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  • Support for early career teachers
  • UCL
  • Year 1: Second half-term: engaging pupils in learning

    • Learning Intentions and Introduction

    Session Elements

    • observe a colleague
    • reflection
    • discuss with a colleague

    Learning Intentions for this session

    You will learn that:

    • To access the curriculum, early literacy provides fundamental knowledge; reading comprises two elements: word reading and language comprehension; systematic synthetic phonics is the most effective approach for teaching pupils to decode.
    • Every teacher can improve pupils’ literacy, including by explicitly teaching reading, writing and oral language skills specific to individual disciplines.

    You will learn how to develop pupils’ literacy, by:

    • Demonstrating a clear understanding of systematic synthetic phonics, particularly if teaching early reading and spelling.
    • Supporting younger pupils to become fluent readers and to write fluently and legibly. - Teaching unfamiliar vocabulary explicitly and planning for pupils to be repeatedly exposed to high-utility and high-frequency vocabulary in what is taught.
    • Modelling reading comprehension by asking questions, making predictions, and summarising when reading. - Promoting reading for pleasure (e.g. by using a range of whole class reading approaches and regularly reading high-quality texts to children).
    • Modelling and requiring high-quality oral language, recognising that spoken language underpins the development of reading and writing (e.g. requiring pupils to respond to questions in full sentences, making use of relevant technical vocabulary).
    • Teaching different forms of writing by modelling planning, drafting and editing.

    Introduction

    In this session, you will learn about or review your understanding of the foundations underpinning literacy development of pupils in England. An understanding of the foundations of literacy learning is key to teaching pupils of any age. No teacher can help their pupils to access or demonstrate learning without considering their literacy needs: every teacher is a literacy teacher.

    You will need to read the Research and Practice Summary before speaking to and/or arranging to observe a colleague to consider an aspect of literacy development. There are many aspects of literacy development that you could choose to focus on, reflected in the learning intentions for this session. Choose one (or more, if you are more confident) that you would like to develop your understanding of for today’s session, having looked back at the self-evaluation audit you completed at the start of this module. Reflect on your learning from this session ahead of your next mentor meeting and be prepared to discuss and identify possible next steps for your practice.