WoW – undergo                                                                                            CPD Focus – Embedding Reading Warriors

                                                                   Developing Voice Confidence

READING	WRITING	ORACY
Reading widely Reading for pleasure	Spelling of subject-specific vocabulary Use of WAGOLLs to model/scaffold (visualisers, mini-whiteboards)	Purposeful and structured communication with others

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THIS WEEK

 

• Reading Ages: these have now been sent home.  Remember the strategies (here) within your planning and lessons.  They are of relevance to all subjects.
• CPD Focus – continued focus on reading.  Please refer to the reading ages of students when planning your lessons.  Parents/Carers will be informed of these reading ages as soon as is possible.  Continue to use Reading Warriors (resources are saved here) and the Reading Quick Wins approaches (here) where possible.
• Study Groups – The feedback proforma is due in by the end of June to RLO (template here).
• REMINDER: Setting work – please ensure that work is uploaded, as per department approach (i.e. Class Materials or Assignments), for every lesson so that isolating students can complete.
• Student Learner Conversations this week. See notices for times/days.

 

                                                                                                                  

REFLECT

 

 Feedback - Plan - Teach

Link to this term’s CPD focus – Embedding Reading Warriors, developing voice confidence

Key Priorities

• Embedding Reading Warriors when appropriate
• Giving students to opportunity to use their voices within your lessons (whether reading their work or from a text)
• Promoting wider reading within your subjects and reading for pleasure

 

 

As we approach half-term, it is useful to reflect on our journey since Easter and to celebrate our individual achievements.  Every one of us has been clearly focused on improving the reading skills of those within our classrooms.  Most students now have up-to-date reading ages and parents/carers have been informed.  

 

Back in March, within departments, teachers adeptly created resources and approaches to aid them in embedding Reading Warriors within their subjects.  QUESTION – CLARIFY – SUMMARISE – PREDICT should provide useful active reading starting points in all subjects.

 

For this week’s reflection, consider which of these issues you have contemplated:

• How am I going to make sure that I hear everyone’s voice this lesson?
• How can I make sure that my PowerPoint is accessible and engaging, without dumbing down difficult content too much?
• How can I adopt active reading strategies within my lessons to ensure that everyone is ‘working hard’ with the text provided (regardless of the length of the text)?
• Have I looked at the reading ages of those within my classes?
• Have reading ages made me reflect on my teaching?

 

Obviously, these questions link to our Digests from the last half-term.  Improving reading is fundamental to students making progress in all subjects.  We all know this.  As we move into the last half-term of the year, let’s make a determined effort to answer these questions and to tackle the elephant in the room: weak reading skills.

 

Thank you for awarding ‘Excellent Reading’ points on ClassCharts.  This has almost doubled since Easter!

 

 

Useful references:

See Alex Quigley’s full blog here:

 

Teaching and Learning Policy (containing blended learning approach)

WLD planning template (updated January 2021)

TOP TIPS

 

Remember that you have all shared resources in WLD Teachers – CPD – 2020/21 – Reading Warriors

(here)

As well as Reading Warriors, try incorporating reading ages into your planning.  Follow these steps:

1. Look at the reading ages of students in a class.
2. What are you teaching them this week?  Where are the reading opportunities built in?
3. Which texts are you going to use (article, section from a book, textbook, script, etc)?
4. Copy and paste a section of the book into a SMOG readability calculator.  Try this one.
5. What does it show?
   1. Are you going to need to scaffold your teaching to allow students to access the text?
   2. Do you need to select an easier or more challenging text?
   3. How will you pre-teach difficult vocabulary?
6. Evaluate the lesson.  Did students engage more or less?  Do you have any reasons for this?

CPD CASCADE

 

The National College

Please contact RLO if you have forgotten your login.

 

ACEs training - PHO (emailed information 7^th April)

https://thenationalcollege.co.uk/hub/view/webinar/adverse-childhood-experiences

 

Mental Health Training – Free - PHO

• It's FREE
• Open to anyone
• Do it when you want, you just need to register for a dated cohort.

https://www.place2be.org.uk/foundation

 

Combat Reading

Gwynne Ash and Melanie Kuhn: Fluency Instruction: Research-Based Best Practices.

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