1. Whole School Literacy Whole School Literacy Aquinas
CollegeAquinas College Presentation byPresentation by Marj
KirklandMarj Kirkland Teacher-LibrarianTeacher-Librarian Aquinas
CollegeAquinas College
2. What is literacy? The ability to read and write. Australian
Oxford Dictionary, Penguin English Dictionary, Macquarie Dictionary
Skill in or knowledge of a particular subject. Penguin English
Dictionary The ability to use language effectively. Macquarie
Dictionary (Implicit in the above definitions is a level of
understanding of context, audience, etc)
3. New definitions of literacy Shaping and making meaning of
text in a corporate controlled media environment Exposing Employing
Expressing Ethics Dr Allan Luke Critical literacy Stresses the
importance of teaching students not just to read, but to understand
their world, to be constructive sceptics.
4. Personal Reflection: Why is literacy important? How would
your life be different if you had poor literacy skills?
5. http://www.trauger.net/farsidepage.htm Literacy A life
raft!
6. Aquinas College Co-educational Catholic school Situated on
the Gold Coast, Queensland 650 students Mixed socio-economic
population Mission statement: We offer a dynamic, challenging, rich
and diverse range of learning experiences. We value a process of
constant curriculum renewal. Community of learning
7. A little Background. There were already many literacy
initiatives in place at Aquinas; - Research into Boys and Reading -
Reading programs Literature Circles (Years 8 & 9); Readers Cup
(Year 8) - Romero Centre learning support - literacy activities
taking place in individual subject areas . Staff survey in 2004
identified written literacy as our greatest area of need. Literacy
Committee established 2005. Identified need for a systematic
gathering and analysis of data. What is the correlation between the
literacy of our Year 8 intake and our Year 12 exit literacy
performance indicators? What improvements could be made in teaching
literacy in our school?
8. Why a Whole School Literacy Plan? To outline where we are
with literacy; To establish our goals and priorities; To state how
we are going to meet these goals, including specific actions and
timelines; To place what we are presently doing in a philosophical
framework. (Hill & Crevola, Characteristics of an effective
literacy strategy, Unicorn 24,2, August 1998, p.74-85.)
9. Who are key people to involve in your consultation process?
Staff theyd set written literacy as priority; BCE Literacy
consultant; Key changemakers/stakeholders (3 4); Delineate roles
for committee; Consultation with HODs; Keep Principal in loop;
Feedback to staff and parent/community.
10. What would you include in a Whole School Literacy Plan for
your school? 5 10 points
11. Aquinas Literacy Planning Matrix: 8 Components of the Whole
School Literacy Strategy Focus Community Profile Shared Vision
Strategic Community Partnerships Goal: (2 years) The school's
literacy plan provides a flexible approach to a wide range of
issues relating to student diversity based individual needs. The
community profile contains information on community literacy
practices and expectations and is recognised in the school literacy
plan. The school's literacy plan meets the needs of the diverse
range of students identified in the community A clear, consistent,
professional language is used in discussing and planning literacy
programs. Literacy is included in school programs for all KLAs. The
school's literacy plan includes oral, print and multimedia. School
documents use a consistent, professional language to describe a
repertoire of literacy practices. The school has provided written
information to parents about existing literacy programs in the
school. Families are involved in and are encouraged to support
students' literacy development. Individual literacy programs
developed. The whole school literacy program is enriched by the
planned integration of productive partnerships with parents and
community. Present: The community profile contains some information
about community literacy backgrounds which may influence literacy
programs. Some special programs. Some readily identifiable aspects
of student diversity are included in the community profile. The
community profile is a description of the school and its community.
Information on students is mostly statistical data not related to
literacy teaching and learning. The school's literacy plan is
confined to a repertoire of literacy practices in the English
program. Some common language and sharing of literacy practices
occurs when teachers plan co-operatively. Individual teachers
decide upon the literacy practices in their classrooms. Sharing of
literacy practices occurs informally and infrequently. The school
has provided some written information to parents about existing
literacy programs in the school. Parents are not involved in class
literacy programs. Some community expertise in literacy is used in
an ad hoc manner in individual classrooms. Evidence of present
profile: Mission/vision statement, educational brief & staff
handbook etc. detail cohort, define expectations of staff &
responsibilities in relation to literacy, teaching & learning.
Some statistical analysis has been conducted on present literacy
initiatives, cohort etc. Romero & McAuley Centres students
ascertained; some understanding of literacy strengths/weaknesses
translated into strategies and scaffolding. Some common language
about literacy. Some discussion/sharing of tasks in some subjects
and across some subject areas but complete isolation of some staff
members from this process. Teachers/HODs have an understanding of
need for literacy across KLAs but action/planning does not always
reflect this. Lack of common language/knowledge because of lack of
knowledge management. Parent involvement in planning is minimal.
Parents are rarely consulted. Some written information about
current literacy programs and encouragement of parent involvement
in literacy practices at home is communicated from school. Guest
authors used in some classrooms/class levels. IEPs. Parents not
involved in classrooms. Needed to attain goal: Development of a
literacy plan goals & suggested initiatives; needs of range of
students addressed. Ownership by HODs. Range of options available
to staff to implement plan; Flexibility but responsibility in
approach to teachers. Analysis and reporting of data. IEPs
Understanding of student needs in terms of outcomes & levels;
detailed literacy profiling of Development of literacy plan
following extensive preparation incl. data analysis, consultation
with HODs/staff. Greater understanding/knowledge of syllabus and
its language/literacy requirements. Professional dialogue leading
to practice across KLAs. Common curriculum elements identified
& recognised across KLAs. Consistent, ongoing language used.
Have clearer idea of where we are going and communicate this
vision. Launch & publish literacy plan. Parent information
nights to provide information, understanding and discussion of
programs. Use community expertise where appropriate/necessary.
12. What does our WSLP include? The Whole School Literacy Plan
document, Action Plan 2006 2008, including: Shared Vision Standards
and targets, Assessment and monitoring, Classroom organisation and
pedagogy, Intervention and Special Needs, Leadership and
professional learning.
13. Literacy an Overview Our Whole School Literacy Plan
promotes a multi-faceted approach to literacy: Developing a
workable whole school literacy plan, with an associated action
plan; Scaffolding and modelling written assignments across the key
curriculum areas; Teaching research and referencing skills in each
key curriculum area; Creating a reading culture through programs
such as Literature Circles, Readers Cup and Australian Readers
Challenge; Using data collection to assess and improve literacy
programs.
14. What effective literacy programs are currently in place at
your school?
15. WSLP at Aquinas Our Whole School Literacy Plan promotes a
multi-faceted approach to literacy: Developing a workable whole
school literacy plan, with an associated action plan; Scaffolding
and modelling written assignments across the key curriculum areas;
Teaching research and referencing skills in each key curriculum
area; Creating a reading culture through programs such as
Literature Circles, Readers Cup and Australian Readers Challenge;
Using data collection to assess and improve literacy programs.
16. Scaffolding Assignments All writing for boys, up to the end
of their compulsory school years, should be done within
teacher-prepared templates or scaffolds. National Senate Inquiry
Recommendations The School Reforms Required to Engage Boys in
Schooling, Ian Lillico (2000) Scaffolds and/or templates break down
tasks so that students can readily engage with the task at their
own levels. Scaffolds provide shorter, closed, clearly defined
entry points that ease students into tasks.
17. Survey all Year 8 assignments Extended writing assignments
in Year 8 fell into 6 genres: Expository/Argumentative Essay Film
Review Biography (2 KLAs) Creative/Narrative Information Report (2
KLAs) Scientific Report. Preparation for the tasks varied
greatly!
18. Pretest Year 8 Expository Essay
19. How much would scaffolding help? Decided to focus on one
genre Expository/Argumentative. We prepared a scaffold for an
expository/argumentative essay, in collaboration with the HOD and
other teachers involved. Our focus genre was specifically
team-taught to all Year 8 classes by the classroom teacher and a
member of the research team for consistency of approach. This
teaching used a scaffold for writing the genre, modelling and
deconstruction of the genre. The action research was embedded into
an existing unit of English; the post-test formed one of the
assessment items for the unit. Post-test was a modified DART
writing test. A blank Expository scaffold was included with the
test.
20. Post-test results: The post-test showed a significant
improvement in results for most students, with the average pretest
score of 9.27 moving to 10.65 in the post-test. This represented a
15.33% change in results. DART Expository Pretest & Post-test
Comparison 8.5 9 9.5 10 10.5 11 Expository Pretest Expository
Post-test Scorerange6-15
21. Scaffolds on Aquinas Website Scaffolds have been prepared
for all Year 8 & 9 assignments and placed on the Online
Learning section of the college website. Biography Narrative
Information Report Scientific Report Film Review (2 documents) Book
Review Expository and Argumentative Essay Newspaper Headline
Article Formal Report (2 documents) Letter to the Editor Analytical
Exposition Comparative Essay (Music & Drama) Language of essays
(3 documents)
22. Assignment work forms a major facet of school library
service. Ensure that the Library is user friendly for teachers
too!
23. What effective reading programs do you have in your school?
What elements make a reading program effective?
24. Where does reading fit in our students lives? Mobile phones
& IPods Hobbies Sport Internet Computer Games Part-time work
Social life Television Our students
25. Reading at Risk report 1982 1992 2002 % of U.S. Population
Reading Literature 56.9 54.0 46.7 The percentage of adult Americans
reading literature has dropped dramatically over the past 20 years.
The decline in literary reading parallels a decline in total book
reading. The rate of decline in literary reading is accelerating.
The decline in reading is significant across gender, race,
education levels and age groups. The steepest decline in literary
reading is in the youngest age groups.
26. Name______________________ English
Teacher____________________ 1. WHAT do you read? (can circle more
than one) Magazines Newspaper Novels True stories Internet 2. HOW
OFTEN do you read books? (circle one) Every day Every week Once a
month Never 3. Where do you borrow your books from? (can circle
more than one) School Library Friends Home Gold Coast Library I Buy
them 4. How do you find new books to read? (can circle more than
one) Friends Teachers Teacher-Librarian Displays TV 5. Do you enjoy
reading? (circle one) Not at all Not much Its OK A fair bit I love
it 6. How many hours do you spend reading books each week? 7. How
many hours do you spend watching TV each week? 8. How many hours do
you spend on the computer each week? 9. Give two reasons why you
do/do not enjoy reading. _________________________
___________________________ 10. What books did you read at school
in Years 6 & 7? _________________________
___________________________ 11. Name three favourite books you have
read.
27. Profiling our Incoming Year 8s Reading Habits Hours spent
per week 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 Reading TV Computer Reading 3.5 hours
per week Watching TV 11.5 hours Computer 7.1 hours
28. Year 8s - How often do you read? 50.4% students say they
read once a month or less. How do we entice reluctant and/or
non-readers to read? How often do you read? 2007 & 2008 0 5 10
15 20 25 30 35 40 Daily Weekly Monthly Never Series1 Series2
29. Why arent they reading? 1. Associate with failure 2. Time
and energy 3. Negative peer pressure 4. Not stimulated by ideas 5.
No encouragement to read 6. Not their priority rather DO than read
7. Negative perception - Think its solitary/anti-social 8. Cant
find a good book Patrick Jones, 2007
30. Reading alternatives
31. Reading improves academic performance Creating a reading
culture through programs such as Literature Circles, Readers Cup
and Australian Readers Challenge Literature Circles all Years 8
& 9 Readers Cup all Year 8, leading to the regional and state
competitions. Australian Readers Challenge was offered to all
students, parents and staff. Reading lists prepared for KLA
enrichment. Male teacher role models. Request book helps
selection.
32. Literature Circles books: high interest, varied reading
age, student choice
33. Literature Circles provide an excellent way of encouraging
reading within the classroom, differentiated to individual students
reading age and interests. It involves group work, self and peer
assessment and the display of their work to other students.
Teachers use test results to choose Year 8 groups. Activities are
completed for homework.
34. How do Literature Circles work? Teachers chose groups (use
Torch Test). Groups chose books choice is important! Groups set
pages to read. Students chose roles for next week. Roles were
completed for homework. Next lesson involved discussion,
evaluation, journal writing, group feedback to class, role swapping
for next week, continuation of reading.
35. Literature Circles Rolesegs Songwriter: Turn the theme
and/or plot of your book into a song. You may use the tune of a
song you already know. Present the song to your group e.g. on tape.
Detective: Make a police identikit of one of the characters from
your book/novel. Which passages of the book gave hints about your
characters appearance? Publisher: Make a new cover for your book,
including a blurb for the back cover, which you have written
yourself. Family Member: Imagine that you are a relative of one of
the main characters in your book. Bring a piece of realia (an
object) and tell how it relates to your character in some way. This
explanation needs to also be written into your book. Designer: Make
a two-sided CD cover for an album of four songs related to your
book. The front cover should feature a piece of artwork and the
album title, and the back should list the songs. Separately, write
down an explanation of why you chose those song titles and how they
relate to the themes of your book. Year 8 : 6 roles Year 9 : 19
roles
36. Extensions for gifted students: Author study biography,
themes, life experience Reading several books by the same author
Extended reading by genre Exploring topic by reading novels with
other points of view In-depth non-fiction study of interest area
Series reading IT extensions in response Adobe Photoshop, Flash,
Inspiration, Crossword Maker.
37. Display student work.
38. Literature Circles has encouraged me to read because it
gets you interested in books and you find great ones. I found that
if you pick a good book it can be quite enjoyable. you have to read
to be part of the activity. You have to read because your group is
relying on you. I never knew that books are that good. I never read
at home unless I have to for school. I didnt really get into books
but I do now. Having a home run experience appears to typically
lead to greater reading interest Stephen Krashen
39. Success depends on: Students perception of how much choice
they had in which book to be read. The greater the level of choice
and the more democratic the decision about group reading, the
higher the level of ownership of the task. The suitability of the
text to students reading ability. Used pre- testing reading levels
of ascertained students to determine texts used. Where teachers
pre-read books and chose books which they thought were most
suitable for their students, the better the match of book to
reader. Teacher help with group work was also enhanced. NOTE: Books
MUST be high interest NOT text! Composition and dynamics of the
group. Groups of similar reading age worked best; teachers were
divided in their preference for same/mixed sex groups. Ascertained
student groups were accompanied by full-time learning support
teacher/aide. (Parent?) Group reporting back to the class, self and
peer assessment improved group responsibility. An eagerly
anticipated focus time at the end of the lesson gave each group the
opportunity to showcase their best work. Enthusiasm of the teaching
team!! Teachers pre-read books and pre-choose books suitable for
their class. Teacher reading of adolescent novels increased.
40. CREATE A READING CULTURE! Encourage recreational reading of
all sorts alone, in groups discussing what they read, Fiction and
Non - Fiction. Provide a specialist reading area.
41. Writing Workshops with Archie Fusillo & James Roy
Author Talk - Markus Zusak
42. Enjoy the fun and challenge of Readers Cup
43. Data Collection & Analysis Torch Test all Year 8
English Competition Years 8 & 12 Maths Competition Years 8
& 12 QCS results OP scores Test scores used to inform group
formation for reading programmes
44. Literacy, whose business? EVERYONE is responsible. Dont
assume pre-existing skills. Why do we teach? Because we believe
that we can make a difference. This is supported by research:
Highly effective teachers and their professional learning do make a
difference in the classroom. Rowe Report, 2005 The PROCESS is more
important than the PRODUCT!
45. Keys to Success Needs defined by staff; Up-to-date with
current research; Key players on the team; Support from Principal
and BCE; Feedback to stakeholders. CONSULTATION, CONSULTATION,
CONSULTATION!
46. Where to from here? Whole School Numeracy Plan established
2007. Other whole year level units e.g. Schoolies Fully Sik
financial literacy unit for Years 11 & 12.
47. Become an integral and integrated part of the curriculum
Part of The Whole School Literacy Plan Integrated into planning
Reading across curriculum areas
48. Joke of the Day The shopkeeper was dismayed when a brand
new business much like his own opened next door and erected a huge
sign which read BEST DEALS. He was horrified when another
competitor opened up on his right, and announced its arrival with
an even larger sign, reading LOWEST PRICES.
49. The shopkeeper panicked, until he got an idea. He put the
biggest sign of all over his own shop. It read: MAIN ENTRANCE MAIN
ENTRANCE TO LEARNING!
