Saline Primary School

A Contextual Approach for Successful Learning.

Parent Information Session

Tuesday 8th September 2015

Anne Stewart – Headteacher

Charlene Kidd – P1/2 teacher

Aims

• Environment for learning - Nurturing approaches

• What learning is like for your child in P1 and P2

• How we teach reading and writing• How we teach numeracy and maths• How we assess your child’s learning needs• What you can do to support your child’s

learning• Further opportunities to engage with school.

Nurturing approaches

• School motto – Reach for the Stars• Five values – Hardworking, Helpful,

Healthy, Honest and Happy• Growth Mindset approach• Positive behaviour policy• Formative feedback – building

resilience• Every days a learning day, every

moment a learning moment.

Environment for Learning

• Positive, purposeful atmosphere

• Key vocabulary displayed and used

• Well-prepared resources in place

• ICT used effectively, where appropriate

• High Expectations of achievement

• Differentiation – tasks, activities and resources

• Cross curricular links identified and promoted

• Maximum involvement of children at all times in learning episodes

• Dialogue between children and children promoted

• Success celebrated with clear links to learning

• Pupil responsibility/ownership of learning. Growth mindset.

Teaching approaches to learning

• Good teacher subject knowledge • Range of learning styles catered for

(VAK) • High order questioning utilised• Core Assessment Strategies

utilised/focussed • Lesson is well-paced – clear, appropriate

structure – 4 part – lesson uplift/end • Evaluation strategies used to promote

feedback and progress learning

How we teach reading and writing.• Literacy Workshop approach• Jolly Phonics/ Jolly Grammar• Big Write• Listening and talking central• Linked to Early and First Experiences and

Outcomes from Curriculum for Excellence.• Literacy & Numeracy is across learning

experiences• High expectations and aspirations

What does it look like?

SEMANTIC • Listening• Making links• Range of questions• Vocabulary developed• Special words• Classification

PHONOLOGICAL • Listening for sounds• Identifying sounds• Syllabication• Blending• Rhyme• Alliteration• Creating a strong foundation for phonics

ORTHOGRAPHY• Visual discrimination• Visual perception• Orientation• Pencil grip• Words in context• Extended text

Quality book linked to the pupils’

interests

Core Resources* Quality literature

*Teacher

*Tracking framework

*Jolly Phonics

*Common Words

* Magnetic Letters

* Whiteboards

* Clicker

* Reading Scheme used

as assessment tool

The foundations of literacy Phase 1Reading Bands 1-2 (first term Primary 1)

Building the skills for literacy Phase 2 Reading Bands 3-6 (remainder of P1 CfE Early level) Starting Phase 3 – First Level P2

Children will have home some common words and Jolly Phonics sounds to learn. They will also have a book to share with you. Please spend time with them learning these sounds and actions. Also please help them look for words in the texts that are those listed as common ones. These are words we just need to see and recognise. We will use our reading books as an assessment not for core vocabulary.

Phase 3

• Extending the skills for literacy

• Reading Bands 7+ which covers all of first level and as such can extend up into P4.

Daily opportunities to develop the three core pathways.Instructional and independent tasks. Class areas will be set up for these tasks.

Semantic

Phonological

Orthographic

Understanding a wider range of vocabulary / meaning / giving opinions

Processing a wider range of sounds / phonemic awareness / letter – sound correspondence / morphemes /moving towards Spelling

Making / creating and reading simple written texts

SEMANTICSHigher order questioning, opinions, justification,wider vocabulary, syntax & word roots.

PHONOLOGYSounds and letters, auditory > visual, visual > auditory,sound blending , moving towards spelling,making sentences, reading sentences & creating simple written texts.

ORTHOGRAPHYCore & sight vocabulary, recognition of letters, punctuation.Motor skills hand writing & keyboard skills.

Semantic Pathway

Ask and answer

Higher order questions

Genre

Justification of opinions

Wider vocabulary

Semantic Pathway

Syntax

Connectives

Sentence openers

Conversation skills

Knowledge about word roots and families

Phonological PathwayListen for the sound, discriminate, hear at beginning , middle end. Then introduce letter shape.

Harry started at school. The dinosaurs did not want to go, they were scared. Mum took Harry to school. The dinosaurs were out at the coat pegs. Harry missed them. He felt sad.

Demonstrate how letters & sounds ‘fit’ into words

a e i o useat still miss

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Use letters to make words

peg big not mumdid but fun

bar him sad can

Show use of short / long vowel sounds and continue with listening discrimination games.

show not school

good home spoken

box soft toast

Use phonic clues for discrimination

Which word is….?

went make

like take

had hid

sad sat

How do you know?

Use words in context.

Learn about punctuation

Learn about words

Making sentences

Linked grids

Tools for literacy that can be developed in this way

•Key words - sight vocabulary•Use of phonic cues to discriminate•Knowledge of morphemes•One-to-one matching•Sentence construction syntax•Word order•Questions•Punctuation

Orthographic Pathway

Through many of the above activities skills including;

•Core vocabulary

•Recognition of letters

•Punctuation

•Keyboard skills

can be developed.

Teaching Reading

Shared ‘real’ texts

Challenge

Model effective reading behaviours

Demonstrate a range of strategies

Articulate strategies to develop

meta-cognition

Reading strategies•Phonic cues

•Context and prediction

•Self monitoring – does it make sense?

•Read on / read back

•Title / picture clues

•Punctuation

•Word roots / morphemes

Hearing reading

• Confidence• Understanding• Fluency• Strategies• Knowledge of

phonics• Context clues• Prediction skills• Working memory• One to one

matching

All the time the class teacher is making a contextual assessment of progress – reading for real life.

Shared text

It was sunny.

Harry wanted to play with the dinosaurs.

The dinosaurs went to hide.

It was fun.

Shared text differentiation

It was a very sunny morning. Harry was going to school. He wanted to take the dinosaurs. He started to look for them. He wanted to find them all. He looked everywhere. The tiny dinosaur was lost.

Differentiation

Differentiation

What do we consider?

•Variety of reading experiences provided•Independent reading•Paired / shared (Senior Pupils)•Choice of appropriate books•Read to pupils from another class•Read letters/ messages/ instructions

Vital alongside this is the correct formation and orientation of letters.

A worksheet does not teach this. Pupils use individual whiteboards and pens in smaller groups; paint, sand, etc to get right direction and formation.

Again this is linked to the book and sounds progression.

Emergent Writing

Pupils go through a series of developmental stages in writing.

They may be able to tell you a story.

To start with they may make marks.

They may draw and tell you about what they have drawn.

They may draw and perhaps write a few marks beside the picture.

They may draw and write a few relevant sounds beside their picture. E.g. if they are drawing a cat they may write c.They may then begin to blend sounds together and use words from a visual word bank linked to the story or theme.

It is absolutely vital that each of these stages is valued and that stories are not scribed.

Words will not be spelled for pupils as a matter of course either. They are encouraged from the very beginning to give it a go, chat about it with a friend or find the word on a topic/common word wall/learning wall.

We are aiming for independence.

The Big Write encourages children to ....

• Talk about their writing.

• Find exciting words and use these in their writing.

• ‘Borrow’ exciting words and phrases from other authors, ‘WOW’ words.

• Use interesting examples of punctuation.

• Re-read their own writing and find ways to make it better.

• Understand what they need to do next to improve.

V.C.O.P

•Vocabulary – children are encouraged to select exciting, interesting and unusual words to use in their writing

•Connectives – these are used to make sentences longer and children are encouraged to use a variety in their writing.

gigantic

bravelythunderous

magical

tenderly

awful

V.C.O.P continued

•Openers – the way a story/sentence starts. Children are encouraged to use “power openers, these end in “ly” or “ing”.

•Punctuation – different kinds of punctuation which the children are encouraged to use to develop their stories and to make them more interesting.

What it looks like in the Classroom

• Primary 1/2 ‘talk’ about their writing and start putting down words when they are ready. From the start they are encouraged to have a go!

• P3-P7 write for approximately 20-40 minutes, depending on their stage and the context.

• There is usually an introduction prior to writing that involves activities and games based around the four elements – VCOP. Planning is also completed in this part.

• The children are then given a break before writing begins.

Mathematics

Mathematics experiences and outcomes structured within three main organisers:-

• Number, Money and Measurement• Shape, Position and Movement• Information HandlingDevelopment of algebraic thinking

from an early age.

Numeracy & Maths

• Conceptual Understanding of numeracy – Place and Value.

• Subitising – ability to recognise a small number of objects without counting

• Visualisation of number• Practical supports• Formation and orientation of numerals• Links to real life• Problem Solving

Features of teaching

• Understanding purpose and relevance of what they are learning.

• Make links across learning• Using technology• Model and scaffold learning• Learn collaboratively• Active learning – observe, explore,

investigate, play, discuss, reflect, experiment

• What would happen if…?

Mental Maths

• Regular and accurate rehearsal of number facts• Mental strategies before written outcomes• Variety of strategies taught through BIG MATHS• Visual prompts initially• Encouragement to find the quickest, accurate

route.• Agility• Speed

How we assess your child

Formative• Sharing learning

intentions/success criteria – What? Why? How?

• Oral and written feedback

• Questioning• Pupil Self-evaluation• Target setting

Summative• P1 PIPS• P3, 5, 7 AfE• Baseline diagnostic

assessments: phonics/spelling; reading age; writing

• Literacy Workshop tracker

• End of session reports

What can you do to help?• Encourage your children to READ. Look for words with the

sounds they are learning; help them locate common words.• Encourage your children to TALK. Read often rich texts and

talk about the them using the helpful hints from our Early and First Level Literacy laminated sheet you will find in their home learning folder.

• Encourage your children to spot WOW words and perhaps write them down in a book at home or on a piece of paper.

• Encourage your children to borrow words or phrases which they like from books, magazines, television programmes.

• Encourage your children to WRITE; anything to get them going!

• Discuss with your children what targets they may have been asked to improve upon.

• Look for numbers and mathematical signs around the environment. Play games that involve dominoes, dice – helps them see the patterns.

• Encourage a proper pencil grip; use a triangular pencil or buy them a pencil grip to aid this.

Now for your turn…

A few literacy and numeracy tasks to give you an idea of what it is like to be a pupil in Saline p1 and P2….

Dates for the future:Wednesday 4th November –

Reading/Writing 9.15-10.15amWednesday 2nd December –

Numeracy/Maths 9.15-10.15am