009

ECaR, ECaW, ECaT and ECC

SEN updates

Support for spelling

CLLD - APP and EYFSP in Key Stage 1

Identifying children for ELS support using FSP data

Have you read?

Every Child a Reader (ECaR)

Love reading

Boys writing projects

Journalistic writing - Apollo 13

More able pupils writing project

Foundation stage CLL planning guidance

Write your own graphic text

Writing at sentence level for EAL learners

Autumn term twilight info - Creative Comprehension

Learning excellence consultancy and courses

One to one tuition flyer

Cover photo: Matti Mattila @ flickr.com

The Lancashire School Effectiveness Service

Literacy NewsletterPromoting excellence, creativity and enjoyment in English and literacy through partnership with schools.

Well...that went quickly, didnt it! I expect manyof you have remarked that it doesnt seem likefive minutes since the end of the summer term!We hope that this, the Autumn issue of ournewsletter, helps you ease your way back into thechallenges of school life.

As always, we would really appreciate anyfeedback or suggestions you may have. If youwould like to submit a book review for our regularHave you Read section, or have a creative wayof teaching aspects of reading and writing let usknow!

Unfortunately, we have to say some sad farewellsto three of our team members, Clare Cherry,

Jacqui Dunn and Caroline Garland. All three havespent a very productive and successful yearas consultants and are now moving on to newchallenges.

Clare is leaving to offer her Early Years expertisein a nursery setting. We know that she lovesteaching very young children and will be in herelement.

Jacqui has been pinched by one of ourneighbouring authorities, Sefton, and willcontinue her great support for schools there.

Caroline joined us as an established consultantfrom East Sussex but is now returning to schoolas an Associate Deputy Headteacher.

We would like to thank them for their greatcontributions to the team and the schools thatthey have supported whilst working with us. Wewish them the very best and hope for regularreports about their new roles.

However, we are very lucky to have recruitedJanet Pay from Broughton-in-AmoundernessPrimary School. We know that she is an excellent

classroom practitioner and will have a great dealto offer both the team and the schools that shewill be supporting.

And it is with great pleasure that we arewelcoming Sarah Watson back to Lancashire. Shehas spent the last two years as Regional Adviserfor the National Strategies and is now returningas the Principal Consultant of the Literacy andMaths teams. We have missed her greatly andlook forward to working with her once more.

Both Janet and Sarah will be joining the teamafter the October half-term.

Autumn 2009


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higher than average number of schools in Lancashire,nd also across the country, have reported disappointing

writing results at Key Stage Two this summer. Oncelerical errors and dodgy marking have been eliminateds causes, schools are often left feeling where did

we go wrong? Having supported many schools incrutinising their scripts at the end of the summer term,he Lancashire Literacy Consultants made a number of

bservations. A large number of scripts demonstratedheavy reliance on rather technical and formulaicpproaches to writing which are promoted by some highrofile commercially produced schemes. If writing resultst your school were lower than expected, it may be usefulo analyse your scripts asking the following questions.

Have pupils paid sufficient attention to the contentor text message? Pupils first consideration must bewhat am I trying to say about (these trainers/thisbusy place)?

Have pupils thought about the audience and purpose

for the writing as stated in the task? In many scriptsseen, pupils had become distracted by trying toimpress markers with their attempted use of highlysophisticated sentence structures, connectives andvocabulary. This seems to be particularly evident inwriting from more able girls.Have pupils used complex sentences appropriately?Whilst variety in sentence construction is desirable,overuse of complex sentences with a range ofopeners will negatively affect the general flow of thewriting. Writing becomes disjointed and, as ideas

within paragraphs remain underdeveloped, this has anegative affect on the text structure and organisationmark.

Are sentence openers matched to text type, purposeand audience? Contrived or inappropriate openersshould be avoided. In one example taken from thelonger task - a non chronological report - one pupilhad written Bouncing high, I bounced up into theclouds. In this example and several similar ones seen,there is a definite sense of the pupils aim being toinclude a sentence with an ing opener rather than to

communicate meaning appropriately.Has vocabulary been selected according to texttype, purpose and audience? The use of ambitiousvocabulary should be encouraged but always withunderstanding of meaning.Was punctuation selected to match text type, purposeand audience? In many instances, there was an

apparent preoccupation with demonstrating the abilityto use a range of punctuation and this was ultimatelydetrimental to the composition and effect of the piece.

Ways to develop writing:

Children need to hear written language read aloud.Are all pupils read to in school every day? Promote

the daily read aloud programme across the school novels, short stories, poems, newspaper reports,

persuasive letters, plays, diaries, information textsSee the Talk for Writing materials for ways todevelop effective approaches to the teaching ofwriting (Ref:00761-2008DVD-EN)Use the Text Types Guidance from Support forWriting when planning to inform the appropriateuse of vocabulary, sentence types and connectives.This is a web based resource which forms part of thePrimary Framework for Literacy.

See Steps in Learning including the classroom

examples -also from the Support for Writingmaterials. These support the teaching of specificwriting skills and, more importantly, the applicationof these in context.Promote explicit discussion of purpose and audiencewhen reading and writing texts and return to it whenevaluating writing.Ensure the explicit teaching of writing throughregular and frequent shared writing, including teacherdemonstration. This continues to be one of the most

powerful ways of teaching writing.

Finally

First and foremost, writing is about communicatingideas. Developingwriting skills isessential if youngwriters are to dothis effectively.Successful,creative and

enthusiasticyoung writershave been taughtnot only the skillsbut also how touse them to createdesired effects.

Where did wego wrong? KS2Writing Results

2009


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Many schools inLancashire are becoming

involved in one or more

of these programmes,

which form part of the

Every Child Matters and

personalisation agendas. Ifyour mind is spinning with

these acronyms, we hope

the summary below will

help.

ECaR Every Child a

Reader

Every Child a Reader is

part of the governments Early Reading Strategy. The

purpose of the programme is to ensure that, where

possible, every child reaches the reading standards

expected of them by the age of seven. Lancashire has

wo Teacher Leaders who have just completed a year of

ntensive training and will work in our two ECAR training

centres in Preston and Burnley. Beginning in September,

hey will train a teacher from each ECaR school inhe effective use of Reading Recovery. The Reading

Recovery teacher in each school will become a key

player in raising standards not only through the work

with individual pupils but also contributing to school

mprovement by developing their expertise to become

he leading reading practitioner within the school.

ECaW Every Child a

Writer

The Every Child a Writer

programme is designed to

ensure faster progress at the

beginning of Key Stage 2, with

expectations of securing level 3 by the end of Year 4 and

making two levels progress across the key stage. Aimedat Year 3 and Year 4 classes, ECaW provides a three tier

model for all children; improving quality first teaching for

the whole class, improving guided writing to meet group

needs and one-to one tuition for those children who

need it most. Leading teachers work in collaboration

with class teachers in Years 3 and 4 and draw on the

range of writing related materials including APP, Support

for Writing and Talk for Writing.

ECC Every ChildCounts

Lancashire is working in

collaboration with the National Strategies, DCSF, Every

Child a Chance Trust and Edge Hill University to develop

a successful approach for intensive early numeracy

intervention, the Numbers Count programme. The aim

is to enable the lowest attaining pupils to make greater

progress towards expected levels of attainment in

mathematics by the end of Key Stage 1.

ECaT Every Child a Talker

Lancashire was not selected as

one of the first fifty one local

authorities around the country to

take part in Every Child a Talker

but, as you may have heard of it

and as we look likely to become more involved in the

future, we thought it would be useful to include a brief

overview here.

Every Child a Talker is a programme which focuses

on a national priority: strengthening childrens early

language development. ECaT is designed to help early

years practitioners create a developmentally appropriate,

supportive and stimulating environment in which

children can enjoy experimenting with and learning

language. It can be implemented whether children are in

Early Years settings, with a childminder or at home with

their parents. Through everyday, fun and interestingactivities which reflect childrens interests, ECaT will

encourage early language development right from the

outset, extending childrens vocabulary and helping

them build sentences so that before they start school,

children are confident and skilled communicators.

ECaR, ECaW, ECaT,

ECC...E-by-gum!


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Acceleread, AccelewriteDo you have children who are

in Y3 but who are still working

at the Y1 level in reading and

writing?

Have you tried every way you

can think of to differentiate

for them but they are falling

further and further behind?

Do they seem to forget the

letter sounds they knew a week ago?

This might be the intervention to answer their

needs!

Acceleread Accelewrite is a Wave 3 intervention,

delivered one to one, using computer software

and immediate speech feedback to help the

child with their reading and spelling.

Teachers and TAs are trained in a school to gain

experience of using the programme with a child.

See www.learningexcellence.net for details of

available training sessions.

Write Away TogetherWrite Away Together is

an effective intervention

strategy to improve writing.

It was designed to be used

on a one to one basis with

a TA supporting individual

children but it can also work

as a group approach.

It provides a clear structure for writing supportand embeds strategies that will improve

childrens independent writing.

It uses assessment for learning to improve

writing. Assessment guidance supports the

identification of what the child can do and what

the child needs to do to move on to the next

step of their learning.

It is aimed at wave 2 children in either KS1 or

KS2 but could be used with other children who

need extra support with writing.

Last year 30 schools attended the Write

Away Together training and have since

found it extremely useful. Training is now

available on 13th November at Wellington

Park from Lynne Bold, who is a qualifiedtrainer in this programme. Please see www.

learningexcellence.net for further details and an

application form.

SMILE!The SMILE Service at local

libraries offers multi-media

resources and activitiesfor children with special

educational needs and

their parents, teachers and

carers. Fifteen libraries in

Lancashire offer this service.

Activities can be tailor made for school/clubs

and individuals.

Teachers in special schools and those

supporting children with SEN in mainstreamschools can borrow up to 20 items on behalf

of their pupils. There are no charges or fines!

Multi-media resources include Braille, Moon,

large print, BSL, Makaton, Story packs,

novelty books are available.

Disability Awareness books for children and

adults.

SMILE Awards for achievements

Each centre has an interactive, touch screen

computer with a range of facilities.For further information log on to the SMILE

website

www.lancashire.gov.uk/libraries/services/smile/

default.asp.

SEN Updates


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Over the years, the National

Strategies have produced a

range of materials concerned

with the teaching of spelling.

These materials have been

reviewed and built into a

new programme to support

teaching within the Primary

Framework.

A good spelling programme gradually builds pupilsspelling vocabulary by introducing patterns orconventions and continually practising those alreadyntroduced. Experience has confirmed that short, lively,focused sessions are more enjoyable and effective thanan occasional skills session. Spelling strategies need to betaught explicitly and applied to high-frequency words,cross-curricular words and individual pupils words.Proofreading should be taught during shared andguided writing sessions and links should be made to theteaching of handwriting.

The implications for teachers of spelling may seemdaunting but 85% of the English spelling system ispredictable. The keys to supporting our pupils to becomeconfident spellers lie in teaching the strategies, rulesand conventions systematically and explicitly, andhelping pupils recognise which strategies they canuse to improve their own spelling. A balanced spellingprogramme includes five main components:

understanding the principles underpinningword construction (phonemic, morphemic andetymological);

recognising how (and how far) these principles applyto each word, in order to learn to spell words;practising and assessing spelling;applying spelling strategies and proofreading;building pupils self-images as spellers

The Support for Spelling materials fit snugly in to Phase6 in Year 2. It is important to continue to focus on Phase6 at the same time to ensure pupils are secure at Phase5 and their knowledge and understanding is embeddedand automatic in their reading and writing. Recappingskills from all phases is essential.

n the materials there is a suggested timetable ofteaching five discrete fifteen minute sessions over twoweeks. This reflects the short focused sessions delivereddiscretely in Early Years and Key Stage 1. Objectives areaid out for each year group by term and suggestions forteaching and activities detailed. It is recommended that

in delivering these teachers continue to use the teachingsequence promoted through Letters and Sounds withsome further depth.

Revisit, explain, useTeach, model, define

Practise, explore, investigateApply, assess, reflect

The appendices contain support for knowledge of thespelling system, guidance in learning and practisingspelling as an alternative to word lists (an ineffectivemethod of learning), application of spelling in writing,guidance for parents and high frequency word lists.Recommendations for parents and homework arenow to focus on investigations and the process oflearning how to spell using knowledge and strategies.Reproducing Appendix four and personalising it for your

school in an information leaflet for parents could be away to promote positive support at home and help themadjust away from the culture of word lists we are so used

to.

Overview of spelling objectives

Objectives for Years 2 to 6

Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6

To secure the reading and

spelling of words containing

different spellings for

phonemes

To understand and begin

to learn the conventions for

adding the suffix -edfor past

tense and -ing for present tense

To consolidate knowledge

of adding suffixes and to

investigate the conventions

related to the spelling

pattern -le

To spell regular verb endings

and to learn irregular tense

changes (e.g. go/went)

To distinguish between the

spelling and meaning of

homophones

To investigate, collect and

classify spelling patterns related

to the formation of plurals

To spell unstressed vowels in

polysyllabic words

To spell words with common

letter strings and different

pronunciations

To embed the use of

independent spelling strategies

for spelling unfamiliar words

To investigate the meaning and

spelling of connectives (e.g.

furthermore, nevertheless)

To split compound words into

their component parts and

use this knowledge to support

spelling

To learn how to add common

inflections (suffixes) to words

To know what happens to the

spelling of nouns when s is

added

To understand how words

change when the suffixes are

added

To investigate and learn to

spell words with common

letter strings

To understand how suffixes

change the function of words

To explore the spelling

patterns of consonants and to

formulate rules

To explore less common prefixes

and suffixes

To revise and extend work on

spelling patterns, including

unstressed vowels in

polysyllabic words

To use what is known about

prefixes and suffixes to

transform words (e.g. negation,

tense, word class)

To add common prefixes to root

words and to understand how

they change meaning

To discriminate syllables in

multisyllabic words as an aid

to spelling

To embed the correct use and

spelling of pronouns (n.b.

phonemic and morphological)

To develop knowledge of

prefixes to generate new words

from root words

To understand the use of the

apostrophe in contracted forms

of words

To revise and investigate links

between meaning and spelling

when using affixes

To investigate and learn spelling

rules for adding suffixes to words

ending in e or words ending in

-y and words containing ie

To identify word roots,

derivations and spelling patterns

as a support for spelling

To spell unfamiliar words by

using what is known of word

families and spelling patterns

To revise and use word roots,

prefixes and suffixes as a

support for spelling

Key:

Objectives in red are phonemic or phonological

Objectives in blue are morphological

Support for Spelling


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Communication Language and

Literacy Development

APP and EYFSP in Key Stage 1 - Identifying the next steps in learning

The National Strategy defines the EYFSP andAPP in the following terms

EYFSP summarises childrens achievement in

the Early Years Foundation Stage and is critical to

establishing a sound foundation for learning across

the curriculum as children move into KS1.

It

summarises childrens achievement in the Early

Years Foundation Stage

establishes a sound foundation for learning

provides Year 1 teachers with information

enabling them to identify strengths and areas

for development

helps practitioners/teachers plan relevant

and challenging learning opportunities and

experiences.

APP is designed to assess childrens achievement

n reading, writing and mathematics.

It

assesses achievement in reading, writing and

mathematics

is a matter for professional judgement and the

teacher's knowledge of the child in terms of the

point at which teachers/practitioners begin to

use APP.

t reports that the principles and practice(s) of

the two approaches are similar and consistent.

Both assessments focus on practitioners/teachers

reviewing a range of evidence of children's

knowledge, skills and understanding in a variety

of contextsin relation

to nationally

agreed

criteria.

Whilst both

are similar in

principle and

practice, the

two cannot

be compared

directly.

We should

however

exercise

professional judgement to ensure that each child is

supported well.

A reminder for Year 1 teachers

continue to use the EYFS Profile as an

assessment tool for children where this is

considered to be appropriate. This will be

particularly the case for children who have not

obtained any or most of the Early Learning

Goals (ELG) scale points 4-8 in a particularEYFS Profile scale.

children with identified special educational

needs who are likely to be working below level

1 at the end of the key stage should be assessed

in relation to the P Scales.

Bridging the gap between the end of the EYFSP and

the transition into Key Stage 1 is crucial to ensure

gaps in learning are covered and not omitted.


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Reception and Year 1 teachersshould now be working closely toidentify children who are fallingbelow expectations so that theirnext steps in learning can be

identified.The outcomes of the Foundation Stage Profile can beused to respond to individual childrens needs and its essential that Year 1 teachers are familiar with the

Foundation Scale Profile scales and their scale points.The Profile data provides the broadest and richest set ofnformation collected at any time during a childs school

career.

Most children entering Year 1 are likely to be workingwithin the Early Learning Goals, achieving between 78and 117 scale points across all the 13 scales. Childrenwho achieve a scale score of six points or more per scaleare deemed to have reached a good level of developmentand may be regarded as having appropriate preparationfor learning in Key Stage 1.

Children who have achieved an average score of between52 and 65 points (or an average of 4 to 5 points in all

13 scales) are working below the minimum expectedrange of 78 to 117 points and may find learning in KeyStage 1 challenging.

Where children have achieved fewer than 52 scale pointsover the 13 scales it is suggested that teachers consider

the following questions when analysing the Foundation

Stage Profile data. These children may require further

observation, an IEP and school action intervention.

How is the 78+ score made up?What is the pattern of attainment in CLLD and PSED

like?

Where are the gaps? Which scale points have

individual children not attained?What does the classs pattern of attainment of

individual points within these assessment scales

indicate about the strengths and gaps in their

learning?

What does the pattern of birth dates, attendance and

free school meals entitlement indicate?

Are there individuals whose pattern of attainmentis different from the rest of the class which may

indicate special strengths and weaknesses in learning

in particular scales?

What does the attainment of specific points, within

the scale, indicate about where the gaps lie in

learning related to that scale?

Interrogate your data and carry out a deep drilling

exercise!

A deep drill analysis will identify the areas for

development in early literacy. And what is missing canbe as instructive as what has been achieved! If key

scale points are missing in Communication, Language

and Literacy Development (CLLD), the ELS may be an

appropriate intervention programme to help the child to

make further progress in key literacy skills.

Receptionand Year 1

TeachersIdentifying children for ELSSupport using the FoundationStage Profile data


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Deep drilling stepsStep 1 - Identify children with fewer than 78 points but

more than 50.

Step 2 - Drill through the childrens data to identify themissing scale points, focusing particularly on:

PSEDDispositions and AttitudeEmotional DevelopmentSocial Development

CLLDLanguage for Communication and ThinkingLinking Sounds and LettersReadingWriting

Physical DevelopmentCreative Development

Step 3 - Identify where there are significant gaps ineach of these areas of learning. Use the summary gridprovided to note the missing scale points.

Step 4 - Fine Tune

Check birth dates and consider whether the gapsare of a developmental nature because the child

is summer born. Observe the child closely overthe autumn term and consider entry in spring ifnecessary.Consider other activities that could be carried out,

e.g. Physical Development SP5 and CLLD SP5 areskills that could be secured by ensuring that thereare specific activities available to build fine motorskills. The16 week ELS Programme would not beappropriate in this case, unless other significantwriting scale points were also missing.

It would also be useful to look at the CLLD, PD and CDscores of some children with high overall scores (78+) they may well have important areas of CLLD and linked

areas of learning missing and could benefit from ELSsupport.

The ELS Programme will enable children to continuetheir learning journey through a structured programmedesigned to bring them into line with their Year 1 peersby the end of the spring term.

Further information can be found in Early LiteracySupport, Materials for teachers working in partnershipwith teaching assistants.DCSF PublicationsPlease quote ref: 00767-2007BKT-ENTelephone 0845 60 555 60

You can also download this publication at www.standards.dcsf.gov.uk.

ELS Screening Grid

Significant Missing Scale Points

FSP Data DrillName of

child LCT

SP6

LCT

SP7

LCT

SP8

LSL

SP4

LSL

SP5

LSL

SP6

LSL

SP7

LSL

SP8

Read-

ing

SP3

Read-

ing

SP6

Writing

SP4

Writing

SP5

Writing

SP7

Writing

SP8PD5 CD6

LCT6:Interactswitho

thersinavariety

ofcontexts,negotiatingplansand

activitiesandtaking

LCT7:Usestalktoorg

anise,sequence

andclarifythinking,ideas,feelingsand

events,exploringthe

meaningsand

soundsofnewwords.

LCT8:Speaksclearlywithconfidence

andcontrol,showing

awarenessofthe

listener.

LSL4:Linkssoundsto

letters,naming

andsoundingletters

ofthealphabet.

LSL5:Hearsandsays

soundsinwords.

LSL6:Blendssoundsinwords.

LSL7:Usesphonicknowledgetoread

simpleregularwords

.

LSL8:Attemptstorea

dmorecomplex

words,usingphonic

knowledge.

R3:Recognisesafew

familiarwords.

R6:Readsarangeof

familiarand

commonwordsandsimplesentences

independently.

W4:Writesownnam

eandotherwords

frommemory.

W5:Holdsapencilandusesiteffec-

tivelytoformrecognisableletters,most

ofwhicharecorrectlyformed.

W7:Usesphonickno

wledgetowrite

simpleregularwords

andmakepho-

neticallyplausible

W8:Beginstoformcaptionsand

simplesentences,som

etimesusing

punctuation.

PD5:Demonstratesfinemotorcontrol

andcoordination.

CD6:Recognisesand

exploreshow

soundscanbechang

ed.Recognises

repeatedsoundsand

soundpatterns

andmatchesmovem

enttomusic.

Used with kind permission from Leanne Finch from St Philips Primary School in Nelson (you can download this table in word format from our website).


10/28

Tuesday by David

Wiesner

This is a surreal picture book with only one

or two indicators of time to carry the story

forward.

The story is a wordless fantasy of flying frogs

and what they get up to after dark on one

particular Tuesday. This book provides so

much scope for discussion about what is really

going on, what might happen and for creatingyour own story around the illustrations. These

are amazing and carry the story along in a

humorous and unexpected way. For the adults

sharing this book with children, there are visual

okes and references to films on some of the

pages. A book to return to, over and over again.

Journey to the River

Sea by Eva IbbotsonJourney to the River Sea is an exciting adventure

story which will appeal to many older pupils

n primary school. Set at the turn of the 20th

century, it is reminiscent of childrens classics

The Secret Garden and A Little Princess. The

hrilling story-line follows the journey of Maia,

an orphaned London schoolgirl, and her

formidable governess as they travel to Brazil.Leaving the comfort of her boarding school,

Maia sets off to start a new life with distant

relatives who live on the banks of the River

Amazon. She is captivated by the exotic world

she discovers there a view not shared by her

mean spirited

relatives, the

Carters, and their

spiteful twin

daughters. This

provides a great

deal of scope to

explore, with

the children,

attitudes to othercultures and also

themes such as

acceptance and

trust.

The characters

within the story

have real appeal,

from the stern and mysterious governess, Miss

Minton, to Finn, a half-English, half-Indianboy, desperate to avoid his aristocratic English

destiny. Maia also befriends a homesick child

actor who is working with a travelling theatre

troupe. Together, the three children hatch a

plan which will ultimately free them all.

An intricate, cleverly paced plot, with plenty of

clues for children along the way, makes this a

real page-turner.

The Incredible Book

Eating Boy by Oliver

JeffersA cartoony style

illustrated and written

book which tells the

story of a boy who

gains huge amounts

of knowledge byliterally eating books!

I can see this book

generating all sorts

of flights of fancy in

young primary aged

HAVE YO


11/28

pupils if I ate lots of books on dinosaurs I

would become the world expert and could give

lectures all over the world! etc. However, things

dont turn out quite as expected

The Troll by Julia

Donaldson and DavidRobertsThis is a brand

new gem from

the author of The

Gruffalo. It contains

two, apparently

unrelated, but

cleverly interwoven,

tales. One is thestory of a troll who

is looking for a goat

for his lunch. The

other, the crew of

a pirate ship who

are desperately

searching for treasure. Their paths cross in a

fabulously inventive way, creating a wonderfully

funny story.

The Village by the Seaby Anita

DesaiA familys fight for

survival becomes

inextricably

linked with the

planned industrial

development of the

locality. The children

of the family

struggle to survive

in a small fishing

village near Bombay the father drinks and the

mother is seriously ill. Then the children hear

how industrialisation is going to affect their

neighbourhood and the story evolves around

how they come to terms with this. There are

some beautiful and detailed descriptions of both

rural and urban India. Some great links to the

Geography curriculum but also a good read for

its own sake as an individual or class reader.

Gorilla by Anthony

Browne

This is a wonderfully inventive story about a

little girl whose father doesnt seem to have

time for her. Hannah loves gorillas but has

never seen one. Her father is too busy to take

her to the zoo, or for anything else come to that.

For her birthday, Hannah asks her father for a

gorilla but is disappointed when she discovers

that the gorilla shes been given is just a toy.

Later that night something extraordinary

happens; the toy turns into a real gorilla, puts on

her father's hat and coat and takes her off for a

magical visit to the zoo

The illustrations, many of which are visual jokes,

are both detailed and colourful and children

absolutely delight in them.

Published in1983, the story could have been

written yesterday! The illustrations are fresh and

contemporary. The story line is as relevant for

children today as it was over twenty years ago!

The book is a good choice for guided reading

sessions with Y3 and Y4 children. I have also

READ?


12/28

used it with fluent Y2 readers. It can generate

useful discussions relating to Hannas feelings

nd to the attitude of her father. The children

lso love to discuss the meaning and the impact

of the visual jokes. They are always interested,

fter the session, to look for other Anthony

Browne books in the school library!

The Iron Way Gillian

CrossThis is an early book

written by Gillian

Cross (of The Demon

Headmaster series) in979. It tells of how

he building of the

ailways in Victorian

imes affected the local

illagers when the army

of navvies set up their

amp nearby. There

re some historically

based descriptions of

he building of the railway but is predominately book which shows the development of the

haracters of twelve year old Jem and his older

ister Kate and how they deal with lifes ups and

downs. A book which, I think, would be a good

lass read to older primary pupils.

The Rights of the

Reader by DanielPennac (Translated from the French)Do you remember

being told TO STOP

READING as a child?

tll ruin your eyes!

Go and get some

resh air. And when

our light was turnedoff, snuggling under

he bedclothes with

torch? Reading

was mysterious and

ecret and when you

werent reading, you wondered what all the

characters were up to in your absence.

When you were very little and someone read to

you, you didnt always understand everything,

but the rhythm and voices and your own

imaginings were magical.

Then what? The reading record sent home

every day pages read to be noted and signedby an adult. Cross examination of plot, setting,

character motives and answers had to be

accompanied with a justification.

Being asked to read out loud in class and

stumbling through with no understanding at all.

If you are interested in helping children to find

their own unique passion for reading, then you

must read this book. Reading for pleasure, andthe development of comprehension are not

mutually exclusive.

Way Home by Libby

Hathorn and Gregory

Rogers

There is a growingappreciation of the

importance and

impact that picture

books and graphic

novels can have

upon childrens

engagement and

understanding of

what they read.

This is another

wonderful example

of a powerful

collaboration between author and illustrator.

A young boy is wandering the night time streets

of a big city when he rescues a stray cat. He talks

to the cat as he wends his way home, avoiding

the many dangers that a city presents after dark.

This book offers endless scope for discussion

about the boys situation and how he came tobe there. It is written in the present tense which

gives the story pace, tension and immediacy.

The ending presents a twist which will fuel Book

Talk for days to come. A great read for upper

KS2.

HAVE YOU READ?


13/28

ECaR Consultants, Shirley

Gott and Jayne Nicholas

have completed their training

and will be working with 40

teachers from schools within

the consortia of Lancashire,Blackpool and Blackburn with

Darwen. Teachers will start their

training as an ECaR teacher to

deliver the Wave 3 intervention-

Reading Recovery.

The training will take place attwo ECaR centres, one at St.

Maria Gorretti School in Preston

(where Shirley will be based),

and one at Springfield School

Burnley (where Jayne will be

based).

The ECaR teacher course lasts

for one year and incorporates

a unique training opportunity

whereby teachers bring their

children to the centres for a

lesson which takes place behind

a two way viewing screen.Colleagues observe the teacher

and child and develop their

understanding and theories of

how children process text.

Watch out for more information

about the course and furtheropportunities for training.

For more information see the

Every Child a Reader Newsletter

which can be downloaded

from http://nationalstrategies.

standards.dcsf.gov.uk or fromour website.

Every Child a Reader

(ECaR) in Lancashire


14/28

A cluster of schools in

Preston has been working,

with consultant support, on

improving standards in reading

by developing rich reading

cultures in their schools to

encourage all children to

develop a love of reading. The

teachers in the cluster also

trialled the Assessing Pupils

Progress (APP) in Reading

materials. The many different

opportunities for reading for

both purpose and pleasure

generate a wealth of evidence

to inform APP judgements.

Some of the practical ideas shared and successfully

trialled were:

The Reading Environment

Creatingenthusiasm

for reading by

developing

the reading

environment was a

key element of the

project. The schools

created all kinds of

wonderful places

n which children

could read. These

ncluded reading gardens, reading corners and reading

tents - and even a reading beach inside the classroom!

(Oooh! All that sand!)

Boys reading

As most of the reluctant

readers identified wereboys, schools on the

reading project focussed

on encouraging boys to

read by providing boy-

friendly reading material such as comics, magazines,

ICT texts and short novels on boy-friendly themes. The

reading environment included the Reading Connects

posters of sporting stars engrossed in their books. These

provided good male role models for reluctant boy

readers. Children were actively involved in the choosing

of books; e.g. through surveys conducted by the school

council; ordering evaluation packs and asking children to

state their preferences; looking through the publishers

catalogues together. If children have been involved in

the choices, they have a vested interest in reading the

books and promoting the titles within school.

Teachers as role models

Teachers were asked to be

role models promoting a love

of reading by bringing in their

favourite books and talking

to children about their own

reading preferences. Assemblies

celebrating reading were held

and favourite reads of both

children and staff were shared.

Involving parents

Consideration was given to how schools could involve

parents more. Ideas included reserving an area of the

library for parents and allowing them to borrow books

from the school library. One idea was to have a Richard

and Judy book club enabling parents to borrow the

latest titles recommended on daytime TV! Another

idea was to provide a bedtime reading book box inthe school entrance area so that parents could borrow

childrens bedtime reading books in order to encourage

parents to read to children more frequently.

Book Fairs were booked to coincide with parents

evenings and stalls selling / lending books could be set

Love Reading!


15/28

up on Sports Days and at

Spring / Summer Fairs.

A further idea which was

shared was to ask a parentwho could inspire and

relate to other parents to

take on the role of family

reading ambassador. The

reading ambassador could

come in during a school

event to talk to families

about the importance of reading in the home, or simply

visit classes to talk to provide a reading role model for

children

Families could also be encouraged to attend breakfast

clubs as part of the Extended Schools agenda, during

which they could read or discuss books in an informal

setting.

Parents were encouraged to contribute to displays

celebrating reading. Photographs of mums and

dads reading could be displayed in order to provideenthusiastic reader role models. Parents could also be

asked to design their own page of a recipe book, which

once compiled could be distributed to all parents or sold

to raise funds for the school library.

Most schools offer parent workshops helping parents to

support their children in learning to read. When running

these workshops, it is useful to teach parents how to

read a picture, displaying a picture and asking them to

imagine what the relationship is between the people in

it, what happened before the picture was taken, what

will happen afterwards and what is being discussed.

This is a good icebreaker activity and will help parents to

understand the value of a picture book for children and

how it helps to develop their imagination, language and

powers of prediction.

When encouraging parental involvement, it is important

to demystify the jargon so that all parents understand

and feel that they have something to offer.

Reading buddies

Some schools tried reading buddies. It is important to

decide what is to be

achieved by pairing

children. It might be to

improve decoding andfluency for younger /

less confident readers, to

develop enthusiasm for

reading or to develop

comprehension skills.

Once the focus of the

buddying programme is decided, then teachers can

decide how they will pair children; e.g. older children

with younger children/ less confident readers paired

with more confident readers/ pairing children with

similar reading interests. Time needs to be invested

in training the buddies before they begin, and

consideration needs to be given to timetabling a regular

slot for reading buddies.

Celebratory events

A range of celebratory

events were held in theparticipating schools

including a bedtime reading

event where staff and

children came to school in

pyjamas and had stories

read to them!

Here is a list of national events and useful websites to

use in your quest to create a school full of children who

read widely for pleasure:

National Children's Book Week (first full week of

October) www.booktrust.org.uk.

National Storytelling Week (end of January -

beginning of February). A list of storytellers is

available from Reading Is Fundamental, UK project

zone at www.rif.org.uk

World Book Day www.worldbookday.com.

www.readingconnects.org.uk

www.teachernet.gov.uk/teachingandlearning/

resourcematerials/schoollibraries

www.lancashire.gov.uk/libraries/services/schools

www.literacytrust.org.uk

This report can be downloaded in full from our website.


16/28

For the last five years, Lancashire has run an exciting andsuccessful Boys Writing project. The gap between boys andgirls writing continues to be an issue both nationally and inthis county. Each year, teachers working with the Lancashire

Literacy team have trialled techniques and strategies thatwere designed to appeal to boys preferred learning styles.This was the main focus of the projects. However, it has alsobeen important to appeal to boys interests as well, and thethemes each year have been chosen with this in mind.

This year we have implementedanother successful project aimedat teachers and boys in Year 6.The project this year built upon

the success of Superheroes andEarthlings with an additionalunit based on Edgar Mariottsmonologue, The Lion and Albert. (The teaching sequence for this can befound in the Summer 2009 edition of our newsletter). A useful websitefor finding this and many more monologues is http://monologues.co.uk/albert_and_the_lion.htm.

Teachers reported that by using an overall theme and planning a rangeof creative reading techniques, drama and speaking and listening

leading to short writing opportunities and writing outcomes, provided asuccessful and exciting approach to revision of all the text types. Somewriting examples included were:

Diaries in role as main and minor charactersLetters of complaint from Mr and Mrs Ramsbottom to the ZooLetters of complaint to a solicitorLetters to a problem page and their replies

Accident book reportSequel to the narrative

Newspaper report

Explanation of how Albert was eaten by Wallace, the lionPersuasive leaflets/posters to visit BlackpoolZooDiscussion for/against why Albert should havebeen eatenNew verse for the poemPlayscript

Initial findings indicate that 70% of the boys

tracked in the project have made two sub levelsprogress or more, and 33% have made three sublevels progress or more in writing. The impact onreading has also been successful with 58% makingtwo sub levels progress or more, and 21% three sublevels progress or more.

Year 6 Boys Writing Project

Superheroes at Helmshore Primary School


17/28

Once again, the Early Years Boys Project has beena resounding success. The samples of writing, andassessments made, at the beginning and end of the project

show that children have made great progress over the sevenmonths.

Below are some examples of the feedback received fromteachers at the end the project.

No moans when it is time to write because the boys are better equipped to write due to all thesmall world play, drama and speaking and listening activities.The boys are now using writing, not doing writing.

Im much more focused on making it exciting no more boring sentences!

Ive seen an increased confidence in their ability they knowthey are writers.The boys loved the active work and took ownership of whatthey wanted to write about.Theyve lost the fear of writing.I have given myself permission to have fun again!We have started to share and cascade principles and ideasthroughout school so that other staff can develop their

planning to.My literacy lessons have come alive!

If these comments have inspired you to find out more, you candownload the full report on the Lancashire Literacy websitewww.lancsngfl.ac.uk/nationalstrategy/literacy.

Early Years Boys Literacy Project

arDiary

Todaywaso

neofthemo

stdullestda

ysofmylife

(sofar)!

ThestupidH

yenaswoke

meupat4.3

0amwiththe

irstupid

cackling,and

theanimalk

eeper(Bob)

alwaysgive

smestupid

steakfo

rbreakfast!

IwantFrosti

es(myfriend

Tonyisont

he

box)anditsnorma

ltoeatFrost

ies.Sometim

es

IwishIcouldjusteatev

erythinglike

:camels,

hyenas,fatp

eopleorevenacrocodi

le,butfat

peoplelookt

hebestjust

sojuicy!Ahhhhh!

Wouldntyou

eatfatpeop

le?

Speaktoyou

soon

Wallacexxxx


18/28

Our names are Liz Fenna and Michele Grimshaw; we

teach at Marsden Community Primary School and

are currently in Year 6. As our school is two form

entry, we work closely together when planning

and teaching. The classes that we currently teachcomprise of 58 children (30 in one class and 28 in

another). Out of the 58 children we have 30 boys.

We have had the same classes for the last two years

and so it was really important to us that we found

new ways to keep the children engaged and excited

to learn. We wanted to find a way to teach the unit

n a way that they would understand. Last year, we

took part in the Superheroes Project and this was

met with a fantastic response from both the boys

and the girls, so therefore we wanted to repeat the

same success.

Our topic for the Autumn Term was The

Sixties, therefore the children had a very good

understanding of the key events from this era.

When planning the Literacy Unit, it was vital that

we used their enthusiasm from this unit and built

upon it. Additionally, we wanted to include a visual

stimulus as we have found that using film clips

within lessons provide our children with a higher

level of understanding. When planning the unit, we

incorporated both of these elements.

In a flash of inspiration, the idea to use the news

story of Apollo 13 came to us and as it was a real

life event it was even better. Our new Literacy Topic

was born Journalistic Writing through the events

that unfolded on the momentous mission aboard

Apollo 13. Below is a basic overview of the lessons

that followed...

To capture the childrens interest, and to ensure

that they had a clear understanding of exactly whatJournalistic writing was, we planned several days

of Speaking and Listening activities. We provided

them with a wide range of articles and reports

and asked them to sort them into different piles

using set criteria of: audience, purpose, layout and

organisation.

Boys Writing - Apollo 13

Linked to Unit 2 Non-Fiction Writing Journalistic Writing


19/28

Once we had provided them with the opportunity

o look at a variety of articles, we then wanted the

hildren to have a secure understanding of the

eatures of a journalistic piece of writing, so using the

Newsround site and other examples of newspaper

eports; we planned a series of 3-4 lessons that

ocused on identifying the features. We watched the

daily Newsround Bulletins and looked at the structure

nd organisation of the report. We then provided the

hildren with the chance to re-tell a particular news

tory and recorded the story for them to playback andsten to. Finally, in preparation for our introduction of

he Apollo 13 mission, we studied a series of written

eports in detail and produced a class checklist of

eatures. This was then used for the remainder of our

unit as a method of peer, self and teacher marking.

Following the initial phase of work, we introduced

he film clips of Apollo 13. We started off the unit

by discussing the issues

round the moon

anding and the fact

hat the American Space

Programmes had started

o be questioned with

egard to the amount

of money that had been

pent. On the first day,

we showed a selection

of small clips from the

ilm leading up to the

aunch into Space as

we wanted to immerse

he children into thetory and to empathise

with the characters.

howing short clips of

he film also captivated

he children and made

hem eager to find out

more. We showed the

opening of the film

where Jim Lovell is

ooking at the moon

nd contemplatinghis mission. We also

howed the clips in

he film where one of

he key members of the crew is replaced at the last

minute due to the fear of impending illness. We spent

long time talking about the feelings of the crew at

his point and how they would all feel having a new

rew member at this stage. This was fantastic for the

boys as they really empathised with the characters

nd had a fantastic understanding of their feelings.

At the end of the first day, we showed the astronautsaunching into space and then stopped the film. This

was the stimulus for our first piece of writing.

For the next few sessions, we re-watched the clips

everal times, spending time on think, say feel

ctivities for each of the characters involved. Again

this was a fantastic way to get the children, and in

particular the boys, to understand the feelings and

emotions of all of the characters. Below are some

examples of the different Think, say feel bubbles the

children created.

We then provided the children with their own

Journalists Notebook and they then became Official

Press for the rest of the unit. After some modelling

from us and some independent writing sessions, the

children produced a news report on the launch of theApollo 13 mission. Once their initial draft had been

completed, we spent time editing and improving our

work using the checklist and editing partners.

Following this, we extended the unit and had a

Journalist Day. We turned the classrooms into

a newsroom and showed the children the clip

in the film where the Spacecraft experiences a

problem the children

were captivated and

were horrified when

they realised what

had happened to the

astronauts. We gave

them the day to report on

the story and at certain

times we provided them

with BREAKING NEWS

INFORMATION that they

had to include in their

article. It was a fantastic

day and the classrooms

had a buzz like a real lifenews room. By the end of

the day they had produced

their articles.

We extended this even

further, and asked the

children to produce a

news broadcast on the

Apollo 13 mission. Each

child took a role and

produced their own newsprogramme. They enjoyed

this immensely!!

The Unit was a fantastic success, the children were

completely captivated by the events that took place in

the film and couldnt wait to see the next instalment.

Once we had finished all of the writing and produced

our broadcast, we showed the children the final

scene of the film where the astronauts attempt their

re-entry to Earth. We had kept the outcome of the

mission a secret from them and so they were on the

edge of their seats to see what happened. Whenthe astronauts made it back to Earth, the children

burst into spontaneous applause it was brilliant!!

We cant wait to repeat the unit next year and it has

definitely shown that if you get the children excited

and immersed in a topic, the work produced is of an

extremely high standard.


20/28

This year we have continued in Lancashire to focus

on improving writing. The Level 3 to Level 5 project

was trialled with a small group of schools through the

pring and Summer Term. Primary Strategy Advisers

Angela Molyneux and Linda Percival, Janet Gaskell, AGT

dviser and Jacqui Dunn, Literacy Consultant headed

he project. Many thanks to the teachers and children

nvolved.

The aim of this project was to develop a greater

wareness of the needs of the more able child and

herefore meet their needs through quality first teaching.

Teachers considered how to challenge and stimulate

he MA learner in Literacy lessons through appropriate

guided reading and writing tasks in the Y5 setting.

This project involved a

small group of selected

schools from the North,

South and East. Y5

teachers were expected

to work together with

the support of a Leading

Literacy Teacher and

Consultant, delivering

a provided unit of work

and then evaluating the

impact on writing standards.

During our first project

meeting all participants

were given an insight

into the A, G and T child,

trained on the use of APPmaterials and provided

with a Y5 unit of work

Persuasion to deliver

back in school with their

class. The unit of work

was based on Persuasive

unit and was supported by film trailers, TV advertisement

clips, some materials linked to FLS, web pages and

fliers on activities such as zorbing! Children evaluated

persuasive texts during guided reading sessions and

produced leaflets, persuasive powerpoints and letters.

Comments:

The range of resources and their quality has

been an important factor in stimulating the chil-

dren into writing. Even my less eager boys have

produced more than expected and to a higherquality.

The biggest change for me is I have a clearer

idea of how to get children to that level 5.

The focus children really excelled and enjoyed

the extension work they were given.

Beginning the topic using a clip from a movie

trailer was fantastic and immediately grabbed

the childrens attention.

This project has generated lots of interest and

we hope to continue running it next year.

Look out for further details on our website.

MoreAble PupilsWriting Project

More Able PupilsWriting Project

Moving children from level 3 to level 5


21/28

Thank you to the following teachers and

schools for taking part...

Janet Gough at Cockerham Parochial

Daniel Wood at Overton St Helen'sSandra Smith at Whitefield, Burnley

Joanne Duckworth at Chorley St Peter's

Catherine Southworth at Chorley St Gregory's

Melanie Clarke at Brookside, Clitheroe

Judith Shaw at Christ Church, Colne

Example Planning Guidance for Foundation Stage CLL

Brand new onto the literacy website is some long-awaited planning support for

teachers working in the Foundation Stage. Half-termly overviews of objectives have

been drawn up from Development Matters, the primary framework for literacy and

the expertise of a team of literacy consultants and lead teachers.

As with any suggestions for planning, it remains very important that practitioners

carefully consider the needs of the children in their classes and adjust objectives

accordingly.

An example of how the guidance is structured is provided below.

Spring 1st Half

Objective Framework Strand Overview Related profile

scale pointsLanguage for Communication

Have confidence to speak to others. 1. Speaking 2, 6 2, 8

Initiate conversation, attend to and take account of

what others say.

1. Speaking 6 6, 8, 7

Extend vocabulary, especially by grouping and

naming.

1. Speaking 3 7

Begin to use vocabulary and forms of speech that are

influenced by their experience of books.

2. Listening and

responding

3 7

Begin to link statements and stick to a main theme or

intention.

7. Understanding and

interpreting texts

7 3, 6, 7

Begin to develop a simple story, explanation or line of

questioning.1. Speaking 7, 1

here was an emphasis on quality guided reading and

writing activities throughout the unit to challenge the

more able pupil.

This project involved developing

professional dialogue, an

opportunity to share experiences

and build on good practice.

Meetings took place to consider

issues arising in the classroom

etting and to plan a follow up unit of work. LLTs

upported teachers by observing guided sessions and

roviding feedback or through meetings re planning

nits of work.

ollow up training was provided on Classroom Quality

Standards, developing comprehension skills through

Blooms Taxonomy and using picture books to engage

MA learners. Participating teachers were asked to

evaluate the impact this project had on writing not just

for more able pupils but the whole class. Did perceptions

of writing change? Were standards raised across the

class? Did boys and girls enjoy using the resources?


22/28

When your children have written their story, poem or information text, consider

ways in which the text might be presented graphically. Pictures do enhance the

text, but the writing should be of a high enough standard to stand alone.

Write Your Own Graphic Text

In the last newsletter, we reviewed two

graphic novels by Neil Gaiman and DaveMcKean. These books are illustrated

with a mixture of collage, photographs

and drawings. Well, your children could

do that, too. All you need is a camera, a

scanner or photocopier.

Strand 12 of the Literacy Framework states:

Select from a wide range of ICT programsto present text effectively and communicate

information and ideas.

Tear pictures from magazines and

paste them into a themed collage.

Draw the characters, cut them out and

paste them onto the collage.

Scan the collage and insert into a Word

document.

Insert text boxes and speech bubbles

and add text and dialogue

The Day I Swapped my Dad forTwo Goldfish by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean

Lets exploreupstairs


23/28

.

Send in your stories to us at [email protected] we will post them on our website. Good luck!

Take a photo and uploadto the computer

Manipulate to create theeffect you want

Add clipart Insert text boxes and speech bubbles with text.

Find and print a photograph of the

sky.Paint a landscape or scene and cut outwhen dry.Paste onto the sky photo. Paste anyother pictures or characters on top.Scan and insert into a Worddocument.Insert clip art, text boxes and the text.

Find a picture that fits the text; or

ask the children to draw their own.Insert or scan the picture into aword document on the computer.Present the narrative in a text boxand dialogue in speech bubbles.Alter the fonts to representdifferent speakers.

Once upon a long, long time ago, in a landover the hills and far away, there lived an

elf. He had lived all alone for a hundred andfour years since a wickedy witch had cast

a spell on him - a spell to make him thesmelliest elf in the whole world.

He lived all alone because he had been banished!

The little elf trudged across hill and dale with

the bag of gold. If only he could find a rain-bows end so that he could bury his heavy load.

When I appliedfor the job of putting

pots of gold at the end ofrainbows, I had no ideahow hard it would be!

Here are some simple examples; using a mixture of manipulated

photographs, paintings, clip art and drawings. You dont need to

be an ICT whizz to do any of these!


24/28

Research by Lynne Cameron has

highlighted particular aspects of

grammar which are likely to present

challenges for children learning

English as an additional language.These aspects are described below.

Sentence level work requires focused and explicit

eaching. It is important that this teaching is grounded

n exploration and investigation of written texts, applied

n shared writing and supported in guided work (guided

alk for writing and/or guided writing).

Developing the use of Adverbials

Adverbials extend the meaning of sentences thereby

adding richness to them. They provide clarity and

precision and can be used effectively to create a specific

eel to a piece of writing. Because they can be placed

n different positions in a sentence, they also add variety

and pace. Time connectives in chronological texts are

adverbs.

Adverbials add detail about:

Place (where?)

Time and frequency (when? how long? how often?)

Manner (how? like what? with whom?)

Cause or reason (why?)

They may be single words, phrases or clauses and

depending on the type of adverb they can be found:

At the beginning of sentences: With a heavy heart,

Samira turned around and headed for home.

In the middle of sentences: Saleem reluctantly

decided to leave.

At the end of sentences: Kemal decided to leave

promptly (adverb).; Samira headed for home with

a heavy heart (adverbial phrase).; She headed for

home as soon as she heard the news (adverbial

clause).

EAL learners tend to use adverbials more

often at the end of sentences and provide less

information, variety and pace through adverbialsthan their monolingual peers working at the

same level.

Some strategies for developing the range of

adverbials:

During oral personal recount sessions or news telling,

use prompt cards to remind children to include detail

about when, where, why, how etc. Model the use

of this language before asking the children to work

with a Talk Partner.

Give the children a simple sentence (subject and

verb) for example: The lion roared. Model adding

some further detail using prompts such as where,

when, how, why, how often? Ask children to work

in pairs to provide more detail. Initially, children

will provide single word adverbs but with explicit

modelling and lots of opportunities to practice oraland written composition, children will start to use

adverbial phrases.

Plot adverbs of degree or frequency on a continuum.

Create time lines to sequence adverbs used as time

connectives.

Use generic sentence level activities such as Improve

and Construct, focusing particularly on adding

adverbial phrases and investigating their mobility.

More information and strategies about writing at

sentence level for EAL learners can be found in

Excellence and Enjoyment: learning and teaching for

bilingual children in the primary years, Unit 2 Ref: 2133-

2006DCL-EN and Teaching Units to support guided

sessions in writing in English as an additional language

Ref: 00068-2007FLR-EN.

You will also find Developing Early Writing (DfEE

0055/2001) and Grammar for Writing (DfEE 0107/2000)

provide guidance and a wealth of valuable practical

strategies to support all children, including those

learning EAL, to achieve their writing targets.

Writing at Sentence Level for EAL Learners

First Next After that Soon afterwards Finally

when? where? why? how?

Phrasal verbs

Modal verbs

Past tense

Subject-verb agreement

VerbsPassive voice

PrepositionsAdverbials

Determiners

Pronouns

Noun phrases Comparison


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Lancashire LeadingLiteracy Teachers Present...

Creative ComprehensionInteractive and collaborative approaches to developing

reading comprehension

There will be 25twilights happeningin schools across the

county. Please look out

for your flyer.

Aims of the course:

To provide practical ideas

and strategies to engagepupils with textsTo exemplify use of BookTalk

Who should attend?

Teachers, Subject Leaders,Teaching Assistants


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We are able to support professional development in a variety of ways:

Marketed Consultancies:

We are able to provide consultancies for individual teachers, schools or local networks which can

be tailor made to suit your needs. These can take place during the school day, after school or during

NSET days. They can be booked through Learning Excellence www.learningexcellence.net or could be

provided as subsidised training through the TDA (Training and Development Agency) contact Kathy

Bigio on 01257 516100 for further information.

Some of the consultancies which have been provided recently include:

Early Reading and Phonics this continues to be a popular consultancy particularly to train groups

of teaching assistants during their working day

Support for Spelling an introduction to the new materials and practical ideas for implementation

Writing across the Curriculum an area of focus for many schools as they begin to become more

creative with their curriculum organisation

Using ICT to support Literacy many schools who have been planning with the Literacy

Framework for some time have requested this consultancy in order to further develop ICT skills and

opportunities.

For example:

A Using ICT to Support Literacy package could include one or more of these sessions:

Full staff meeting

2 hours

Use of whiteboard software

Textease

Espresso

Teacher Adviser for ICT

Full staff meeting

2 hours

Downloading and using images

Downloading and using sounds

Downloading and using video

Photostory

Teacher Adviser for ICT

Full staff meeting2 hours

Using the above ICT techniquesto support the development of

Literacy Skills

Literacy Consultant

Why not ring Helen Atkinson or Anita Yearsley on 01257 516160 or 01257 516100 to discuss your

needs?

Courses:

n addition to providing strategy courses we also provide a wide range of marketed courses.

Why not take a look at the Learning Excellence Site to see if we are running a course which would

benefit the professional development of a member of your staff?

You can access the Learning Excellence site directly www.learningexcellence.net or via a link on our

own website www.lancsngfl.ac.uk/nationalstrategy/literacy.

How can the literacy team support yourprofessional development?


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MUS101a 16/09/09 Woodlands Music and Literacy: a creative and inspirational transition project for KS1/2

SEN101b 22/09/09 St Maria Goretti Acceleread Accelewrite

ENG123c 24/09/09 Woodlands Early Literacy Support (ELS)*ENG123d 01/10/09 The Red Rose Hub Early Literacy Support (ELS)*

ENG115b 01/10/09 Woodlands Literacy Teaching in Year 5 and 6

ABL112e 02/10/09 Woodlands Literacy for the More Able: Ensuring Progress from L3 at KS1 to L5 at KS2

ENG103a 06/10/09 Clayton Park Raising Achievement In Spelling at Key Stage 2

ENG126b 08/10/09 Alston Hall Literacy Teaching in Year 1 and Year 2

ENG128a 09/10/09 Garstang Golf Club Introducing Letters and Sounds

ENG114b 09/10/09 The Red Rose Hub Literacy Teaching in Year 3 and Year 4

SEN150a 12/10/09 The Red Rose Hub Helping or Hovering? The effective use of TAs by Classteachers

ENG127b 13/10/09 The Red Rose Hub Guided Writing

ENG125d 15/10/09 Woodlands Year 3 Intervention (Quest)*ENG128b 16/10/09 Woodlands Introducing Letters and Sounds

ENG116b 22/10/09 Woodlands Using ICT to support the Renewed Framework for Literacy in Year One

ENG125e 22/10/09 Woodlands Year 3 Intervention (Quest)*

ABL112f 23/10/09 Clayton Park Literacy for the More Able: Ensuring Progress from L3 at KS1 to L5 at KS2

ENG124a 05/11/09 Woodlands Further Literacy Support (FLS)*

ENG117b 05/11/09 Woodlands Using ICT to support the Renewed Framework for Literacy in Year Two

ENG130a 06/11/09 Woodlands Literacy Subject Leader Network (South)

ENG130b 06/11/09 Woodlands Literacy Subject Leader Network (South)

ENG124b 12/11/09 Woodlands Further Literacy Support (FLS)*

ENG113b 12/11/09 Woodlands Using ICT to Support the Renewed Framework for Literacy in Year ThreeENG109b 13/11/09 The Red Rose Hub New to Subject Leadership In Literacy (second day on 28/01/10)

ENG120b 18/11/09 Woodlands Using ICT to support the Renewed Framework for Literacy in Year Six

ENG122a 19/11/09 Woodlands Delivering Letters and Sounds in Year Two

ENG118b 19/11/09 Woodlands Using ICT to support the Renewed Framework for Literacy in Year Four

ENG130c 20/11/09 Clayton Park Literacy Subject Leader Network (East)

ENG130d 20/11/09 Clayton Park Literacy Subject Leader Network (East)

ENG119b 26/11/09 Woodlands Using ICT to support the Renewed Framework for Literacy in Year Five

ENG130e 27/11/09 Garstang Golf Club Literacy Subject Leader Network (North)

SEN150b 30/11/09 The Red Rose Hub Helping or Hovering? The effective use of TAs by Classteachers

ENG151a 04/12/09 Woodlands Moving to Learn - PE and Literacy

ENG138a 14/01/10 Woodlands Support for Writing: Moving through the Levels in Year 2


SCI117b 15/01/10 Woodlands Developing skills in Literacy through Science


ENG129a 20/01/10 Woodlands Year Six Literacy SATs Revision

ENG129b 20/01/10 Woodlands Year Six Literacy SATs Revision



ENG104a 27/01/10 The Red Rose Hub Guided Reading

ENG132a 28/01/10 Woodlands Support for Reading: Moving through the Levels in Year 2

Courses 09-10Autumn Term 2009

January 2010 - many more on our website!

For further information about all these courses access the Learning Excellence Website on www.

learningexcellence.net or via our links on the Literacy website www.lancsngfl.ac.uk/nationalstrategy/literacy

* Teaching assistants half price when they attend with a teacher.


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If so, a part time work opportunity may be

available to you under the new One-to-One

Tuition initiative being launched by the DCSF

in September 2009. Primary and secondary

schools in your area will be looking to

appoint tutors to provide individual English

or maths tuition for pupils below age-range

expectations, for a minimum of 10 one hour

sessions per pupil.

A tutor employed to provide One-to-One

Tuition must have qualified teacher status

or be an FE or HE trained teacher with

appropriate subject qualifications. All tutors

must also hold a current and enhanced

Criminal Record Bureau Check.

The National Strategies and Lancashire

Authority are working together to create

a list of any members who are interested,

qualified and available to be involved in

One-to-One Tuition in their area. Lancashire

will offer you a full programme of training

and support both face to face and distance

learning. The suggested hourly rate for tutors

contracted to provide tuition is at least 25

per hour.

You can register at www.tda.gov.uk/

teachers/onetoonetuition.aspx and your

details will be sent to your local authority or

you can email one-to-one-tuition@lancashire.

gov.uk and we can send you a Lancashire

specific enrolment form.

We look forward to meeting you!

Hilary King

One-to-One Programme Co-ordinator

Lancashire County Council

Are you a Qualified Teacher?

One-to-One Tuition in Lancashire

Literacy Newsletter - Autumn 2009 (for Web)

Documents

Transcript of Literacy Newsletter - Autumn 2009 (for Web)