Parents Curriculum Evening Wednesday 3 rd September 2014 Maud School New Active Literacy Approaches (North Lanarkshire Literacy Programme)

Implementation across Aberdeenshire All schools and networks across Aberdeenshire. Education Service partially provided and funded new teaching materials and teaching resources

Background Active approach to the teaching of Reading, Spelling and Writing Developed by Literacy Officers in North Lanark In its eighth year in North Lanark Research shows success in raising standards

Background contd… The essence of the Active Literacy programme: “Literacy is fundamental to all areas of learning, as it unlocks access to the wider curriculum. Being literate is central to an individual’s development and well being in society” Effective, enjoyable, relevant learning Literacy skills for 21 st Century life

Structure of Active Literacy Programme Stages 1-7 Phased in over the course of the year Training all children in new approaches Main Elements: Phonics and Spelling Guided Reading/Book Banding Writing

Stage 1-3 Phonics and Spelling Identifying phonemes (sounds) in words Multi sensory approach Integrated and active Weekly phonics, phonemes and common words. Working with a partner on structured phonics tasks

Stage 1 – Phonics Phonemes (sounds) will be taught at a pace which is deemed acceptable through the class teacher’s assessment over the course of the year. 26 individual sounds taught initially each with a story and action Children given lots of experience of and practice with blending More complex sounds introduced – approximately one per week

Stage 1 contd… Time for revision and consolidation is written into the programme Use of magnetic whiteboards – 1 per child Say, Make/Break, Blend, Read and Write strategy Short dictated sentences including phonetic and tricky words eg I can see my dog

Spelling, Dictation and Handwriting Improvements made through daily sessions working with pairs or trios Partner working – builds confidence and competence Spelling Strategies taught – not just word lists

Spelling Strategies Children encouraged to use a strategy which suits their learning style including-  as a mnemonic  its similarity to other known words  using a learned spelling rule and recognising patterns  making use of syllabification Children will regularly, interactively and collaboratively discuss, look at, think and learn about words

Stages 2&3 – Phonics and Spelling Continues in the same way as Stage 1 – Say, Make/Break, Blend, Read, Write Encourages children to experience fun and activity while building up confidence through collaborative working Encourages active learning experiences while building up and breaking down words using phoneme patterns Continued focus on pair/trio working and collaborative learning – Word Makers/Word Readers

Elkonin Boxes To aid children in breaking words into phonemes Eg – birthday birthday

Guided Reading Books in early years colour banded to reflect reading ages – move from one band to another as they develop fluency and comprehension Main difference to previous reading programme – no longer necessarily working through any reading scheme stage by stage Aiming towards two guided reading sessions per week Partnership between teacher and pupil It’s not reading round a group! Books are sent home for the pupils to read for pleasure

Guided Reading – Stage 1 Five stages to guided reading lesson: 1. Planning 2. Introduction/Walkthrough 3. Independent Read 4. Returning to the Text 5. Follow up Activities

Five Stages of Guided Reading 1.Planning  Teachers become familiar with the text

Five Stages of Guided Reading 2. Introduction/Walkthrough  Teacher walks through the book page by page drawing attention to any difficult words

Five Stages of Guided Reading 3. Independent Read  Pupils read the text aloud at their own pace while the teacher monitors and assesses individuals

Five Stages of Guided Reading 4. Returning to the text  Discuss the story including characters, events, setting  Looking at significant words again  Finding words starting with the same sound  Finding words containing last week’s phoneme etc Generating purposeful, stimulating discussion is the most challenging part of Guided Reading

Five Stages to Guided Reading 5. Follow Up Activities  Include individual and pair/trio work relating to the text  Include letter/ word and sentence level work  Should be completed independently

Guided Reading Stages 2 &3 At this stage pupils are taught comprehension skills and how to find stated and implied information in texts including:  How and why the author has introduced a story  The main sequence of events in a story  Understand what happens to different characters and why  Identify and understand key words  Understand characters feelings etc

Guided Reading at Stages 2&3 Children talk about text with teacher making links to prior knowledge. Read independently and with a partner, being encouraged to summarise the main ideas in their own words Written tasks linked to their reading will then be completed One important strategy children engage in is the “Find It, Prove It, Talk About It” A lot of written tasks will be completed through partner work Texts will be sent home approximately twice per week. These are for the children to read for pleasure.

And finally….. “ It is the overarching aim of the Active Literacy Programme to provide all of our children with rich opportunities to make learning effective, enjoyable and relevant……..and help to prepare them to take their place in our global society” Christine Pollock Executive Director North Lanarkshire Council

Active Literacy Stages 1-3 Any questions? Thank you for coming