Practical literacy ideas
From Usefulwiki
Contents |
Making Literacy More Practical
One School's Approach
As part of an action research project we investigated ways of making literacy more practical with a view to improving standards of writing. This was in response to the views of children as expressed at a Children's Voice Schools Workshop. One of the issues raised by almost all children was making lessons more practical.
These are the ideas suggested by members of the teaching staff of one school that they already use. Please feel free to add your own ideas.
Most useful techniques:
• Computer, because children do not perceive it as Literacy work
• All helpful because they improve motivation
• Puppets Improved concentration and involvement
• Building sentences, because it is fun!
• All techniques mentioned, because children feel that it is not 'real work’
Ideas and strategies
Nursery:
• Tapping sticks to tap out rhythms, words, names etc
• Singing as a bag passes round the circle. When the song stops child removes object and names it.
• I spy: give descriptive clues
• Sequencing story cards
• Copying letters on large white board
• Magnetic letters
• Puppets
• Story sacks
Key Stage 1 and 2
Word work: KS1 • Phonic games :dice, jigsaws,
• what's on the tray,
• Card games (lotto etc.)
• white boards,
• circle time (word, sentence, text)
• feely box (description of objects),
• computer programmes (e.g. Star spell),
• word strings,
• Pelmanism,
• magnetic letters,
• Spinners.
• Word and sound bingo
KS2
• Find the partner (match your cards eg root word and prefix)
• Grouping spellings physically on cards
• Venn diagrams : into circles drawn on table for noun, verb, adjective.
• Cut and stick lists of root words into right box : which word with which suffix or prefix
• Groups with white boards: collecting words in families and racing against other groups.
• Quizzes in teams for spelling
• Magical spelling
• Use of dictionaries/thesauri: segmentation activities, making words from cards with prefixes, suffixes, root words, vowels etc. Card colour varies depending on whether prefix suffix etc.
Sentence Level
KS1
• Making lists using practical objects
• Games like My aunty went shopping..”
• Zig zag books
• Think it, say it, write it, read it’
• Yes/ no cards
• Fluffy Fred or Daisy diary to take home,
• Spinner games
• Filling forms (Post office, vet etc)
• Lost and found posters
• Recipes to follow
• SRA Reading Lab for individual reading/word work. Children working alone but able to make individual choices about words.
KS2
• Following instructions to make things like play dough or folded paper toys
• Quizzes in teams for punctuation
• Activity bags: child takes object from bag and uses it to make up a sentence
• Sentence race: children use tiles to race in teams to make sentences
• Scrambled sentences on cards to re arrange
• Changing sentences on cards by changing verb, noun or adjectives.
• Loop cards
• Cloze procedures on computers using templates
• Interactive internet activities from NGFL
• Cards for parts of speech build own sentences, simple. compound or complex, as class, groups or individuals.
• Sentences to correct
• OHP: correct the sentence, proof reading, etc.
Text level
KS1
• Big books
• Role play
• Hot seating
• Author's chair
• Rainbow writing
• 2 stars and a wish wall
• story of a book
• Using puppets
• Making books about topics of interest
• Recording data (e.g. what is magnetic?)
KS2
• Hot seating
• Freeze frames
• Role play scenarios
• Author's chair
• Pop Idol style with judges when listening to the work of others
Helpful Resources
• mini white boards and pens
• Wellington Square (internet site)
• LGFL literacy site
• SRA reading lab (old but worth it!)
• Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing for Kids
• Starspell computer programme
• Yes/no cards
• Phonic dice
• Card games
• Computers
• Puppets
• Puzzles
• Magnetic letters
• Story sacks
• Visual aids/props for role play, hot seating etc.
