 Give note-making frames e.g. cause/effect, similarity/difference, spider diagrams, pyramid diagrams, tree diagrams
 Model how to take notes in a variety of ways – encourage pupils to find a preferred style
 Use text-marking - pupils highlight topic sentences, number key points, delete unhelpful information
 Give pupils key questions or sub-headings to structure notemaking
 Pupils convert text into a diagram or label a diagram
 Pupils write points on cards which are later sorted or sequenced e.g. for/against
 Pupils reduce text to 5 main points or 5 words/phrases
 Use grids with headings KWL (Know already,
Want to know, have Learnt), QUAD (Question,
Answer, Detail source) or The 6 W’s (Who,
What, When, Where, Why, How)
10 Tips for Setting a Research Task
(Based on ‘The Exit Model’)
1.
Remind students what they know so far
2.
Give a clear aim and outcome for the task
3.
Ensure pupils know where to go to research and what texts to use
4.
Help pupils to plan their approach to the research e.g timescales
5.
Discuss what kind of reading style is appropriate (skimming, scanning, close reading)
6.
Encourage pupils to keep reviewing their understanding
7.
Make sure pupils know how to make notes and have useful formats
8.
Demonstrate to pupils how to decide what information should be used. Is it reliable?
9.
Model how to blend findings together into an appropriate form
10.
Set research outcomes which vary in form e.g. giving a talk, powerpoint
Listening Triads - Groups of three; a talker, a questioner and a recorder who reports back.
Envoys - after a task, one person from each group visits another group to share ideas, then reports back to the original group.
Snowball - pairs discuss or brainstorm then double up to fours, which then double up to eight, leading to a whole-class debate.
Rainbow Groups - after a separate group task, pupils are regrouped by colour, to make new groups comprising someone from each old group.
Jigsaw - before a task, 'home' groups allocate a section to each member. New 'expert' groups then form for each section. Finally,
'home' groups reform and share findings.
Spokesperson - each spokesperson is asked in turn for a new point until every group passes.
 Play an extract as a prediction activity - helps to cue pupils in to the task and activate prior knowledge
 Provide a focus or hook for listening e.g. a specific question for each group
 Give pupils a format for recording information e.g. diagram, flow chart, notemaking frame (increases retention dramatically)
 Pupils could: identify a limited number of key words or phrases; list 3 major points and 3 minor points; respond physically when they hear key ideas e.g. hands-up
 Plan group activities where pupils are required to feed back and listen to each other
 Before a task, model listening and notemaking
 Provide a glossary if necessary
 Break up the listening into chunks and gradually increase the complexity and demands of tasks to build up listening stamina
1.
Have subject-specific dictionaries in subject rooms
2.
Create word banks – written on strips, displayed on word wall
3.
Make word and definition cards – useful for starters and plenaries
4.
Create interactive glossaries – page of key words stuck in book. Definitions added by pupil during unit.
5.
Keyword crosswords/wordsearches
6.
Create word-cluster posters – to link common roots e.g. equi/equa, graph
 Break it into sounds (u-n-i-o-n)
 Break it into syllables (con-tin-ent)
 Break it into affixes (dis + satisfy)
 Use a mnemonic (Never Eat Chips Eat Salad
Sandwiches And Remain Young!)
 Refer to a word in the same family
(chemical, chemist, chemistry)
 Over-articulate it (Wed-nes-day)
 Words within words (GUM in argument)
 Refer to word history (bi = two, cycle = wheels)
 Use analogy (through, rough, enough)
Lecture - 5%
Reading - 10%
Audio-visual – 20%
Demonstration - 30%
Discussion - 50%

7.
Create mnemonics
8.
Create calligram posters – the meaning of a word is visually represented
9.
Use icons alongside words – ‘comic sans’ font recommended
10.
Play word games (on mini-whiteboards) - hangman, dominoes, finding words in words
Vary the openings of sentences :
Start with a verb ending in ing…
Start with a verb ending in ed…
Start with an adverb ending ly…
Start with a preposition e.g. over, at, on,
Use connectives to:
- combine sentences
- start sentences (with a comma)
- link sentences and paragraphs
- express thinking more clearly
Vary sentence length and construction:
John sprinted to work. He was very late.
John sprinted to work, because he was very late.
Because he was very late, John sprinted to work.
John, who was very late, sprinted to work.
 Use a key word (I’m – to remember a apostrophe can replace a missing letter)
 Apply spelling rules ( hopping = short vowel sound, hoping = long vowel)
 Learn by sight (look-say-cover-write check)
 Visual memory (recall images, colour, font)
Adding
And, also, as well as, moreover, too
Sequencing
Next, then, first, finally, meanwhile, after
Emphasising
Above all, in particular, especially, significantly, notably
Comparing
Equally, similarly, likewise, as with, like
Cause and effect
Because, so, therefore, thus, consequently
Qualifying
However, although, unless, except, if, yet
Illustrating
For example, such as, for instance, in the case of, as revealed by
Contrasting
Whereas, unlike, alternatively, on the other hand, otherwise
Does Your Lesson Plan Wear a
VEST?
V – a VARIETY of activities that appeal to different learning styles
E – ENGAGEMENT for all pupils
S – opportunities for SOCIABLE learning
T – TRANSFORMATION of information into a new form maximises learning
 See images
 Hear a reading voice
 Predict what will happen next
 Speculate
 Ask questions, tease at puzzles
 Pass comments
 Feel
 Empathise
 Rationalise what is happening
 Reread
 Reinterpret
 Interpret patterns
 Relate to own experience/knowledge
 Pass judgements - likes, dislikes
*
Modelling and discussing these behaviours benefits all students
DARTS
(
Activities which encourage close reading)
Strategies for Supporting
Literacy across the
Curriculum
Hertfordshire KS3 English and
Literacy Team
Supporting Reading of Difficult Texts
 Create a context - provide a
'warm-up' activity such as a lesson starter involving brainstorming, key words or prediction
 Glossaries - to explain difficult and new technical vocabulary
 Collaborative work - pooling ideas helps with confidence
 Shared Reading - where the passage is read on the OHP by the whole class. The teacher can annotate the
OHT.
 DARTS "directed activities relating to texts" can make a difficult passage more accessible
 Modelling - teacher discusses and demonstrates the reading strategies that could be used
 Opportunities to read similar texts
Reading Strategies
Continuous reading
Uninterrupted reading of an

 Establish clear aims – what is the FAP?
(Form, Audience, Purpose)
 Provide examples of that text type
 Explore features of the example – shared reading looking for word,
sentence and text-level features
 Define the conventions – list the
‘ingredients’ for this kind of writing
 Demonstrate how it is written –
teacher models thought processes
 Compose together – class contributes
 Scaffold the first attempts – e.g. writing frames, key words, sentence
starters
 Independent writing
 Draw out key learning
Modelling planning, introducing a variety of planning formats and providing note-making frames
Teaching Mr PEEL for paragraphs
point, evidence, explanation, link
Looking at paragraphing in exemplar texts e.g. highlighting topic sentences
Preparing pupils for the structure of that genre of writing e.g. recipe = chronological
Providing writing frames and sentence starters for those students who need them
Organising sequencing activities:
students’ ideas on post-its or cards
key words or phrases which can be expanded
topic sentences/ sub-headings
- filling the gap with a missing word or phrase.
- reconstructing a text that has been cut into chunks.
- underlining, annotating or numbering text to show sequence.
- reading and then remodelling the information in another format e.g. flow charts, diagrams, venn diagrams, grids, lists, maps, charts, concept maps or rewriting in another genre.
extended piece of text e.g. novel
Close reading
Careful study reading, which usually includes pausing to think or look back e.g. making notes from a text book
Skimming
Glancing quickly through the passage to get the gist of it e.g. first reading of a new passage
Scanning
Searching for a particular piece of information e.g. using an index
Supporting weaker readers
What are we reading for?
Which strategy do we need to use?
How do we do this? What do we do with our eyes?
What sort of information are we looking for?
Watch me model what I do as I read this.