English

English @ Pt England

English is the study, use, and enjoyment of the English language and its literature, communicated orally, visually, and in writing, for a range of purposes and audiences and in a variety of text forms. Learning English encompasses learning the language, learning through the language, and learning about the language.

Understanding, using, and creating oral, written, and visual texts of increasing complexity is at the heart of English teaching and learning. By engaging with text-based activities, students become increasingly skilled and sophisticated speakers and listeners, writers and readers, presenters and viewers.

confident, connected, actively involved, lifelong learners

Literacy Cycle

Communicating using correct English and appropriate speaking protocols is still the major focus at Pt England School. About 2/3 our students come from homes where languages other than English are spoken. Many of the students have little or poor English. It is very important that the correct English language patterns are modelled and directly taught during the school day. Teachers have participated in Professional Development with Dr Jannie van Hees, the focus of which is developing 'Language In Abundance'.

Speaking Protocols

• Use peoples names when addressing them.

• Speak in sentences using a clear voice.

• Make eye contact with the person you are speaking to.

• Speak politely and respectfully.

• Choose vocabulary and manner of speaking appropriate to the audience and situation.

The Language of Success

Definition

The ability to speak and write in English using the correct form for the occasion. Children will know how and when to speak and write in the formal register and have a vocabulary wide enough to enable the speaker to choose words that best support the message being delivered.

Objectives:

To raise the achievement in speaking and writing across the school. For all learners to be able to communicate confidently and articulately in a range of settings.

Method / Components:

Vocabulary Expansion

Regular reading to

Explanation and direct teaching about objectives of the ‘Language of Success”

Gifting language

High Expectations

Needs focussed teaching and learning using assessment

Learning Outcomes with Success Criteria

Modelling of correct English grammar (conversation, classroom, schoolwide)

Modelling and explicit teaching of writing process

Co-construction/De-construction and of writing in groups

Identifying elements in exemplars

Group Teaching

Re-working of children’s work

Quality

Consistent process

Direct teaching of correct grammar and vocabulary

Direct teaching of commonly used English structures or frameworks.

Spelling

Curriculum integration

Listening to examples of quality literature

Learn Create Share

Publishing

Regular reflection / evaluation (self, peer, teacher)

When incorrect grammar is used the adult faces towards speakers and says “ Try that again. “ SCHOOLWIDE

LEARN CREATE SHARE

Speaking, Listening, Reading, Writing, Viewing and Presenting, are integrated into all aspects of the curriculum through the Learn Create Share pedagogy.

Reading

In the Junior School the students have a reading hour where they are taught in groups of 3. They have rotations to ensure that all students have an equal learning time. As the students become more independent readers the group sizes increase. Follow up activities are designed to support he learning intentions of each micro lesson. Groups are evaluated every 5 weeks when the class reading graphs are filled in and reflected upon in Team Meetings. Priority Learners are monitored at these meetings.

Ability groups in reading are taught throughout the school up to year 8 where the emphasis is placed on exposure to an increasingly

wide range of ideas and critical thinking through to the deeper meaning and implications of the content.

Reading

Reading Prompts - Magenta to Gold - Dr Gwenneth Phillips Instructional Reading in the 'Learning to Read' stage

The reading prompts are used in the instructional reading lessons in the Junior school and have proved to be very successful strategies to teach reading to Pt England students. The students are taught in groups of three enabling all students to learn in a structured and focussed way at the correct level. The consistency of the language used enables the students tocattend to the learning, not having to worry about interpreting the ever changing instructions

Level/Age Targets

Most children will be out of Magenta by the end of their first 10 weeks at school.

Every 5 weeks the children will go up at least 1 Reading Level.

Target: After 10 weeks at school the children will be reading Red 1. (Level 3)

Magenta Level 1

We are Learning to

Use directionality such as left to right, top and bottom return sweep.

Use crisp 1-1 pointing on words.

read some basic words off the butterfly cards.

Use the pictures for meaning.

Know that books tell a story.

Remember language patterns in texts.

Red Level 3

We are Learning to:

Recognise language patterns and changes in language patterns.

Know basic Concepts of Print such as - cover page, first, last, next, top, bottom,

letters and words, start end.

Read all the yellow card words.

Use the pictures for meaning.

Learn new vocabulary.

Read with expression.

Retell main ideas in the story

Target: After 20 weeks at school the children will be starting Yellow (Level 6)

Yellow

We are learning to:

Read with our eyes.Use initial letter sounds to attempt words.

Make and break known words.

Confirm and discount known and unknown words.

Use phrasing and expression.

Become aware of endings.

Know some initial blends fr pr sh th pl ch wh

Understand about rhyming words.

Retell the main parts of the story.

Use meaning, structure and visual information to attempt unknown words.

Target: After 30 weeks at school the children will be starting

Blue Level 9

The children are learning to:

Use initial letter sound to decipher/fix errors

Confirm / discount known and unknown words using meaning, structure and visual information.

Make and break known words to form new words - beginnings and endings

Talk about the story meaningfully.

Learn about short vowel sounds.

Read blends and endings.

Read with expression to enhance meaning.

Target: At 40 weeks at school the children will be reading between

Blue 3 and Orange 2

We are learning to:

Use a range of strategies to attempt unknown words i.e. meaning, visual, structure

Read with phrasing and fluency using punctuation.

Read more text.

Get meaning from text without relying on pictures.

Retell the main parts of the story including more detail.

Understand new vocabulary from the text.

Answer comprehension questions about the text.

Read blends.

Know double vowels oo ee

Target: Turquoise Purple to Gold Years 2 and 3

Level 17 to Level 21

We are learning to:

Read larger blocks of text.

Respond to and share feelings about stories.

Retell the main events in own words.

Agree or disagree with statements from the text.

Agree or disagree with statements from the text then find proof. (8yr RA)

Answer a range of comprehension questions about the text including inferential questions.

Continue to develop new vocabulary from the text.

Use syllabification and word knowledge to decode more complex words.

Show an increasing recognition of letter clusters blends and vowel diagraphs - ea etc

Read independently for enjoyment.

Read for information.

Practice reading a range of texts/genre at each level.

Read fluently and silently.

Use text to predict word meanings.

Writing

Writing was a major focus at Pt England for 4 years prior to and including 2016 with all staff participating in Professional Development delivered by Dr Jannie VanHees. The emphasis was given to increasing the vocabulary and oral language of the students and applying that knowledge to their writing.

All areas of the school have a Literacy Block and the students are taught in groups according to their learning needs. There is a variance throughout the school teams to satisfy the needs of the different age groups and physical organisation of the classes. All students from year 4 and up use devices to access, create and share their written work. However the group teaching and the writing process is a consistent factor throughout the whole school.

The following are the general expectations and common features that structure the Written Language hour of the Literacy Programme at Pt England School.

1 hour of Written Language during the Literacy block of the day.

Literacy Cycle.

Oral Language/vocabulary development

Clear instructions and success criteria.

(thinking before during and at the end of the learning)

Established routines for activities.

Children should know what they are doing and what to do when they are finished.

Task boards/ written directions/dashboard/class site

Group teaching (ability/needs based grouping)

Teaching focus specific to group. Effective sentences and paragraphs (Jannie Van Hees)

Teaching point and activity coming from 5 week plan and weekly plan.

Task / context coming from interest or Inquiry.

Opportunity during week for personal/diary writing - blog.

Consistent language used by the teacher.

Sharing of work and reflection.

Feedback/feedforward given verbal/written

The Writing Process Component of the Literacy Cycle

Planning for writing - Graphic Organiser

Draft Writing

Proof Reading

Self Editing

Peer Conferencing

Teacher Editing

Feedback

Conference

Publishing

Sharing

Reflection

( cyclical but not always in that order)

Junior School Writing Hour( generic plan)

ABC -

Oral language - gifted vocabulary and word groups

Class sentence modelled or co-constructed about a topical idea recording sounds in words using butterfly cards for letters and basic words at the start of each lesson. 20 minutes

5 minutes draw/brainstorm/plan (class or individual)

Goal: Independent/collaborative - Write in sentences to record ideas or a message using the gifted language and ideas. Read to each other/class/record on ipad - blog

Group work: Write a sentence and develop it according to group learning outcomes and success criteria.

Sentence to come from the class writing topic.

Emergent writers:

Think of an idea

Record sounds in words

Learn basic words

Use butterfly cards

Read work

Reflect on Learning Outcomes

Practising writers:

Re-work independent writing

Develop ideas, vocab.,

grammar.

Spelling

Punctuation

Read passages

Reflect on learning outcome

Read work aloud. ( or a section of it)

Sharing time. Reflect using the success criteria. 10 minutes.

Everyone needs to share/publish their work every week.

Illustrate on kidpix or elearning task.

Record for an authentic audience - blog.

Oral Language: The Language of Success

Teacher always models the correct structure.

The following are examples of the language structures to be taught in the classroom.

Greetings

Responses

Requests - Please may I ...

Yes please

No thank you

I am going to ...

Questions: How can I... Please pass me... What do I need to do....

Answers: You can...

Speak in a sentence

Use the correct grammar

is/are

was /were

have /has

He /she

Model the correct structure or say: Try that again.

Middle and Senior - Language of Success

Oral Language - Suggestions for Teaching the Language of Success

1.Frameworks by Teacher then child response. Greetings in morning, e.g.

Good morning Andrew. How are you?

Good morning Miss Lavakula. I am fine thank you.

Excuse me Miss Walters, may I go to the toilet?

Yes you may Nikora

2. Formal news in morning. (quality not quantity!)

e.g 1 child to share using L. of S. (may need to be co- constructed) Can be recorded by Teacher and recorded on ipad.

3. Reflections in afternoon. Expressions of feelings and emotions - an area we have limited vocab. Can be recorded, shared and reflected upon.

4. Can use Thinkers keys/Hats to come up with reflections at end of day.

I am feeling excited about our picnic next week/proud of meeting my writing goal...etc

5. A record is kept of the work covered.

In class we will see:

Current and past focus words in context on display.

Short Oral language sessions on Language of Success.

Wall display showing what and why we speak in the Language of Success so it is explicit and part of the Pt. England Way.

Blog posts.

Spelling

Year 1

It is essential that the basic words are learnt in the first 2 years of schooling. The expectation is that after one year at school the student can spell at least 50 known words and is able to attempt to write unknown words by sounding out a word using knowledge of letter sounds then recording the corresponding letter shape.

Year 2

The Essential spelling lists are used to run a specific spelling programme based on the individual needs of the students. Students

have weekly words to learn and their progress is recorded. The Burt spelling test is completed at the beginning and end of the year

2 year.

Year 3 and above

Spelling is taught according to the needs of the students/groups using the essential lists and as an integrated approach included in

reading and writing lessons.

All students have vocabulary expansion and word building activities such as WORDPLOSION to widen the vocabulary and gain an

understanding of how the spelling rules work.

Lists of words from Inquiry topics are displayed along with word groups that assist oral and written language.