Literacy
Literacy at St Augustine Academy
“Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope. It is a tool for daily life in modern society . . . For everyone, everywhere, literacy is, along with education in general, a basic human right…. Literacy is the road to human progress and the means through which every man, woman and child can realise his or her full potential.”
Kofi Annan
Literacy is an essential life skill, which opens doors for successful and fulfilling lives. Literacy skills are not just the ability to read, but include, listening, speaking and writing. They allow us to communicate effectively with the World and are vital in securing the futures we aspire to for our young people.
Our Strategies for Supporting Literacy
We have developed a three-year strategy to build our literacy curriculum at the academy and ensure that all teachers at St Augustine Academy are teachers of literacy and understand the important role they have in shaping the future of our young people. The foundation for our approach sits with evidence-based research, and we are confident in our way forward. Our overarching aim, is that all students are able to develop functional core literacy skills that allow them to successfully engage with the ambitious curriculum we have in place.
Literacy Foundations
To support the literacy skills of our students, we are focusing on the following five key areas;
- Know the students – teachers are provided with information on student’s literacy needs and have resources and training to more easily identify need.
- Reciprocal Reading - reading skills are taught and scaffolded to ensure our students become strategic readers.
- Vocabulary – highlighted to students, with access to glossaries and word walls
- Dual Coding/Visual Cues – images are used to support vocabulary and text.
- Modelling Language – teachers model language in lessons and across the school day, with opportunities to talk to peers and adults provided
All teaching staff receive training on literacy skills and are familiar with the strategy.
Reciprocal Reading
Reciprocal reading is a powerful tool for enhancing reading comprehension and fostering a love for reading among students. Research has shown that reciprocal reading can not only lead to significant improvements in reading comprehension and overall literacy skills, it can impact on critical thinking and collaborative skills. Students participating in reciprocal reading interventions have demonstrated increased engagement, confidence, and enjoyment in reading. This method has been particularly effective for struggling readers, helping them develop essential skills in a supportive environment. We have developed a book mark to scaffold Reciprocal Reading skills and have promoted them in Register and Read and intervention, as we work towards implementation across the curriculum.
Register and Read
All students in Key 3 and in Year 10 participate in Register and Read once a week in Tutor Time. Teaching staff are provided with an extract from a book, which they read aloud to the students. Students are able to work on their listening skills, but importantly we are modelling reading fluency. Extracts are carefully prepared so students have time for scaffolded discussion through Reciprocal Reading. They are able to discuss vocabulary and have an important opportunity to talk.
All of the Register and Read books are available in the library, with the aim that the extracts promote curiosity and develop a love of reading. We also endeavour to select texts that reflect cultural and historic events and promote British Values, empathy and understanding.
Accelerated Reader
St Augustine Academy has invested in Accelerated Reader to support our literacy curriculum. Accelerated Reader is reading management program designed to help students develop regular reading habits and improve comprehension. It matches students with books at their reading level and checks understanding through short quizzes. The program motivates students to read more by setting goals and providing recommendations which enhance their reading stamina and language skills.
Library Lessons
All students in Key Stage 3 have regular library lessons build into their English lessons. During these lessons they have support from not only their classroom teacher, but the librarian. Accelerated Reader supports these lessons, ensuring that students have appropriate, challenging reading material that they not only enjoy, but is also having an impact on their literacy skills. Students are encouraged to read independently, but also importantly have access to adults and peers they can read with. Our aim is to promote a love of reading and an understanding of how important libraries are to communities.
Library Events
The library hosts events across the academic year, with Christmas and Easter being highlights for students. They promote the importance of literacy in association with important cultural and historical events.
Whole Academy Reading Age Tests
All students in Key Stage 3 have reading test across the academic year, using STAR reader. Students sit a minimum of three reading tests. These are used to inform teaching in classrooms, but also our intervention offer, ensuring that students’ literacy skills are supported and accelerated where needed.
Students in Key Stage 4 sit a reading test during the academic year. Where a need is highlighted, further testing is implemented as needed to support the acquisition of reading and literacy skills.
Intervention
Our reading age tests highlight where students may need support with their reading and literacy skills. Students who are significantly below age expectations for reading are provided with intervention outside of the classroom. We organise students into reading trios, as this supports our Reciprocal Reading approach and aligns with Literacy Foundations. Literacy is about communication and our experience show this works better in a small group. Students remain in intervention for 12 weeks with support staff, working on not just reading, but their literacy skills.
Additional Online Resources for Home
The following websites are a great starting point for additional literacy support.
This fantastic website was created by the National Literacy Trust for students aged 13 and over. It includes workshops for reading writing, as well as speaking and listening, even a functional skills section for people aged over 16.
A series of fun videos to help teens improve their reading, writing, speaking, listening, grammar, and vocabulary skills.
While the site may say it is for KS2, anyone can use these fun interactive games and quizzes to improve their spelling, punctuation, and grammar.
A series of games to develop spelling and grammar, writing, reading, and poetry skills.
The Oak National Academy features several lessons in a range of subjects. In English KS3, there are several lessons in a section called ‘Recapping the Basics’ which focus on spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, and grammar.
This site features videos of students reading to their peers. Often, it has abridged (shorter) versions of classic novels.
It’s a modest proposal: create an online eBook library of every out of copyright text in the world. Seems overwhelming, right? Well the folks at Project Gutenberg have set about creating just that, and have over 60,000 titles already available on their site. This also includes novels in foreign languages.
This website features thousands of amazing audio books which can be narrowed down by age group or genre. Just click and start listening to a free 30-day trial.
TED Education:
TED Talks are known around the world as opportunities for experts to discuss their knowledge in an engaging talk that is then available on their website. TED Education is their website specifically for students and educators. Students can search or browse for content on any subject. It’s excellent for developing listening and comprehension skills.
