1. KEY STAGE 3 LITERACY TOP TIPS FOR GUIDING YOUR CHILD

2. Reading – why read? This is the key to raising your child’s literacy across the whole curriculum This is the key to raising your child’s literacy across the whole curriculum Through exposure to a wide variety of texts children learn to comprehend Through exposure to a wide variety of texts children learn to comprehend It also helps them to absorb new vocabulary and sentence structures / grammar It also helps them to absorb new vocabulary and sentence structures / grammar

3. TOP TIPS Encourage your child to read for at least 30 minutes at bedtime Encourage your child to read for at least 30 minutes at bedtime Let your child see you reading Let your child see you reading Don’t insist on fiction only- magazines, newspapers, comics, non-fiction and fiction should be encouraged Don’t insist on fiction only- magazines, newspapers, comics, non-fiction and fiction should be encouraged Read snippets out of the newspaper which might interest your child Read snippets out of the newspaper which might interest your child

4. Writing Writing at school covers many different styles and can be confusing Writing at school covers many different styles and can be confusing Good literacy skills are important to all areas of the curriculum Good literacy skills are important to all areas of the curriculum At this age pupils will compartmentalise and say things like: “It’s History not English!” At this age pupils will compartmentalise and say things like: “It’s History not English!”

5. TOP TIPS FOR WRITING To encourage your child to become more independent help them to look up words in the dictionary To encourage your child to become more independent help them to look up words in the dictionary Encourage them to read their writing out loud to you so that they can hear what it sounds like and enable them to correct errors Encourage them to read their writing out loud to you so that they can hear what it sounds like and enable them to correct errors Alternatively they could try taping their writing and playing it back to help spot errors themselves Alternatively they could try taping their writing and playing it back to help spot errors themselves Planning can be helpful – there are lots of formats Planning can be helpful – there are lots of formats

6. PLANNING FOR WRITING Brainstorm Brainstorm Mind map (ref. Tony Buzan) Mind map (ref. Tony Buzan) Chronological order Chronological order Subject specific writing frames Subject specific writing frames

7. The importance of good literacy skills They make a key difference to your child’s future and to unlocking their potential- see SAT results chart They make a key difference to your child’s future and to unlocking their potential- see SAT results chart