Literacy and the Library

At Chosen Hill School, we are committed to improving literacy and providing students with the reading, writing and oracy skills so that they succeed throughout school and into their adult lives. At Chosen Hill we strive to:

· Provide professional development so that all teachers receive training on how students ‘learn to read’ and how they go on to ‘read and learn’, teaching technical and disciplinary vocabulary and closing writing gaps.

· Develop a ‘reading rich’ curriculum and make explicit technical and disciplinary vocabulary to students so they become more confident in their oracy and writing in subject-specific domains.

· Promote and develop structures and systems that enable sustained development of a reading culture. This helps students to become strategic and knowledgeable readers.

· Promote reading as an enjoyable pastime that can not only accelerate academic progress but support mental health and wellbeing.

 

What we do:

In the classroom

· In all subjects, teachers prioritise the teaching of reading and have expertise is using reading strategies to support all students becoming confident in accessing text.

· Teachers have expertise in teaching vocabulary, and this results in students confidently reading and using language in subject-specific domains.

· Teachers have the expertise in teaching writing within their subject and this results in students who are motivated to write.

 

In Learning Mentor Time

· Year 7 to Year 9 students participate in a Reading Programme. They are provided with opportunities to read a range of fiction and non-fiction designed to expand their vocabulary and broaden their wider knowledge of the world. This also promotes a reading culture and exposes students to a wide range of vocabulary – Tier 2 language. Targeted students receive additional support through the tutor time intervention programme.

 Learning Mentor Reading Programme

Accelerated Reader Lessons

· All Year 7 to Year 9 students have fortnightly Accelerated Reader lessons to support their reading. In addition, students are STAR tested x3 a year (Cloze Activity and Comprehension). This generates a Reading Age and ZPD (Zone of Proximal Development) for each student.

· Students pick books within their ZPD range to read within AR lessons and are also encouraged to read for 20 minutes daily at home.

· In lessons and at home, students complete regular quizzes to test understanding of the books they read. The results from STAR tests and quizzes informs the reading interventions we provide.

 

Reading and Writing Intervention

· We provide high-quality literacy interventions for struggling students with a key focus on the weakest levels of literacy, particularly in Year 7. We also provide bespoke high-quality writing intervention for those students who are making less than expected progress in Years 7 and 8.

 

The Library

· The library provides access to books for all students to read for pleasure. Throughout the year, our librarians also support Accelerated Reader lessons and are able to support students when selecting books. The library also run events such as quizzes, games, themes of the month and reading clubs to support our school reading culture.

· The Library is open to students from 8:15am daily and closes at 4:00pm Monday to Thursday.

How can I support my child at home? We know that your role at home is invaluable in helping students to develop their literacy skills, so it is vital that we all work together.

Some ways you can help your child at home are:

· Encourage your child to find books and engage in reading at home with them. We recommend all students read for 20 minutes a day.

· Visit a book shop or library – charity shops are great places to find new books to read.

· In years 7 to 9 support them to complete their Accelerated Reader quizzes when they finish a book.

· Read with your child. Encourage them to track the text with a ruler when reading.

· When completing homework, encourage your child to speak their answer in a full sentence before writing it down.

· Visit websites such as The National Literacy Trust, Words for Life and The Reading Agency for more ideas.

Recommended Websites

The National Literacy Trust: National Literacy Trust

The Reading Agency: https://readingagency.org.uk/ 

Words for Life: https://wordsforlife.org.uk/