Infomagic: Unlocking the wonders of information books - practical strategies for their use and enjoyment. Lin and Liz Smith, optional session, SLA Weekend Course, Manchester 2014
2. What we know
• That the English National Curriculum is
undergoing change
• That there is mention of NON-FICTION books
throughout the new guidance
• That the Scottish and Welsh models already
have this embedded in their literacy
strategies
3. Scotland - the Brave
• Have had this sewn up for a long time
http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/Images/literacy_experiences_outcomes_tcm4-539998.pdf
4. Northern Ireland
KS3 Statutory requirements
Thinking Skills & Personal Capabilities
•Managing Information
•Thinking, Problem-solving & Decision-making
•Being creative
•Working with others
•Self-management
5. Cross-Curricular Skills
•Communication
•Using Mathematics
•Using Information and Communications Technology
and...
In addition to Writing, and Talking & Listening, includes
Reading
http://www.nicurriculum.org.uk/docs/key_stage_3/statutory_curriculum_ks3.pdf
7. English
The national curriculum for English aims to ensure that all pupils:
read easily, fluently and with good understanding
develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure and
information
acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of
linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language
appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage
write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and style in
and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences
use discussion in order to learn; they should be able to elaborate and
explain clearly their understanding and ideas
are competent in the arts of speaking and listening, making formal
presentations, demonstrating to others and participating in debate
8. How we justify this
NOT ONLY
Because - the NC documents say we should!
BUT ALSO
Because - it introduces the concept of book navigation which is
important training for higher level study
Because – it engages the child who hasn’t yet found stories to enjoy
Because – it enables the teacher or librarian to assess progress in the
child’s ability to absorb, assimilate and use information
http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/assets/0001/9202/Curriculum_Review_and_Planning_Tool.pdf
9. Key Stage 1
Emphasis on phonics
Practice at reading words by sounding and blending
Teachers should extend student vocabulary by explaining meanings
Reading
Pupils should be taught to
Develop pleasure in reading, motivation to read…..
listen and discuss wide range of poems, stories and non-fiction
Familiarity with fairy stories and traditional tales
Appreciate rhymes and poems learning some by heart
Writing
Children should be able
To name the letters of the alphabet
Add prefixes and suffixes
10. Key Stage 2
Pupils should be applying growing knowledge with both root words and
exceptions
They should be taught to demonstrate positive attitudes to reading
reading differently structured books
using dictionaries
increasingly wide range …including fairy stories, myths & legends
themes and conventions
Also
prepare poems and play scripts to read aloud and to perform
retrieve and record information from non-fiction
They are expected to be able to both evaluate and edit their work
11. Opportunities
to exercise choice in selecting books
- being taught how to do so
Although the latter forms part of the non-statutory guidance the use
of contents pages and indexes is also mentioned.
By Years 5 and 6 children should be
-planning their writing and identifying their audience
-proof reading for spelling and punctuation errors
13. “This may hurt a little”
English language
This will be assessed by exam. Students’ speaking skills will be assessed
but, as with current GCSEs, will not contribute to the overall grade. The
assessment will be marked by teachers and reported separately,
alongside the qualification grade on the certificate.
Twenty per cent of the marks for the written exams will be allocated to
accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar.
English literature
This will be assessed wholly by exam.
Five per cent of the marks will be allocated to accurate spelling,
punctuation and grammar.
ofqual.gov.uk/documents/summary-on-reforms-to-gcses-from-2015/
14. Key Stage 3
Aims
promote high standards of language and literacy
a strong command of the spoken and written word, and to
develop their love of literature through widespread reading for enjoyment.
read easily, fluently…
15. And so…
Pupils should
develop the habit of reading widely and often, for both pleasure
and information
acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and
knowledge of linguistic conventions
appreciate our rich and varied literary heritage
write clearly, accurately and coherently, adapting their language and
style in and for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences
use discussion in order to learn; they should be able to elaborate and
explain clearly their understanding and ideas
be competent in the arts of speaking and listening, making formal
presentations, demonstrating to others and participating in debate.
16. It doesn’t stop there
They should be taught to write formal and academic essays as well as writing
imaginatively.
They should be taught to write for a variety of purposes and audiences across a
range of contexts.
They should build up an increasingly wide knowledge of vocabulary and
grammar.
Teachers should show pupils how to understand the relationships between
words.
Pupils should be taught to control their speaking and writing consciously.
They should understand and use age appropriate vocabulary.
It is important that pupils learn the correct grammatical terms in English and
that these terms are integrated within teaching.
17. In fact the devil is in the detail
Pupils should be taught to:
develop an appreciation and love of reading, and read increasingly challenging
material independently through:
reading a wide range of fiction and non-fiction,
including in particular whole books,
short stories, poems and plays with a wide coverage of genres, historical periods,
forms and authors. The range will include high quality works from:
English literature, both pre -1914 and contemporary, including prose,
poetry and drama
Shakespeare (two plays)
seminal world literature
choosing and reading books independently for challenge, interest and enjoyment.
Re-reading books encountered earlier to increase familiarity with them and provide
a basis for making comparisons.
understand increasingly challenging texts
18. And specifically…..
knowing how language, including figurative language, vocabulary choice,
grammar, text structure and organisational features, present meaning
recognising a range of poetic conventions and understanding how these have
been used
studying setting, plot, and characterisation, and the effects of these
understanding how the work of dramatists is communicated effectively through
performance and how alternative staging allows for different interpretations of a
play
making critical comparisons across texts
studying a range of authors, including at least two authors in depth each year
19. We also know
That in all subjects
Teachers expect students to be capable of some degree of
writing
20. This could be anything
Non-fiction
oEvaluations
oAccounts
oDescriptions
oRecords
oExperiment write-ups
oAnalysis
oLetters (persuasive, informative)
oShort answers using technical vocabulary
oEssays
21. The Oword
Ofsted are likely to make reference to their 2012 document
‘Moving English Forward’
The following slides are taken and adapted from an
original presentation by kind permission of
Dave Woodhouse
http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/moving-english-forward
22. Ofsted now analyse the performance of different groups
of students in the school. The groups include:-
Boys v girls
Non FSM v FSM
EAL
Vulnerable children (CLA plus FSM)
SEN
There are two cross-curricular aspects that
Ofsted look at:-
SMSC (Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural)
aspects of school life
Literacy (Reading, Writing, Communication)
and Numeracy
23. Benefits of Reading for Enjoyment
Improves students’ reading ages
Improves students’ vocabulary
Improves students’ confidence and self
esteem that they are readers
Improves students’ general knowledge
Contributes to students’ emotional
development - SMSC
24. Assessing Reading
• Higher order reading skills and knowledge,
such as inference, appreciation of style and
summary
• How familiar pupils are with a range of texts
and authors
• Pupils’ attitudes to, and enjoyment of,
reading
25. So...
How can we use these specific
references to information literacy
skills and reading non-fiction/
information texts to our
advantage in school libraries?
30. Welsh Education agenda
revised National Curriculum for
Wales (2008)
Focus on the learner
Reduced subject content
Increased focus on skills development,
integrated into the curriculum
Skills Framework for 3-19 Year-Olds
in Wales (2008)
Underpins revised curriculum
Thinking, Communication, ICT, Number
Specific information literacy skills included
Skills explicit But - not statutory!
in lesson plans
31. IBA 2011 & 2012
“Judging the IBA is ideal
as it enables a scientific
analysis of the book,
developing pupils’
analytical and
investigative skills to
examine how the
information is presented
and written.”
Lyned – Science teacher
“IBA judging
engages pupils in
a collaborative
reading activity,
which gives
context for the
work on NF texts
done in class.”
Catherine – English teacher
32. 2012:
The Year of the LNF
National Literacy & Numeracy Framework Wales
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16589052
Aim: to improve literacy & numeracy levels in Wales
Introduced in 2012
Statutory curriculum requirement since September 2013
Statutory assessment requirement from September 2014
All subjects expected to include literacy & numeracy elements to SoWs
Literacy strands: Reading; Writing & Oracy across the curriculum
35. IBA 2013
Mindmap of ideas
for qualities of an
effective information
book
Notes frame to record
thoughts
WWW / EBW format
36. IBA 2014
Lesson Starter :
Parts of an
Information Book
Marketplace
activity
Blutack activity
English: Year 8
Non-Fiction
Reading SoW
September 2014
“Fun,
motivating
and
purposeful!”
Revised lesson plan
LNF explicit
Sîan – Y7 Skills teacher
37. IBA 2014
More
scaffolded
response mat
to record
thoughts,
keeping
WWW / EBW
element
38.
39. Over to you...
What’s your
experience of the
Information Book
Award?
40. How can we demonstrate
student progress in skills
development?
41. Questions
Blue Task
Ways to assess
Here is the answer.
Daffodils are yellow.
Here is a question.
What colour are daffodils?
44. Lin Smith Liz Smith
Liz Smith
Librarian
Pembroke School
Email: liz[at]lizsmith.info
Twitter: @psliz(personal)/
@pslib (Library)
Lin Smith
Librarian
Ecclesbourne School
Email: liblintra[at]gmail.com
Twitter: @smith_lin
