Encouraging reading - Open University
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NNCO_TA Supporting children’s development
Encouraging reading
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Contents
• Introduction
• Learning outcomes
• 1 Babies and the early years
• 1.1 Developing language skills
• 2 Moving from the early years to primary
• 2.1 How is reading taught in primary school?
• 2.2 New ways to encourage reading
• 2.3 How did you learn to read?
• 3 Boys, girls and reading
• 3.1 The gender gap: fact or fiction?
• 3.2 Literacy and reading in secondary school
• What you have learned in this section
• Section 2 quiz
• References
• Acknowledgements
Introduction
Encouraging reading is a general introduction to some important aspects of how children develop their literacy and reading skills. In particular, it aims to raise your awareness of some of the main issues in how children learn to read and how you as a teaching assistant can encourage children to enjoy reading and improve their literacy skills.
We all want children to enjoy reading and many of us can remember a favourite book from our own childhood. An Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) study reported by BBC News in 2011 made the bold statement that ‘Children whose parents frequently read with them in their first year of school are showing the benefit when they are 15’ (OECD, 2011). Early support means that children remain ahead in reading and that there is a strong link between the reading skills of young people and early parental help.
It is not only parents who can offer this early vital support, but also teachers, teaching assistants and the range of other learning support workers. Often, teaching assistants working in a one-to-one relationship with a child are in a much stronger position to read with them or listen to their reading.
This section consists of three topics:
1. Babies and the early years
2. Moving from the early years to primary
3. Boys, girls and reading.
They cover the different stages of child development and some of the ways you can encourage reading and literacy in each of these stages, from the early years to young people in secondary schools
Learning outcomes
By completing this section and the associated quiz, you will:
• gain an insight into the varying perspectives on reading and how it is taught, in relation to children from early years through to secondary school
• develop an understanding of the ‘reading gap’ and why there is a ‘gender gap’ in reading, and consider the implications for practice.
1 Babies and the early years
To understand literacy skills, we would like you to start by thinking about how babies learn to communicate.
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Figure 1 A baby using sign language
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It is well known that babies want to communicate with other people and they move quickly from communicating through crying and making noises to saying recognisable words. The following extract taken from the Words for Life website shows how quickly babies move on from those initial communications to saying their first word, then on to speaking their first sentence.
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Baby and toddler communication milestones
‘Look at me copying you.’
From birth I will make eye contact and copy your expressions. This is one of the first ways in which I learn to communicate.
‘My first smile.’
Around six weeks I may smile for the first time.
‘My first laugh.’
Between three and six months I will probably start laughing. Hearing my infectious laughter will help us bond even more and make it more rewarding to talk and interact with me.
‘Mummy look at me!’
At around six months I will start using noises to get your attention; coos or gurgles.
‘Ma ma ma, Da da da’
Around eight months I will probably start to babble. The repetitive noises I make are the beginnings of speech and give me the chance to exercise my mouth.
‘Did you say my name?’
Around eight or nine months I will begin to recognise and respond to my name.
‘My first word!’
Around 12 months I may say my first word. And by 13 months I may be using up to six words.
‘I’ve reached 50 words!’
Around 18 months I will have increased my vocabulary to about 50 words. This is a time in my life where you may notice an explosion in my vocabulary; it’s an exciting time for me as I quickly add more and more words.
‘My first sentence!’
At some point between the ages of 18 and 24 months I will put together my first sentence. It may not be grammatically correct or easy to understand but it’s a very important part of my language development. Remember to keep reading, talking and interacting with your child as this will help them continue to expand their vocabulary and their understanding of grammar, words and language.
(Adapted from Words for Life, nd)
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Activity 1
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We would like you to watch this short video clip of babies communicating with their parents. While you are watching, make a note of the facial expressions of the babies.
• What kind of emotions do you think they are expressing?
You could use the response box for your notes – only you will see them.
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Interaction with adults is an important stage in the development of a baby’s communication skills. The babies in the video clip were having conversations with their mothers – for example, what Alice’s mother was saying when showing her the doll. This kind of talking – where there is exaggerated use of words and syllables and much repetition – is called ‘parentese’ by child psychologists. It is important because it introduces babies to patterns in their language and establishes familiar routines for them.
In their long-term study analysing the verbal interactions between parents and their children, Hart and Risley (1999, cited in Roberts, 2009) identified five specific ways that parents talked to children that consistently had the most positive impact on the children’s development, and their long-term verbal ability:
Start of Quote
• they just talked, generally using a wide vocabulary as part of daily life
• they tried to be nice, expressing praise and acceptance and few negative commands
• they told children about things, using language with a high information content
• they gave children choices, asking them their opinion rather than simply telling them what to do
• they listened, responding to them rather than ignoring what they said or making demands.
(Roberts, 2009)
End of Quote
It seems clear from these five bullet points that if you talk to children in an encouraging, informative and positive manner, you are helping them to develop the all-important skills of speaking and listening. It is these skills that help children to develop language and learn to read.
You have seen how adults can play a key role in a child’s development from a very young age and there is no reason why the five specific ways of talking to children (identified above) should not form the basis of good practice at all levels of education.
1.1 Developing language skills
You are now going to switch your focus to toddlers and nursery-age children. We’d like you to look at how Claire, a nursery worker, made use of the natural environment around her setting to develop the language skills of some of the children in her care.
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Activity 2
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Part 1
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In the video above, Claire is taking four children to a ‘forest’ to explore the area and to observe insects and birds. As you watch, try to identify and record examples of how Claire talked to the children, using the five specific ways of positively communicating with children identified by Hart and Risley (1999, cited in Roberts, 2009) in their study.
Give an example against each of the five specific ways to show how Claire has used them to communicate with the children. Some examples have been given in Table 1 to get you started. You can either draw your own table or use the version we have provided in a Word document. You may need to watch the video several times to catch what is said.
When you have finished, compare your observations with ours. You may not notice much conversation as part of daily life in the clip. This is because it has been recorded to show a nursery worker carrying out a particular activity, rather than an everyday conversation between a parent or carer and a child, as in the Hart and Risley study.
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Table 1 Recording Claire’s communication with the children
|Specif|Our |Your |
|ic way|exampl|exampl|
|of |e |e |
|talkin| | |
|g to | | |
|childr| | |
|en | | |
|Talkin|Step | |
|g as |over | |
|part |the | |
|of |stick | |
|everyd|if you| |
|ay |want | |
|life |to go | |
| |a bit | |
| |closer| |
| |. | |
|Being |Shall | |
|nice |I lift| |
| |you up| |
| |to | |
| |have a| |
| |look | |
| |so you| |
| |can | |
| |see it| |
| |a bit | |
| |better| |
| |? | |
| |[kindl| |
| |y | |
| |tone] | |
|Giving|I have| |
|inform|got a | |
|ation |bug on| |
| |me | |
| |now. I| |
| |have | |
| |got a | |
| |little| |
| |fly on| |
| |me, | |
| |look. | |
|Giving|Shall | |
|choice|we put| |
|s |the | |
| |log | |
| |back | |
| |down | |
| |then? | |
|Listen|The | |
|ing |birds,| |
|and |yeah. | |
|respon|[in | |
|ding |respon| |
| |se to | |
| |child’| |
| |s | |
| |answer| |
| |] | |
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Part 2
Now think about how you would structure a similar activity in your own setting. What vocabulary would you choose? It doesn’t have to be about birds and plants.
You might also find it useful to use the five points listed above to analyse a conversation with young children in your setting. Remember that these early communications are an important foundation in the development of literacy. They are helping to build up vocabulary as well as introducing young children to different patterns of speech and language.
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2 Moving from the early years to primary
You are now going to consider how literacy and reading are taught in primary schools. In 2006, the Rose Review of reading in the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 emphasised the importance of the development of literacy skills in preparing children in Reception and Year 1 of primary school.
The report emphasised the importance of literacy skills in laying the foundations for more structured approaches to reading in primary schools, such as phonics, an approach that breaks words into parts that represent separate sounds. The clear distinction between ‘literacy’ and ‘English lessons’ was made in Section 11 of the Rose Review (2006). Literacy skills are much broader and encompass speaking and listening across all of the curriculum.
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The National Curriculum and the National Literacy Strategy
11. A distinction needs to be made between literacy and English. Literacy skills, that is, reading and writing (and the skills of speaking and listening on which they depend), are essential Cross-curricular skills: they are not subjects and are not confined to English lessons.
Learning support workers play a key role in speaking and listening to children and in so doing can make an important contribution to the development of these literacy skills, including reading, in all areas of the curriculum.
(Rose, 2006)
End of Quote
This section is designed to give you some ideas that you might like to try out in your own setting. You will use a case study to examine the attempts of one teacher to introduce an innovative approach to reading and to reflect on how this has helped to address the gender gap in her school.
The challenge of encouraging children to read is a big one because it is a fact that in England the weakest readers at age 10 are seven years behind the strongest. Children in the poorest families are the ones most unlikely to be able to read at age 11 because there is a tendency for them to come from families of lower socio-economic status and therefore may have less access to books and reading within the family (Ward, 2014).
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Activity 3
Allow about 20 minutes
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Read the adapted extract below from the TES (Times Educational Supplement) online about the ‘reading gap’ in primary schools and then answer the questions that follow.
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Campaign to end ‘shameful’ reading gap in primary schools
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Figure 2 Child reading a book
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Around 1.5 million children will leave primary school struggling to read by 2025 unless urgent action is taken, according to new research published today by a campaign group set up to eradicate illiteracy.
The report published by Save the Children, on behalf of the Read On Get On campaign, shows that England is one of the most unequal countries in Europe when it comes to children’s reading. [This inequality in reading ability has been referred to as the ‘reading gap’.]
The research suggests the UK economy could be £32bn worse off without action being taken to ensure 11-year-olds leave primary school as more competent readers.
In England, the weakest readers at age 10 are seven years behind the strongest – only Romania has a greater gap. And it is children in the poorest families who are the most likely to be unable to read well by the age of 11, says the charity.
The Read On Get On campaign, a coalition of charities, businesses and educationalists, is calling on all political parties to pledge to support the ’bold but achievable’ target of making sure every child born this year is able to read well by the time they leave primary aged 11 in 2025.
[…]
Last year, two in five children eligible for free school meals did not reach this level by the time they left primary school, compared to just one in five of those not on free school meals.
‘In Britain, primary education for children has been compulsory for at least the last 150 years,’ said Dame Julia Cleverdon, former chief executive of Business in the Community and chair of the Read On Get On campaign in the foreword to the report.
‘Yet to our shame, thousands of children leave primary school each year unable to read well enough to enjoy reading and to do it for pleasure, despite the best efforts of teachers around the country.’
The report compares the challenge to the eradication of polio and cholera, pointing out it is possible but only with high ambitions and long-term sustained action.
It calculates that if all primary schools were to improve at the same rate as the top 25 per cent, then by 2025 around 97 per cent of pupils would be reading well.
Russell Hobby, general secretary of heads' union the NAHT, said teachers were making impressive progress but universal literacy would depend on broadening the challenge beyond schools.
[…]
Justin Forsyth, chief executive of Save the Children, said: ‘Read On Get On is not just about teachers, charities and politicians – it’s about galvanising the nation so that parents, grandparents and volunteers play their part in teaching children to read.’
The campaign is calling on parents to read with young children for ten minutes a day, urges volunteers to sign up to help children with reading in their local school and calls on schools to lead the way locally.
(Ward, 2014)
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• What do you think is meant by ‘the reading gap’?
• Why do you think the UK is so far down the international league tables?
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2.1 How is reading taught in primary school?
In a moment we will ask you to view a video in which you will see some children reading out loud and being helped by their teacher using a phonics approach to reading.
The phonics approach to reading is important because it is now the approach most favoured by the UK government. The government decided this after an important review of literacy standards (the Rose Review) was published in 2006, which looked at ways to halt falling literacy standards. The Rose Review concluded that the teaching of phonics should be enforced within the National Curriculum and this would lead to a boost in literacy levels. There are now a variety of strategies that have concentrated on a ‘heavy dose of phonics’ delivered by teachers in schools today (Dombey et al., 2010).
There are various approaches to teaching phonics. For example:
• analytic phonics, which looks at whole words and then breaks them down into component parts, e.g. dog as d-og
• synthetic (systematic) phonics, which starts with individual letter sounds and some combined letter sounds to create or build up the word, e.g. s-t-r-ee-t as street.
How does your school teach reading and develop children’s literacy? The next activity will start you thinking about this.
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Activity 4
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In the video you will see some children reading out loud and being helped by their teacher using a phonics approach to reading.
• What does the video clip tell you about the phonic scheme being used in this school?
• Is this your school’s approach to reading? If yes, how effective is it?
• If you are not in a school, find out how a child close to you is learning to read.
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In spite of continued government support for the phonics approach, the United Kingdom Literacy Association (UKLA) (Dombey et al., 2010) has argued strongly for an ‘alternative way’ and highlighted the dangers of ‘putting all our literacy eggs into the phonics basket’. The UKLA has argued against a ‘one-size-suits-all’ approach to the teaching of reading at every stage and says that reading phonically is not the same as reading (Dombey et al., 2010).
2.2 New ways to encourage reading
Think of all the various forms of reading you do for different purposes on a daily basis. Perhaps we can encourage children’s reading in different ways to accommodate a wider range of interests to reflect today’s world of new information and communication technologies.
New digital technologies have brought exciting opportunities for children of all ages, and digital books can be downloaded from apps onto computers and tablets such as the iPad. There is a growing number of exciting apps that can stimulate parent and child interactivity in online reading and book sharing. However, not everyone recognises the benefits of these new technologies and some parents have concerns that their child is spending too much time on a computer rather than reading a traditional book.
Work done by Kucirkova et al. (2014) on the digital personalisation of books has shown that digital books provide alternative ways of interacting and engaging children, parents and teachers. According to Kucirkova et al. (2014), evidence has been mixed in relation to the role that digital books can play in literacy development. Digital books don’t always have the richness of vocabulary and grammar of print books, and parents don’t use as many helpful reading strategies while sharing digital books but concentrate more on IT skills. Nevertheless, digital books provide an exciting alternative way of interacting and engaging readers, teachers and parents. See for example:
• Nosy Crow
• The world of Mr Glue.
If you are interested in the debates about children and digital technologies and whether they are a good or a bad thing, you might like to enrol on Childhood in the Digital Age, a free Open University module on FutureLearn.
2.3 How did you learn to read?
Being able to make the links between your studies, your own experiences and what you do in the classroom is an important part of becoming a reflective practitioner and of developing your professional skills. The next activity asks you to think about what it is like to be a child learning to read.
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Activity 5
Allow about 20 minutes
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Think back to when you were a child and how you learned to read.
• How were you encouraged to read?
• Did you enjoy reading or did you find it a struggle?
• What sorts of books did you like or dislike?
• Can you remember a favourite book?
• Were books the only things you read?
• Do you think girls read more than boys?
• Do boys read different books than girls?
Before you read the case study in Topic 3 about how 8-year-old twins were encouraged to read, make a few notes in response to these questions.
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3 Boys, girls and reading
In the following case study, Alex and Harry are lively 8-year-old twins with an older sister, Laura. She is 11 years old and an avid reader. Christine, their mother, is keen to foster a love of reading in the twins and is aware of how important it is to sit with them and read. This is easier said than done, not only because of lack of time, but also because the twins are very different.
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Figure 3 Alex and Harry looking at books
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Case study: Alex and Harry learn to read
When he is in the mood, Harry loves to sit beside Christine and look at books. He is starting to read quite fluently and enjoys spelling out unknown words, as he has been taught in school. Harry’s favourite book is Captain Underpants because it makes him laugh. This is a special time for both of them but Christine feels guilty about Alex because he is not getting the same attention.
Alex is a reluctant reader and appears to have little interest in books. He says about reading that ‘it’s boring’ and he never wants to unpack his school reader.
The boys’ teacher, Miss Fuller, has reassured Christine that Alex enjoys circle time, which often focuses on reading and literacy. Many primary schools use circle time where the focus is more on the children than the curriculum. The class sits with the teacher in a circle and ‘games’ are used to encourage cooperation, listening and speaking skills.
There are some general rules for circle time; for example:
• Everyone has the right to be heard and a duty to listen.
• There should be no ‘put-downs’. In the first stages it may be that the rule should be that all statements made should be positive.
• Everyone has the right to pass.
• Everything said should be confidential unless otherwise agreed.
It is a good way of developing peer relationships within the class. Very often a teaching assistant will also take part in this activity and they will model active listening skills for the children. Teaching assistants often position themselves next to or close by children who may need some additional support to benefit from circle time.
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Figure 4 Circle time
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Miss Fuller has started to use this time to encourage the children to talk about books they have read. The children also listen to each other reading in class, which is known as peer reading. These activities have made reading more of a social activity and Alex’s peers are beginning to have an influence on his interest in reading. Miss Fuller has also informed Christine that reading is not just about books and Alex can develop his reading skills just as well on the computer, which he seems to enjoy more.
Alex’s teacher is confident that he will make progress in his reading because of the social interaction with his classmates and friends during circle time.
Christine is concerned about the difference in development and academic progress between Harry and Alex. She does think that their happiness is the most important thing but the nagging concern over Alex’s progress or lack of it resurfaces in her thoughts quite often. She thinks that Alex’s current teacher Miss Fuller is ‘a bit special’.
Christine believes that it is through a deep understanding of Alex’s needs and interests that Miss Fuller has been able to work some kind of magic. Since being in her class, Alex’s attitude and approach to being at school are now much better. This can also be attributed to the additional support Alex receives in school to develop his reading skills and interests. The school involved Christine in discussions about Alex’s ongoing progress and raised concerns that he might have special educational needs.
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Special educational needs affect a child’s ability to learn and this may include their reading and writing – for example, if they have dyslexia. If a child has special educational needs they may require an education and health care (EHC) plan. As a teaching assistant you will be in an ideal position to raise concerns and you will be able to request that the local authority carries out an EHC on behalf of a child in your care. You will work in conjunction with the parents, teacher and any other support workers in deciding whether to request an EHC. Visit the government website gov.uk for more information about children with special educational needs.
Section 4 of this course looks at special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). You may find it helpful to study that section.
3.1 The gender gap: fact or fiction?
Refer back to the notes you made in Activity 5 in which you were invited to think about your own experiences of reading. One of the questions was ‘Do you think girls read more than boys?’ Your own experiences are a good basis for understanding children, but bear in mind that it is important to avoid generalisations. You may recall from the case study that the twins’ sister Laura was an avid and competent reader. This is not the case for all girls, and Harry has a different approach to reading than his brother Alex.
Much has been written about the ‘gender gap’ in primary education. Gender is the range of characteristics linked to the social differences between masculinity and femininity. There is evidence from research that supports the view that there is a difference between achievement in boys and girls. Moss (2007) found that boys thought of as poor readers spent less time on or avoided reading, so ensuring they maintained credibility with their peers. Girls meanwhile were happy to be seen reading easier books and to receive help from other experienced readers. By spending less time on reading, boys consequently fall further behind their peers so the problem becomes worse.
In 2010, tests in schools revealed that more girls were achieving higher levels of reading ability than boys. However, there was some evidence from Scotland that the synthetic phonics approach had improved boys’ reading (Johnston and Watson, 2005).
Some girls choose more challenging reading material for themselves. Contemporary books for girls in upper primary years include the Tracy Beaker series by Jacqueline Wilson. These and the plethora of vampire stories, such as the Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer, attract a pre-teen audience of able readers. Girls also share and discuss books much more readily, often forming reading groups similar to those that are popular with adults.
With growing awareness of the gender differences, efforts have been made to redress the balance. For example, a 2010 BBC TV series, Extraordinary School for Boys, explored different ways of engaging 11-year-old boys at primary school with learning, through concepts of risk and adventure.
By taking boys outside the classroom and involving them in learning through physical activities, the series attempted to harness that type of learning and channel it into learning within a classroom. It was led by Gareth Malone, who also challenged the stereotype that ‘boys don’t sing’ (The Choir: Boys Don’t Sing, broadcast in 2008). Gareth commented that ‘If school feels like a place where boys can take risks and push themselves and really challenge themselves, then they’ll be more engaged.’
Addressing the gender gap
Read this account written by Miss Fuller, the twins’ form teacher referred to in the case study. It is an example of some of the innovative work being undertaken in the twins’ primary school to address the gender gap. In year 4, children are 8 to 9 years old. Miss Fuller outlines how she sees the differences in reading in relation to Alex and Molly, who has been in Alex’s class since starting school aged 4.
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Case study: Miss Fuller’s account
In the case of two typical children in my year 4 class, Molly and Alex, there are distinct differences in their attitudes towards reading and writing. Molly is an avid reader, with a natural love of books and stories. She brings her library books to school every day, changes her books regularly and independently and enjoys reading, both at home and at school. She shows an interest in her reading, chooses books that she enjoys and likes recording her thoughts and feelings on the books that she reads.
As Molly reads regularly and is enthusiastic, she drives her own love of reading. This has a positive effect on Molly’s understanding of her reading, as she thinks carefully about the stories she reads and reflects on her own thoughts and feelings towards her reading. This also affects Molly’s writing in school, as she is full of ideas and has a good understanding of how to structure her writing in order to make it interesting.
Alex would never say reading was his favourite school activity. He often enthusiastically chooses books from the library, but quickly loses interest if the book is too long, or does not have enough pictures. Alex regularly forgets to bring his library books to school and although his mother tries to read with him at home, they struggle to maintain a reading habit. As a result Alex’s reading patterns are erratic. This becomes a vicious circle, as the less regularly Alex reads the more quickly he loses interest.
Although both children read with me and teaching assistants at school, the differences in their motivation towards reading, at home and at school, have a significant impact on their confidence in literacy and their reading and writing ability.
Various strategies have been put in place in our school in order to reduce the gap in literacy between boys and girls, and in particular to inspire boys, such as Alex, to read and write.
The main strategy that I have found successful in engaging the boys to read and to write is to give them a distinct sense of purpose in each lesson. Molly tends to work to please the teacher, whereas Alex often wonders, ‘What is the point?’ With a distinct purpose for a lesson, and when collaboration is encouraged, Alex is engaged and both children are given a real-life reason for their learning.
For example, in a recent lesson, the children were asked to read a book and write a review on the book, in order to recommend the book to a younger child. The children were told that they would actually be reading their reviews and talking about the books with a class of younger children. This inspired and motivated both Molly and Alex to choose appropriate books for the children, to read them carefully and to write careful reviews. They also enjoyed using their ICT and art skills in order to present their reviews well.
The activity was successful as Alex and Molly enjoyed it, were motivated and saw the result of their efforts when reading to the excited younger children. Without realising it, both children were also using and improving their own literacy skills. The purpose of the learning was clear to both children and was regularly touched on through ‘mini plenaries’ (a session in which the teacher summarises what they have done) in each lesson, in order to keep the children motivated and on task.
Another important element in inspiring boys is the use of good quality, yet inspiring, reading material during guided reading sessions and literacy lessons. The quality of the texts is important in order to provide good quality examples of writing, yet the subject matter also needs to grab the boys’ attention. For example, I may choose spooky stories, or action stories, especially those with a boy protagonist.
At home, boys like Alex are encouraged, initially, to read anything that they are interested in, whether it be magazines, stories, comics or instructions for games. Gradually, Alex will be encouraged to choose books from the library that interest him, such as non-fiction books about a subject of interest, such as a favourite sport.
In order to make literacy lessons themselves more interesting, I present boys with inspirational stimulus, such as film clips, in order to provide the subject matter for a lesson. Along with the inspirational texts, the boys’ attention is grabbed and maintained. Use of role play and drama activities add to the interest and help to provide motivation for boys to want to read on, to find out what happens next in the story and to want to write their own versions of scenes from the story.
For example, in a recent lesson, Alex heard part of the story Peter Pan being read to him, watched some scenes from a film version of the story and made his own Peter Pan headdress, before acting out a battle scene from the story with his friends. Following this sequence of lessons, Alex was eager to read some more of the story himself, as well as to write about the scene he had acted, both as a narrative and as a play script.
In the same sequence of lessons, Molly also benefited from and engaged with the activities. In addition, she was able to take the work in her own direction by writing about a scene in the story that interested her.
The use of film as an inspirational stimulus has been extended in our school, through a FILMCLUB, one of a network of national clubs. Many of the children, including Molly and Alex, love the club, as it gives them a chance to relax and enjoy films with their friends. But I have also noticed that the club has had a positive impact on both children’s enjoyment in reading and writing.
My colleague and I carefully choose films that interest and engage the children, but which also give them an opportunity to experience different countries, cultures, languages and perspectives on life. The children are then encouraged to read about the films they have watched and to write their own film reviews. Alex has loved reading about the films on the club’s website and has enjoyed writing his own reviews, especially as he can then see his reviews posted on the club’s website.
Start of Figure
[pic]
Figure 5 Alex and Harry enjoying a film
View description - Figure 5 Alex and Harry enjoying a film
End of Figure
End of Case Study
An important aspect of your role as a teaching assistant is to reflect on your practice and to think about what has worked well, or not so well. In this account, Miss Fuller has reflected on her practice and has identified different things that have worked well with Alex and Molly.
Start of Activity
Activity 6
Allow about 20 minutes
Start of Question
Summarise what Miss Fuller said about Alex and his reading, and about the strategies she used to encourage him.
• How does Alex’s experiences of reading compare with those of Molly?
Try to identify any differences between the two children. Also think about the similarities between the two children, such as their love of FILMCLUB.
Make some notes in the box below and then read our comments.
End of Question
Provide your answer...
View comment - Activity 6
End of Activity
3.2 Literacy and reading in secondary school
The next activity shows you how some secondary schools continue to engage their pupils in literacy development, in ways that complement their understanding of the subjects taught at this level of the curriculum.
Start of Activity
Activity 7
Allow about 30 minutes
Start of Question
The two video clips below are examples from the USA of different strategies that are used in the development of literacy across the curriculum.
The first clip shows how Fairfax School has helped students with key words in different subjects, integrating literacy development throughout the curriculum. The second example looks at small guided reading groups, where pupils explore meaning together.
Start of Media Content
Watch the video at .
Video 1: Best Practices: High School Reading Strategies
View transcript - Video 1: Best Practices: High School Reading Strategies
End of Media Content
Start of Media Content
Watch the video at .
Video 2: 8th Grade Literacy: Small Group Guided Reading
View transcript - Video 2: 8th Grade Literacy: Small Group Guided Reading
End of Media Content
If you are a teaching assistant in a secondary school, think about how the activities could be adapted for your own setting.
If you are not working in a secondary school but know children at this stage, try to find out more about what they are reading in relation to a specific subject and how vocabulary or key words are different from everyday language. An example from geography could include the following words: globalisation, urban and rural, spit, glacier, soil erosion, deforestation.
• How does your school help with literacy in the secondary curriculum?
• What words are linked to a secondary school subject that are different from everyday use?
End of Question
Provide your answer...
View comment - Activity 7
End of Activity
What you have learned in this section
• Aspects of reading and literacy at three different stages of development. In the early years, you started by looking at how babies learn to interact with their parents or carers in early communication called ‘parentese’ and at an example of how one nursery assistant helped to develop the vocabulary of the children in her setting. Secondly, you went on to look at some of the issues in reading and literacy in primary school. Thirdly, you explored some of the challenges of reading and literacy that remain at secondary level.
• The ‘reading gap’ is linked to inequalities in society, and measures are being implemented to overcome it. The ‘gender gap’ is where there are differences between boys and girls in their approaches to reading and literacy. Miss Fuller’s account gave you an example of some innovative strategies used in one school to stimulate reading.
• In secondary school, the emphasis is less on reading and literacy per se and more on National Curriculum subjects. Some children still struggle with reading, and two examples from YouTube of American schools show that there are ways to integrate literacy and reading skills in subject-specific lessons.
• To think about how the topics in this section relate to your own practice: how making the links between your own experience, your studies and the setting in which you work helps you to become a reflective practitioner.
Section 2 quiz
Well done, you have now reached the end of Section 2 of Supporting children’s development, and it is time to attempt the assessment questions. This is designed to be a fun activity to help consolidate your learning.
There are only five questions, and if you get at least four correct answers you will be able to download your badge for the ‘Encouraging reading’ section (plus you get more than one try!).
Start of Box
• I would like to try the Section 2 quiz to get my badge.
End of Box
If you are studying this course using one of the alternative formats, please note that you will need to go online to take this quiz.
I’ve finished this section. What next?
You can now choose to move on to Section 3, Behavioural management, or to one of the other sections so you can continue collecting your badges.
If you feel that you’ve now got what you need from the course and don’t wish to attempt the quiz or continue collecting your badges, please visit the Taking my learning further section. There you can reflect on what you have learned and find suggestions of further learning opportunities.
We would love to know what you thought of the course and how you plan to use what you have learned. Your feedback is anonymous and will help us to improve our offer.
• Take our Open University end-of-course survey.
References
BBC News (2011) ‘Reading to children has long impact says OECD study’, BBC News Education, School Report, 8 November [online]. Available at (accessed 27 October 2015).
Dombey, H., Bearne, E., Cremin, T., Ellis, S., Mottram, M., O’Sullivan, O., Öztürk, A., Reedy, D., Raphael, T. and Allington, R. (2010) Teaching Reading: What The Evidence Says, Leicester, United Kingdom Literacy Association.
Johnston, R. and Watson, J. (2005) The Effects of Synthetic Phonics on Reading and Spelling Attainment: A Seven Year Longitudinal Study, Edinburgh, Scottish Government [online]. Available at (accessed 23 January 2016).
Hart, B. and Risley, T.R. (1999) The Social Worlds of Children Learning to Talk, Baltimore, Paul H. Brookes.
Kucirkova, N., Messer, D., Sheehy, K. and Fernandez-Panadero, C. (2014) ‘Children’s engagement with educational iPad apps: insights from a Spanish classroom’, Computers and Education, vol. 71, pp. 175–84.
Moss, G. (2007) Literacy and Gender: Researching Texts, Contexts and Readers, London, Routledge.
Roberts, K. (2009) Early Home Learning Matters: A Good Practice Guide, London, Family and Parenting Institute.
Rose, J. (2006) Independent Review of the Teaching of Early Reading. Final Report, PPAPG/ENG/0306. Ref. 0201-2006DOC-EN, London, Department for Education and Skills.
Ward, H. (2014) ‘Campaign to end “shameful” reading gap in primary schools’, TES, 8 September [online]. Available at (accessed 10 December 2015).
Words for Life (nd a) Birth to One Year Communication Milestones [online]. Available at (accessed 20 November 2015).
Words for Life (nd b) Toddler Communication Milestones [online]. Available at (accessed 20 November 2015).
Acknowledgements
This free course was written by Isobel Shelton and Sue McKeogh (staff tutors at The Open University). Contributions were made by Katie Harrison (teacher and member of the ATL Union).
Except for third party materials and otherwise stated (see terms and conditions), this content is made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 Licence.
The material acknowledged below is Proprietary and used under licence (not subject to Creative Commons Licence). Grateful acknowledgement is made to the following sources for permission to reproduce material in this free course:
Every effort has been made to contact copyright owners. If any have been inadvertently overlooked, the publishers will be pleased to make the necessary arrangements at the first opportunity.
Figures
Figure 1: Christina Kennedy/Alamy
Figure 2: Ron Levine/Getty Images
Figure 3: © The Open University
Figure 4: © The Open University
Figure 5: © The Open University
Videos
Activity 7
Video 1 transcript from Best Practices: High School Reading Strategies, Fairfax Network - Fairfax County Public Schools
Video 2 transcript from 8th Grade Literacy: Small Group Guided Reading (North MS) APSK12 Video
Activity 1
Comment
Was it easy for you to identify the different facial or body expressions and attach an emotion to them? Certainly, happiness is quite easy to spot, but what about something like ‘anticipation’? Did you think that some babies showed more of one emotion than others?
Did you notice how attentive James was, keeping his eyes on his mother’s face? Alice was very vocal and communicative. Rebecca seemed to be anticipating the toy popping out and got quite excited while waiting. Sebastian made eye contact and mouth movements to his mother, and David babbled away and initiated frequent conversations.
It was easy to see how the older babies initiated communication. David, for example, was quite vocal and Rebecca was very demonstrative, waving her arms and bouncing up and down. Sometimes it may not be clear that a baby is actually starting communication rather than responding to something an adult has started off with them.
But did you notice, towards the beginning of the clip, how James, who was only 10 weeks old, raised both hands and made mouthing movements and again raised his hand at the end? Although these kinds of movements could be thought of as largely uncontrolled, researchers have found them common and predictable enough to conclude that even babies of this age initiate communication.
Back to Session 1 Activity 1
Activity 2
Untitled part
Comment
When you have finished completing Table 1, compare your observations with ours. Which part of the table did you find most difficult to complete? Were there more examples of one way of talking?
Table 2 shows more instances of how Claire communicated using the five specific ways of talking to children. These are not the only possible answers. You have probably found other examples.
Start of Table
Table 2 How Claire communicated with the children
|Specif|Furthe|
|ic way|r exam|
|of |ples |
|talkin| |
|g to | |
|childr| |
|en | |
|Talkin|Jack |
|g as |come |
|part |over |
|of |here a|
|everyd|minute|
|ay |and |
|life |look. |
|Being |Let’s |
|nice |put it|
| |down |
| |carefu|
| |lly |
| |then |
| |so we |
| |don’t |
| |hurt |
| |them. |
|Giving|I’ve |
|inform|got a |
|ation |bug on|
| |me |
| |now. |
| |I’ve |
| |got a |
| |little|
| |fly on|
| |me, |
| |look. |
|Giving|There |
|choice|look, |
|s |that’s|
| |a |
| |differ|
| |ent |
| |one |
| |isn’t |
| |it? |
|Listen|Is it |
|ing |my |
|and |pet? |
|respon| |
|ding | |
End of Table
Back to Session 1 Part 1
Activity 3
Comment
From the TES extract you have just read, it appears that the ‘reading gap’ is linked to the inequalities in society. The reasons for this are complicated, but may include factors such as limited access to books in the family and parents not having the time or resources to read to children. If we are aware that there is a problem, we can work together to tackle the challenge.
This means parents, teaching assistants, teachers and all other support staff working together and sharing their expertise – in other words, you.
Two examples of positive action together are:
• The Read On Get On campaign, which aims to ensure that every child born today will read well by the age of 11 in 2025 and in which teaching assistants have a key role to play.
• A blog set up by a mum living in the USA, who shares her interest and expertise as a parent of a young child.
Back to Session 2 Activity 1
Activity 4
Comment
In the video the school is using a systematic phonics scheme that involves actions and sounds. Phonics is essential in that it encourages children to be independent when working out their own reading and writing skills. If they know a particular sound, the children can attempt to work out another word on their own.
If they are learning words by rote the children don’t have the strategies to be able to work out new words. Phonics is a tool that enables the children to do the real work. It is helping children, not only to become decoders of print, but also to become someone who can infer meaning and engage with books in a critical sense.
Possible response to ‘own experience’ question
• My school uses the Jolly Phonic approach to reading. It is proving to be more effective than the previous ‘look and say’ method.
Back to Session 2 Activity 2
Activity 5
Comment
Everyone will have their own answers to these questions. Your own experience of learning to read may affect how you encourage the children in your care to read.
Back to Session 2 Activity 3
Activity 6
Comment
Alex loses interest quickly in reading. This is a vicious circle because the less he reads, the more quickly he loses interest. He is an erratic reader.
Molly is an avid reader. She is full of ideas and reads library books, which she changes frequently. She is able to structure her writing and make it interesting.
However, both children enjoyed writing a book review of something they had read to recommend to younger children and they both enjoyed FILMCLUB.
Miss Fuller has put strategies in place to encourage reading. She gives a purpose to each lesson, such as a real-life reason for their learning. The children were asked to write book reviews for younger children and this improved their own learning.
Good quality and inspiring reading materials are important to Miss Fuller. Sometimes she uses an inspirational stimulus such as a film clip.
Back to Session 3 Activity 1
Activity 7
Comment
Your answer will be dependent on your setting, and on whether your school has a policy in place to encourage reading and literacy. Whatever the policy is, that shouldn’t stop you from being creative and encouraging new ideas in children’s literacy.
Back to Session 3 Activity 2
Figure 1 A baby using sign language
Description
This is a photograph of a baby using sign language. She is holding one hand with the palm flat and the fingers outstretched, and is touching it with two fingers from the other hand.
Back to Session 1 Figure 1
Figure 3 Alex and Harry looking at books
Description
This is a cartoon of Alex and Harry reading. Harry is sitting on an armchair, happily reading. Alex is lying on the floor, looking at a book but with a less happy expression on his face. On the floor around them are several piles of books.
Back to Session 3 Figure 1
Figure 4 Circle time
Description
This is a cartoon of Alex and Harry’s class taking part in circle time. Nine children, including Alex and Harry are sitting in a circle with a man and a woman. The woman is holding her hands together and most of the children are looking at her. Several of the children have their hands up.
Back to Session 3 Figure 2
Figure 5 Alex and Harry enjoying a film
Description
This is a cartoon of Alex and Harry sitting in a cinema, watching a film with some other children.
Back to Session 3 Figure 3
Uncaptioned interactive content
Transcript
Babies’ communication
James
James Description:
Baby James is lying in a chair looking at his Mother who has eye contact with him and is talking to him and smiling. She sometimes holds his hands and James moves his head towards her and gurgles.
James smiles at his Mother and moves his body as though he is trying to reach out to her. James has lolled to one side, still maintaining eye contact with his Mother who gently moves him upright.
As his Mother talks gently to him, James smiles in response. James is aware of the happiness in his Mother’s voice by gurgling and smiling.
Narrator/Expert 1
The behaviour of the baby is exceedingly complex it is inconceivable that that patterning has been learnt or trained. The real difference between this and any learning theory is the idea that there is an inborn capacity to communicate as a human being.
Voice-over
What about the lovely smile then?
Narrator/Expert 1
The smile itself is a kind of behaviour that can’t have any effect on the world…except through someone else perceiving her. It does express feeling. So babies are expressing the same kinds of feeling as the mother who reflects the affections and smiles back at the baby, but it is important to realise that it’s only part of the whole complex of body behaviour of the mother. The quality of her voice, the gentleness and softness of it expresses the same feelings. In fact you can actually hear a smile in the voice, because it changes the physical quality of the sound.
Alice
Alice Description:
Alice is lying on her back on a baby changing mat and is looking at her Mother who is leaning over her. Alice responds to her Mother’s voice by moving her arms and gurgling. Alice also moves her body.
Alice waves her arms in the air and is quite active. Alice is looking at her Mother at all times. When her Mother asks Alice should she answer the door as the bell has rung, Alice squeals as though in response to the question.
Alice squeals again as her Mother continues to pose questions and moves her arms and body.
Sebastian
Sebastian Description:
Sebastian’s Mother is holding him so that his face is directly opposite hers. She rubs her head against his face and upper body. The Mother makes happy cooing noises and Sebastian mimics her in response.
David
David Description:
David is sitting upright on a play mat with his Mother holding on to him so he doesn’t fall. He is actively looking at his surroundings. His Mother watches him all the time and speaks to him gently. David continues to look around and babbles back.
Voice-over
Detailed analysis of sequences like this has shown that the mother closely watches the baby and builds on the responses she sees.
Rebecca
Rebecca Description:
Rebecca is sitting on her Mother’s knee and is using both hands to drink from a feeding cup. Her Mother talks to her, all the time praising Rebecca for drinking unaided. Rebecca looks around all the time.
Voice-over
It’s clear that both mother and child are enjoying these exchanges. How important are they for language development?
Narrator/Expert 2
If we watch a young baby for example sitting on mother’s lap, we can see the pleasure that both of them gain from this interaction. The eye contact between them, the baby will gurgle for example. The mother probably copies those gurgles or maybe copies the mouth shapes and the expression on the baby’ face they even begin in a very rudimentary way to take turns.
Voice-over
Turn-taking games like ‘peek a boo’ are widely found in Western culture. They are thought to give children valuable experience of being involved in an exchange which has many of the characteristics of conversation. Each person’s turn depends on the preceding turn and there is a shared understanding of the direction and purpose of the game.
Back to Session 1 MediaContent 1
Uncaptioned interactive content
Transcript
Nature trail
Practitioner
You know where we went on Friday.
Child
I’ve got a big snail...
Practitioner
A big snail?
Child
Yeah.
Practitioner
Oh was it all slimy?
We’re based on a school site, and there’s a field, and at the edge of the field there’s like a little forest or wood, whatever you’d like to call it and it’s got lots of different things in there that’s just been done.
I’ve got a bug on me now. I’ve got a little fly on me, look.
Child
Oh a pet.
Practitioner
Is it my pet?
Child
Yeah.
Practitioner
Shall we have a look what we can see?
We thought maybe each day for at least one of us to take a few children just down there so they all get a chance to have a look at it and explore the insects and explore the outside world really. I was talking to them all the way through really so they could get an idea of what it’s all about and what kind of animals we might find.
Do you want to have a look with your magnifying glass to see it a bit closer? Here we go, look, like this and then you can see the bugs there look. That’s a wood louse. You have a look, you do it.
Child
Let me look at the wood louse.
Practitioner
Step over the stick if you want to go a bit closer. There you go. What can you see, Scarlet? Can you see, are they moving?
Child
Yeah.
Child
Oh I see something, that.
Practitioner
Oh yeah, what have you found, look.
Child
There.
Practitioner
There look, that’s a different one, isn’t it?
Child
I found that.
Practitioner
Oh yeah.
Child
Why’s it got?
Practitioner
Oh I can see a spider.
Child
Oh a spider.
Practitioner
Shall we put the log back down then and move on and see what else we can see?
Child
Yes.
Practitioner
Let’s put it down carefully then so we don’t hurt them. Let’s stay together then so we stay safe. Oh I don’t think I’ll be able to move that one, it’s a bit big isn’t it. Shall we move this over here? What are these on here?
Child
Footprints.
Practitioner
Footprints, then what do we walk to. Jack, come over here a minute and look. What’s on here? If you look up, up here, can you see it? That’s got to be for the bees like here. Let’s go and see what else we can see. Diego, wait for the others please. Ooh let’s go and see this one. Diego’s found another one over here. That’s it.
Child
Butterflies
Practitioner
Here, look, can you see it? Shall I lift you up to have a look so you can see it a bit better?
Child
Yeah, pick me up. Pick me up.
Practitioner
If we look this here we can have a look inside. Is there anything in there?
Child
Nothing.
Practitioner
Nothing yet.
Child
No.
Practitioner
Shall I lift you up Jack?
Child
Yeah.
Practitioner
Come here then, turn around.
Child
After Jack can you lift me up?
Practitioner
Is there anything in there Jack? Not yet. Stand here then by me. Ooh Diego I think you’re a bit big.
Child
Oh no.
Practitioner
No, nothing yet. You just wanted to have a look. Do you want to have a look Mailees? Diego, wait for your friends please! That’s where the butterflies go.
Children
Ladybirds
Practitioner
A ladybird. Where’s Scarlet’s ladybird on your top? There it is, I’ve got one too. There look, ladybird. Ooh look at these ladybirds here look.
Child
They’re real ladybirds.
Practitioner
Do you think they’re real?
Child
No.
Practitioner
Touch them look gently. Are they real?
All
No.
Practitioner
No.
Child
Let’s see what’s inside.
Practitioner
Can you see any in there? Is there anything in there? You have a look.
Child
Can I look down here?
Practitioner
Yeah, have a look. You might be able to move it the other way. Can you see anything in there?
Child
No.
Practitioner
Nothing living in there yet.
Child
Nothing living in there.
Practitioner
Not yet. Maybe the ladybirds need to find their home. Come along then Jack this way, let’s have have a look. Ooh not the big spiders. Ooh yeah, what do you think might go in there?
Child
A birdy.
Practitioner
The birds, yeah, I hope there’s no spiders in there to see the birds.
Child
Yeah, and crawl.
Practitioner
Crawl, the spiders crawl away. Yeah, there’s some on there as well isn’t there? Right shall we hold hands then? Scarlet hold my hand. Oh you’re holding Diego’s, back on the path then please. Right, shall we have another look under a log?
Child
A snail!
Practitioner
Oh yes a snail there, look, shall I lift it up?
Child
Yeah.
Practitioner
We’ll have to go careful then.
Child
Worms!
Practitioner
We’re getting worms now. There’s a snail, does anybody want to hold it?
Child
Yeah, me, me, me.
Practitioner
We’ll have to wash our hands then when we go back then. Don’t put them in your mouth, okay.
Child
Can I hold it?
Practitioner
Yeah, let Diego hold it, carefully.
Child
Me hold it.
Child
Yuck, it’s cold.
Practitioner
Is it cold? Do you want to hold it Scarlet? The snail might come out, shall we take it back and show our friends? Shall I hold it or do you want to hold it? Don’t drop it then. Scarlet, let’s hold hands. Scarlet, over this way. That was good in there wasn’t it?
Child
Can I hold it Scarlet?
Practitioner
Scarlet, careful you don’t drop it then.
Back to Session 1 MediaContent 2
Uncaptioned interactive content
Transcript
Phonics without tears
Whole class and teacher
Mmm – ooo – nnn. Makes the word? Moon. Moon, good girl. Mmm – aaa – ggg.
Alex Lundie, Headteacher
I think there's been a long standing controversy, and I have to confess to being a sceptic myself until really quite recently in terms of phonics not really being well enough understood. So I think that’s been a big job that we have had to do to persuade people of the value of phonics, help them understand how to teach it.
I've been at this school for just over three years. I was the fourth head in one year so the school had had a real period of instability and consequently standards were very low at school across the board. So in reception we have a very fast, rigorous programme, as recommended by the Rose Report, that we should start teaching phonics early, so that that tool for reading and writing is embedded straight away.
Chrissie Nartey, Literacy Co-ordinator
Our phonic ability and reading and writing ability were really low quite a few years ago and we've now found that as we’ve started the phonic system and the way we teach the phonics in a very systematic way it's now had a knock on effect throughout the years and the reading and writing levels and the creativity has really risen. So it has made a big impact on our school.
At the very beginning of reception year, I keep all the children in the class with me because we learn all the single sounds and we recap all the sounds that they may have learned previously. Some children come into reception knowing quite a few sounds. Some children come into reception knowing no sounds whatsoever. So you have to kind of find out where they are, find out what they know already so for the children that know some of the sounds we are recapping and for some of the children that haven't got a clue about the sounds and are learning them, we are teaching them the sounds.
So it kind of works hand in hand. As the year’s gone on, it's towards the end of the year in the summer term I split the children that still need to consolidate their single sounds, which most of them know.
You are going to go off with Miss… and do your phonics. Ok. Well done, good listening. The rest of you, if you are in the classroom I want you to move forward a little bit more.
The children that went off separately they were the children that needed to consolidate the learning that some of the other children had already achieved. Not every day in the week but some of the days they get some special time really in a small group to practise what they still need to learn rather than get caught up in the class.
I want to see your actions today – ok?
E R makes the sound?
Children
Errr.
Chrissie
Lots of them make the sound e r r r.
T H makes the sound?
Children
The.
Chrissie
N G makes the sound?
Children
Nng.
Chrissie
Well done. Good actions.
U E makes the sound?
Children
You.
Presenter
Chrissie is using a very active phonic scheme.
Chrissie
Each letter, each sound has an action and it also has a story line. If they are doing the sound A they would say Eh – and the story line that goes with it is for somebody that can’t hear very well, so they’re saying ‘Eh?’
O I makes the sound?
Children
Oy, Oy, ship ahoy.
Chrissie
Oy, Oy, ship ahoy. Fantastic.
O O makes the sound?
Children
Ooo – ooh – ooh.
Chrissie
Last one. Show me the actions.
Children
Ee aw – ee aw.
Chrissie
Excellent. Ok.
With the sounds they learn the way they learn them straight away they can start blending them and segmenting them together for reading and writing and practising and applying what they’ve learned. So again it gives them that real satisfaction of yes, I can do it. And I can read.
We are going to make the word ‘weep’. Weep. So let's do the sounds together. W E E P. Have a try. W E E P. Check your word by pointing at the letters. Going to change one of the letters and we are going to do the word ‘week’. W E E K. Well done, Thomas. We are going to make the word ‘spoon’. Tell me the sounds first. That's tricky. S P O O N. Well done. Have a try. S P O O N. Tricky sound to hear in there.
Child
If you did it and put A in Spain.
Chrissie
What sound would you need if you were going to make Spain?
Child
A I N.
Chrissie
A I N – good girl Tatiana. We can make lots of words with the sounds and letters that we've got today. Well done.
Chrissie
We've then did another game called swap shop. They had a particular word they had to keep a secret and there was another child who had exactly the same word as them and they had to read their word and then when I said that particular word they had to read it, stand up and swap places.
If you have the word E C – swap shop. Very good. Looking at your words – if you have the word R A I N, R A I N, – well done, Marilyn – swap shop.
Children don’t really enjoy sitting for a long period of time so if you can have the focus, have their focus teaching and then give them an activity, a very short game where they can just be as active as possible but still learning.
If you have the word B U G – bug – swap shop. Fantastic and finished. Willow Class, you did that very quickly today. Good reading of your words. Fantastic.
At the end of every phonic session we give them a chance to again apply what they’ve learnt but by putting it into more of a context.
Ok. The last thing we are going to do is we are going to practise writing a question.
Are and you.
Particularly today was the words are and you that we had been learning so we put that into a question.
Sound that one out for me. I R makes the sound err.
What does the question say?
Child
Are you a girl?
Chrissie
Are you a girl?
If you are a girl, put your thumb in the air.
There are lots of different phonic schemes but they all do the same job. They all work with children still learn their phonics in a very fun way.
Now we are all going to do the sounds together. Marilyn, are you ready?
Children
F R O G.
Chrissie
It's a question – look at the question mark. Who can tell me what this sound is? Marilyn, could you tell us?
Child
Are you a frog?
Chrissie
If you are a frog, which is a silly question, would you like to put your thumb up? What a surprise. You're not a frog.
Presenter
But phonics was just the start. It needs context.
Alex
What we felt was that to raise standards what we needed to do was give children a reason to read and a reason to write and the skills to be able to do that. So making sure that they had context which really engaged them but also looking in a very rigorous way at the skills that children needed to develop and make sure that they made progress.
Teacher
And we’re going to think about how the characters are feeling in different parts of the story. Let’s all look at the fox. Look at the fox. What has the fox seen?
Child
The mouse.
Teacher
The mouse. He has seen the mouse. And what’s he thinking?
Child
I want to eat the mouse.
Teacher
I want to eat that mouse. And he’s just seen a really tasty mouse.
Presenter
Outside the prescribed 15-minute phonic session, working with real books helps children relate their decoding skills to meaning and enjoyment.
Teacher
How’s the snake feeling? Scared! Show him your scared faces. Lovely, Hannah. It’s scared. The snake is scared.
Amanda Wilburn, Reception Teacher
We’re using different actions. We’re using the sounds. Everything just builds in and just all feeds in together and the children really enjoy it and so it works really well and I think – you know I like teaching it you know. It’s not oh it's time for phonics! I enjoy teaching the phonics. I enjoy the sort of actions are very pacey – they're very active learning style that we can use when we teach phonics.
Let's sound out N U T – N N N U U T T T. Well done.
When we are using a real book, when we’re in small groups, we can look at different words, tricky words that we are learning. We can look at different sounds. What does the Gruffalo begin with? So we can use – it does all feed in.
Ardra, can you show us the sound of G G G G? Well done. And what's the next sound in G O O D – U U U. And what sound do we need for D? Show me the sound – the action – D D D. Brilliant.
Presenter
Success in reception encouraged phonics planning across the school. But it's not all plain sailing when they get to year 1.
Keira Pattenden, Year 1 Teacher
We are pushing children. There are always some children who come up from reception and most of them know their sound and there are always some who come back after summer holidays and they’ve forgotten the whole thing. And they're the kind of – they're the ones who are working with the teaching assistant and they're kind of every day kind of building it up, trying to get them to a level where they need to be. So it's just kind of lots of practise, lots of support for them.
Teacher
What about this sound?
Presenter
The three year 1 classes pool all their children and then regroup them by ability for their phonic sessions.
Keira
Year 1 is split into six different ability groups based on which kind of sounds they know, whether they can write them down, whether they can write sentences, whether they can read certain words, we put them into these different groups.
Teacher
Good girl. Keep the card with you. That’s good.
Child
Snap.
Teacher
Wow. Fantastic.
The next word I am thinking about is the word ‘goat’ – the goat you’d see at the farm. Goat. Fantastic. S O A P.
Keira
My group is not the top group, the one kind of below, so I'm kind of working on kind of really pushing them. I’m currently working on phase five, which is teaching them different double sounds.
Sugar. Sugar. Have a look at your board. Well done, Carell, that was a hard one.
Child
Bingo.
Keira
You can't say Bingo when you haven't got all of them.
You have to make it lively. You have to make it exciting for them to understand and want to learn. But if you work through the phases and you are teaching new things and when they’ve grasped it it's fantastic. When they can apply it on their own then you’ve got it.
Venue.
Today we were playing bingo using some key words and some words that I think they would be able to work out. I mean I had words that had silent letters in. I think you need to kind of push the children because if they're just sitting there just rehearsing words over and over again it does become boring and they're not interested.
Let's have a look. Let's check what you have. So, fantastic, Jessica. We need to say a big well done to Jessica.
Children
Well done, Jessica!
Keira
Oh dear me. Such sore losers. Right. Rub out your boards for me.
Phonics is essential because it encourages children to be independent when they're working out their own reading and writing skills so you're teaching them if they know this sound then they can try and attempt to work out the word on their own. If you are just learning words by rote then when you come to a word you don’t know the children don’t have the strategies to be able to work it out. So it's encouraging them to be independent when they're trying to tackle the literacy side of things.
Presenter
So is there any conflict between systematic phonics and reading for enjoyment?
Chrissie
I don’t think any of the Jolly Phonics systems or the systematic phonic systems that we use or letters and sounds or the CLP learning through books and through stories – I don’t think any of it contradicts itself. I think if anything it all works together quite well.
Alex
I think the thing that makes people sceptical about phonics is when phonics is seen as the be all and end all. If you see it as the end point I think what you end up with are children who can bark at print rather than really engaging with language.
And what phonics has to be seen as is as a tool that enables you to do the real work, I think, which is helping children become readers and writers, to love books and to love writing. And again not becoming just a decoder of print but somebody who can infer meaning and engage with books in a critical sense.
Back to Session 2 MediaContent 1
Video 1: Best Practices: High School Reading Strategies
Transcript
Reading strategies for high school students
Mary Keating
How many of you have ever come up against words you’ve never seen before and don’t know how to pronounce?
Alright let’s be honest – how many of you have just skipped that word?
Narrator
Social studies teacher Mary Catherine Keating is building knowledge through vocabulary. Because so many students come to this class with a range of reading skills, she knows the key to understanding content is through key words.
Mary Keating
How many of you have done the reading assignment, skipped over those words and had no clue what the reading said? So the words are the important part.
When you’re reading a non-fiction text, the words that you don't know, usually about 5 per cent for most kids, those are the most important words and they are the key to understanding the concept. So let’s go get some of this 5 per cent.
Narrator
As Mary Catherine Keating and Robert Sebring team-teach world history two, they embed reading strategies throughout their lesson. From paired reading to the use of word walls, these teachers help students master reading in the content area. The strategies are easily transferred to other reading the students may do. Attacking key words and concepts start with what students know.
Mary Keating
No phone after – anybody have rules about their phone?
Student
Apparently I’m not allowed to text between 4…
Mary Keating
So we began with an activity on their family and rules and who makes rules in the family, and then we moved it to the school and how you have a say in what you can do with those rules in learning that sometimes some rules are more structured.
Come up with the definition for absolute?
Student
A hundred per cent positive?
Mary Keating
Excellent!
Student
Everything.
Mary Keating
All of everything – I like that.
Narrator
To give kids, assign words in vocabulary. A lot of the kids will just go to the back, to the glossary, and copy the definition and never work with the word.
Robert Sebring
… and by definition you have tight control if you’re an absolute ruler…
Narrator
Keating and Sebring introduce words to students in multiple ways. First they begin by building background knowledge.
Mary Keating
Anybody have any kids making the rules in the house?
Narrator
Second, they want students to use words like a historian.
Student
So we can put the time period where absolutism was successful.
Narrator
And, third, Keating and Sebring group key words so students can interact with vocabulary. They cluster words and terms into categories and explain their reasoning behind it. For example, students should know the difference between Oliver Cromwell and the Roundheads, and the difference between absolutism and an absolute monarch. Finally, as homework, students will answer open-ended questions stressing the five per cent of terms and phrases unique to their chapter of study.
Mary Keating
Fact, right now, I’m assuming that you guys can do this – these two words – without looking them up.
Narrator
The goal for these students is to become active readers. As they study their textbooks and assigned readings, students learn to identify text clues to answer questions and even appreciate word walls.
Mary Keating
All the reading – even, you know, elementary, high school, middle school reading – has said put word walls in. This is the first year I’m doing it and I’m in the process of building it. My goal is, by the end of the year, there’s going to be words all over this classroom, and my idea is, as we move from unit to unit, I want the words to stay fresh in the mind.
Narrator
Keating and Sebring recognise that reading levels vary in their class – they purposely pair students to read to one another.
Student
Well, when people read out loud it also builds confidence in them.
Mary Keating
Able to listen for who is struggling with the reading so that we can pick that up and give them more assistance, plus the other thing we find is when they’re paired reading, they tend to pay attention more.
Student
Basically just highlighting like facts, and like things that like summarise each paragraph and on the side we write like a brief sentence or a couple of words to summarise each paragraph.
Narrator
Mary Catherine Keating and Robert Sebring weave reading strategies into their high school social studies classroom because it supports student learning for everyone. They know that as students progress in their education the reading they encounter becomes much more complex, yet some teachers seldom teach students how to deal with increasingly complex text and thus a learning gap begins to emerge. The explicit instruction of reading strategies for complex text of each content area is the main tool toward content mastery.
Mary Keating
Does it take time? Yes – but the time that it takes me to develop these strategies I gain at the end of the year because I don’t have to review as much because the kids have internalised a lot of it. They’ve made it their own.
Student
These reading strategies are very useful.
Student
And then you could just like look back, like okay about if you’re looking for something like what are the rules of ten? That’s right there. What do we use for power? That’s right there. It’s just easy to find.
Student
We don’t have it in different classrooms. I don’t know why as it’s such a…
Back to Session 3 MediaContent 1
Video 2: 8th Grade Literacy: Small Group Guided Reading
Transcript
Small Group Guided Reading – 8th Grade: North Middle School
Teacher
So today’s objective of our small group – can you hear me? Kinda, sorta? Alright. So today’s objective of our small group is that we are going to try and identify the main idea of the text. OK? So when you think of the main idea – what are some things that come to mind – what do you think about?
Student
If it is an expository who, what, where, when, why and how – like an online help?
Student
Thinking about what the text must be about?
Teacher
What the text must be about – OK. Anybody else want to add or do you disagree?
Student
Mainly about…
Teacher
Anything else? You guys agree? So don’t be shy. Everybody must pretend that they are not here OK as this conversation is between you guys – Miss Rodrigues is not leading the group discussion – OK? I’m just here to guide it alright? So before we get started I want you to do a quick preview of the text. Go ahead and read the title, the subtitle and any pictures and any captions and I want you guys to start discussing it when I get back.
Student
Miss
Teacher
Yes
Student
So does the state allow it?
Teacher
I don’t know – write that down.
Students
[Reading]
Teacher
OK, so I’m just going to get it started. What struck you as you preview the text? Anything that came to your mind that you wanted to talk about before we got started?
Student
The caption to the picture of the paddle says I don’t agree that discipline should be physical from teachers – it should be verbal or a suspension or something like that.
Teacher
What do you mean? I don’t understand what you are saying.
Student
Because it says how it is an effective deterrent to misbehaviour says the school Principal. This is how they discipline the kids by spanking them, and I said I don’t agree that it should be physical contact.
Teacher
So what do you guys think about what Jeremy said?
Student
Well I agree with him. [inaudible] Teachers shouldn’t be allowed to hit their students, that’s what I think.
Student
Well I noticed on the paddle it had different facts about how adults support this topic and how some say to allow it.
Teacher
Did it make you wonder something or you just – was it interesting – tell me what came to mind when you read that?
Student
It was kind of interesting to see how some adults agree with it.
Teacher
My dad would agree with it.
Student
He would?
Teacher
Yeah!
Alright – what I want you to do is to read all the way through and annotate all the way through to the end of the second paragraph, so – all the way to where it says ‘corporal punishment’ – you see that – the second paragraph? And I want you to be thinking about, as we are going, what is the main idea?
Student
Corporal punishment…
Teacher
OK so what were you thinking about while reading? What struck you as you read?
Student
That I could get demanded because all the teachers are the same gender as the student and they outlaw corporal punishment like…
Teacher
OK, so what about that?
Student
Like you can get demanded and also punished.
Teacher
Where does it say that at?
Student
No that’s what I’m thinking because right here it says the district’s policy, the same teacher – the guy was a male and he gave the punishment to a female and so he could probably get demanded if taken to court.
Teacher
He could get demanded? Fired? Taken to court, recommended – so you are thinking about what his actions were. OK, what else?
Student
I think that it wasn’t fair to do that to her just for that because it wasn’t like something that was extremely bad.
Teacher
So what makes something extremely bad?
Student
Maybe like…
Teacher
What do you guys think?
Student
From experience, like, as a referral, it says minor and major so like a major could be the spanking but a minor just like a detention, or something.
Teacher
What do you guys think?
Student
Yeah – I agree with Jeremy. Cos like copying your homework wouldn’t be that much of a big deal, especially, well maybe cos he might have been at high school but it still wouldn’t have been a major deal.
Student
And the classmate is the one who was copying and it doesn’t seem like the classmate got into trouble.
Student
Yeah it doesn’t seem like.
Teacher
So you don’t agree with what’s going on so far?
Student
Yes.
Teacher
So thinking about the main idea – what do we know about it so far? We said we would think about the 5 Ws and the ‘how’ – what do we know so far?
Student
The ‘what’ is the spanking.
Student
The ‘who’ is the man who is there to make them…
Teacher
So far that’s what we think? OK.
Alright, what we know that this is only the first couple of paragraphs and we still have more to read so what I want you to do is to continue on…
Student
I have the ‘how’.
Teacher
You have the ‘how’?
Student
How it’s done – the same gender of the student who was spanked – that’s how it’s done.
Teacher
So you are thinking about the actual corporal punishment and how they do it – that’s what you think this is mostly about?
Student
Hmmm
Teacher
Not yet. You need to read some more. OK.
So I want to read all the way to the second column where it says ‘among the children’ – you see that?
Student
Yes
Student
So are you going to talk?
Student
When he said that even though that they – that the studies when they show that when kids are spanked they just get like worse. I don’t understand why they do it if it just gets the behaviour problems worse.
Student
I disagree that it got worse because it makes them react and think that they shouldn’t be able to do it because they could [inaudible]
Student
But then as it says, it says that researchers say there is little evidence that spanking actually works to change children’s behaviour for the better. And they are saying that in fact kids spanked by their parents tend to be more aggressive than other kids and are likelier to develop behavioral problems as they get older. Some studies show that corporal punishment can even lead to lower IQs so I think the abuse leads them to have a bad, has them to get like a bad mood so when they do come to school they are not as focused and [inaudible] same amount of effort because like they are broken down inside from what happened. They want to get even but know they can’t.
Student
I would disagree with you as once you think about it, that as soon as like that their parents spank them so they want to be like one of them and know to do – what’s right – because they will be scared that if they don’t do what’s right they will get into even more trouble than if they do.
Student
But that’s the problem with some topics because there’s opinions but then there’s statistics. They’re talking about the statistics wise – this is what they have concluded and this is what their answer is and you are talking about opinions. Everybody has opinions about what should happen.
Student
It’s a lot more aggressive with them.
Student
That’s just the statistics.
Student
And it makes all of this negative so…
Teacher
OK so let’s go back to the text because Jeremy pointed out a statistic or a study where they said it doesn’t help kids but later on it said something that has to do more with the home versus school – do you remember that part? What does it say?
Student
They were talking about that...
Student
Like instead of paying attention in school they will be focused on what’s going to happen to me at home? What are my parents going to do to me?
Student
And it was talking about how they haven’t done research on both of the environments and they are talking about how just because at school they believe it doesn’t help the student they can’t say that at home it doesn’t help the student too as they are saying how…
Student
The facts are different.
Student
It’s unfair to assume the facts are the same.
Teacher
OK good. So now let’s go back to the main idea that we are thinking about – the ‘who, what, when, what, why, how’. When we first started, Jeremy said that it’s about spanking, giving a spanking in school, and now they are talking about all these studies, so what is it about so far? What is the term that they use? What do they call spanking?
Student
Corporal punishment.
Teacher
Corporal punishment. And what are they talking about?
Student
Aren’t they trying to persuade – like it’s a two-way side so like they are trying to persuade why they should do it using statistics and why they shouldn’t do it?
Teacher
OK so what do you guys think about that? Is it persuasive if they are giving both sides?
Student
No.
Student
It’s like informal.
Student
Mutual.
Student
Which one to choose?
Teacher
OK.
Student
So since they are giving us the statistics so they are informing us of the…
Student
At the same time they are telling you, you should support it or you should not support it.
Teacher
OK so let’s keep that in our mind for when we are thinking about the main ideas so we can come up with that at the end. So go ahead and finish reading and annotating the text to the very end, thinking about the main idea.
Teacher
Are we ready?
Students
We are ready.
Teacher
OK so now that we’re … instead of discussing let’s think about the main idea. What do you guys know about the main idea?
Student
It has something to do with spanking?
Teacher
OK.
Student
About slow work.
Student
We should write these down.
Teacher
That’s a good idea. What are you writing down?
Student
Whatever we say.
Teacher
There’s the poster up there. Expository text. You did, you just realised that? OK, you guys can talk about it. Let’s see if you can come up with something in the next few minutes.
Student
What is it – spanking?
Teacher
In what?
Student
In schools.
Teacher
That’s a question?
Student
Corporal punishment.
Teacher
Corporal punishment? You just said should it be allowed? They use the word in here. Corporal punishment is uncertain or undecided – does that make sense?
Student
The ‘who’ is students in the 19 states.
Teacher
So we got the ‘who’ and we have the ‘what’.
Student
The ‘when’ is?
Student
Is this currently or…?
Student
It says 2004 right here.
Student
It doesn’t have dates, because it says adults. All spanking has failed over the years – so you want to say now or 2000 generation?
Teacher
I think you will be safe to say currently as I got this out of a recent magazine that had just recently been printed – maybe they haven’t done a recent study.
Student
Are these aware?
Student
Are the schools in 19 states? Corporal punishment?
Teacher
Why is corporal punishment uncertain?
Student
There are two sides to this topic.
Student
What do you think the ‘how’ is? What does it connect to?
Student
Isn’t the ‘how’ the result?
Student
‘How’ is the corporal punishment.
Teacher
What happened at the end?
Student
We haven’t decided yet.
Teacher
Why not?
Student
Because it’s an argument…
Teacher
Who needs to decide?
Student
The ‘Hill’.
Student
The Congress.
Teacher
OK.
Student
But then it says the Hill and the classroom so…
Student
While the US Congress is considering such a ban in schools a final vote on the Hill and in the classroom is uncertain.
Student
What is ‘on the Hill’?
Teacher
What do you think?
Student
It’s probably corporal punishment or something like that.
Student
The final vote on…
Teacher
OK, let’s leave out the ‘How’ and let’s try to come up with the main idea that we have.
Student
The main idea is currently students in the 19 States and corporal punishment – instead of saying students we could just say schools because we are talking about the schools and the main idea.
Student
Instead of talking about students we should be talking about schools in the 19 states believe corporal punishment is uncertain due to the two sides of the topic.
Teacher
Good. Do you all agree on that?
Students
Yes.
Teacher
Good. So turn to your reading reflection in the front of your note book. We struggle with the main idea – why? What do we do? Why do we struggle with the main idea – this simple thing that you guys did as readers today? When you see or hear a main idea, you have to focus on the ‘who, what, why, when, where, how’, so that’s what I want you to write on today. As readers, when I think about the main idea, even if it’s one simple main idea, one question, you should always use the strategy of writing out ‘who, what, why, when, where, how’.
Something about spanking – do you remember that? Then we decided well let’s write down the ‘who, what, why, when, where, how’, and that’s a strategy that good readers use when coming up instead of guessing – OK?
So what are you going to do as a reader to clarify the main idea?
Student
Use the strategy of the 5 Ws and how to clarify the main idea.
Teacher
Holla!
Teacher
OK come to a stopping point please. Get your Martin Luther King’s speech and move to the front.
Teacher
So can you clarify what you got?
Student
As readers I think about main ideas. We should use the strategy of the 5 Ws and how to clarify the main idea.
Back to Session 3 MediaContent 2
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