s andfields c omprehensive s chool literacy development

Sandfields Comprehensive School

Literacy Development

11 to 16 English-medium mixed school

Currently 650 on roll

50% + FSM – compared to 17.1% nationally

12% with statements of SEN

Over 60% of pupils RA less than 10

Context

Developments…..our journey

“Literacy describes a set of skills, including speaking, listening, reading and writing.”

“We will require all teachers to be accomplished teachers of literacy”

“Schools will require a more systematic approach to developing the skills of the

workforce in the teaching and learning of literacy skills”

Our journey / Our PLC :

• Developing Reading skills (phase 1)• Developing Subject Specific Language

(phase 1)• Developing Writing skills (phase 2) • Developing Oracy skills (phase 3)

Phase 1 -Summary• Major focus throughout all INSET for 18 months on

literacy development ; to include reading strategies, spelling, text types/formats for writing, dev. of technical subject based lang.

• A Literacy resource area created on the school intranet area;

• Creation of glossaries in every classroom• Consistency of approach in the development of

literacy skills throughout our classrooms• Looking for every opportunity to practice our literacy

skills

Strategies for teaching subject specific vocabulary

Strategies for use with keywords:-

Create word banks.

Word and definition cards.

Create calligram posters.

Hyperlink

At the start of a new topic make a ‘front page design’ and add in the key words for that topic.

Create mnemonics

Big elephants can’t always use small exits

“Splat” (words move for sets 1 -3… they don’t for lower sets).

Hyperlink

Key words correctly written on stickers. (Made in school or ELRS). Pupils “Learn them!”

Test on key words as a starter activity.

Hyperlink

Reinforcement activity. For example: Which is the correct one?

Hyperlink

“Loops” – class or group activity

Hyperlink

‘Blockbusters’ – a version of the TV game in which pupils or teams of pupils compete against each other to cross a frame made up of initial letters, for which definitions of subject-specific vocabulary are given.Hyperlink

‘Wipeout’ Hyperlink

‘Plenary Play’Hyperlink

“Word Web” Hyperlink

Reading skills

The process of comprehension has been likened to building bridges

between what you know and what you read. In that respect, it resembles a

problem-solving process and demands an active approach.

The plick squeen olligog jibbled camrully down to the savee. In it were way clodfoes, perdigs and miniscatel. They criggled and stoed oumfully maficating in the humate kinshane. Suddenly a higantaic uglonerus came agristling towards them. Within a tumper, clodfoes, perdigs and miniscatel were no more. Slurpinated in

one goblicate, they were mortrifipped for ever. Uglonerus himself then jibbled pomfully off, but his tumpertill would soon come. Uglonerus major was bidlen behind a higanteic cornupog, his own super goblicator at the ready.

• Literal

• Reorganisation

• Inferential questioning

• Evaluation

• Appreciation

Levels of comprehension

Cloze procedure is a strategy used frequently at all key stages and in many curriculum areas.

Unfortunately, its value is not always clear as it is often little more that a gap-filling exercise used to keep learners quietly occupied.

Moreover, it is inefficiently used when teachers imply that there are definite right and wrong answers.

It can also be a great help in the development of higher-order reading skills, as it forces the reader to look at words in context. 

Travel and tourism 

Work in the tourist industry involves planning and arranging activities for tourists. These holidays have to be sold and a full back-up service provided to meet the customers’ needs. Besides holiday travel, business ……………(1)…………… continues to grow each ………(2) ………………… . This is an important ……………(3) …………… of income. Air fares …………(4) ……………… getting lower and this …………(5) ……………… led to more travel than ever before. The ………(6) ………………… industry may seem glamorous and …………(7) ……………… ,but the reality …………(8) ……………… rather different. There are …………(9) ……………… in exotic holiday spots, …………(10) ……………… there are many more involving routine office tasks. In this ……… (11) ………………… staff are needed for clerical and sales ………… (12) ……………… in offices ………… (13) ……………… travel agencies. Junior staff may …………(14) ……………… reductions on holidays ……… (15) ………………… occasionally have training trips. Couriers and representatives ………… (16) ……………… abroad but many of ……… (17) ………………… are employed on a temporary ………… (18) ……………… . 

Are our answers all the same?

Are they right or wrong?

Is there more than one right answer?

What is the criterion for deciding whether they are right or wrong? Can you make such a decision?

Skimming and scanning

Who was Henry’s son?

What religion was Edward?

When did Edward die?

How old was he when he died?

Who came to the throne after Edward’s death?

Phase 2 - summary

• Working on extending writing

• Specific subjects which naturally lend themselves to creating longer pieces of text; English, History, Geography and RE

• Working on specific aspects of writing – allowing pupils different contexts in which to practice these skills

Development To think about the differences between

countries; To understand when to use capital letters; To introduce the idea of development.

MINTS

Months, Days and Seasons

I for myself

Names and Places

Titles

Starts of sentences

What can we observe from the picture?

NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

WHAT STAGE OF

DEVELOPMENT?

ECONOMIC

SOCIAL

What can we observe from the picture?

NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

WHAT STAGE OF

DEVELOPMENT?

ECONOMIC

SOCIAL

•Water – river? Flooding?•Flooding may have damaged vegetation?•No open space

What can we observe from the picture?

NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

WHAT STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT? ECONOMIC

SOCIAL

•Water – river? Flooding?•Flooding may have damaged vegetation?•No open space

•Small houses•No roads•No transport or luxury items•Poor area

What can we observe from the picture?

NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

WHAT STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT? ECONOMIC

SOCIAL

•Water – river? Flooding?•Flooding may have damaged vegetation?•No open space

•Small houses•No roads•No transport or luxury items•Poor area

•People live very close together - overcrowding•Poor living conditions•Flooding •Health problems caused by poor living conditions and flooding?

What can we observe from the picture?

NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

WHAT STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT? ECONOMIC

SOCIAL

•Water – river? Flooding?•Flooding may have damaged vegetation?•No open space

•Small houses•No roads•No transport or luxury items•Poor area

•People live very close together - overcrowding•Poor living conditions•Flooding •Health problems caused by poor living conditions and flooding?

• Poor• In between• Rich

MEDC (More Economically Developed Countries) and LEDC (Less Economically Developed Countries)

Not all countries are the same!

some countries are much richer than others such as united kingdom and australia We can tell how rich a country is by looking at how much people earn, the jobs that people do, the type of houses people live in, how many things they own, how much they eat and how healthy people arewealthy countries are rich because they have developed their resources They have spent their money on building good schools, good roads and investing in health care poor countries are poor because they are still developing their resources. They find it difficult to get enough money to build good schools, good roads and develop a good health servicewealthy countries are called MEDCs (More Economically Developed Countries). Poorer countries are called LEDCs (Less Economically Developed Countries) such as ghana and bangladesh.

Climb the question mountain

Where are most of the LEDCs in the World?

What is the proper name for poor countries?

Can you name one MEDC in the southern hemisphere?

Why are some countries rich and some poor?

Can you explain the word development?

How could LEDCs develop?

What if all countries were at the same stage of development?

Should we help LEDC countries?

Use the photo to think of many questions as you can and fill in the question grid. You can use questions you thought of as a group or make your own.

Is/Isn’t Did/didn’t Can/can’t Will/won’t Might/Might not Should/n’tWould/n’tCould/n’t

Who

What

When

Where

Why

How

In your groups work together, to think of questions. Remember the further along the grid you get the better the question.

Is/Isn’t Did/didn’t Can/can’t Will/won’t Might/Might not Should/n’tWould/n’tCould/n’t

Who

What

When

Where

Why

How

Simple

Complex

•RE

There are 114 chapters or Surahs in the Qur'an. All the chapters except one begin with the sentence Bismillahir rahmanir raheem, 'In the name of Allah the most merciful and the most kind‘.

Before you touch the Qur’an you must wash in a particular way, this is called wudu.

First you must wash your face.

Then you must wash both hands and arms up to the elbows.

Then you must wash part of the head.

Finally you wash the 2 feet up to the ankles

Girls and women should cover their heads with a scarf; boys and men will usually wear a prayer cap.

The Qur’an is covered with cloth to keep it clean and protect it.

It is kept on a high shelf with nothing above it.

Before you read it you touch your forehead with the book and kiss the cover.

There is a special book stand called a rihal to keep the Qur’an off the floor.

the qur’an is the word of allah as told to the prophet muhammadit is written in arabic as allah spoke to muhammad in arabic. translations of the qur'an exist in over 40 languages but muslims are still taught to learn and recite it in arabic, even if this is not their native language and they cannot converse in it.there are 114 chapters or surah’s in the qur'an.all the chapters except one begin with the sentence ‘bismillahir rahmanir raheem’, 'in the name of allah the most merciful and the most kind‘.

Now we are going to use our English Literacy skills to correct the information on the Qur’an. There are no capital letters! Copy the worksheet into your books, correcting the mistakes as you go. Use the following phonemic to help you:M Months, Days and SeasonsI for myselfN Names and PlacesT TitlesS Starts of Sentences(Remember that Sacred Texts, Languages and Religions also begin with a Capital Letter)

the qur’an is the word of allah as told to the prophet muhammad

it is written in arabic as allah spoke to muhammad in Arabic. translations of the qur'an exist in over 40 languages but muslims are still taught to learn and recite it in arabic, even if this is not their native language and they cannot converse in it.there are 114 chapters or surah’s in the qur'an.all the chapters except one begin with the sentence bismillahir rahmanir raheem, 'in the name of allah the most merciful and the most kind‘.

Some of the laws in the Quran are:

Worship God and obey and be kind to your parents.

Do not kill those who have not harmed you.

Do not eat pork (as it is a filthy animal)

Do not drink Alcohol or use any drugs, as these harm the body.

Show forgiveness and be forgiving.

Don’t be evil to the person who has been evil to you – be patient and forgiving.

Muslims believe that Islam completes what Judaism and Christianity began. Muslims believe that Muhammad was the greatest and last prophet. They don’t believe that Jesus was the Son of God. The Qur’an says: “Allah gave to Jesus, son of Mary, signs and powers of the Holy Spirit.”

- Explain what the Qur’an teaches about Judaism and Christianity.- Write down two things the Qur’an says about Jesus.

HadithThe Hadith is the other important collection of

teachings for Muslims. It contains the collected sayings of Muhammad. They are still used to day to advise Muslims on how to act. A Muslim with a problem will look in the hadith to find out what Muhammad said or did in the same or similar situation.

Using the provided question sheet: Think, Pair, Share what questions you would ask a Muslim about their Sacred Text the beloved Qur’an.

Climb the Question Mountain

Who wrote the Qur’an?

What language is it written in?

Why must Muslims be clean before reading it?

Can you explain why the Qur’an and the Hadith are so important to Muslims? Is it still useful today?

How do Muslims look after it?

What if it is destroyed? How do you think a Muslim would react?

Should non-Muslims give the Qur’an the same respect??

Comparison and Evaluation of TextsRead the three provided newspaper articles together as a class. One explains further why Terry Jones carries out his campaigns against Islam and the other describes a conversation between Terry Jones and George Zimmerman, a man on trial for the murder of a young black man in Florida.

1.Why does the Pentagon want Terry Jones to stop protesting?

2.What is Terry Jones campaigning for in his newspaper article?

3.What would George rather Terry do for him other than starting a rally in his honour?

4.Comparing the 2 newspapers articles, which one do you think shows the most Christian values and why?

5.In your opinion, which man do you feel the most empathy towards(whose actions do you agree with). Give reasons for your answer.

Write a letter to the UN:

• Paragraph 1: Introduce yourself and say why you are writing to the UN. • Paragraph 2: Describe how you feel about Terry Jones’ actions and what

happened as a result of what he did. • Paragraph 3: Explain that you understand why the Muslims were so upset by what

he did.• Paragraph 4: Explain how you know that the Qur'an is so important to Muslims

(How do they treat it? What do they do before using it?) • Paragraph 5: Say what you think should happen to Terry Jones and why.

United Nations Headquarters, New York, NY 10017, USA.

Sandfields Comprehensive SchoolSouthdown View,

Port Talbot,SA12 7AH

Topic sentences and paragraphsLook at my example and of a letter to the United Nations. Each paragraph begins with a topic sentence which tells you what each paragraph is about.

Connectives

• Adding• and• also• as well as• moreover• Too

Cause and Effect• Cause & Effect• because• so• therefore• thus• consequently

Adding

Adding and Cause and Effect connectives are the connectives most suited to our persuasive writing assessment task.

Look at the red highlighted connectives in my letter, can you see how they connect each topic sentence and paragraph together to create a balanced, interesting and informative letter.

Writer’s address

DateRecipient’s name and address

Name or polite greeting

Subject or reason for letter

Final paragraph

Formal ending – use ‘yours sincerely’ if recipient’s name is known

Writer’s name

00th Month 0000

Dear Sir / Madam

Subject of Letter

Main point of the letter…

Conclusion of letter – ‘Thank you for taking the time to read this letter.

Yours faithfully

Mr. J. Clay

Street

Town

POSTCODE

Name

Street

Town

POSTCODE

Opening paragraph

J. ClaySignature

Example Dear Sir/Madam I am writing to you about what happened because Terry Jones burned the Qu’ran. I heard that lots of innocent people were killed at the UN offices as a result of his actions because Muslims were so angry about it. Firstly, I would like to say how disgusted I am that Mr Jones felt he had the right to burn another religion’s holy book. I am sorry to hear several of your staff died and it is so sad to think that so many people will now suffer because of his silly and inconsiderate actions. I can understand why Muslims are so angry about what Mr Jones did. The Qu’ran is their most important and sacred religious item. They believe it is the word of God written down exactly as it was said. For Muslims, burning the Qu’ran is burning and disrespecting the word of God. Furthermore, I know how much Muslims respect and cherish the Qu’ran because of the things they do before they read it. Firstly, ….. Another thing they do is …. Also they …. In addition, ………………….Finally, I would like to suggest that Mr Jones is punished for his ignorant act. I think he should…..I look forward to your response. Yours sincerely,

Para 1 Introduces what letter is about

Para 2 How you feel about it.

Para 3 explains why Muslims were upset.

Para 4Explains how Muslims show respect for the Qu’ran

Para 5 - What should happen to Mr Jones

What do we need to remember in a letter to a friend?

Pupil I have used… Teacher

My address, postcode, date in top right corner

Dear ______

A chatty opening paragraph

Ask questions

Explained why I am writing to them

Personal experience

Positive language

Connectives

Humour

Informal letter ending

Check spelling, punctuation and grammar

• Level 3• Your letter is presented to a satisfactory standard• You ask some questions about Grace’s life• Your letter shows what it is like to live a day in Wales• You try to use a connective in your letter• Your punctuation, spelling and grammar show a lot of errors• • Level 4 • Your letter is presented well• You ask a range of questions about Grace’s life• You clearly show what life is like in Wales and start going into some detail• You use one or more connectives in your letter• You start to use paragraphs to lay out your letter• Your punctuation, spelling and grammar make your meaning clear.• • Level 5• Your letter is extremely well presented• You ask questions about Grace’s life that shows understanding of how she lives• You show what life is like in Wales and give a lot of details but without sounding

as if you are bragging• You use a range of connectives correctly to help explain key parts of your letter• You make good use of paragraphs• Your punctuation, spelling and grammar are mostly correct.