Day 4, Session 1

Approaches to learning Reading

By the end of this session participants will be able to…
• Identify approaches to Reading suitable to level and age
• Identify and use some techniques that help pupils
understand meaning
• Identify potential obstacles to developing Reading skills
and find support methods

D4.S1.1
Starter: Word search and hidden message

• A message is hidden between the words in

the word search on Handout D4.S1.H1.
• Find the words in the word search to reveal
the letters of the hidden message.
• The 11 words in the list may be horizontal,
vertical or diagonal. They may also be
written forwards or backwards.
D4.S1.2
Approaches to Reading : jigsaw reading

You are going to do a jigsaw reading task:

• Jigsaw reading is an activity type that involves close

attention to a text and verbal exchange of information

• The activity requires several linked texts or a single

text that has been divided into sections.

• Jigsaw reading is a good way to encourage teamwork

and a supportive classroom culture, as pupils have to
work together exchanging information.
D4.S1.3
Approaches to Reading: General dos and don’ts

Jigsaw reading Stage 1:

• You will be given a letter: A, B, C or D.

• When the trainer gives the signal, get into a group with
all the other people with your letter (all the ‘A’ people
together, etc.)
• In your new group, read and discuss the section on
Handout D4.S1.H2 for your letter (A, B, C or D). .
• You need to understand the ideas in your section of the
text. In the next phase of the activity you will explain the
ideas to colleagues in the other groups. D4.S1.4
Approaches to Reading: general dos and don’ts

Jigsaw reading Stage 2

• Return to your original

groups
• Take it in turns to explain
your section of Handout
D4.S1.H2 in your own
words

D4.S1.5
Understanding meaning

With a partner:
• Complete the reading strategies tasks on
Handout D4.S1.H3

D4.S1.6
Understanding meaning

When we read, there is interaction between information

in the text and five areas of our knowledge:

• Knowledge about the combination of letters

• Knowledge about sentence structure
• Knowledge about word combinations
• Knowledge about text structure and genre
• Knowledge about the world or topic

D4.S1.7
Supporting pupils in Reading

In your groups discuss the following question:

 
• For each area of knowledge for Reading,
what teaching and learning strategies can
you think of to help overcome a lack of
knowledge or understanding?

• Use Handout D4.S1.H4 to record your group’s

ideas.
D4.S1.8
Supporting pupils in Reading – Examples

Knowledge area Example teaching and learning strategy

Knowledge
• Pre-teach difficult or new vocabulary and
about the
leave it written on the board for pupils to refer
combination of to. Use visuals if possible. 
letters
Knowledge • Use substitution tables, gap-fills and
about sentence ‘complete the sentence’ tasks to help pupils’
structure understanding of sentence structure.

D4.S1.9
Supporting pupils in Reading – Examples

Knowledge area Example teaching and learning strategy

Knowledge
• Pre-teach language chunks (e.g. collocations
about word
and certain grammatical structures).
combinations

Knowledge • Expose pupils to examples of a range of text

about text types. Use tasks for while-reading or noticing
structure & activities to teach the structure, features and
genre language associated with specific text types.

D4.S1.10
Supporting pupils in Reading – Examples
Knowledge area Example teaching and learning strategy

• Use a short warm-up task linked to the topic

Knowledge
of the text, to focus pupils on the input. Allow
about the world
pupils to share what they already know about
or topic the topic in groups.
 

D4.S1.11
Support for less proficient pupils – Examples

• If there are gap-fill exercises, give pupils the answers in a

jumbled order, with a few extra words.
• Draw attention to the title, pictures etc. in the text and set
the scene beforehand so their mind is on track for the topic.
• Break texts into small parts and give the option of only
reading some of the text.
• Encourage pupils to ignore words they do not know the first
time they read a text; focus their understanding on the main
points. In subsequent readings, encourage pupils to guess
meaning from context.
D4.S1.12
Plenary: Any questions?

Do you have any questions

about this session?

D4.S1.13
Day 4, Session 2
Reading skills in the new curriculum

By the end of this session participants will be able to…

• Explain the Reading Learning Standards in the
Curriculum Framework
• Practise implementing one or two formative assessment
strategies on Reading activities
• Discuss one or two differentiation strategies
• Reflect on the session and identify key points of learning
D4.S2.1
 Starter: three things

Tell me three things...

• you have learnt today about Reading lessons

• about teaching and learning in Reading lessons that
you would like to find out more about

D4.S2.2
 Learning Standards for Reading

Look at the Content and Learning Standards for

Form 4 Reading skills (Handout D4.S2.H1).

Discuss the following questions in your groups:

• What kind of activity would you plan so that a
pupil can achieve learning according to a
particular Learning Standard?
• What types of text would you expect to use for
these Learning Standards?

D4.S2.3
Learning Standards for Reading

Based on the Learning Standards for Form 4:

• What are the general Reading skills indicated by the
Reading Learning Standards?
• What are the specific Reading skills and strategies
that need to be taught?

Use Handout D4.S2.H2

D4.S2.4
Learning Standards for Reading
General Reading skills indicated in the Learning
Standards:
• Understanding main idea
• Understanding specific details
• Guessing meaning of unfamiliar words
• Using dictionary skills
• Recognise attitude or opinion
• Recognise typical features of texts
• Extensive reading

D4.S2.5
Learning Standards for Reading

Specific Reading skills and strategies that need to be

taught:
• Recognise spelling patterns and break syllables up for
reading
• Guess meanings of new words and recognise words by
sight
• Understand punctuation and word order
• Recognise text type and predict meaning
• Rapid scanning for information

D4.S2.6
Learning Standards for Reading

Specific Reading skills and strategies that need to be

taught:
• Use previous knowledge about the topic
• Understand appropriate vocabulary
• Identify links between sentences and paragraphs
• Infer meaning from information
• Refer back and forth within a text
• Interpret and draw conclusions

D4.S2.7
Learning Standards for Reading

Learning demand on pupils

• Length of the text
• Language in the text
• Sentence length
• Task type
• Language needed for answers

D4.S2.8
Types of question in Reading

Work with a partner:

• You are going to look at types of question
that can be asked in Reading lessons
• On Handout D4.S2.H3, match the question
type with its definition
• Discuss: Which question type would you like
to use more of in your teaching? Why?

D4.S2.9
Practice making Reading questions for Form 4 material

Work with a partner:

• Look at the text from Form 4 textbook 1a, Read
• On Handout D4.S2.H4, write at least four
questions to go with this text.
• The questions should be of at least three
different types (refer back to Handout
D4.S2.H3).

D4.S2.10
Thinking skills in Reading lessons

In your groups discuss this question:

• What are higher-order thinking skills?

Use the pictures below to help your thinking!

D4.S2.11
 Thinking skills in Reading lessons

• Observing closely and describing

• Building explanations and interpretations
• Reasoning with evidence
• Making connections
• Considering different viewpoints and perspectives
• Capturing the essence and forming conclusions
• Wondering and asking questions
• Uncovering complexity and going below the
surface
Taken from: Ritchhart et al. (2011) Making Thinking Visible. Hoboken, NJ: Jossey-Bass. D4.S2.12
Thinking skills in Reading lessons

Work in groups:

• On Handout D4.S2.H5, there are task ideas for

Reading lessons.
• Identify the higher-order thinking skills that
could be used by pupils in each of the task
types.

D4.S2.13
Plenary: which picture?

Which picture matches your learning so far today?

D4.S2.14
Day 4, Session 3
Approaches to learning Writing
By the end of this session participants will be able to…
• Identify approaches to Writing suitable to level and age
and use them in teaching
• Identify and teach stages of producing written text
• Identify and use strategies that help pupils see the link
between punctuation and meaning
• Identify strategies that could help develop spelling skills
• Reflect on the session and identify key points of learning
D4.S3.1
 Starter: Sense poem

• On the right of your word, write the colour(s) you associate with it.
• On the left of the word, write the sound(s) you associate with it.
• Above the word: if you could taste it, what would it taste like?
• Below the word: if you could smell it, what would it smell like?
• At the bottom of the page: write a feeling that you associate with
the word.

D4.S3.2
Starter: sense poem
Take words and phrases from your ideas, and create
your poem using the writing frame below. Be creative!
A pen
A pen is…

It sounds like…
It tastes (of)…
It smells like/of…

It makes me feel like… D4.S3.3

Stages of producing written text

Composing: planning and drafting writing; thinking

about the purpose and audience for a text.
Crafting: getting the grammar right; using a range of
vocabulary and sentence structures; using the features of a
text type correctly; linking ideas; developing and organising
the text effectively.
Improving: reviewing and revising a piece of writing;
editing writing to remove errors; responding to feedback.

D4.S3.4
Categorising writing tasks

In your groups:

• Look at the example tasks on Handout

D4.S3.H2 (Table A).
• Organise them according to the stage in the
writing process they support (Table B).

D4.S3.5
Supporting pupils with punctuation

In your groups:
• Discuss examples of punctuation that Form 4
pupils would find difficult. You can refer to the
reading text in Form 4, 1a, Read.
• Share ideas for teaching this punctuation.
• How do your teaching ideas help pupils see the
link between punctuation and meaning?

D4.S3.6
Supporting pupils with spelling

In your groups:
• Identify examples of spellings that Form 4 pupils
would find difficult, in a text from the Form 4
textbook.
• Share teaching strategies for developing pupils’
spelling skills.

D4.S3.7
 Plenary: You’re a poet!

Write a poem, 5 lines long and that rhymes,

summing up what you have learnt in this session.

Example:
This is a poem for plenaries
On the joys of writing strategies
To help pupils create
Texts that are great
To get the most from their abilities
D4.S3.8
 Day 4, Session 4
Writing skills in the new curriculum

By the end of this session participants will be able to…

• Explain the Writing Learning Standards in the Curriculum
Framework
• Practise implementing one or two formative assessment
strategies on Writing activities
• Discuss one or two differentiation strategies
• Review own learning from the training so far
D4.S4.1
 PLTS

Starter: pick a skill

• Pick one of the skills

and explain how you
have used it today…
Creative Thinker

Team Worker

Independent Enquirer
Self Manager
Effective Participator Reflective Learner D4.S4.2
Skills for Writing

In your groups discus the following question:

• What Writing skills do pupils need to

practise and develop?

D4.S4.3
Skills for Writing

Using paragraphing
Organising ideas logically
appropriately
Drafting the writing Appropriate register and style

Managing coherence and Accurate use of grammar and

cohesion effectively vocabulary
Selecting and planning
Editing and redrafting the work
appropriate content
Proofreading and correcting the Accurate and effective use of
work spelling and punctuation

D4.S4.4
Writing Learning Standards

Work in groups:

• On Handout D4.S4.H1, which of the Learning

Standard(s) does each Writing skill in the table
relate to?
• A skill could be related to more than one
Learning Standard and a Learning Standard
could address more than one skill.
.

D4.S4.5
Formative assessment strategies for Writing activities

Work in groups:

• Look at the Writing lessons in the first unit of the

Form 4 textbook, 1a, Write.

• Think of ideas for pre-lesson and post-lesson

activities for the Writing lessons.

D4.S4.6
 Differentiation by instruction – resources

Work in groups:
• Look again at the Writing lessons in the first unit of the
Form 4 textbook, a1, Write.
• Discuss and make notes:
– How could pupils be used as resources for each other
to support their learning?
– What additional texts could you bring in to the lesson?

D4.S4.7
Differentiation by instruction – resources

We can use technology to support differentiation by:

• Giving choice of activity or activity type

• Using various input types (video, pictures, sound, text)
• Giving some pupils helper roles (e.g. to trouble-shoot
technology with/for the teacher)
• Having pupils collaborate and support each other in
content or use of technology (pair and group work)
• Working on learner-centred projects
• Working on extension or review activities independently
outside of class D4.S4.8
Plenary: pyramid reflection

• Use Handout D4.S4.H3.

• Think back over today’s sessions and write
down
– three key words that are important,
– two concepts or ideas that have made
an impression,
– one question you want to ask.

D4.S4.9
Learning journal

• On your own, write up your fourth learning

journal entry.
• Question prompts are provided on Handout
D4.S4.H4.

D4.S4.10