‘The Pedagogical Approach of Literacy Lift off’.
Dear Principal,
Since 2003 many Reading Recovery teachers, buoyed by their success with individual children, have
established collaborative professional learning communities in their schools. These Reading
Recovery Led Professional Learning Communities (RRLPLCs) are variously called Literacy Lift Off
or Power Hour. Literacy Lift Off/Power Hour is what Taylor et al would describe as a ‘push-in
collaborative model of intervention’ (1999, p.29) whereby members of the Special Education Team,
in collaboration with the class teacher, work in the classroom each day for six to eight weeks in four
or five 10 minute rotating sessions on a range of literacy activities which mirror the activities in a
Reading Recovery lesson and support children’s learning through contingent teaching. Satty O Riordan,
Reading Recovery Teacher Leader, Cork
The activities often seen in a Literacy Lift Off session include:
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Re-reading familiar books to build fluency, confidence and comprehension skills
Being introduced to and attempting to read a new book
Composing and recording their own messages to develop oral language structures,
vocabulary, phonemic awareness and phonological awareness.
Reconstructing the story which has been cut-up to support purposeful learning on
words in isolation.
Exploring how words work using magnetic letters and whiteboards to enhance fast
visual recognition, problem solving phonological awareness.
There is a growing interest within schools to create collaborative learning environments
that will serve to enhance teaching and learning. In response to this, Limerick and Clare
Education Centres together with local Reading Recovery Teachers have created a series
of supportive workshops which focus on theoretical and practical approaches to effective
team teaching within a balanced literacy framework for the early years.
These six two-hour sessions will cover the following topics;
1. Literacy Lift Off – An introduction to a balanced approach to literacy
development – an information session on effective small group instruction, with a
focus on linking all aspects of literacy teaching through the use of continuous text.
2. Running Records – A quantifiable and diagnostic analysis of children’s reading
that enables teachers to ensure that children are working at the ‘cutting-edge’ of
their learning as advocated by Marie Clay.
3. Reading – Skills, strategic behaviours and higher order thinking skills will be
investigated in this session to enable teachers to supports children’s reading of new
and familiar material in a meaningful way with the focus on Guided reading.
4. Working on words –This session will look at effective methods of supporting
children’s understanding of how words work using magnetic letters and analogy as
the novel approach to phonics that ensure children embed their knowledge of letters
and sounds into the practice of getting meaning from reading and giving messages
through writing.
‘The Pedagogical Approach of Literacy Lift off’.
5. Writing – writing for a purpose at the cutting edge of the children’s learning.
Providing opportunities for children to practice different genres, hearing and
recording sounds in words, vocabulary development, sight word practice in
meaningful text and a development of different language structures.
6. Creating links across reading, writing and language learning – The final
session will examine the reciprocity of reading, writing and language and foster an
understanding of how this reciprocity could look during small group collaborative
instruction.
The dates and times of the sessions are listed below
Session
Date
Time
Introductory & Assessment
Wednesday 7th January
4 -6 pm
Running Records
Wednesday 14th January
4 -6 pm
Reading
Wednesday 21st January
4 -6 pm
Working on Words
Wednesday 28st January
4 -6 pm
Writing
Wednesday 4th February
4 -6 pm
Creating links
Wednesday 11th February
4 -6pm
All sessions will take place in Limerick Education Centre
If your school is interested in implementing a collaborative approach to teaching literacy in
the early years, I would like to advise you that
 A teaching team of at least three teachers from your school should attend all
sessions.
 Principal teachers should attend the Introductory Session on Wednesday 7 th
January
 The scope of this course is from Junior Infants to Second Class only.
If you and/or your colleagues wish to commit to this course, please complete and return
the attached application form to Limerick Education Centre by email only to emily@lec.ie
by Wednesday 18th November, please note places are limited.
Le gach dea-ghui,
Joe O’Connell
Dr. Joe O’Connell
Director, Limerick Education Centre
‘The Pedagogical Approach of Literacy Lift off’.
Limerick Education Centre
APPLICATION FORM
Has your school previously received Literacy Lift Off Training ? …………….
School Name:
School Tel: ..........................
Address:
School Email:
School Roll no:
Number of Teachers:
Teachers nominated for training:
Teachers Name
Email Address
Principals Signature :
Date:
Closing Date: Wednesday 18th November 2014
(Please note due to demand places are limited)
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