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Contents Based LanguageLearning

Developing literacy skills throughother curricular areas

Margaret LockePalma de Mallorca: 6th May 2005

Outline of today’s sessionWhy develop language skills throughother curricular areas?

How do we approach content andlanguage integrated learning?

What resources are useful?

Why?Meaningful context for languagedevelopmentInteractivePromotes research skillsSimultaneous development of languageskills and progress in subject areasMotivating

How?CoordinateCreate a stimulating learning environmentProvide opportunities for investigationsUse real booksProvide stimulating reading and writingactivitiesUse guided writing strategiesDevelop oral language skills

How?……. CoordinateFor efficient organisation

To save time long term

To enhance learning opportunities

For professional development

Steps of Co-ordinationDecide what will be taught in language.(within cycle)Review language contents. (across cycles)Decide what will be taught in subject areas.(within cycle)Review subject area contents. (acrosscycles)Link subject contents to languagedevelopment. (across cycles)Decide how to develop language in subjectareas. (within cycle)

Coordinate: Literacy andsubject area teacher How can two English specialists

coordinate?

• Link fiction text to contents e.g. lifecycle ofbean plant/ Jack and the Beanstalk

• Focus on 2 aspects of writing e.g. literacy -imaginative & science – report writing

• Teachers work on a topic together

Liaison from primary tosecondary• Primary teachers visit secondary

schools

• Secondary teachers visit primaryschools

• Primary teachers pass on information

• Coordinate a bridge project

Why liaison?Avoids unnecessary repetition

Work tasks based on current knowledge

Smooth transition

How?…Create a stimulatinglearning environment

Text rich environment

Use constructive labellingCreate a comfortable reading areaDisplay language rulesDisplay work

How?…Create a stimulatinglearning environment

Text rich environmentInteractive learningChallenging tasksAll ideas valuedPositive reinforcement

How?.. Provide opportunitiesfor investigations• To develop skills essential to Science,

History and Geography• To develop oral skills• To develop reading and writing skills• To develop knowledge and

understanding in Science, History andGeography

Science:understand basicstages of plant life cycles

Give oral presentation of how plant grew usingdiagramsDiscuss and draw conclusions:Did all plants grow at same rate?Did plants go through same stages of growth?How can the lifecycle of a plant be put into asequence of stages?

Reviewingand reportingon tasks

Follow instructions to plant bean/seed.Observe changes dailyRecord changes (Create own bean/plant diary)

Carrying outtasks

Discuss:What will we do with bean to make it grow?What will we need to plant the beans?How will we do it? (Create instructions together)

Preparing fortasks

How?…Use real booksWhy?

To become familiar with features of non-fiction textsTo have a purpose for readingTo learn to look for informationTo use as models for own writingTo stimulate curiosity and a desire to learn

How?…Use real booksChoose a wide variety of non-fiction texts

Alphabet books and dictionariesBooks linking to curricular areas e.g. science,history, artTexts with instructions e.g.art and craft booksChronological texts e.g lifecycle of a butterflyNon-chronological textsBig books

How?..Provide stimulatingreading and writing activities

Word level

Sentence level

Text level

Word level tasksLabel diagrams

Matching games

Definition/ clue tasks

Crosswords

Sentence level tasksSequence words to make a sentenceFind the missing part of a sentenceCorrect the sentenceTrue/falseTurn boring sentences into interestingonesMatch sentence to illustration

Text level tasksSequence instructionsSequence paragraphsMatch headings to corresponding paragraphsCreate headings for correspondinginformationMatch paragraphs to headingsRead partially covered text togetherDo reading comprehension tasksSummarise informationWrite reports, instructions, recounts etc.

How?… Use Guided WritingStrategies “Guided writing is the name given

to a range of ways in whichteachers support developingwriters.”

Shared and Guided Reading and Writing,Ross Bindon, GHPD, 1999

Guided Writing: The teacher’srole

To provide a writing frameworkTo motivate pupilsTo invite participation from pupilsTo support pupils and provideconstructive commentsTo guide the writing of the text byfacilitating discussion

Guided writing: How the pupilsbenefit

Become familiar with the managementof the writing processActively participate in writing processAre encouraged to be reflective writersGain confidenceBuild up language to talk about writing

Guided Writing: Aids• Language rules

• Phonics charts

• Word banks

• Non fiction books/ texts

Guided Writing: StimuliExperiencesSequenced illustrationsInvestigationsDiagramsQuestionsObservationsDramaReading related tasks

How?… Ensure oral skills aredeveloped“It is through talk that much learning occurs.

Talk allows children to think aloud, toformulate ideas, to set up and evaluatehypotheses and to reach tentative decisionsin a context that is not restricted by the moreformal demands of written language.”

Learning to Learn in a Second Language,Pauline Gibbons, 1991

Oral skillsPupils will:• Give an opinion or personal response• Recount a personal experience• Give instructions• Describe a process• Give an explanation• Present and support an argument• Hypothesize