Presentation in Victoria College Belfast on Literacy (by Jane Beaney)

1. Whole School Literacy
August Baker Day 2016

2. Overview
• Context and Literacy Action Plan
• Marking for Improvement
• SALAD days
• Speaking and Listening Assessment at Key Stage 3

3. 1. What colour is your Starburst? Think of something you did in your
summer holidays that this colour brings to mind, then tell a partner.
2. How many smaller words can you make from the word ‘Starburst’ in
one minute?
3. You may now finally unwrap and eat your Starburst. Describe how it
looks, smells and tastes, using as many adjectives and descriptive
techniques as possible.

5. CONTEXT
“Literacy is a high priority for school improvement and
is promoted well through English and an increasing
range of subjects across the curriculum. Arising from
discussions with the heads of the subject departments,
the literacy team has implemented practical initiatives
which help raise further the standards attained by the
pupils in writing for a range of purposes”

6. The majority of the pupils use confidently a wide range of
analytical literary terms to articulate their views and
judgments, orally and in writing. In order to raise further
the standards attained by all of the pupils in oral and
written communication, it will be important for the teachers
to develop further consistently high quality talking and
listening to underpin higher levels of attainment in the
pupils’ extended writing. While there is a clear vision for the
development of literacy across the school, it will be timely to
review the action plan in light of the inspection findings.

7. Literacy Action Plan 2016-2017
• Available by 16th September for all:
RM Staff>shared resources>literacy documents
• Key priorities are:
• Raising attainment (to include marking for improvement)
• Improving the quality of speaking and listening across Key Stages
• Building capacity for all Staff as Literacy Leaders
• Promoting Literacy with all ‘stakeholders’

8. Marking for Improvement
• Whole school marking code – DRAFT –have a go!
• PRSD opportunity - evidence for HOS/reviewer could include: marking
codes used in books; suggested strategies for improvement recorded
in notebooks with pupil responses (evidence of conversation);marking
observations used to inform pupil targets;
parents involved in marking conversation etc.
• Make it manageable! Where possible, use
time in class to engage with pupil
books/booklets and talk to them as you mark.

9. SALAD Day
School Focus – including an element of Speaking and Listening
and Discussion to all lessons for one day.
Sharing ideas and
good practice
Opportunities to visit
other teacher’s lessons
Exploring other ways
to engage learners

10. • Talking points
• Discussion journal
• Key words to use in discussion
• Structured questions
• Students to create challenging questions
for other students to answer verbally
• Give students roles eg question master,
devil’s advocate
• Explain how to, why and when
• Lingo Bingo
• Oral feedback and reflections on each
other’s ideas
• Students act out a particular scene from
a text
• Walking dictation or back to back
dictation
• Peer-to-peer dialogue – what do you
need to do to develop the last response –
how could you make that a level 6
answer?
• Lessons dedicated to discussion – write
it up as homework
• Foster arguments/debates between
students
• Taboo, back to back taboo
• Individual students come up with an ‘I
think…’ then as a pair discuss their ‘I
think’ and come up with a ‘we think’ then
present to the class
• Describing: ask students to describe an
image
• Plenary: teach your partner
• Students to lead starter and plenary
tasks
• Pick a partner to explain a key word
• Debates
• Teachers modelling acceptable
standards
• Questioning: students to lead
questioning and question other
students/the teacher, instead of the
teacher leading

11. Speaking and Listening Revision Tasks
Quiz: groups prepare
and deliver different
rounds
Students/groups teach
the class a particular
topic
Class debate on an
exam question
Role play: groups
include as many key
words/facts as possible
Groups create and
perform/share poems,
mnemonics, songs to
remember key facts
A pack of discussion
cards on key topics for
the exam
Spoken essay/essay
plan around the class.
Hot seating: test
individuals knowledge
on key topics, the rest
of the class ask
questions
Tarsia puzzles: groups
create their own based
on an exam topic, then
explain to another
group/the class

12. Inspirational Hot Seat Task
SALAD
• Students to get into groups of 3
• Student 1 LISTENS as student 2 and 3 DISCUSS moments over
the course/term so far where they have noted something good
about student 1.
• Rotate until all group members have been discussed
• Students to sit with backs to the centre of the circle when ready
to move on with heads down.
• Each student thinks about someone in the room that inspires
them (for whatever reason) to do well in this subject.
• Teacher taps each girl on the head and they say the name aloud,
whole class LISTEN (for their own name).
• To finish, DISCUSS as a group that it is a compliment to inspire
others to do well. Reward the students named. Encourage
others that next time this task is done (later in the year) it is
THEIR name they want to hear!

13. Assessing KS3 Speaking and Listening
• 3 strands – presenting, role-play, group
discussion
• Assessed in LEVELS (see booklet for
guidance)
• Further training events on 3 strands to be
delivered during the year – dates tbc
• Another PRSD /CPD opportunity – liaise with
English department to assess Year 10 S+L
using Levels of Progression

14. The
‘Purpose’
Cycle
Model
Frame
Equip
Create
opportunities
Set
boundaries
Give
Feedback

15. Questions and further support
• Don’t be afraid to ask!
• Literacy Team available for support and advice;
• Sign up for training events and / or suggest training needs;
• Check RM Staff >Literacy folder for resources and guidance.