Commissioned Research Article

Produced by citizED(supported by the Training and Development Agency for Schools)

AUTUMN 2006

More information about the series of Commissioned Research Articles can be found at www.citized.info

Title: Using a whole school literacy strategy as part of the citizenship and personal development curriculum

Author: Jamie Burn

USING A WHOLE SCHOOL LITERACY STRATEGY AS PART OF THE CITIZENSHIP AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT CURRICULUM

INTRODUCTION

Priory Community School is an 11-16 mixed comprehensive school situated on the outskirts of

the sea-side town of Weston-super-Mare. There are approximately 1200 students on roll. The

school intake is inclusive and part of the Weston Federation of schools. This partnership

includes all of the 4 community schools, 2 special schools and the Weston College.

Contextual Information

A priority in the school’s development plan this academic year has been to develop literacy

throughout the entire school’s schemes of learning. This article aims to show how this strategy

has been implemented with particular reference to Citizenship and the personal development

curriculum. There will be several appendices to provide exemplars of how literacy has been

used to develop assessment and reporting notably at KS3.

The Social Education Faculty at Priory has 4 members. The faculty is at the forefront of “active

learning”, learning to learn and focused use of ICT to develop student’s research and

presentation skills. The Faculty both adopts and adapts national and local initiatives to improve

the quality of teaching and learning for our young people.

What are the key issues surrounding literacy and its links with Citizenship/PHSE/CEG?

When citizenship was first introduced, in a results led culture it was relatively easy to see it

becoming a low status area of the curriculum that could be addressed with the familiar “tick box”

solution. The OFSTED report on Citizenship at its introduction in 2002 asked for “active”

learning to be part of this area. How could this be achieved? Would initiative overburdened staff

be willing to get involved? Was there a means by which Citizenship in particular could receive

parity with the more established subject areas? The adoption of literacy as a school priority

would address this issue but - as you will see - in ways that we could have hardly speculated or

imagined.

The Literacy strategy at Priory School

Early in September 2005 the first meeting of the faculty “literacy champions” met under the

leadership of our literacy co-ordinator. Having been nominated as Champion for the Social

Education Faculty I familiarised myself with the DFES paper on Literacy in citizenship (DFES

0052-2004) whilst some of these ideas were useful the need to customise them to suit the

context of the school and the needs of the students began in earnest right away. Activities such

as “Odd one out”, “Word bingo” and “Draw my word” had been used for starter activities, bell

work and plenaries as part of the Priory 4 part lesson plan for some time. Points of view

prompts for talking presentations had proved useful in previous years. Topical issues have

always been part of Social Education schemes of learning. Thinking, enquiry and questioning

are an integral part of this. Writing sequences, text restructuring, persuasive writing and

evaluation whilst not unfamiliar, had not been formally identified.

After the initial meeting it was time to get the whole staff involved. A whole school Professional

Development day in October 2005 launched “Literacy and learning” across the whole school.

The opening statements are noted below

Developing Literacy at Priory School

“We believe that all students, regardless of ability, have the right to be supported in the

development of their individual literacy skills and that their literacy should be seen as a life tool,

as well as a vehicle for school for school improvement.” A wide ranging and sweeping

statement you might say but one most would strive to achieve.

Objectives for the day October 2005

To know the text type/s which has/have been identified by your Faculty and to know

the main features of this text type

To understand where the teaching sequence for writing and the text type fit in to the

Faculty schemes of learning

To be able to employ a teaching sequence for writing in a lesson or a series of

lessons

To have begun creating student support materials for the above (word banks,

handouts, glossaries, writing frames etc)

Objectives for the year 2005-06

Predetermined use of text types in faculties

Teachers employing the teaching sequence for writing

Planning for writing in use (including planning shapes, Form, Audience, Purpose (F.A.P)

and Point, Example, Explain (P.E.E.)

Paragraphs and topic sentences being explicitly referred to and employed Time, Place,

Topic, Person (T.i.P, T.o.P)

Pupils being able to choose and use suitable connectives between and within

paragraphs

We will develop these with Learning Forum workshops to

Enable students to have better access to texts and therefore the curriculum

Be able to communicate more clearly through writing

Greater successes leading to greater self-esteem

An improved school ethos

Initial Faculty plans for the academic year

Faculties were asked to identify a writing task for Years 7-9 where a piece of writing can be

produced on any chosen non-fiction text type. Choices given included

Recount texts

Instruction texts

Persuasion texts

Evaluation texts

Information texts

Explanation texts

Discussion texts

Analysis of faculty SOLs indicated that information text was the most compatible to PHSE. As

we discovered later with a little thought and reflection the full range of texts available could be

achieved.

The initial proposal therefore focussed on existing tasks. In Years 7 and 8 the student’s

induction course focussed on “Learning to learn” This localised skills course has always had a

home-task element. This has enabled our students to pursue and develop their preferred

learning style. The tasks in Year 7 (“A Great Mind” – Attachment A) and Year 8 (“A Winner” –

Attachment B) have always produced a huge variety of completed tasks. The proposal

suggested a more biographical element to both of these tasks. Team members produced

exemplar materials as a guide for students although the need to continue with the preferred

“learning style” was emphasised. The proposals were piloted with Year 7s as they re-visited the

projects completed and marked before the Literacy Development Day. The exemplar materials

were shown to encourage an appreciation of information text as part of the re-visiting – see

attachments C (Lance Armstrong), D (Winston Churchill) and E (Born to Power)

After this pilot the faculty members looked to see if other forms of text could be fitted into

Schemes of Learning (SOL) for the rest of the academic year. This was helped by teaching

techniques, literacy formulae and display materials. As is school policy, display of key words,

techniques and terminology promoted the literacy approach both in the Faculty and school

context. Hence the following are common throughout all Faculties. (See attachments F -

Literacy Champions Checklist, G – Form Audience Purpose poster, H – Point Example Explain

poster, I – Connectives poster)

Colleagues write SOL using their specialist skills. Key Stage 3, as already mentioned, was the

key focus but the potential for Key Stage 4 rapidly became realised. In Year 8 students were

encouraged to express their ideas on the Rights of the Child – see attachment J. This task was

set after some detailed study of the commercial material available. Part of the plenary

discussion included constructive criticism of those materials, the task to produce an information

“user friendly” to secondary students. The use of appropriate language was encouraged - the

finished product being peer assessed using established Assessment for Learning levels familiar

to students throughout the school.

Evaluation texts proved useful in both Year 9 and 11 as part of the reflection process. In year 9

as part of the school’s “Technology” status students follow a module called Understanding

Industry. This module tries to connect key skills to the world of work enabling students to

connect these skills to their future career options. The module culminates in a collapsed

curriculum day where employers, public services and FE colleges visit to run active workshop

sessions and students make visits to colleges and companies. The accent is on the use of

technology. On completion of the module students are asked to evaluate their experiences. This

has been completed in the past. However the opportunity to set an evaluation text was too good

to miss. With help from the literacy co-ordinator necessary adjustments were made. (attachment

K – Assessment for Learning (AFL) for Understanding Industry Day.) A similar exercise

regularly completed at the end of Work Experience week in Year 11 received a similar

“makeover”. ( Attachment L – Assessment For Learning Work Experience)

So how has the literacy strategy enriched student learning?

Year Group Before After7 Students produced a

variety of learning to learn projects illustrating learning styles and multiple intelligences

A more focussed project using literacy strategy conventions familiar to students. Staff and student models used as part of the process. Greater peer assessment as a result

8 Modules studied covering specifications but little formal assessment

An extended piece of writing in the Voluntary Organisations module and planned assessments being piloted throughout Year 8 using literacy as part of the process

9 As for aboveAssessment for Learning evaluation part of the Understanding Industry Day

Evaluation now extended and with more structure to ensure student understanding

10 GCSE Citizenship not as valued by students as “Core” subjects. Exam technique poor

Citizenship status has improved as literacy strategy conventions used throughout the school. Writing skeletons have been particularly useful in addressing both exam technique and coursework

11 Work Experience Preparation confused with poor quality assurance

Preparation now focussed –formats for letters, CVs etc. Standard evidence from all students. Work Experience can now be used for Citizenship coursework

It is important to emphasise here that a lot of what has been achieved in the PHSCE area is

building on existing good practice. You cannot change everything overnight! The strategy for

the development of literacy throughout the curriculum might not suit all institutions but it could

be adapted to suit a variety of circumstances. The concluding blue print below suits the way the

school and indeed the faculty are organised. The techniques, formulae and terminology are

universal and should be used in any literacy strategy.

Key elements for a successful literacy strategy both in Faculties and for the Whole School

Have literacy champions who meet regularly, share ideas and cascade information to

their teams

Give teams formal time (INSET) to decide on the texts they wish to use/ are suited to

their SOL

Make literacy part of all development plans

Put in place, develop and distribute common display materials for key words, formulae,

terminology and techniques in all classrooms

Ensure that there is regular feedback on how all the above are working. Share ideas and

good practice.

Mix in literacy with other priorities in your preparation and planning. For example AFL

and peer assessment, self-evaluation, active learning and student voice.

Allow the sharing of good practice to be publicly been acknowledged.

Always plan for progression. As with everything in education literacy must be a means to

an end. As you have seen small beginnings are the best starting point –build up your

strategy over time.

Link the work to other areas of curriculum development. This year we hosted 2 ITT

students from Bristol University. Part of their work has been to link assessment to SOL.

whilst devising various assessment tasks, literacy has had to be a consideration.

Ensure that your team is part of the sharing process. The Priory School literacy policy

(attachment M) has now been finalised a year after the launch of the strategy. All teams

have been involved – all have ownership of the policy. PHSE has had as much say as

anyone. Our profile has been raised as literacy becomes an integral part of what we

teach.

Jamie BURNPriory Community School(October 2006)

Attachment A

A Great Mind – assessment (Information text)Your task is – a written project, a play, a presentation, a model, a video about someone (one person) who you think had/has a ‘great mind’ – they were/are clever and use their

intelligences well!

10 TIPS

ICT will help – research using the Internet and presentation is important – how can you make it look great?

Meet the deadline – you get marks for this… If you are writing use paragraphs and use ICT conventions Look at the person’s early years, schools and their heroes What did they do to make them a greet mind? Did they have a major achievement? How did they change the world? What does this person tell you about being a winner How can you make yours different to all the rest?

Assessment criteriaCheck that you consider the correct F.A.P. for your presentation. What FORMAT does your work need to take? Who will the AUDIENCE be and how can you ensure that you use correct language, terms and register? What is the PURPOSE of your presentation? Is it to inform? Explain? Describe? Does your work fulfil these purposes?

Level 3 – you show a basic knowledge of being ready and resourceful – you have a piece of work that your peers judge has taken some time and effort but not more than a couple of hours Level 4 - you show a basic knowledge of being ready and resourceful and you have included a section about what this person has taught you – you are reflecting and evaluating the contribution made by the person. You are judge by your peers to have taken some considerable time – maybe 5 – 6 hours Level 5 – you produce a piece of work that shows readiness, resourcefulness, resilience and reflectfulness and it is also aesthetically pleasing and has taken over 10 hors of studyLevel 6 – you produce a piece that reflects all of the 5Rs and that all agree has taken a great deal of time and effort – over 15 hours of study. The piece is clearly worthy of display at the school and has been voted in the top three in the class

Attachment B

A WINNER- assessment (Information text)

Your task is – a written project, a presentation or a video about someone (one person) who has prepared their body and mind to win a great sporting

championship!

10 Tips ICT will help – research using the Internet and presentation is important –

how can you make it look great? Meet the deadline – you get marks for this… If you are writing use paragraphs (Remember Ti.P.To.P!) and use ICT

conventions Look at the person’s early years, schools and their heroes Early career in sport Lead up to the winning moment – training of body and mind The winning day – what happened – how did they win What are they doing now What does this person tell you about being a winner How can you make your different?

Assessment criteriaCheck that you consider the correct F.A.P. for your presentation. What FORMAT does your work need to take? Who will the AUDIENCE be and how can you ensure that you use correct language, terms and register? What is the PURPOSE of your presentation ? Is it to inform? Explain? Describe? Does your work fulfil these purposes?Level 3 – you show a basic knowledge of being ready and resourceful – you have a piece of work that your peers judge has taken some time and effort but not more than a couple of hours – you show a basic knowledge of preparation and what the person did to prepare to be winner at sport – there is some structure to the piece of work Level 4 – As for level 3 but you are reflecting and evaluating the contribution made by the person. You are judged by your peers to have taken some considerable time – maybe 5 – 6 hours. You show the person’s background and early years’ development and how they have prepared to be a winner… there is a clear structure to your workLevel 5 – As for level 4 your work shows readiness, resourcefulness, resilience and reflectfulness; it is also aesthetically pleasing and has taken over 10 hours of study. You show early years’ development, how they have prepared to be a winner and how they prepared not only their body but also their mind…you have developed a very good structure Level 6 – you produce a piece that reflects all of the 5Rs and that all agree has taken a great deal of time and effort – over 15 hours of study. The piece is clearly worthy of display at the school and has been voted in the top five in the class. You show early years’ development, how they have prepared to be a winner, early and later career and how they prepared not only their body but also their mind. You show how you might use what they have done to become a winner at school…

Attachment CLance Armstrong – a great mind

If written by Hollywood the story would be dismissed as ridiculous. A deadly disease, cancer, strikes down a young, promising cyclist. Despite desperately thin odds he manages to not only beat the affliction but also to return to the sport

and wins its very top prize, the legendary Tour de France. The cyclist, Lance Armstrong not only won the Tour de France in 1999 but has done so every year since, until his retirement from the sport he has dominated in 2005.

Lance Armstrong is an American and his sporting career began in Plano, Texas, USA where his mother supported his competitive urges from an early age. He displayed a gift for exercise and had a greta capacity to run and swim well. He won the Texas ‘Iron Kids’ triathlon at 13 and became professional triathlete at 16 years old. Lance was soon training with the US Olympic cycling team asnd from this point his school work took a back seat. Lance now knew that he wanted to become a professional cyclist and that he could be good at it as well.

Lance’s rise in the amateur ranks was quick and effortless. He qualified for the world junior championships in Moscow in 1p89 and by 1991 he was the USA amateur cycling champion and he soon turned professional. Once in the pro ranks he shortly began to win races, notably a stage win in the famous French race the Tour de France in 1996.

Lance entered 1996 as the number 1 ranked cyclist in the world – he was now… and competed in the summer Olympic games as a member of the US team. Life was good for Lance but illness was about to change his whole outlook on his sport and on his life.

While seemingly at the very top of his health and fitness Lance was forced off his bike one day in great pain. In early October 1996 his doctor gave him the stunning new that he had cancer. Tests later revealed that the cancer was testicular but had spread to his

lungs and to his brain. The chances of Lance surviving were give at 50 – 50. A frightened but very determined Lance began a course of chemotherapy to arrest the spread of the disease and remarkably the treatment began to work. The side effects of sickness and hair loss were there for all to see but the fit sportsman slowly began to go in remission. A long battle against a deadly disease

was nearly won. The cancer left Lance scarred physically and emotionally but he now says that it was the best thing that ever happened to him as it made him determined to succeed and put his life into perspective. He formed the Lance Armstrong Foundation within months of his diagnosis and now the helps others with their struggles with cancer.

Lance’s thoughts by 1998, two years after the first cancer diagnosis, were returning to the idea that he might get on a bike again. Lance did ride his bike again and was soon to become the most celebrated cyclist the world has ever seen. Incredibly, in a SKY TV poll last year Lance was voted the second most remarkable sportsperson of all time – the beginning of this came in 1999 as the man who had beaten cancer won the most famous cycle race of them all the world famous gruelling, ‘Tour de France’.

Lance’s comeback is remarkable but early in 1998 without a tem to support him and after some early racing setbacks many commentators thought that he would give up. Lance had come back too early but he went back to the USA and trained hard and he won a race in his native Texas. With more confidence he came back to Europe and finished in the top five in the Tour de Spain.

1999 started with Lance setting himself a specific goal of achievement to win the Tour de France. For many just turning up would have been an achievement, but Lance fought through the harshest bike race in the world and emerged as the winner on a sunny July day in Paris. What no one could have foreseen was that from 1999 until 2005 no one apart from Armstrong would win this famous race. Lance retired in 2005 a world hero and with a record of straight Tour de France wins that surely will never be beaten. He has shown the world his courage and determination and his strength of character.

Lance has written two inspiring books called, ‘It’s not about the Bike’ and, ‘Every Second Counts’. As Lance’s books say this story is really not just about the bike and it is about valuing every second – every second counts. The way that Lance Armstrong dealt with setbacks

and what could have been a tragedy is a lesson that we should all heed. A lesson that is inspiring in that the message is clear – think positive and you too could be a winner.

Lance has now retired but what remains clear is that he will continue to help cancer victims and firmly believes that every day is precious and that every step matters.

Attachment D

WINSTON CHURCHILLWinston Churchill was born in Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, on 30th November, 1874. He was the son of Randolph Churchill, a Conservative politician and Jennie Jerome a wealthy American who was the daughter of a New York businessman.He was educated at Harrow before going to the Royal Military College at Sandhurst. After leaving Sandhurst in 1895 he joined the Fourth Hussars and saw action on the Indian north-west frontier and in the Sudan where he took part in the Battle of Omdurman in 1898. While in the army Churchill wrote military reports for the Daily Telegraph and wrote books about his experiences in the war.

He left the British Army in 1899 and worked as a war correspondent for the Morning Post newspaper. While reporting the Boer war in South Africa he was taken prisoner by the Boers but made headline news when he escaped. He managed to keep himself from being captured again and returned to England where he wrote about his experiences in the book, “London to Ladysmith” in the year 1900. Following the success of the book and his reputation for bravery, following his escapades in South Africa, Churchill was elected as the Conservative MP for Oldham. As a result of reading a book by Seebohm Rowntree he became a supporter of social reform and, in 1904, unconvinced by his party leaders desire for change, Churchill decided to join the Liberal Party.

In the 1906 General Election, at the age of 32, Churchill won North West Manchester and immediately became a member of the new Liberal government as Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies. When Herbert Asquith replaced Henry Campbell-Bannerman as Prime Minister in 1908 he promoted Churchill to his cabinet as President of the Board of Trade. While in this post he carried through important social legislation including the establishment of employment exchanges where unemployed people could go to find work.

On 12th September 1908 Churchill married Clementine Ogilvy Spencer and the following year published a book on his political philosophy, “Liberalism

and the Social Problem”. Following the 1910 General Election Churchill became Home Secretary, an incredibly important job for a 36 year old with only 10 years experience in politics. Churchill introduced several reforms to the prison system, including the provision of lecturers and concerts for prisoners and the setting up of special after-care associations to help convicts after they had served their sentence.

Churchill became First Lord of the Admiralty in October 1911 where he helped modernize the navy. He was one of the first people to grasp the potential of aircraft for the military and in 1912 he set up the Royal Naval Air Service and also established an Air Department at the Admiralty so as to make full use of this new technology. Churchill was so enthusiastic about these new developments that he took flying lessons himself.

On the outbreak of war in 1914, Churchill joined the War Council. However, in 1915, he was blamed for the failure at the Dardanelles Campaign and was moved to the post of Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. Unhappy about not having any power to influence the Government's war policy, he rejoined the British Army and commanded a battalion of the Royal Scots Fusiliers on the Western Front.

When David Lloyd George replaced Herbert Asquith as Prime Minister, he brought Churchill back into the government as Minister of Munitions and for the final year of the war, Churchill was in charge of the production of tanks, aeroplanes, guns and shells. Churchill also served under David Lloyd George as Minister of War and Air from 1919 to 1920 and Colonial Secretary from 1921 to 1922. Churchill created great controversy over his policies in Iraq as it was estimated that around 25,000 British and 80,000 Indian troops would be needed to control the country. However, he argued that if Britain relied on air power, you

could cut these numbers to 4,000 British and 10,000 Indian soldiers. The government was convinced by this argument and it was decided to send the recently formed Royal Air Force to Iraq.

Disagreements in the Liberal Party led to Churchill being defeated by E. D. Morel at Dundee in the 1922 General Election and Churchill rejoined the Conservative Party and was successfully elected to represent Epping in the 1924 General Election. Stanley Baldwin, the leader of the new Conservative administration, appointed Churchill as Chancellor of the Exchequer and in 1925 he controversially returned Britain the Gold Standard. In the following year he took a strong line against the General Strike and whilst editing the Government's newspaper, the “British Gazette”, during the dispute he argued that "either the country will break the General Strike, or the General Strike will break the country."

With the defeat of the Conservative government in 1929, Churchill lost office. When Ramsay MacDonald formed the National Government in 1931 Churchill, who was now seen as a right-wing extremist, was not invited to join the Cabinet. He spent the next few years concentrating on his writing, including the publication of the “History of the English Speaking Peoples”.

After Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party gained power in Germany in 1933, Churchill became a leading advocate of rearmament and was an outspoken critic of Neville Chamberlain and the Conservative government's appeasement policy. In 1939 Churchill controversially argued that Britain and France should form of a military alliance with the Soviet Union. On the outbreak of the Second World War Churchill was appointed First Lord of the Admiralty and on 4th April 1940 became chairman of the Military Coordinating Committee. Later that month the German Army invaded and occupied Norway. The loss of Norway was a considerable setback for Neville Chamberlain and his policies for dealing with Nazi Germany.

On 8th May the Labour Party demanded a debate on the Norwegian campaign and this turned into a vote of censure. At the end of the debate 30 Conservatives voted against Chamberlain and a further 60 abstained. Chamberlain now decided to resign and on 10th May, 1940, George VI appointed Churchill as prime minister. Later that day the German Army began its Western Offensive and invaded the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. Two days later German forces entered France.

Churchill formed a coalition government and placed leaders of the Labour Party such as Clement Attlee, Ernest Bevin, Herbert Morrison, Stafford Cripps and Hugh Dalton in key positions. He also brought in another long-time opponent of Chamberlain, Anthony Eden, as his secretary of state for war.

Churchill also developed a strong personal relationship with Franklin D. Roosevelt and this led to the sharing and trading of war supplies. The Lend Lease agreement of March 1941 allowed Britain to order war goods from the United States on credit.

Although he provided strong leadership the war continued to go badly for Britain and after a series of military defeats Churchill had to face a motion of no confidence in Parliament. However, he maintained the support of most members of the House of Commons and won by 475 votes to 25. Despite this Churchill continued to be criticized for meddling in military matters and tended to take too much notice of the views of his friends such as Frederick Lindemann rather than his military commanders. In April 1941 he made the serious mistake of trying to save Greece by weakening his forces fighting the Desert War.

One of the major contributions made by Churchill to eventual victory was his ability to inspire the British people to greater effort by making public broadcasts on significant occasions. A brilliant speaker he was a tireless source of strength to people experiencing the sufferings of the Blitz.

After Pearl Harbor Churchill worked closely with Franklin D. Roosevelt to ensure victory over Germany and Japan. He was also a loyal ally of the Soviet Union after Adolf Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa in June, 1941. Churchill held important meetings with Franklin D. Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin at Teheran, in

1943, and Yalta in 1945. Although Churchill's relationship with Stalin was always difficult he managed to successfully develop a united strategy against the German allied powers. Despite intense pressure from Stalin to open a second-front by landing Allied troops in France in 1943, Churchill continued to argue that this should not happen until the defeat of Nazi Germany was guaranteed. The D-Day landings did not take place until June, 1944 and this delay enabled the Red Army to capture territory from Germany in Eastern Europe.

In public Churchill accepted plans for social reform drawn up by William Beveridge in 1944. However, he was unable to convince the electorate that he was as committed to these measures as much as Clement Attlee and the Labour Party. In the 1945 General Election Churchill's attempts to compare a future Labour government with Nazi Germany backfired and Attlee won a landslide victory. Churchill became leader of the opposition and when visiting the United States in March 1946, he made his famous Iron Curtain speech at Fulton, Missouri. He suffered the first of several strokes in August 1946 but this information was kept from the general public and he continued to lead the Conservative Party.

Churchill returned to power after the 1951 General Election and, after the publication of his six volumed book “The Second World War”, Churchill was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Churchill's health continued to deteriorate and in 1955 he reluctantly retired from politics. Sir Winston Churchill died, 10 years later, on 24th January, 1965 at Blenheim. He was 89 years old and was given a State Funeral in recognition of his service to the country.

Attachment EBorn to Power

Winston Churchill was born in 1874. His mother was a rich American. His father was an important government minister of the day. Churchill would follow his father into government. But first, in 1894, when he was 20, Young Winston went in the army.

Young WinstonYoung Winston spent the next four years in the army, in India, then in North Africa,then in South Africa.He was soon in the news for his bravery . He wrote to his mother: .In 1900 Churchill went into politics. He became a Tory MP . He was 25, and he would be in and out of politics for the next 55 years of his life. In 1915, during World War One, Churchill left the government to go and join the army fighting in France. Later, he helped in making the first tanks, which broke the German linesand helped to end the war . Churchill had quit the Tory party in 1904, and joined the Liberals. But in 1922 he quit the Liberals and sided with the Tories again.

He was in and out of government, but he was always in the news.

Attachment FLiteracy and Learning : Is your faculty a Literacy friendly faculty?!

Faculty: Social Education Number of Classrooms / areas: 4 Champion: JB Date: November 2005

Key words on display Rights, responsibilities, citizen, power, rules, community, democracy, justice, fairness, laws, debate, Houses of Parliament, ballot, election, campaign, vote, local council, referendum, equality, freedom, reconciliation, holocaust, respect, racism, tolerance, civil liberties, prejudice ( From Literacy in Citizenship DFES KS3 National Strategy)

Key word resources in use (cards, wordsearches, definitions etc.

Display cards around the classroom – good for immediate reference, covers both KS3 and 4. Good starter activity

School Marking Notation on display

Up to individual schools –notation in student planners, displayed in all classrooms and consistently applied across the curriculum.

F.A.P. poster See attachment

P.E.E. poster See attachment

Connectives poster See attachment

Non-fiction text type – learning materials / resources for staff

Year 7 –Great Minds assessment, Year 8 A Winner assessment and The Rights of the Child SOL, Year 9 Understanding Industry Evaluation

Non-fiction text type – materials / worksheets for students

Attachments for the above

Literacy in ….. docs in faculty area

Regular item on Faculty Meeting Agenda. Literacy policies part of all SOLs. Ongoing process, opportunities being identified as schemes are developed

Spelling Logs In the back of exercise books – correct spellings written in at the time of correction

Other

Attachment G : Form, Audience, Purpose Poster

Objectives

TLW1 Review their ability to write for a range of purposes and audiences, recognising strengths and identifying skills for further development;

Resources

OHP + OHT pens FAP cards Matching sentence styles sheet (per pair) +

OHT Mini-wipeboards, pens, erasers

Starter (10 minutes)

Give pairs the Matching sentence styles sheet to complete (resource 1). Briefly model the process for them before they start. You could use the instruction booklet example. We know because…it uses imperative (command) verbs (dial and wait); it tells us what to do

Briefly use the OHT to focus feedback but do not fill in the How do I know? column

Main (15 minutes)

Establish the objective and what we learnt from the starter (resource 5)

Use FAP OHT to establish the idea of purpose, audience and format and how these elements can be identified in a SAT-style question (resource 2)

Think aloud about what sort of language and style you are going to use for writing the opening of this text : a leaflet giving advice to teenagers about doing homework

Now model writing the opening of the text, see guide (resource 3)

Get the class to make suggestions about how the text could continue. Filter these suggestions and use them to continue the text

Return to the objective for review

Development (10 minutes)

Give pairs a FAP card each and ask them – on a mini-wipeboard – to write the first few lines of their given text, but to hide their card from those near them (resource 4)

Plenary (15 minutes)

Put pairs into groups of six (i.e. three pairs). Each pair takes their turn to read their work to the other four, who have to work out the FAP the reading pair were working from

Get some pairs to read theirs out, challenging the rest of the class to work out the original FAP and comment on the aptness of the pairs’ language

Return to the objective (resource 5) and show the Cavalero brochure (resource 6) extract. What is the FAP? Why is the language inappropriate?

Ask class to read out to their parents the next official school letter they take home, but translating it into in appropriate language, but keeping the same content

Research Article – Literacy StrategyOHT + one copy per pair

Resource 1

Matching sentence styles to text formats and purposes

Text Sentence How do I know?

Geography text book

With one of the most spectacular coastlines in France encompassing granite cliffs, rocky inlets, sandy bays and colourful fishing harbours, Brittany boasts a proud sea-faring tradition.

Instruction booklet

Tickets can be bought from many shops throughout the region.

Newspaper report

One morning, at school, he got every single sum wrong.

Magazine advert

Brittany is a peninsula and because it is almost surrounded by water, its weather often changes.

StoryGet into the action.

Information leaflet

A Majorca school was closed yesterday when it was discovered that its main hall was infested with lizards.

Holiday brochure

Dial your phone number and wait.

Resource 2

Research Article – Literacy Strategy

FAP

Format Audience Purpose

A leaflet giving advice to teenagers about doing homework

Research Article – Literacy StrategyTeacher guide sheet

Resource 3

A leaflet giving advice to teenagers about doing homework

Opens with an exclamation and a rhetorical question to grab attention.

The rhetorical question is then answered

Use of ‘you’ is personal

Repeated ‘better’ sets up a rhythm that makes the point more memorable

Homework! Who needs it? Well lots of people do [YOU] do actually. Studies show that people who complete [do] their home work do better at school, get better qualifications, and get better jobs.

However, [On the other hand], you don’t want homework to take over your life, so…..

Informal tone

“studies show” sounds full of authority but the following verbs, do, get, stop the text sounding too stuffy and ‘ grown-up’

Write the crossed out bits first, then change your mind and explain why you are substituting the bits in square brackets.

Research Article – Literacy StrategyResource 4 copy onto card, one strip per pair

FAP

Instructions on the label of a coffee jar for a 10 year-old on how to make a cup of coffee

FAP

Formal letter from a headteacher to parents informing them that their son or daughter has been excluded for ten days

FAP

A description of a holiday resort in a brochure aimed at the over-50s

FAP

An article in a teenage magazine giving advice on health and exercise

FAP

A letter to the government to persuade them to make the school holidays longer

FAP

The opening paragraph of horror story designed to entertain teenagers

Research Article – Literacy StrategyResource 5

We are learning to………

get better at writing for a range of audiences and purposes

KEY WORDS

informal FAP personal

format audience purpose

Research Article – Literacy StrategyResource 6 OHT

Cavalero – a paradise for the

over fiftiesCavalero is set amid stunning scenery overlooking the blue-green water of the peaceful St Julian's Bay in Malta. We know that our more mature travellers will find this the ideal holiday destination.

The town is a really groovy little place that’s just jumping with life, know what I mean? It’s like dead warm and full of fit firm bodies. Not a minger in sight. You can drink ‘til you drop, munch on the move. You can really go large. In short, it’s a full-on 24/7 fab, happening place.

We know that you will find rest and relaxation in this beautiful location.

Research Article – Literacy Strategy

Attachment H

.

POINT LINK PHRASE 1

EXAMPLE(Quote)

LINK PHRASE 2

EXPLAIN /EXPLORE

For example …I know this because he says …This is apparent in the line …This is shown by …

This quotation shows …This example highlights …The writer says this to suggest …I chose this quotation because …

An example:Wordsworth uses a simile at the beginning of his poem to show that he feels lonely. I can see this when he says, “I wandered

lonely as a cloud.” This quotation suggests that Wordsworth is strolling along in the countryside alone, like a single cloud

floating in the huge blue sky.

You should use the PEE Chain to help you structure your responses to text, pictures, moving image, poetry – anything really! Try to picture the chain in your head as you answer.

Attachment I

Research Article – Literacy Strategy

Attachment J

You work for an international children’s charity and have to find a way to give information to children about their rights and responsibilities.

You can make a poster, booklet, leaflet etc but it must follow the rules for information texts (see planners)

Opening statement Describe things Contain pictures or diagrams Present tense.

This task will be peer assessed in the last lesson of the term (put in your planners!) based on the above criteria.

Plenary.

Use the word ‘convention’ to do anagram, hangman or definition activity.

Research Article – Literacy Strategy

Attachment K

UNDERSTANDING INDUSTRY DAY – Assessment (Evaluation text)

YOUR TASKTo write an over view for UI Day.You will need to have a follow up discussion about the UI Day. This should be directly related to the paperwork completed throughout the course.These should include all work done on Key skills and the World of WorkEmphasise the Key Skills that you witnessed and saw in use. What were these skills and how were they applied?The overview should

State what workshops you attended and where you went on a visit Show how the workplace was organised Indicate what skills and qualifications would have been needed in this place of work Relate your experiences from UI Day to your Key stage 4 options This should reflect also as to why some subjects are core to KS4 and some are not. Ask yourself – What is the Vocational Curriculum and would it suit me? Would a course at Weston College be a more appropriate choice for me? Make sure that you are able to look at your “choices” and see how they might affect your choice of College course or

indeed a future career pathway Enable you to do a 3-5 minute presentation to your classmates Descibe the process Process in the past tense Conclusion in the present tense First person singular or plural Explain specialist vocabulary End with future tense for improvements E.g evaluating your group’s performance, analysing your groups performance, analysing the strengths and weaknesses of

something Emphasise the followingKEY SKILLS, INFORMED CHOICE, OPTIONS, CHOICES

Find out more aboutCOLLEGE COURSES, WORKING IN DIFFERENT AREAS OF WORK, USEFUL WEB-SITES RELATED TO THE WORLD OF WORK, AND START USING YOUR CAREERS LIBRARY

You will be peer assessing your work. This is the mark scheme

Level Level Descriptor3 You show a basic knowledge of some key skill and qualifications as a result of UI

Day4 As for Level 3 plus you can relate the Key Skills you have studied to workshops

attended on UI Day and relate them to your KS4 choices5 As for Level 4 plus you can relate to all the Key Skills in some detail having

attended workshops and visits on UI Day and relate them to your KS4 choices6 As for Level 5 plus you can relate all the Key Skills to the Choices that you will be

making at KS4 including the Vocational Curriculum

When you peer assess add these comments What is good about the overview including both notes and presentation What would have made the overview better A level

Check that you consider the correct F.A.P. for your presentation and overview. What FORMAT does your work need to take? Who will the AUDIENCE be and how can you ensure that you use correct language, terms and register? What is the PURPOSE of your presentation and overview? Is it to inform? Explain? Describe? Does your work fulfil these purposes?

Research Article – Literacy Strategy

Attachment L - YEAR 11 – WORK EXPERIENCE Assessment

YOUR TASK

To write a job profile description of your Work experience placement. You will need to have your COMPLETED Work Experience logbook to help you with this task.

You are expected to produce a piece of work that will inform a year 10 student about the placement you have just completed.

Emphasise the process that has to be gone through to secure a work placement. This will include your dealings with Mrs Davis, your employer or supervisor and any visit from school.

The profile should Explain how the workplace was organised What duties were performed whilst on the placement Indicate what skills and qualities were needed to carry out these tasks Relate your experiences to skills learnt in lessons at school Talk about the good and bad points about work experience Enable you to do a 2-3 minute presentation to your classmates Was the placement good or poor? Give detailed reasons for your conclusions

Emphasise the followingKey Skills, Personal qualities, Being organised, Health and safety at work Employability skills.

Find out more about

FE/HE in relation to your placementAreas of work that relate to the placement you have just completedPotentially useful web sites that cover this area of workLMI opportunities in this area of work How the Careers Library could be used to help with the above

You will be peer assessing your work using the following mark scheme

Level Level Descriptor3 You show a basic knowledge of

the skills and qualities needed to complete a successful work experience placement

4 As for level 3 plus you can relate

Research Article – Literacy Strategythose skills and qualities to the placement

5 As for level 4 plus you can relate all of those skills and qualities to the placement

6 As for level 5 plus you can relate all skills and qualities to the placement making particular reference to future choices Post 16

When you peer assess add these comments What is good about the profile including both the notes and presentation What would have made the overview better What level would you award and why

Research Article – Literacy Strategy

Attachment M

DRAFT June 2006Priory Community School.

Literacy and Learning Policy

“Literacy means more than the ability to read and write, it means being able to demonstrate knowledge in particular, socially approved ways. In other words, literacy is a socially constructed phenomenon that represents the key to success, to jobs and to intellectual achievements.” (P. Czerniewska. P.5, 1992)

At Priory Community School we believe that literacy is central to the development of learning.

“We believe that all pupils, regardless of their current position and ability, have the right to develop enhanced literacy skills and, further, that this literacy should be seen as a life tool.”

All staff within the School have responsibility for the promotion and development of literacy skills. Our whole-School approach and commitment should enhance the teaching and learning process.

Aims:

To ensure that all teachers are teachers of literacy in that they will encourage and develop pupils’ literacy skills as they arise naturally in their subject’s key learning activities and in appropriate forms (eg spelling, Key words, ICT used as a literacy tool, scanning, skimming, reading aloud and silent reading, listening, speaking to and writing for different audiences and purposes).

All Departments and Faculties will ensure that they stimulate the pupils through a print-rich environment wherever possible and by the way classrooms are organised.

Cross-curricular and whole School events will be encouraged (eg Reading Week, Spelling Bee,

Expectations:

“English teachers have a leading role on providing pupils with the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to read, write, speak and listen effectively.” (DFEE, KS3 National Strategy, p. 10)

Teachers of English should: Follow the guidelines laid down in the National Curriculum for English, and

explicitly teach the conventions of the following text types: information, recount, explanation, instructions, persuasion, discursive writing

Create a stimulating classroom environment, including the display of key words

Adhere to the school’s policies on marking and spelling. Teach common spelling patterns, particularly through ‘starters’ and

investigations Give an overview of the history of the English language in order to develop a

better understanding of spelling patterns Explore the etymology of words which arise during the course of other

activities Teach literacy focused starters

Research Article – Literacy Strategy Use the school library and Accelerated Reader system to promote a positive

reading culture Start all Key Stage 3 lessons with 10 minutes of silent reading as Bellwork.

All teachers should: Explain new words clearly and make links between spelling and meaning with

words whose spelling is already known (e.g. sign and signature, autograph and autobiography)

Use key word ‘starter’ activities wherever possible. Suggested types of activity are outlined in the departmental ‘Learning Forum Folder’. (Also available from Faculty Champions)

Encourage students to use redrafting and word-processing to improve accuracy

Correct spellings of selected words (typically key subject words or very common words), no more than five per piece of writing (except in Modern Foreign Languages, where all errors should be corrected).

Encourage students to write correct spellings of keywords and misspelled words in the spelling log section of their exercise book or folder

Encourage students to refer to the ‘Spelling Strategies’ section of the Priory Planner

Liaise with the relevant Learning Support teacher when a student has specific literacy learning difficulties

Promote a positive attitude to writing, challenging negative responses Ensure that they are familiar with the conventions of the non-fiction text types

used in their subjects and use a variety of planning shapes where appropriate Incorporate the teaching of text type conventions into schemes of learning and

explicitly teach these conventions when appropriate through using the Sequence for teaching for Writing

Create a stimulating classroom environment, including the display of key words and annotated examples of work

Display literacy related posters in classrooms or faculty areas, (e.g. marking notation, Paragraphing TiPToP, PEE etc)

Adhere to the school’s policies on marking and spelling and use the school marking notation

The Literacy Coordinator should: Lead, develop, support and monitor literacy across the curriculum Advise the Literacy Forum Group on literacy issues Formalise the literacy action plan and review and maintain the school’s

Literacy Policy In conjunction with the leadership team, monitor standards of literacy through

work sampling To deliver relevant training for colleagues Liaise with the L.E.A. Literacy Consultant, AST English and Literacy Liaise with partner primary schools about continuity and progression Liaise with Learning Support Staff and the Teacher responsible for KS3 English

Teaching over those attaining below level 4 and co-ordinate intervention activities where possible

The Literacy Champions should: Attend termly Literacy Forum meetings advertised by the Literacy Coordinator. Disseminate information and material to their faculty teams as appropriate,

supported by the Literacy Coordinator and AST English and Literacy. Feedback literacy progress and developments made within their faculty areas

to the Literacy Coordinator and AST English and Literacy.

Research Article – Literacy Strategy Support whole school literacy developments and initiatives wherever possible.

The Teacher Responsible for KS3 English Teaching should: Audit the teaching and learning of writing within the faculty Produce an annual development plan outlining required action Co-ordinate updating of schemes of learning and teaching resources Support the professional development of colleagues in their teaching of

literacy Liaise with the Literacy Leading Coordinator, AST English and Literacy,

Assistant Head Teacher (KS3) and the L.E.A Literacy Consultant as necessary.

Teaching Assistants should: Work with English teachers supporting those students who have achieved

below level 4 in writing Inform the Literacy Leading Teacher of any difficulties students have in

accessing the curriculum which result from poor literacy skills Pass on to the Literacy Coordinator examples of good practice Assist students to learn correct spellings by drawing their attention to correctly

spelled words in displays and by making links with other words whose spelling is known.