The Literacy Guide for Early

Career Teachers

What is literacy?
Literacy is: the ability to create and make sense of symbolic forms of communication;
the ability to encode and decode messages and the ability to take action based on
information. For teachers, literacy is about improving students speaking, listening,
reading and writing skills. This guide is focusing on how students access text and
transfer skills and strategies from subject to subject.
Isnt literacy an English teachers job?!
Any subject which uses text has a responsibility to help students overcome difficulty
with understanding ideas and concepts and must explicitly teach them how to transfer
reading and writing skills that they use in English and other subject areas.
Why?
It encourages shared thinking and verbalised learning. It is immediate; all students
can participate no matter what level of literacy; it creates opportunities to recognise,
share and value different experiences and knowledge from a wide range of
backgrounds and cultures, and key ideas and vocabulary can be introduced within a
supportive context.
Ground rules:
Everyone must participate

Everyone must co-operate

Everyone must know the answer, i.e. anyone in the group should be able to
explain the groups thinking, and talk, acting as spokesperson.

They must use three key questions: what do you think? Why do you think
that? What do you mean by that?
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Brainstorming (topic webs/word webs)

Why?
This activity stimulates further ideas and more details can be added and provide
teachers a chance to introduce technical vocabulary which will be relevant and timely.
How?
Students discuss what they know about a topic. This can then be developed into
concept mapping by encouraging the pupil/group to look at their initial brainstorm for
words/ideas that are linked in some way. Then, these ideas can be gathered together
under headings.

Rules: there are no rules. The more colour, the better. Students will be used to using
mind maps from Opening Minds. Encourage students to also use symbols where
possible.

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Concept maps

Why?
o Theyre a rough and ready way to assess a student or groups progress.
o Brainstorming/concept-mapping can be used both before and after a unit of work,
which will allow the maps to be compared.
o Students can add new learning in a different colour pen.
How?
o The teacher can provide the headings already in place and students can brainstorm
around each heading.
o Students can be given words or phrases connected to the topic scattered at
random and students link any words which they see as having a connection. This
strategy has the advantages of not only activating prior knowledge but also of
giving teachers evidence of misconceptions or partial knowledge.
o Students can also identify gaps in their own knowledge as they can place a question
mark against any words they are unable to link in any way.
Interactive reading
Build opportunities for ten-minute reading sessions into lesson times; set dedicated
subject reading homework; ensure a wide range of library-type information books are
available and used within subject classrooms; have an in the news notice board with
current newspaper and magazine articles about your subject.
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Using visual sources/artefacts

Why?
This is an easy way to get students thinking about a topic (prior knowledge) and is
easily accessible to SEN/EAL students. These strategies make students explicitly
aware that learning is an active process as they are constantly making links between
what they are seeing/reading/hearing and what they already know.
How?

Give students a new picture, diagram, graph or artefact to examine and discuss.
They write what they have learnt from it.

Students can brainstorm around a picture or artefact, listing what they can see
and what they think it tells them. Then they list any questions they want to ask.
The picture is then passed on to another pair/group who adds further
observations/comments/questions (think/pair/share).

Students watch a few minutes of a video. Then get them to discuss and note what
they have learnt so far, anything it makes them think of and predictions about what
else will be covered in the tape.

Using grids, e.g. KWL/KWEL grid

What do I Know, what do I Want to know and what have I Learnt? (Optional: what
Evidence have I got?)
Why?
It is both a written record and the format of the grid acts as a structural organiser,
helping students see more clearly the stages of their learning. The procedure is based
on three cognitive steps accessing prior knowledge, determining what needs to be
learnt, recalling what has been learnt. The final column is a summary after the
students have undertaken some research.
How?
What do I know?

What do I know?

What do I want to know?

What do I want to
know?

What have I learnt?

What evidence have What have I

I got?
learnt?

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Ten strategies for use with key words

1. Subject specific dictionaries: students can more quickly locate words within these than in
a large, general dictionary and they give a technical dictionary. Discuss and clarify
meanings and get students to define the word in their own words.

words

2. Creating word banks: After brainstorming/concept-mapping, key words from this activity
are identified and written on strips of card by students. These are sorted alphabetically
around the room. New key words are added each lesson. Constantly
revisiting the lists in this way reminds students of their extent and
purpose. Students can also create their own word lists in the back of
their books.
3.Word and definition cards: students match key words with
definitions related to the unit.

4.Creating interactive glossaries: An empty glossary is given to

students with key words in alphabetical order which they glue into
their books. Another A4 sheet with the key word definitions is
provided, however the definitions are jumbled up. As students
discover a new key word, they find the definition and write it in. This must be continuously
revisited and revised.
5. Key word crosswords/word-searches: exactly what it says on the tin. These can be created
online and then kept as a permanent resource for the department. Alternatively, students
can be given a completed crossword and are asked to write the clues.
6. Creating word clusters: draw students attention to patterns to be found in words (e.g.
equal, equalise, equate, equilateral, equality, equation, equidistant, equilibrium and so on),
pointing out their root (equa/equi, from the Latin word meaning to make even) and how that
helps both spelling and meaning. Students can create word cluster posters and display
them in subject rooms.
7. Creating mnemonics: mnemonics are sentences which help students remember something
e.g. Richard of York gave battle in vain (r, o, y, g, b, i, v the colours of the rainbow).
Students could be given a key word to do
for homework and the more amusing the
better!
8.Creating calligram posters: calligrams are
visual representations of a
word that reflect its meaning.
9.Using icons: icons and
symbols alongside key words can act as memory
prompts and are particularly useful for students struggling with literacy.
10. Playing word games:
a. Put key words on the board spread around. The teacher reads out the definition and
two students compete to choose and touch the correct key word.
b. Half a word can be put on the board and students have to complete it.
c. Hangman
d. You provide the definitions and students write the words.

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Teacher (metacognitive) modelling

Why?
To make explicit the thought processes of an effective reader, processes which are
usually invisible.
How?
Read aloud to students in a variety of ways and from a variety of texts as well as
textbooks. Try to show the thought processes you employ to demonstrate how to
actively interrogate and respond to a text I wonder what that means?...Well that
surprises me...I knew that as well as demonstrating scanning or tackling difficult
words and so on.
Understanding text
DARTS (Directed Activities Related to Text): activities

that require students to reconstruct a text or diagram by filling in

missing words, phrases or sentences, or by sequencing text that has
been jumbled.

Why?
When students interact with texts, their reading comprehension
improves. They also become more aware of how texts are
constructed. As students' understanding of how text is constructed
improves, so too does their own writing. Research has shown that
interacting with texts also improves students' cognitive development.

How?
Certain words from a passage in a text are deleted and the students are asked to
complete the text. Note: it is an activity best used in pairs or groups rather than a
solitary activity because much of its value lies in the discussion or possibilities.
Ideas:

Text completion (Fill in missing words, phrases or sentences.)

Sequencing (Arrange jumbled segments of text in a logical or time sequence.)

Grouping (Group segments of text according to categories.)

Table completion (Fill in the cells of a table that has row and column headings,
or provide row and column headings where cells have already been filled in.)

Diagram completion (Complete an unfinished diagram or label a finished

diagram.)

Prediction activities (Write the next step or stage of a text, or end the text.)

Text marking (Find and underline parts of the text that have a particular
meaning or contain particular information.)

Text segmenting and labelling (Break the text into meaningful chunks and label
each chunk.)

Table construction (Draw a table. Use the information in the text to decide on
row and column headings and to fill in the cells.)

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Diagram construction (Construct a diagram that explains the meaning of the

text. For example, draw a flow chart for a text that explains a process, or a
branch diagram for a text that describes how something is classified.)

Questioning (Answer the teacher's questions or develop questions about the

text.)

Summarising

Analysis activities
If the text

you may have developed

compared and contrasted two or more things

a table or Venn diagram

described a process

a flow chart.

described a fictional or non-fictional sequence of

events

a flow chart.

described how something can be classified

a branch diagram.

described an object

a labeled diagram.

presented an argument

a spider diagram or mind

map.

Use how you interacted with the text as a basis for your DART. For example, if you
developed a flow chart while reading the text and you want your students to do a
reconstruction activity, develop a relevant flow chart and then delete some of the
information from the chart. Your students must fill in the missing information as they
read.
Sequencing
In text sequencing, jumbled up text is given to students who have to re-order it into a
coherent, logical or sequential text. In doing so they must read and re-read the text
to confirm their choices. This can be differentiated by careful selection and size of
text and is best done as a collaborative activity. Students reconstruction may not be
quite the same as the original order so students must justify their reasoning. It is also
best done as a kinaesthetic activity so students can physically move it around and try
out possibilities.

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Text-marking
Why?
These activities help students to understand that
reading is an active, not passive process.
How?
Highlighting/underlining information/numbers or writing in the margins of a text
(annotating). Students can use different colours to differentiate categories of
information.
Text-marking the main idea/summaries
Students can be asked to underline what they think is the sentences that tells you
most about the passage or a sentence which sums up each paragraph.
Text-marking making notes in a margin
This can be further information or questions they have. You must model this.
Text-marking numbering text to show a sequence of events
Struggling readers may lose the thread of basic events, so when the text is sequenced
it can be recreated in a flow diagram of the process.
Text restructuring
Students read information and then show the information in some other way. In doing
so, they have to understand it. This is a good activity for homework. Students can
restructure texts as:
o A news report or science story
o A grid
o A visual representation which is annotated
o A labelled diagram
o Pictograms, graphs or Venn diagrams
o A cartoon/comic strip
Teachers can just say show me that information in another way for more able classes.

Trash and treasure

Introduce the idea of trash (words you dont need) and
treasure (vital words). Treasure words to be emphasised in
some exciting way such as a zigzag outline.

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Note-taking
Why?
It is an important skill in gathering and synthesising information and consolidating
learning. As students progress through the education system, note-taking becomes
increasingly important and they can use it to:
Bring about an active engagement with the text, e.g. underlining something
because they think it is important
promote concentration and focus by making notes as reading progresses;
create a recode for later use, e.g. for revisiting a few weeks later;
act as a brief aide-memoire which will be discarded, e.g. as a prompt for a talk.
How?
Teacher modelling is the best way to introduce note-taking. Make notes from a source
in front of the students whilst explicitly discussing what it is you are doing and why.
Make the focus for the note-taking explicit.
It is imperative that students know why they are taking notes and who it is for, such
as:
Example:
Were looking at food so Im going to
note down anything about food, cooking
and meals. As you read and annotate,
you must also demonstrate that:

Notes dont have to be in your best handwriting;

Layout, writing size, asterisks, underlining, etc., can
be used for emphasis rather than punctuation;
Headings and other forms of graphic organisers can
help organise the notes;
Annotated drawings, visual prompts, rough graphs,
etc., can be included.

Next, use your notes to demonstrate their purpose. Use them

for oral recall or to create a piece of report writing.

Gradually hand over some of the process to the students

in shared sessions before asking them to make notes in
independent work. A useful intermediary stage can be
for an adult to read the text aloud to students.

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Helping scaffold their understanding of what is being read by:

1. Finding key words/phrases
Text highlighting, underlining or writing on a sheet alongside the text. Decide on
those words which are crucial to the content.
2. Summarising
Find a key sentence to summarise each paragraph. Students put these main
ideas together to create a prcis (summary).
3. Deleting
Leave out unimportant sentence creating words (e.g. and, the) as notes do not
need to be in sentences. Leave out redundant material (e.g. repetition, unneeded
details). Younger and less able students may need to cross out this redundant
material, initially.
4. Substituting
Combine lists or groups of items when possible (e.g. apples, pears and grapes
could be written as fruit).
5. Abbreviating
Use standard abbreviations and signs (e.g. BBC, =, etc.) A good dictionary will
have a list of them. Encourage students to create their own as well, (e.g. E1 for
Elizabeth the First)
Grids
Physically restricting the amount of space for recording reminds some students to use
words rather than sentences. QUADs grids are handy:
Question

Answer

Details

Source

Using headings
Lists and skeleton written outlines can be broken up with headings.
Initially you may wish to supply the headings, plus a set number of
empty bullet points to support students.

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Diagrammatic representations (graphic organisers)

Spider diagrams and tree diagrams help to organise key ideas. Follow the mind-mapping
steps.

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Playing the Notes Game

Students must summarise a lesson or unit in the fewest possible words. This can be
used as a plenary activity.
Finally, teachers must constructively comment on students note-taking attempts,
rather than regard them as the unlooked part of a students work.

Differentiating a text
Break a text into smaller chunks for weaker readers.
Use headings and draw their attention to how the text
is broken up.
Matching it requires no writing but enables the learner
to show they can read, understand and evaluate.
Sequencing as above.

Dyslexia Friendly Tips for Supporting Writing

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Use Lucida Handwriting font or Comic Sans theyre easier to read

Writing frames and plans
Writing checklist to tick off as writing progresses
Close texts/sentences to complete
Sentence/text/picture jumbles to rearrange
Multiple choice questions
Mapping/drawing a line to link
Personalised word books with useful phrases/vocabulary (link to type of writing e.g.
persuasive words/ descriptive words)
Highlighting/underlining
Word mats for useful/tricky vocabulary
Alphabet strips and letter formation and joining guide stuck to table
Spelling cards/posters
Coloured paper
Tramlines and margins to aid height and placement of writing on page
Mini whiteboards for guessing before checking in dictionary
Electronic dictionaries/thesaurus
Word processing/spell checking
Writing buddies
Word magnets (http://www.triptico.co.uk/ is really handy to create these)

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Approaches to spelling
Have you tried these ways to help yourself?
Sound out the word
Think about how it looks
Think about a similar word
Is there a memory sentence for this word? (e.g. big elephants cannot always use
small exits)
Find the word in a list
o Key words list
o Frequently used words list
o Your own word bank
Look it up in a dictionary/spellchecker
Ask a friend or teacher

Once youve solved it, dont forget to add the correct spelling to your own word bank if its
a word you think will be useful at other times.

Classroom talk: Questioning

Why?

Language and thought are intimately linked and students cognitive development depends a lot
on the forms and context of language which they have encountered and used. All students
should have the opportunity to think and express their ideas.

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How?

There are four types of classroom talk:

Dialogic Talk
Exploratory Talk
IRF (initiate, response, feedback)
Socratic Talk
In dialogic teaching, there are five principles:
Collective: Teachers and children work together on a task Eg: Modelling and
shaping an answer together for an essay on the causes of the First World War.
Reciprocal: Teachers and children listen to each other and share ideas E.g.
Evaluation of a product and how one might improve it in D and T.
Supportive Articulate ideas freely without embarrassment of wrong answers.
E.g. Valuing individual and alternative perspectives in poetry analysis
Cumulative Teachers and children build on own and each others ideas and
change them in to coherent lines of thinking. E.g. Use of discussion and
brainstorming leading to completed pieces of writing.
Purposeful Plan and facilitate dialogic talk with a particular educational goal. E.g.
Hot seating characters in drama to improve understanding

Questions to consider when planning your lessons:

1.
2.
3.
4.

Are you structuring questions so as to provide thoughtful answers?

When you ask questions, how long do you wait for a response?
What strategies do you use to create a climate for questioning?
Do you see that answers can promote further questions and can be seen as the building
blocks of dialogue rather than its terminal point?

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Helpful tips:
Give at least 7 seconds after asking a question and 7 seconds after. This encourages
students to really consider an answer and respond.
Ask open questions more than closed.
Get other students to build on other students answers.
You can allow students to collaborate before answering.
It is important that students contributions are listened to and taken seriously by both
the teacher and the class. You should model this by ensuring that you make appropriate
responses to contributions and are not critical. You could also model making mistakes
yourself to show that being wrong is acceptable.
Use questions to develop collaborative work
Begin a lesson by giving pairs of students a question to answer from the last lesson
Ask pairs to discuss a question for a minute before they answer it
Make questions a normal part of the lesson. Earlier this lesson I asked you two
questions. Turn to your partner and see if you are ready to answer them yet
Get one group or pair to set questions for another group or pair to answer.

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The DOM approach

Dump Organise - Map
2. Sort ideas into themes
rearrange the DUMP words into
groups. Sort the groups by
shared features.

1. Generate ideas dump, or

brainstorm ideas about the
topic. Emphasise get it out not
get it right

3. Organise the themes organise the

groups of words hierarchically. Find the
main words to label the main branches.
Find the next level of branches (smaller
branches). Continue until all of the words
are organised. Add more words too.
4.

Sequence the themes into

paragraphs Put the branches into
the order you will use them. Each
main branch can be a paragraph or
section of several branches.

5. Rehearse the plan by talking it

through Place the map between the
pair of students. In pairs, and in
sequence, explain personal maps to each
other. Add additional details as you talk
about them.

6. Write out the plan Place the map

in front of the pupil. Write
according to the plan. Include the
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extra details mentioned in the talk.