Literacy
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Supporting
in the Literacy Hour
The Literacy Hour is made up of several activities:
- Approximately 15 minutes of whole - class teaching from a shared text.
These sessions
are known as shared reading sessions and enables the teacher to help pupils
in the reading of texts that may be at a level above their normal level
of independent reading.
The focus may be on, comprehension, word building, modeling. The session
may also be used for shared writing in which the teacher uses texts to
provide models and ideas for writing, the focus may be, planning, sequencing
and composing written text. Shared writing can also be used to teach spelling
and grammar.
- Approximately 15 minutes whole - class word level work.
Word level work refers to some of the sub skills that need to be mastered in order for reading and writing skills to progress. Phonics and spelling are emphasised. Word recognition of common words and new vocabulary is also taught in these sessions.
- Approximately 20 minutes of guided or independent work.
This session provides an opportunity for the teacher and the Teaching Assistant to work with a smaller group of pupils for a period of guided reading or writing while the rest of the class works independently either individually, in pairs or groups.
- The
final 10 minutes of the Literacy Hour is a whole - class plenary session.
Support
provided by the Teaching Assistant:
You need to plan and discuss with the teacher before the lesson what the main teaching points and activities of the lesson will be. As an assistant you will be able to help the teacher by differentiating work and suggesting activities. Feed back to the teacher information about how the pupils you support coped in the previous lesson and whether they had any significant successes or difficulties.
Some familiar tasks during Literacy Hour
- As an assistant you can help pupils to respond appropriately by joining in and modeling appropriate responses alongside the pupils.
- Getting pupils to teach each other is an excellent way of improving their use of language and their understanding of a new concept. If they get stuck, gently prompt with questions such as "What did you do next?" "How did you find that out?" etc.
- Encourage pupils to talk about what they are doing and to reflect on what worked well and what did not. Ask the pupils to try to explain what they did and why they did it. Remember, the highest level of understanding anything comes when you can explain what you did and teach someone else to do it.
- Pupils with language or concentration difficulties may need supportive prompting to help them report back verbally. Prompting questions can do this, e.g. "We found out" "Remember when Snow White bit the apple what happened"?
- Remind pupils of the purpose of the task and the end product.
- Support and scaffold the activity.
- Prompt pupils on how they are going to do the task.
- Asking questions to check recall and understanding.
- Provide encouragement.
- Keeping pupils on task
- Explaining task requirements.
- Class teachers will often have a reward system, of stickers or points etc, to encourage positive behaviour. Be sure to find out how the system works so that you can also use it.
- Being able to make eye contact with pupils is often very important so that you can send non - verbal messages by facial expression to prompt them back to what they should be doing.
- A quiet verbal prompt.
- Help pupils to write or draw prompt cards with key words or acts written on them.
Teaching Assistants may take a group of children for guided reading
Hints and tips for Guided Reading
http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/curriculum/english/guided_rdg.html
More information
on Literacy Hour
http://www.standards.dfee.gov.uk/literacy/prof_dev/?pd=chapter_content&top
http://www.literacymatters.com/teachingassistants.html
http://www.literacymatters.com/resources.html
http://www.standards.dfee.gov.uk/literacy/
http://www.literacyhour.co.uk/
http://www.educate.org.uk/teacher_zone/classroom/literacy/
http://www.naturegrid.org.uk/infant/
http://www.literacyhour.co.uk/Literacy4/html/kids1.html
http://www.northants-ecl.gov.uk/apps/LIS/LRE/LIT/HME.asp
http://www.dfes.gov.uk/parents/curriculum/home.cfm?fuseaction=doc2
http://www.dfes.gov.uk/a-z/LITERACY.html
http://www.oup.co.uk/oxed/primary/ort/teachers/onlineguides/teachingstrategies/literacyhour/
http://www.schoolweb.middlesbrough.gov.uk/
http://www.millenniumschools.co.uk/pub/middlesbrough/oakland/a.html
LITERACY RESOURSES
Click here for a direct link to all DFES Literacy Publications
