Sepember 2015

Literacy Policy

The Literate Learner

‘Pupils should be taught in all subjects to express themselves correctly and appropriately and to read accurately and with understanding.’

QCA Use of Language across the Curriculum It is our belief that all teachers are teachers of literacy. We are committed to developing the literacy skills of all our students, in the belief that it will support their learning and raise standards across the curriculum.

Literacy across the Curriculum is important because: • Students need vocabulary, expression and organisational control to cope with the

cognitive demands of subjects • Reading helps us to learn from sources beyond our immediate experience • Writing helps us to sustain and order thought • Language helps us to reflect, revise and evaluate the things we do, the things others

have said, written or done • Responding to higher order questions encourages the development of thinking skills and

enquiry • Improving literacy and learning can have an impact on students’ self-esteem, on

motivation and behaviour. It allows students to learn independently. It is empowering. Developing the Literacy Skills of the Literate Learner Speaking and Listening

Students will be taught to use language precisely and coherently. They should be able to listen to others, and to respond and build on their ideas and views constructively.

We will develop strategies to teach students how to participate orally in groups and in the whole class, including: using talk to develop and clarify ideas; identifying the main points to arise from a discussion; listening for a specific purpose; discussion and evaluation.

Reading

We aim to give students a level of literacy that will enable them to cope with the increasing demands of subjects in terms of specific skills, knowledge and understanding. This applies particularly in the area of reading (including all aspects of media), as texts become more demanding.

We will build on and share existing good practice. We will teach students strategies to help them to: read with greater understanding; locate and use information; follow a process or argument; summarise; synthesise and adapt what they learn from their reading. We will also promote a love of reading across school through the DEAR strategy (Drop Everything and Read). Half-termly House championships will promote a competitive element to reading which will attract reluctant readers. Year group assemblies will be used to promote reading.

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September 2015

Writing

It is important that we recognise and reinforce students’ language skills, by:

• Using a whole school approach to non-fiction forms of writing. • Using the modelling process to make explicit to students how to write • Being clear about audience and purpose. • Providing opportunities for a range of writing including sustained writing. • Using the VCOP strategy and BOSS IT to improve writing. Spelling and Vocabulary We aim to have a consistent approach to the teaching and marking of spelling and subject-specific vocabulary. It is important that teachers across the curriculum teach the vocabulary specific to their subject effectively. Students should be given strategies to learn subject-specific vocabulary and understand the meanings and usage of the main words for each subject. We will build on and share good practice across the curriculum. We aim to have displays of all key vocabulary in classrooms and for ‘learning words’ to be visible throughout the school. Marking codes from the common marking procedure (see below) will be displayed in every classroom and in students’ planners. Marking Codes Sentence Level marking

A circle with a “c” in it should be used where a capital letter should be.

A circle on the line should be used to show a full stop is missing. ___ Underneath the line indicates a need for punctuation, or underneath an existing punctuation mark, it indicates the need for change.

Below the line shows a word is missing.

Below the line means insert comma or other punctuation mark.

Above the line means insert apostrophe (possession and omission). Whole text level marking P In the margin indicates the need for a new paragraph. // In the text indicates where a new paragraph should begin I A line in the margin denotes a section of work to be looked at in detail by the student and the teacher so that aspects of expression and organisation can be discussed.

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September 2015

A set of literacy expectations will be introduced allowing all students to understand what a good ‘Literate Learner’ looks like: The Literate Learner will:

• Always have a reading book in your bag. • A purple pen will be part of your basic equipment. • Always write in full sentences. • Make sure your sentence begins with a capital letter and ends with a full stop. • Make sure that extended writing is in paragraphs. • Make sure that all paragraphs will start with a topic sentence and close with a

summary sentence. • Use VCOP to improve the quality of your writing. • Use BOSS IT to plan writing • Make sure that you know the marking codes and act on them by correcting with your

purple pen. TRICS TRICS lessons will explicitly promote the literate learner across Year 7 and 8, providing strong foundations for all students as they move through the school. Digital Literacy In an increasingly technological world students will be taught to “read” the media and technology they use. The increase in the use of ipad and tablet technology will be seen as an opportunity to improve literacy based skills. Audio taping or typing of notes, visual images of work, and animation of materials are some of the myriad ways we will encourage students to develop their skills and we will edit, amend, support and improve in line with the school marking policy and our own professional judgement. We will strive to ensure that all materials used are truthful and accurate. Students will be taught to recognise bias or straightforward quality issues particularly in the use of the internet for research. Driving Literacy Forward Every department has a lead Literacy Champion who will work with the whole school coordinator to drive literacy across the curriculum. Champions will ensure that literacy strategies and resources are adapted to meet the needs of the students within their subject. A rigorous programme of monitoring and evaluation will ensure best practice and improvement to our students as literate learners.

Our school is committed to raising standards of literacy in all its pupils, through a coordinated approach.

Every teacher has a role to play in this process.

Brainstorm

Organise

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21st

Complete BOSS it poster

5 pieces of interesting information about Anglo Saxons

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