The Little

Book
of
Literacy
Essentials
An Introduction to
Literacy in Primary
Schools

Produced by the Lancashire Literacy Consultants

 Contents

Introduction ……………………………………………................................ 2

The Teaching Sequence ………………………………………………………. 3-4

Speaking, Listening and Drama …………........................................ 5-6

Reading ……………………………………………........................................ 7

Shared Reading …………………………………....................................... 8

Guided Reading ………………………………………………………………….. 9

Reading-Aloud …………………………………………………………………… 10

The Reading Classroom, Book Boards and Reading Journals .... 11

Writing ……………………………………………........................................ 12

Shared Writing ………………………………………………………………….. 13

Guided Writing ………………………………………………………………….. 14

The Working Wall and Writers’ Journals ……………………………. 15

Phonics and Spelling …………………………………………………………… 16

Literacy in Reception Classes ………………………………………………. 17-18

Planning …………………………………………………………………………….. 19

Assessment for Learning …………………………………………………….. 20

Useful Resources and Websites .………………………………………….. 21

Notes …………………………………………………………………………………. 22

1
 Introduction
Before becoming swamped beneath the plethora of resources and
guidelines for teaching literacy, take time to stand back and consider
what it is for.

Literacy is the ability to read and write

Children need to be able to read and write in order to communicate

and access information and ideas. So reading and writing are essential
life skills.

But writing is also an art form. As the essential skills are being
mastered they can be applied to create interesting, engaging and
powerful texts that communicate information, ideas, imagery and
emotions to the reader. The teaching of literacy therefore, extends
beyond the teaching of reading and writing skills into the creative
application of these skills in writing for a range of purposes and
audiences. And in reading, it is about engaging and immersing the
reader in a wide range of high quality texts to be informed,
entertained, make sense of themselves and the world around them and
appreciate the writer’s craft.

The trick in teaching literacy is to combine the teaching of reading and

writing skills within a context that is meaningful, purposeful and
creative. The primary curriculum is packed with content that could
provide the context for a multitude of writing outcomes. The ability to
read and write is not an end in itself. Phonics, grammar and
vocabulary are the building blocks of literacy and it is the art of
combining these blocks effectively which is the real skill.

The following pages in this booklet aim to introduce and summarise

the different aspects of literacy. They are organised under the National
Strategy headings for the different elements of literacy lessons:
• Speaking, Listening and Drama
• Reading – Shared, Guided, Read-aloud, Home
• Writing – Shared, Guided, Outcomes
• Phonics and Spelling
• Assessment for Learning

This booklet does not cover detailed pedagogy of the teaching of

reading and writing but is intended to give an overview of the
elements of literacy in a Primary School. Detailed guidance for each
aspect of literacy can be found in the relevant DCSF documents, the
National Strategy Literacy Framework site and from talking to and
observing experienced practitioners.
2
 The Teaching Sequence
Literacy skills are taught within themed units of work. The themes are
based upon text-types such as Non-Chronological Reports, Traditional
Tales and Persuasion.

Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing skills are taught and developed
in the context of the unit theme and practised and applied to the unit
outcome and across the curriculum.

The Text-Types taught in Primary Schools are:

Narrative – Traditional; Fables; Myths; Adventure; Mystery; Science

Fiction; Fantasy; Historical fiction; Contemporary fiction; Issues and
Dilemmas; Fairy Tales; Playscripts and Film Narrative.

Non-narrative – Recount; Instruction; Persuasion; Discussion;

Explanation; Non-Chronological Reports.

Poetry – Free Verse; Structured Poetry; Visual Poetry.

The Literacy Skills taught in Primary Schools are organised into twelve
strands:
1. Speaking
2. Listening
3. Group discussion and interaction
4. Drama
5. Phonics
6. Spelling
7. Understanding and interpreting texts
8. Engaging with and responding to texts
9. Creating and shaping texts
10. Text structure and organisation
11. Sentence structure and punctuation
12. Presentation

The Teaching Sequence provides a coherent model for linking and

combining the literacy skills and text-types into effective teaching and
learning opportunities, leading to meaningful outcomes.

Each stage of the teaching sequence is called a Phase. Each phase informs
and leads to the next.

Although there are some units which do not follow the teaching sequence
outlined on the facing page, the usual pattern is as follows:

3
 The Teaching Sequence

Grab the children’s

interest e.g. teacher-
in-role, film-clips, Create
visits, visitors Interest
Immersion and
responding to
Exploring ideas,
Phase 1 texts. Analysis
information,
Reading of key features
themes, situations,
to inform
issues, plots,
writing
characters, settings
to provide the Phase 2
content for writing Gathering Planning,
content skills
Presenting teaching and
outcomes in Phase 3 applying to
various and Writing unit outcome
creative formats –
e.g. anthologies,
leaflets, posters, Phase 4
booklets, topic Presentation
books. ICT – film,
PPT, Photo story.
Performance.

Each Year Group has a selection of themed units providing a balance

of narrative, non-narrative and poetry. The units take from two to
four weeks to deliver but there is scope for flexibility in timings. The
units build upon each other and are best taught in the order they
appear on the strategy site. The units of work and teaching sequences
are found in the National Strategy Literacy Framework at:

http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/primary/primaryfram
ework/literacyframework

4
 Speaking, Listening and Drama
Speaking and Listening are skills. They need to be explicitly taught
and applied both socially and across the curriculum. Giving children
opportunities to speak and listen to each other is hugely important.
These opportunities need to be planned and integrated into lessons so
that they make a significant contribution to learning.

Children need opportunities to:

• Talk to others
• Talk with others
• Talk within role play and drama
• Talk about talk

Talk within literacy lessons is fundamental to:

• Book Talk - understanding and responding to what children read or
have read to them;
• Eliciting and extending responses and encouraging critique;
• Language development – acquiring new words, ideas and
knowledge of the world is directly linked to reading
comprehension. (If you understand something that you hear you
will also understand it when it is written down;)
• Storytelling – retelling well-known and familiar stories to
assimilate the rhythms and patterns of story language;
• Story making - creating 'new' stories orally and/or as a preparation
and rehearsal for writing;
• Talk for Writing - exploring ideas and gathering the content for
writing - what to write about. Creating characters and settings,
exploring characters’ feelings, sequencing and role-playing the
order of events – knowing your story or organising information
before writing it down;
• Rehearsing what is to be written – composing sentences orally and
refining them until they are effective and reflect the purpose of the
text.

5
 Speaking, Listening and Drama
Using drama in the classroom is one of the most effective ways of
ensuring that learning is lively and interactive. Most drama activities
take just a few minutes but can have a significant impact upon the
children’s learning.

Drama can be used to:

• explore characters and situations to develop interpretation,
response and comprehension in reading;
• role-play stories to develop sequencing and story language;
• engage children through teacher-in-role – teacher acting as a
character or special visitor who can give the children
information and answer their questions;
• explore issues and dilemmas;
• role-play events and then write about the event in role;
• re-enact events in history;
• develop vocabulary.

Drama techniques:
• Freeze frames
• Thought tracking
• Conscience alley
• Hot seating
• Forum Theatre
• Meetings
• Paired improvisation
• Flash backs and flash forwards

Details can be found at:

http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/node/64926

and in the Speaking, Listening, Learning box delivered to school in

2003 (DfES 0623-2003 G)

The children need to be taught each technique to familiarise

themselves with the routines and protocols so that the organisation of
the technique does not outweigh the aspect being explored.

6
 Reading

Creating a love of reading in pupils is potentially one of the most powerful

ways of improving academic standards in school. Always remember that
reading should be a joy not a chore.

Reading involves two main elements – word recognition and language

comprehension. Beginner readers are taught to use their phonic knowledge
to recognise phonemes and blend them together to read words. As this
becomes automatic, readers are then able to focus more upon
comprehension. Beginner readers are taught how to decode by blending
phonemes together to ‘sound out’ words. A systematic and structured
phonics programme is key to this skill. Letters and Sounds, The National
Strategy programme, is a well structured, effective programme – and lots of
fun!

When reading becomes automatic, the emphasis shifts to understanding,

interpreting and responding. Reading analysis, in order to inform writing,
is also part of the reading curriculum, but it should not replace or dominate
reading for readings sake.

Reading Objectives are organised under two strands:

Strand 7 – Understanding and interpreting texts;
Strand 8 – Engaging with and responding to texts.
There are seven Assessment Focuses (AFs) for reading which are taught
and assessed in school.
AF4 – Identify and comment
AF1 –Use a range of on the structure and
strategies, including organisation of texts,
accurate decoding of text, including grammatical and
to read for meaning presentational features at
text level
AF2 –Understand,
describe, select or retrieve AF5 – Explain and comment
information, events or on the writers’ use of language,
ideas from texts and use including grammatical and
quotation and reference literary features at word and
to text sentence level

AF7 – Relate texts AF6 – Identify and

AF3 – Deduce, infer or to their cultural comment on the writers’
interpret information, and historical purposes and viewpoints,
events or ideas from texts contexts and and the overall effect
literary traditions.

Children have to be taught how to decode, retrieve information and ideas

and make inferences from clues in the text. They need to be taught how to
identify and comment upon the ways in which authors organise their
writing and the language that they use.
7
 Shared Reading
This is the opportunity to share texts with children that they would not
normally access or be able to interpret on their own. The reading skills
taught in the shared reading session are usually appropriate to the age of
the children rather than their reading ability. However, a skilled teacher
will ensure that children of all reading abilities will be able to engage
with the text.

Reading activities during the shared session:

Immersion: ‘Book Talk’
• reading for enjoyment;
• understanding the text;
• questioning characters, facts, the author;
• retrieving information and ideas;
• interpreting what the author is saying;
• responding – personal responses, art,
drama, journal work; writing in role.
The teacher’s role in the immersion stage is to elicit response, extend the
children’s responses and encourage critique. Comprehension is developed
through lots of talk and the exchange of ideas – not through text book
comprehension exercises!

Analysis: identifying and commenting on:

• the author’s style;
• the author’s use of language;
• the author’s view point;
• the structure and organisation of the text;
• the purpose and audience of the text;
• links to other texts, times and cultures;
• how the author’s techniques can inform the children’s writing.
The teacher’s role in the analysis stage is to teach children how to
identify authors’ techniques and the intended effect upon the text and the
reader. This knowledge is used to inform the children’s own writing.

Basic principles:
• all children must be able to see the text;
• the teacher models and then the class or groups read aloud,
together;
• the text is explored with a particular focus informed by the
objective;
• all children are included through good, differentiated questioning.
• children are supported in learning how to articulate their
responses, interpretation and analysis of what they read.

8
 Guided Reading

Whereas Shared Reading focuses upon teaching children how to read and
respond at a level appropriate to their age, Guided Reading focuses upon
teaching children how to progress from their current reading level to the
next, whether this be below, at, or above a level appropriate to their age.

• A group of about six children, who are reading at about the same level,
are grouped together.
• The teacher chooses a book or text that the children are able to read
without too much difficulty, (95% accuracy).
• There is a clear teaching focus for the session based upon the AFs and
the children’s next steps.
• This focus is shared with the children so that they know what they
are learning.
• The children read independently and individually – not in turn.
• Beginner readers may read in a quiet voice and the teacher tunes in to
listen for reading behaviours and areas for development.
• Confident readers may read in silence with a focus set by the teacher.
They might read in advance of the session which is then devoted to a
focused discussion about aspects of the text.
• There is a balance of teacher and child talk – with the teacher
prompting rather than dominating.
The guided reading sequence:
• Book introduction, recap or overview of text;
• Phonics and reading strategies if appropriate;
• Independent reading with a focus;
• Returning to the text as a group for further exploration;
• Response – personal; journals; drama; art; writing in role to inform
assessment of understanding.

The greatest challenge during a guided reading session is ensuring that all
of the other children in the class are occupied in meaningful and engaging
tasks so that interruptions are kept to a minimum. If guided reading takes
place within the literacy lesson, the other children will be engaged in
independent activities linked to the lesson objective. If the guided reading
session is outside of the literacy lesson, a reading workshop model could
be adopted. One example is that there are five reading focuses over the
week, e.g.:
Group A: Preparing for Guided Reading
Group B: Guided Reading
Group C: Responding to Guided Reading
Group D: Free Choice Reading
Group E: Library; story tapes; reading circle;
journals; writing in role . . . .

9
 Read-Aloud

Reading aloud to children is one of the most painless, powerful and

pleasurable ways to develop a love of reading. It enriches their
language, develops their comprehension and provides a model for their
own writing.

Why should you read to your children every day?

Because, listening to stories will:

• create enthusiastic readers;
• increase your children’s vocabulary;
• enhance and accelerate language development and comprehension;
• give the children virtual experiences of situations and events that
they have not experienced for themselves;
• introduce them to many different characters and settings;
• familiarise them with the flow, rhythm and patterns of the English
language;
• develop their sense of the world and their place within it;
• help them to populate and structure their own stories.

Did you know that the skills we use to understand what we hear are
the same as those we use to understand what we read?
The more stories that children hear, the better their comprehension
will become.
Do:
• time-table a 15 minute read-aloud session every day and stick to it!
• choose a book that both you and the children will enjoy. Look at the
book lists in ‘Guiding Reading’ and on websites such as
www.clpe.co.uk, www.writeaway.org.uk and
www.lovereading4schools.co.uk and for recommended titles for
each year group. Also, the termly Lancashire Literacy newsletter
Have you Read? articles
• wear a hat or a shawl to become . . . . . . . The Storyteller!
• use dramatic techniques and voices to engage your audience;
• sow a light sprinkling of question seeds to make the children think
and to listen for clues.
• create a reading board on which the children can
respond to the story in pictures; thoughts; feelings;
questions; character relationship webs; likes;
dislikes; puzzles; predictions; surprises; links to life
and other stories; notes about the author . . . . . .
• have lots of Book Talk!
• have Fun!
10
 The Reading Classroom
Is where:
• reading for pleasure is the main driving force;
• there is a rich reading environment;
• the teachers are committed to extending their knowledge of children’s
literature;
• the teachers are excited about books, authors and reading;
• the children are involved in a range of reading activities;
• the children are involved in decision making about the selection of
texts;
• the library and information gathering skills are central to planning,
teaching and learning activities;
• the reading corner is inviting and motivating;
• the classroom book collection contains a wide range of genres and
formats which are updated as often as possible;
• the children feel good about themselves as readers.

Book Boards and Reading Journals

A book board or a reading journal is a space where children can respond

to the books that they read and the class novel. These responses can be
initiated by the teacher or can be spontaneous contributions by the
children.
What kind of things could go into a Reading Journal or onto a Reading
Board?
• initial responses to a book;
• Question Hand responses – Who? Where? When? What?
• about the author;
• relating events to own experiences;
• predictions;
• character profiles or annotated portraits of characters;
• character relationship webs – who is linked to whom and
why;
• pictures of settings annotated with figurative and descriptive
language;
• likes, dislikes, patterns and puzzles;
• story mountain of the story’s structure;
• writing in role as a character from the text;
• response stems – speech bubbles with prompts for responding to text
questions – see website.
• why you didn’t finish/like a particular book;
• notes from characters to the reader:
• new blurbs and cover designs;
• alternative endings.
11
 Writing

In writing, children are taught how to apply grammar, punctuation

and spelling skills in ways which are interesting and to create different
effects for the different purposes and audiences identified during the
analysis part of the reading phase.
The two main aspects of writing taught are:
WHAT to write – the content;
HOW to write – the grammar, language, structure and the intended
effect.
The WHAT to write can arise from any area of the curriculum, school
life or issues concerning the children. The HOW to write is
determined by:
• the objectives listed for the year group;
• the ability of the children;
• the genre of the text;
• the purpose of the text;
• the audience for the text.
The HOW to write skills are best taught in the context of the WHAT
to write rather than as unconnected formal exercises. In this way the
application and intended effects of grammar and vocabulary choices
can be seen in a purposeful outcome.

Writing Objectives are organised under the headings:

Strand 9 – Creating and shaping texts; Strand 10 – Text Structure and
Organisation; Strand 11 – Sentence Structure and Punctuation; Strand
12 – Presentation.

There are eight assessment focuses (AFs) for writing which are taught
and assessed in school.

AF2 – produce texts which AF3 – organise and present

AF1 – write are appropriate to task, whole texts effectively,
imaginative, reader and purpose sequencing and structuring
interesting and information, ideas and
thoughtful texts events

AF4 – construct
paragraphs and use AF5 – vary sentences
cohesion within and for clarity, purpose and
between paragraphs effect

AF6 – write with AF8 – use correct spelling

technical accuracy of
syntax and AF7 – select appropriate
punctuation in Also, handwriting
and effective vocabulary and presentation
12
 Shared Writing
This is the most powerful and influential aspect of the teaching of writing.
It is an opportunity to show the children exactly what grammar,
punctuation, structural or vocabulary skills they are to learn and then apply
to their own writing. Like any other situation in which a skill is being
learned, the learner observes an expert and then attempts to imitate and
apply the skills being demonstrated. The teacher is saying, ‘Watch me, then
you have a go’. The teacher guides and intervenes as the skills are being
practised and applied. Assessment is made of how well the skills have been
acquired and applied and then next steps identified and taught.

• In Shared Writing, the teacher decides on the age-related skill to be

taught.
• The skill is demonstrated by the teacher who writes example sentences,
usually in the context of the theme of the current literacy unit.
• The demonstration writing is accompanied by a commentary explaining
the grammar, punctuation and vocabulary techniques being applied and
the intended effect of the choices made.
• The demonstration writing exemplifies an age-related objective or an
aspect of the objective.

There are three stages of demonstration writing:

• Teacher demonstration – the teacher demonstrates a skill without
input from the children:
• Teacher Scribing – the teacher involves the children in word choices
and composition:
• Supported composition – the children ‘have a go’ at composing their
own sentences on white boards, applying the skills demonstrated by
the teacher.

The skills taught in the Shared Writing session are applied to the
independent writing tasks, the main unit outcome, across the curriculum
and in incidental writing opportunities arising throughout a unit of work.

A really useful resource to support the teaching of writing is available on the

National Strategy Literacy Framework site. It is called Support for Writing
There are three aspects to this resource:
• Text-types – generic structures, language features and writer’s
knowledge for all of the narrative, non-narrative and poetry units taught
in Literacy;
• Steps in Learning – objectives broken into
three steps which can be taught in different
units over the year;
• Pupil Writing Targets – the incremental
steps within each sub-level leading to the
next.
13
 Guided Writing
Guided Writing provides an opportunity for intervention. It is a
focused teaching session, with a clear learning objective and outcome.

Whereas Shared Writing focuses upon the teaching of age-related

skills, Guided Writing focuses upon teaching children how to make
progress from their current level, whether this is below, at, or above
age-related expectations. It is also an opportunity to ‘trouble-shoot’
individual difficulties.

As part of day to day assessment, the teacher identifies strengths and

areas for development in a child’s writing. Groups of children with
similar needs are grouped together and given the support needed to
move them on. As children’s areas for development in writing tend to
be more varied than their needs in reading, the groupings may be more
fluid and respond to need rather than be a fixed group.

The session involves explicit teaching of the skills needed to move the
children on or address their specific problems.

The Guided Writing focus can be on any stage of the writing process:
• at the planning stage;
• at the writing stage;
• at the editing stage;
• writing conferences.
Some Guided Writing sessions may not involve any writing at all!

Guided Writing can be used for:

• moving able children on;
• addressing the needs of children with similar needs;
• reinforcing the shared objective;
• teaching children how to plan and draft;
• teaching children how to improve structure and style;
• teaching children to make their writing appropriate to purpose
and audience;
• varying sentence types;
• improving punctuation;
• making effective vocabulary choices;
• introducing more sophisticated
connectives;
• editing and improving.

14
 The Working Wall and Writers’ Journals

The purpose of the working wall and/or the writer’s journal is to

support children’s independent writing. They evolve as a unit of work
unfolds, and are not intended to be a polished display of finished work.
They should exemplify the writing process from the ‘reading as a
writer’ stage to the ‘nearly finished’ stage. Final, ‘best’ presentations
can be displayed in public areas of the school or in anthologies,
portfolios or folders.

The wall and journal represent a workshop approach to writing –

where the ‘tools of the trade’ are accessible, and added to, as the
process develops. It is a good idea to allow children to make
contributions to the wall; post-it notes are an ideal resource for this.
Not all classrooms have a large, spare wall on which to create a
working wall. However, the writing process, and appropriate prompts,
should be evident or accessible within the classroom.

Aspects of the writing process for inclusion on a working wall or in a

writer’s journal:
• the key features of the text type – language and structure;
• gathering content – information, notes, ideas about the subject of
the writing;
• examples of skills practice in the context of the unit – great
sentences, punctuation reminders, paragraph prompts;
• vocabulary – descriptive, figurative and technical;
• connectives – text-type appropriate;
• planning – different techniques – story-maps, bullet points,
spidergrams, story mountain, non-fiction skeletons;
• drafting – step by step, following the teacher’s model;
• editing and revising – proofreading symbols, examples of edited
writing
• WAGOLLS – What A Good One Looks Like!

15
 Phonics and Spelling
Phonics is the term used to describe the letters of the alphabet and the
sounds each letter, and combinations of letters make.
Children are taught to:
• blend these sounds together to say and read words
• segment the sounds to spell words for writing

There have been many ways of teaching children to read in the past but
extensive research has shown that a structured and systematic phonics
programme is the most effective. It is also clear that young children are able
to learn their sounds quickly and are at their most receptive in Reception
and Key Stage One. It is therefore recommended that these children take
part in daily phonics sessions which are structured, lively and great fun.

The National Strategy’s Letters and Sounds is a well-organised and

effective programme and freely available to all schools. (See reference on
back page). It is organised into six phases, each building upon the previous
phase by introducing new sounds and alternative spellings of sounds until
Phase 6 where knowledge is consolidated and children start to learn
independent spelling strategies.

A good spelling programme gradually builds pupils’ spelling vocabulary by

introducing patterns or conventions and continually practising those already
introduced. Experience has confirmed that frequent, short, lively, focused
sessions are more enjoyable and effective than occasional whole spelling
lessons.

Learning spellings by rote is rarely effective and often results in great

spelling test results but poor application in writing. The best spelling
sessions are investigative. If children have explored the patterns, ‘tricky-
bits’ and history of words, they are far more likely to make informed
decisions about how to spell a word.

Children are taught the rules and conventions of the

spelling system and also spelling strategies to
support independent writing. Spelling strategies
need to be taught explicitly and applied to high
frequency words, cross-curricular words and
individual pupil’s words. Proofreading should be
taught during shared and guided writing session and
links should be made to the teaching of handwriting.

The National Strategy’s Support for Spelling

follows on from Letters and Sounds and is also
freely available to schools. (See reference on back
page).

16
 Literacy in Reception Classes

Communication, Language and Literacy Development (CLLD)

Communication, Language and Literacy Development (CLLD) in the Foundation

Stage and in KS1 is now receiving a much higher profile in schools nationally.
The recommendations of Sir Jim Rose's independent review of the teaching of
early reading (the Rose Review) has raised greater awareness of the importance of
working systematically with our young children to develop speaking and listening,
phonics and early reading and writing.

In Reception Classes the reading and writing curriculum should include:

• daily discrete phonics session;

• daily shared reading and/or writing;
• daily opportunities to hear stories, poems, rhymes and non-fiction read
aloud;
• guided reading 2 x 10 minute session per week at Book Band Level 1 and 2;
• guided reading 1 x 20 minute session per week at Book Bands 3 +;
• guided writing at least once a week.

Developing learning across a week

Every day
Provide children with:
• opportunities, inside and out, to engage independently in speaking,
listening, reading and writing activities across the curriculum that allow
them to explore and practise their growing phonics knowledge and
blending and segmenting skills;
• an interactive multi-sensory phonics session;
• shared reading and or shared writing so that reading and writing strategies,
including the use of phonics, can be demonstrated in a purposeful context;
• opportunities to hear a variety of stories, poems, rhymes and non-fiction as
part of a regular read-aloud programme.

Twice a week
Children should take part in:
• guided reading in small groups to promote the development of reading
strategies.

Once a week minimum

Children should take part in:
• guided writing where, as part of a group, they
have the opportunity to develop their writing
skills (including oral rehearsal) with support.
The context of the writing could be derived from
any area of the curriculum.

17
 Literacy in Reception Classes
Planning for a week: Discrete teaching of phonics and further application across
the curriculum.

Discrete teaching (daily)

• Based on your assessments, decide which phase of phonic progression you

will need to be working at, and which letter groups you will be using.
• Plan each day’s discrete teaching session, ensuring from Phase 2 onwards
that you are teaching a balance of blending and segmenting.

Application in shared reading and writing (daily)

• Plan your shared sessions to include demonstrating to children how to
apply their new and existing phonics skills and knowledge so they can see
how to blend phonemes when reading and segment phonemes when
writing.

Application across the curriculum (daily)

• When planning your learning environment and continuous provision,
ensure that children have opportunities throughout the day, both inside and
out, to engage independently in speaking, listening, reading and writing
activities that allow them to explore and practise their growing skills.

Application in guided reading (twice a week)

• When planning your guided reading sessions, ensure that children are
prompted to use the phonics skills and knowledge you have been working
on.
• Children at the very early stages of independent reading may need focused
small group sessions to develop their experience, vocabulary and skills.

Application in guided writing (once a week)

• Plan for all children to participate as frequently as possible in guided
writing sessions, where they can develop their independent writing skills.
The context can arise from any area of the curriculum.

Remember to provide lots of opportunities to develop childrens’ vocabulary, and to

develop fun and creative ways of incorporating the application of phonics skills
into your continuous provision.

A booklet you may find useful…

Teaching effective vocabulary

DCSF Orderline - Tel: 0845 60 222 60 / Fax: 0845 60 555
60

Reference: 00376-2008BKT-EN
ISBN: 978-1-84775-105-8

Order or download on line at

www.teachernet.gov.uk./publications

18
 Planning
A literacy plan should reflect the learning journey through a unit of
work. Like all journeys, the plan should have a specific destination and
journey time. There may be detours, hold-ups or opportunities for
acceleration which arise from Assessment for Learning, but the
acquisition and application of skills provide the driving force.

Different schools have different planning formats and expectations for

teachers’ plans. Whatever format you are expected or prefer to use
there are basic principles for effective planning.

The Teaching Sequence outlined on page 3 provides the structure for a

Literacy plan. Each day leads on from, and builds upon, the previous
day’s learning. The plan is usually based upon the sequence of
Creating Interest – Immersion in text – Analysis of text – Gathering
content – Writing. Opportunities are also planned for incidental
writing* and the teaching of phonics and spelling.

An effective plan is skills driven not activity or resources driven.

It shows:
• the unit outcome/s;
• the teaching sequence;
• focused speaking and listening opportunities;
• the skills to be taught and applied in each lesson, translated from
the learning objective;
• the success criteria for those skills;
• differentiated independent activities – (start at more able ability
and differentiate down);
• references to teacher demonstration;
• the guided group focus
• annotations and evaluation notes and modifications arising from
AfL.

The amount of detail given about lesson activities and resources is up

to individual teachers. It is useful to write the lesson skill first and
then the activities through which it will be taught and applied so that
‘learning’ not ‘doing’ leads the lesson. However, the more engaging
and interactive the activities are, the more effective the
learning.

*Short writing opportunities throughout a unit linked to

the theme of the unit or class novel, e.g. letters, notes,
posters, diary entries, lists, poems . . . . .
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 Assessment for Learning

Day to Day assessment

The basic principle of Assessment for Learning (AfL) is that whatever day
to day judgements are made by the teacher about a child’s attainment, go on
to inform planning, teaching and learning. These judgements are made
through talking and listening to the children, marking, observations, and
occasional tests. This is known as formative assessment.

The children are central to AfL and should be involved in their own
progress. They should have a good awareness of themselves as learners and
what their next steps are. In this way, AfL is not about being right or
wrong, but about being at a certain stage of learning with identified areas for
development.

Children should know and understand their ‘next steps’ through discussion
with the teacher, marking and learning targets.

Key Elements of AfL

Lesson Format
• The Big Picture
• Clear objective
• Success criteria
• Differentiated activities
• Plenary to review learning
Involving children
• Quality questioning
• Interactive learning
• Talk for thinking/writing
• Self/peer evaluations
• Learning environment
• Support learning
• Motivate children
• Celebrate learning
Feedback and Marking
• Links to objective and success criteria
• Specific
• Balance of oral and written
• Support next steps learning
Periodic assessment
The National Guidelines for Assessment are called Assessing Pupils’
Progress. Guidance can be found at
http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/node/158443

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 Useful Resources and Websites
YOU!

You are the most powerful and influential resource in the classroom.
Your expectations, attitudes and enthusiasm will set the tone and
standard of work produced by the children. No book or scheme can
show children how to read and write better than you.

But…just in case you need a little help:

http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/primary/
http://www.lancsngfl.ac.uk/
http://www.lancsngfl.ac.uk/nationalstrategy/literacy/
www.teachernet.gov.uk
www.lovereading4schools.co.uk
www.clpe.co.uk
www.sparklebox.co.uk/
Grammar for Teachers:
http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/node/164564

The following resources can be accessed on the National Strategy

Literacy Framework site or ordered as hard copies from 0845 60 222 60:

Primary Framework for literacy and maths – 02011-2006BOK-EN

Letters and Sounds – DCSF Ref: 00281-2007FLR-EN
Support for Spelling – DCSF Ref: 00171-2009 FLR-EN
Talk for Writing – DCSF Ref: 00467-2008BKT-EN
Excellence and Enjoyment: Learning and teaching for bilingual
children in the primary years – DCSF 00068-2007FLR-EN (Excellent
resource for any classroom whether EAL or not. Also really useful for
updating teacher subject knowledge of grammar)
Grammar for Writing – DfEE Ref: 0107/2000
Developing Early Writing – DfEE Ref: 0055/2001

Any questions? E-mail

literacyconsultants@lancashire.gov.uk

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Notes

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This booklet can be downloaded from our website at
www.lancsngfl.ac.uk/nationalstrategy/literacy