Teaching Higher Order Literacy Skills through the LNF: Primary Course

Agenda

• Higher Order Literacy Skills: an introduction• Literacy in Action• Children as Researchers: a non-fiction unit• Higher Order Literacy Skills and the LNF • The Power of Story: a fiction-based unit• Building a Literacy Rich School

Higher Order Reading Skills – What Are They?

• Location• Re-organisation• Inference• Evaluation• Appreciation

Reading Detectives and the LNFYear Group

Oracy: Collaboration & Discussion

Reading: Comprehension

Writing: Meaning, purposes, readers

Y3 Use talk purposefully to complete a task in a group

Deduce ideas & information by linking explicit statements

Note down ideas to use in writing

Y4 Help a group to reach agreement

Deduce connections between information

Gather ideas to plan writing

Y5 Build on and develop the ideas of others in group discussions

Infer meaning which is not explicitly stated

Use different techniques in planning writing

Y6 Follow up points in group discussions, showing agreement or disagreement, giving reasons

Infer ideas which are not explicitly stated

Use a range of strategies to plan and present writing

Reading and Writing for Real

Providing children with:• An engaging and motivating ‘hook’• A clear purpose for reading and writing• A strong context for applying literacy skills• Authentic audiences for reading and writing• An unfolding narrative to retain their interest

Real, Realistic or Pure Fantasy?

• Real

• Realistic – could be real – but it isn’t! (or maybe there are elements of truth?)

• Fantasy – developing the imagination – having fun!

Creating Reading and Writing for Real experiences

• Classroom based e.g. artefacts, letters, visitors, teacher/TA in role

• School based e.g. playground or field event• Out of school e.g. visit or trip

Children as ResearchersDinosaur Discovery

Key questions

• What did they look like?• Where did they live?• How did they move?• What did they eat?

Research process

• Activate prior knowledge• Identify research questions• Set a purpose for reading• Navigate non-fiction texts• Interrogate the text• Record and evaluate information

Skimming and scanning

• Skimming – to quickly identify the main ideas in a text

• Scanning – to find specific information

Skimming

• Read the title, headings and sub-headings• Look at visuals• Read first and last sentences of paragraphs

and sections• Keep thinking about the meaning of the text

Scanning• Know what questions you are trying to answer• Don’t try to read every word• Read vertically rather than horizontally • Visualise key words• Look for clues e.g. capital letters, spelling patterns,

word shapes, numbers• Use signposts e.g. sub titles, headings, headers• Use textual organisational devices e.g. alphabetical

order

Interrogate the text• Unknown words – to work out word meanings• Stop and think – to monitor understanding• Check the text – to interpret visuals• Text marking – to identify key information• Read, write, read – to read for meaning• Ask the teacher – to formulate questions and

monitor understanding• Analyse the question – to answer different types of

question• Find the main idea – to identify key information

Record and evaluate information

• Key words• Notemaking• Change the form• Children’s quiz• Next steps

Phase 1ReadingImmersion

AnalysisReading as a writer

Phase 2 Speaking & Listening

Capturing ideasDrama

Oral rehearsal

Phase 3Writing

Writing as a readerPresenting

Read texts -enjoy, -discuss vocabulary-language features-effect on audience

Create an experience - to hook pupils in- give reason to write

Explore language-use it-explore content-empathise

Try out ideasExplore further texts, videos etc

Model the writing process

PlanAllow adequate time to complete writing task and present work

The unfolding narrativeTask Purpose Audience Text

type/format

1 Research the giganotosaurus

To find out and present information

Professor T Rex NC report – information sheet

2 Research other dinosaurs

To find out and present information

Professor T Rex NC report – information leaflet

3 Research what could be at a dinosaur park

To find out and present information

Owner of castle NC report - chart

4 Create a map showing how park could be laid out

To present information visually

Owner of castle NC report - map

5 Create a poster advertising the park

To persuade Potential visitors, particularly children

Persuasion - poster/tv/radio ad

Children as Researchers:Benefits in relation to LNF

• Provides a meaningful context for learning to take place

• Opportunity to practise and apply skills for a clear purpose and audience

• Mixes literacy skills with subject content• Focuses on active learning• Flexible and transferable – can tweak existing

programmes of work

Understanding the LNF

Key Issues for Primary Schools

The LNF: Some Key Messages

• Focuses mainly on planning and assessment• Establishes national expectations year on year• Guide to progression in key aspects of literacy• Cross-curricular (all subjects, incl. English)• Cross-phase (5-14)

The LNF: Some Key Issues

• What definition of literacy are we using?• What is the relationship between English (or Welsh)

and Literacy?• At primary level, should literacy be taught in English

lessons, then practised across the curriculum, or taught in the context of subjects/themes?

• How/where do we bring together the ‘whole picture’ of a school’s reading programme, or a child’s competence as a writer?

Definitions of Literacy

Literacy is not narrowly about the mechanics of being able to decode the words on a page or write a grammatically correct sentence, although these are essential skills in their own right.It is about the skills needed to understand written and spoken language, to interpret what has been written or said, and draw inferences from the evidence that surrounds us. It is also about being able to communicate in our turn – fluently, cogently and persuasively.

Extracts from LNF Handbook

• The LNF focuses on the learner’s acquisition of and ability to apply the skills and concepts they have learned in order to complete realistic tasks appropriate to their stage of development.

• Teachers will be able to use the LNF to integrate literacy … into their teaching whatever the subject matter

Extracts from LNF Handbook• Literacy is not the same as English/Welsh; as a

consequence the LNF expectations do not address all aspects of the English/Welsh subject orders and need to be used in combination with other forms of assessment to develop a comprehensive picture of learner achievement.

• The literacy component of the LNF will help teachers to address the literacy skills requirements of the English/Welsh programmes of study but not the more literary/creative aspects of the subject orders.

The Power of Story

The Power of Story

• Central importance of stories, rhymes and oral storytelling in developing language

• Role of reading in developing writing: ‘it’s good readers that make good writers’• Need to balance experience of fiction and

non-fiction in children’s experience

The Power of Story:Leon and the Place Between

Reading as a Reader

Book Talk – First thoughts

• Likes ?• Dislikes ?• Puzzles ?• Patterns ?

From: Tell Me: Children, Reading and Talk byAidan Chambers, published by Thimble Press 2011

The Journey

• Reading as a ReaderAn experience - The ‘hook’Book TalkStorytellingLoitering with the text• Reading as a WriterBoxing upDrama into WritingShared writing• Writing as a ReaderSpringing off the PageWriting for Real

Reading as a Writer

Read as a Writer.

• The BIG pattern - box up the story - into 5 key scenes.

• Story type and focus?

• The smaller patterns - read as a writer.

The Writing Process

• Draw on original model and ‘toolkit’• Refer to story map and boxed up plan• Draw on other books and previous

teaching• Model the writing task• Shared writing• Guided/independent writing.

Springing off the Page

Leon’s ProblemWriting task Purpose Audience

To persuade people to come and see show

To persuade Townsfolk

Caring for a rabbit

To instruct Leon

To persuade Abdul Kazam to return

To persuade Abdul Kazam

Show programme

To inform Townsfolk

Phase 1ReadingImmersion

AnalysisReading as a writer

Phase 2 Speaking & Listening

Capturing ideasDrama

Oral rehearsal

Phase 3Writing

Writing as a readerPresenting

Read texts -enjoy, -discuss vocabulary-language features-effect on audience

Create an experience - to hook pupils in- give reason to write

Explore language-use it-explore content-empathise

Try out ideasExplore further texts, videos etc

Model the writing process

PlanAllow adequate time to complete writing task and present work

Reflection

• How can this approach help to take children from reading into writing?

• How can this approach be applied to other texts you have used in the classroom?

The Literature SpineYear Core Texts

Rec We’re Going on a Bear Hunt; Rosie’s Walk; Dogger; Each Peach Pear Plum; Trad Rhymes and stories

Y1 Owl Babies; The Lighthouse Keeper’s Lunch; Not Now, Bernard; The Jolly Postman; The Gruffalo

Y2 Aristotle; The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark; Flat Stanley; Hansel and Gretel (Anthony Browne); The Owl and the Pussy Cat

Y3 Leon and the Place Between; Bill’s New Frock; The Hodgeheg; The Magic Finger; The Polar Express; Michael Rosen

Y4 The Spiderwick Chronicles; The Tunnel; The Iron Man; The Firework Maker’s Daughter; Please Mrs Butler (Alan Ahlberg)

Y5 Friend or Foe; Voices in the Park; Krindlekrax; Varjak Paw; The Highwayman; Oranges in No Man’s Land

Y6 Tom’s Midnight Garden; Ruby in the Smoke; Erica’s Story; Skellig; How to Live Forever; Ted Hughes and Charles Causley

Building a Literacy Rich School

What would Estyn hope to see?• A rich and dynamic literacy environment, where

speaking, listening, reading, writing have high status• Plenty of good opportunities for pupils to show

higher-order reading skills and good quality writing in all areas of the curriculum

• Good quality displays of a wide range of texts illustrating the forms and purposes of writing, and pupil-generated examples celebrating best work

• Practitioners who are good language role models for oracy, reading and writing

• Practitioners who support the development of good literacy skills in all areas of the curriculum

Pupil perception survey• Do you enjoy writing? Yes, no, sometimes.• Why?• What sort of writing do you prefer to do and why?• What sort of writing is your least favourite and why?• Are you a good writer? Yes, no, sometimes.• How do you know?• What helps you when you are writing?• Think of 3 top tips that you would give a new

teacher to help children become better writers.

The Professional Literacy Company

• E-mail: info@theplc.org.uk• Website: www.theplc.org.uk• @ProfLitCo