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Literacy in Key Stages One and Two.

Catherine Gilliland
Module MPS 3014
30th April 2015

Critically evaluate how you would intervene to meet the needs of the learner (John) in this exemplar
case study. Your recommendations need to be supported by reference to professional literature.
Additional information to consider:
1. There is a teacher assistant in the classroom and they are available to work with John for 20
minutes each day of the week. How will you plan for this?
2. His mother has indicated that she would like to work with him at home. How will you plan for
this?

SECTION (A)
Educators today recognise that children learn best when they actively engage with their learning and when they are
given real and relevant reasons for learning. This theory is at the heart of the Northern Ireland Curriculum (CCEA,
2007). They further understand that the abilities and attitudes that young children develop in the early years are an
important part of a life-long learning journey during which children will need to acquire all the language skills
necessary to interpret, manipulate, control and organise language for their own present and future purposes (Browne,
1996, pg.1). The Warnock Report (1978) anticipated that approximately 20% of pupils (or one in five) would have
Special Educational Needs (SEN) at some stage in their school career, with approximately 2% according to Wade and
Moore (1987), experiencing severe learning difficulties which will require a statement of Special Educational Needs.
With the focus on and implementation of Inclusive Education throughout Schools in Northern Ireland, it is likely that
teachers of young children will encounter pupils who have some difficulty with speaking, listening, reading or writing.
For these children who deviate from their typically developing peers, difficulties in teaching Language and Literacy
can be a source of real anxiety. Metcalfe (2001, pg.20) provides a simple definition of an inclusive classroom.
An inclusive classroom is one in which continuing emphasis on valuing individual differences
leads all pupils, irrespective of social or cultural differences, disability or difficulty in learning to
succeed in terms of the fulfilment of academic and social goals, and in the development of
positive attitudes to self and others (Metcalfe, 2001, pg.20)
From the information provided within the Case Study, it may be suggested that John may express symptoms and
tendencies linked to the specific learning difficulty of Dyslexia, specifically reading and writing as highlighted by
Johns teacher John performs very well in listening comprehension tasks but struggles with reading comprehension
tasks.
Morton and Frith (1995) and further research carried out by Frith (1997) proposed a Framework indicating
three levels of an individuals functioning, together with a consideration of relevant environmental factors e.g.
language ability, social and emotional factors.

Causal Modelling Framework DENI, 2002, pg.17

The biological level aims to explore and identify the processes within the brain, looking at any abnormalities in the
cerebellum and in the magnocellular pathways. Nicholson and Fawcett (1990, 1995) suggest that people with dyslexia
also have difficulty with the automatisation of skills; the ability to complete dual-skill tasks; as John is described as
distractible and finds it hard to follow more than 1 or 2 instructions. They further identified not just phonological
difficulties, but also delays in the childs working memory, speed of processing, motor skills and balance, all
connected to cellular activity. These delays can also be observed at the behavioural level, and are often reported by
parents and teacher, this being shown by the information provided in the Case Study. see Appendix 1
The well-established reading and phonological deficits of dyslexic children are fully consistent
with this Dyslexic Automatisation Deficit (DAD) hypothesis, since phonological skills evolve
through long exposure to, and use of, speech and of course reading requires the fluent interplay
of a number of sub-skills (Nicholson and Fawcett, 1990, pg.159)
The cognitive level identifies difficulties with the childs performance, such as their phonological processing, shortterm memory difficulties and difficulties with automaticity and central processing which allow contribute to
underlying problems with reading. Phonology has to do with the sounds of words within language. Phonological delay
identifies a persons difficulties in acquiring literacy skills to an underlying weakness in their ability to process sounds
accurately, linking to Johns inability and lack of decoding skills to successfully sound out unfamiliar word.
Furthermore it recognises short-term memory difficulties where the child has problems in retaining strings of sounds
or letters (phonemes). Snowling (2001) further highlights cognitive issues and difficulties linking to the learning of the
grapheme-phoneme system, involving the matching of letter to sound.
Some of these indicators can be observed in pre-school children which seems to be evident in Johns need for speech
and language therapy when he was three to develop his expressive language skills and phonological immaturities in
his speech. Immaturities at such a young age are not evidence for formal diagnosis of dyslexia as many children have
differing rates of maturation, however it is agreed that they can highlight opportunities for early intervention as
emphasis from the SEN Code of Practice (1998).

Lastly the behavioural level highlights the symptoms of dyslexia or difficulties a child may exhibit, primarily poor
reading or spelling and difficulty with rhyme (DENI, 2002, pg.17). Whilst the behavioural level reinforces may
symptoms highlighted at the cognitive level, further difficulties are addressed such as difficulty in recalling
information; highlighted by Johns mother in the Case Study where from Primary One he struggled to remember
nursery rhymes and maintain rhythm; and also discriminating between right and left.

SECTION (B)
The Case Study did not provide information on any intervention strategies that the teacher and school have put in
place to assist John. Before John can be statemented with Dyslexia it is advised and legally required for him to have
an Individual Education Plan (IEP). This section will focus on reviewing and highlighting the current literature,
interventions and strategies that are available. In doing this, I will further group them into child-focused interventions
and strategies and adult-focused interventions and strategies. Larson and March (2012, pg.120) defines child-focused
as studies that selected an intervention with the primary purpose of instructing or impacting the childs literacy
practice, and adult-focused as studies that selected an intervention with the primary purpose of instructing or
impacting the adults literacy practices with a child or children.
Child-focused interventions and strategies
There are four types of interventions and strategies available which take a child-focused approach: play-based (at
home and school), daily routines (at home and school), technology, and curriculum content.
Play-based strategies as highlighted by Hanline (2001) uses play to promote and support early literacy practices. This
may include exposure to books, repeated interaction with writing materials such as markers and crayons, activities that
promote vocabulary development and also the promotion of auditory processing and phonological awareness taking
the form of songs, poems and rhymes. Even though John experiences difficulty with rhymes, having them used in a
very informal manner will emerge him into the language and literacy learning they provide whilst building his
confidence. These types of play, even though they may be viewed as very simplistic, involve language and materials
that effectively lend themselves to emergent literacy skills (Larson and Marsh, 2012, pg.120). Highlighting these
activities to parents and family members can ensure that the childs literacy skills are being supported and reinforced
at home.
Bingham and Pennington (2007) highlight that using daily activities such as, bathing, dressing, shopping and driving
in the car, as enriching experiences that have a focus on the development and progression of oral language. Simply
talking and sharing information with the child can introduce them to a variety of new words and language, which are
relevant to their life-style and environment. It is pointed out that John has very good listening skills therefore this may
be viewed as a very effective way of developing his literacy as opposed to focusing solely on a reading approach.
Technology is forever growing and today we have many applications and programme that are aimed to assist with
childrens learning, many of which surrounding the area of Literacy and Language. Lexia, Accelerated Reader and
Nessy are just some of the programmes which could help strengthen and develop Johns reading ability. Texthelp, a
text-to-speech reading programme, is an emerging piece of software which can read text onscreen. Ebooks both audio

and video utilise software to make the reading experience more enjoyable and accessible for children who struggles
with their reading or simply show a disinterest for it.
Browder et al (2009) developed an understanding for Literacy stating that a conceptual model of literacy also should
set the expectation that every student receive the opportunity to learn to read. It is the role of the teacher to provide
John with ability appropriate reading materials that also are tailored to his interests. In doing so, Johns interest in
reading may rise. These materials, however, may want to be curriculum linked; meaning even if the reading materials
are for a younger age, he is still learning and progressing with the topics in class.
Adult-focused interventions and strategies
There are four types of interventions and strategies available which take an adult-focused approach: changing
teachers perceptions of students, coaching and professional development, curriculum training and student assessment,
and family involvement.
Kliewer and Landis (1999) assessed teachers on their understanding of their role to develop individualised support for
children labelled with moderate and severe disabilities. The research found that teachers who had placed pupils with
disabilities on an IEP were able to intervene and support the child better, because they had more knowledge on the
ability levels of the child. These IEPs were able to give both teacher and child targets and goals, the teachers
responsibility is to support the child, as necessary, in order to connect him or her to the surrounding classrooms
literate community (Kliewer and Landis, 1999, pg.97)
Hsieh, Hemmeter, McCollum, and Ostrosky (2009) all discuss that professional development to increase teachers
effective use of literacy strategies, is a continuous process. They discuss that what may work for one pupil may not
work for the other, therefore teachers must have a plethora of strategies to use. Linking with curriculum training,
children with disabilities such as Dyslexia did show significant improvements on the Early Literacy Skills Assessment
and in the area of phonemic awareness. Through implementation of effective phonic schemes, such as Linguistic
Phonics and Jolly Phonics, a foundation was set for developing a childs Literacy ability.
Bruns and Pierce (2007) promote a family involvement approach to Literacy. They suggest specific family
involvement strategies such as family journals, parent-teacher communication, and after school meetings. It is the
parents role to continue interventions, began in school, at home ensuring that the childs learning and development is
reinforces and consolidated. Schools may provide specific home-learning timetables for the parent and child to
complete. This may take form in 20-minute sessions surrounding different areas. See Appendix 2 for example.

Pupils, from quite an early stage in their schooling express definite feelings and opinions regarding their experiences
of Literacy and how they view themselves as a reader. Their perceptions have a profound influence on their attitudes
to learning especially Literacy learning. If reading is not viewed positively children can become reluctant to read.
Reluctances indicates an unwillingness and disinclination to read, it is not an absence of skill or understanding they
lack but rather a negative attitude. Goodwin (1996) highlights that the view that only incompetent readers are reluctant
readers, is untrue.

Reading to children should be viewed as an essential activity, based purely on enjoyment and providing ways of
developing the thinking child. They should view the reader as a role model of reading behaviour. As teachers we need
to establish a language-rich environment where children are surrounded by words and sounds they can connect to, and
create the want to read. The Northern Ireland Curriculum (CCEA, 2007) promotes shared reading in schools and
home, believing that children gain many skills from this practice. Shared reading is where the teacher and children
come together to read a piece of text which can be of any genre. Shared reading lessons are required to have a specific
outcome therefore creating a focus point. Pupils are then asked to discuss various aspects within the text which thus
promotes pupil involvement leading to the promotion of self-esteem and self-confidence. Questioning, enquiries,
group discussions and role play are all ways of getting the children to talk about the texts, and immerses them into the
language of books and learn new vocabulary. Shared reading can also develop skills such as left-to-right orientation,
development of words and awareness of reading cues.
Another strategy which is becoming more essential in schools, is the teaching of phonics through schemes such as
Linguistic Phonics and Jolly Phonics. The teaching of phonics can be sub-divided into analytical and synthetic.
Analytical phonics focuses on symbol-to-sound correspondence within whole words. Synthetic phonics is a newer
approach and it is taught using phonemes which are sounds made up of one or more graphemes. Once a variety of
phonemes are taught they are then used together to create preselected words. Richmond (2013, pg.4) commented
critically on the use of synthetic phonics stating that some extreme versions of synthetic phonics actually deny
children the access to actual books until they have a good grounding in a certain number of grapho/phonemic
correspondences. The current education system requires us to teach phonics through systematical synthetic phonics.
The viewpoint that children learn to read solely through phonics is an untrue and misguided one. Dombey (1995)
states that phonics teaching should accompany reading lessons not replace them.
Reading words on a page is only part of knowing how to read. Comprehension, which is the intentional thinking into
making meaning of the text, is at the heart of reading. Meaning, grows and emerges through reflection and revision of
texts. Meaning is gained by asking questions, enquiring, group discussions, role-play, and all these metacognitive
strategies immerses children in books and develops a desire to read. Lewis (2007) discusses that comprehension is a
multi-faceted approach to becoming a confident reader and to understanding the story, not just the words.
Predicting, visualising, making connections, questioning, interpreting, investigating, synthesising and evaluating, are
all metacognitive strategies mentioned in a variety of articles that help children learn to read.
Guided reading is another strategy that is used in schools. This involves a group of children, roughly around the same
attainment level working alongside the teacher on focused targets. After a book introduction by the teacher the
children are then expected to independently read a number of pages. The expectation here is that they will use all their
knowledge gained in other lessons and shared reading sessions. Selecting the right book is vital, it should suit their
attainment level and interest level. 90% of the book should be able to be read comfortably with the remaining 10%
being a challenge thus presenting a focused teaching and learning opportunity. Throughout the guided reading lesson
the words that the children are stuggling with can be analysed and placed in a word box, thus forming and supporting
the spelling text.
In my professional opinion, formed by the information given in the case study and from the research carried out, I do
not believe that there is one set way that children become confident, capable readers but rather through the effective

application of reading strategies alongside each other, steming from reading for enjoyment. Throughout the teaching
of reading and any subject, giving praise is important. If children fell positive about the work they are doing, the
harder they will work and aim to achieve. The information given about John is the that of many children within our
schools today. As professionals it is important to be effectively equipped and willing to support the child on a holistic
level, both in school and at home.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
TEXTS
Brooks, G., Flanagan, N., Henkhuzens, Z., Hutchison, D (1998) What works for slow readers?:The
effectiveness of early intervention schemes, Slough: National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER)
Browne, A (1996) Developing language and literacy 3-8, London: P. Chapman.
Browne, A (2001) Developing language and literacy 3-8, 2nd edn., London: P. Chapman Publishers
Byrnes, J.P., Wasik. B.A (2009) Language and literacy development: what educators need to know, New
York: Guilford Press.
Cook, M (2002) Perspectives in the Teaching and Learning of Phonics, London: United Kingdom Literacy
Association.
Gillon, G.T (2007) Phonological Awareness: From Research to Practice (Challenges in Language and
Literacy), New York: The Guilford Press.
Gura, M. (2014) Teaching Literacy in the Digital Age: Inspiration for All Levels and Literacies, Washington:
International Society for Technology in Education.
Larson, J., Marsh, J. (2012) The SAGE Handbook of Early Childhood Literacy, 2nd edn., London: SAGE
Publications.
Council for the Curriculum Examinations and Assessment (CCEA), (2007), the Northern Ireland
Curriculum Primary, Belfast: CCEA
Richmond, J., (2013) Teaching Reading: How tox, London: The United Kingdom Literacy Association
(UKLA)
Rudd, A., Tyldesley, A (2006) Literacy and ICT in the Primary School: A Creative Approach to English,
London: David Fulton Publishers.
Wearmouth, J. (2003) Meeting difficulties in literacy development: research, policy, and practice, London:
RoutledgeFalmer.
Young, P., Tyre, C. (1983) Dyslexia or Illiteracy?: Realizing the Right to Read (Children With Special Needs
Series), London: Open University.

ONLINE TEXTS
DENI (2008) Every School Is A Good School, Available at:
http://www.deni.gov.uk/esags_policy_for_school_improvement_-_final_version_05-05-2009.pdf (Accessed:
20th April 2015).

APPENDIX