Literacy and Oracy Development at Goffs-Churchgate

Literacy and Oracy Development at Goffs-Churchgate

Welcome to Literacy and Oracy at Goffs-Churchgate Academy! 

Here you will be able to learn a little more about what we do here on a day to day basis to promote and enhance the literacy skills of our students and why, as well as be provided with information and updates on recent literacy events that have taken place throughout the year with accompanying photos.     

If you have any questions relating to Literacy here at Goffs-Churchgate, please contact Sophie Everist on s.everist@goffschurchgate.herts.sch.uk

If you have any questions relating to Oracy here at Goffs-Churchgate, please contact Alfie Wise on a.wise@goffschurchgate.herts.sch.uk

     Literacy at Goffs-Churchgate

‘Think Pink Book Marking’

As part of the usual book marking policy, spelling, punctuation and grammar mistakes in students’ written work are identified to them by being highlighted in pink highlighter. This allows both staff and students to see where literacy errors have occurred in their work. Students are then given the opportunity to correct the errors that are highlighted during lesson time and in time should come to see less errors in their work as their literacy skills increase

Reading Books

All students are asked to have an age-appropriate reading book with them at all times. Students are given time during assemblies, form time and Reading Lessons (Year 7 and 8 only) to read from their books and C3s are issued to anyone who does not have a reading book on their persons or that is age appropriate

Reading Lists

An extensive list is available to all on the school’s website and can be accessed at any time

‘Word of the Week’ laminate

These are evident in every teaching classroom and students are encouraged to use the Word of the Week in their class or homework, or verbally. R3s are rewarded to those that do. This allows students to broaden their own current vocabulary.

Author and Speaker Visits

At least two events of this type are arranged within the academic year. This allows us to promote the importance of reading, allows those that enjoy reading to meet authors and inspirational speakers as well as encouraging more reluctant readers to engage with reading and literacy further.

Year 10 and 11 Literacy Groups

These are created to further enhance the literacy skills of students that don’t always gain as many marks in the accuracy section of the mark scheme for English Language. The sessions are designed to target particular spelling, grammar and punctuation skills in order to allow students to gain more marks in this particular area of the exams.

After-School Reading Support

During homework club after school, our Accelerated Learning Champion works with some students on their reading skills. She particularly looks at helping students with their comprehension on the Bedrock system and she also reads with other students to help improve their reading age.

Bedrock Vocabulary

This online platform is used to improve students’ vocabulary and reading comprehension. All student sin Year 7-9 have compulsory weekly homework to complete four lessons. Over the academic year 20-21, those that used Bedrock regularly, saw good progress in their Tier 2 vocabulary.

Spellzone

Spellzone is an interactive website that unlocks the mystery of English spelling and adapts to all abilities including SEND, SLD and ESL.

Students can study independently online using any platform in school, at home or on the go. They can complete spelling tests; word lists and spelling games to help improve their overall spelling ability. There are tasks that will also test students' comprehension as they must select the correct word to use in the sentence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dynamic reporting tools also provide teachers with time-saving monitoring and evaluation of all student activity and results that can be used to inform teaching within lessons.

The Day Newspaper

We have also signed up to this, this year, to use with our school literacy groups. The newspaper’s relevant articles means that students are provided with enjoyable non-fiction to read and study.

Reading Tests

Every student’s reading age is monitored and tested at least three times a year. Those that need extra support are provided with literacy intervention and reading ages are sent home via each student’s academic report.

 

The Day Newspaper Link

The Day Newspaper

 

Accelerated Learning Champion

Margareta Pujari, our Accelerated Learning Champion, uses her role to support the literacy needs of many different students across the school. She works within lessons and with small groups of students on and with the following:

  1. Year 8- small literacy groups, three times a fortnight. These sessions are aimed at improving the students reading ages, their reading comprehension, and broadening their vocabulary using content from the National Curriculum
  2. In-class support within Language lessons. Margareta can speak many languages, so she is able to support our students, alongside their class teacher, to acquire a new language themselves
  3. Year 7- Nurture Group, six times a fortnight. Working within lessons, alongside the class teacher, Margareta helps close the Covid literacy gap that can be seen in some students
  4. Year 11- small literacy groups, eight times a fortnight. These sessions are aimed at improving the students' reading ages, as well as providing them with exam-specific vocabulary to use within their English lessons and mock exam papers
  5. EAL- These sessions are aimed at allowing students who are new to the English language to learn the language in a focused environment starting from the very basics of word acquisition
  6. Reading Lessons. Margareta also works alongside the class teacher to ensure that all students, regardless of their reading age, are reading out loud and acquiring new language from the class set text as well as improving their reading comprehension skills

Oracy at Goffs-Churchgate

The school is working with Voice21 to continue to promote the use of Oracy across the school.  Students in Year 8 have dedicated oracy lessons for all students

Talk Tactics

In all subjects, students are given ‘Talk Tactics’ slips which provide question prompts for students to ask their peers. These ‘Talk Tactics’ allow students to expand on their questioning knowledge as well as create debate in the classroom.  These ‘Talk Tactics’ can also be found in the students’ planners (page 104).

Oracy Framework

These are evident in every teaching classroom and provide students with the specific elements they need to improve their oracy skills. The framework is used by teachers to assess student performance as well as provide feedback in normal classroom lessons.

Discussion Sheets

Every classroom is provided with laminated discussion sheets to support students in both initiating and sustaining a discussion or debate. The discussion sheet gives students the choice to choose between: challenge, summarise, agree, disagree, and encourage. This creates a confident atmosphere in the classroom where students feel supported to share their opinion. 

Public Speaking Lessons

To develop oracy in KS3, public speaking lessons are taught to year 7 and 8 fortnightly. During these lessons, students learn how to communicate effectively in a plethora of different ways, such as how to compromise, connect, problem solve and challenge. These lessons focus on teaching oracy explicitly, without the use of books and writing. These lessons provide an amazing opportunity for students to develop their confidence, improve body language and adapt to being verbally challenged in a professional manner.

Debating Club

After school on Monday, students from all year groups meet to debate on numerous topics and share their opinions with peers. Debate club not only focuses on the opinion sharing part of debate, but also on developing important skills such as research, oracy techniques and questioning. Students finish each lesson feeling more confident and resilient when being verbally challenged.

Whole School Oracy Journey

A whole school oracy journey has been created to ensure that students can aspire to reach their yearly oracy goal, as well as challenge themselves with extra-curricular tasks. For example, by the end of the year, Year 7 students will aim to learn the definition of oracy and why oracy is a vital part of daily life. They will then develop their communication skills during their public speaking lessons. This oracy journey is shown in public speaking lessons, classrooms, and the school website, allowing students to check their progress. 

 

Oracy Day 2022

On Tuesday 22nd March 2022, we had our Oracy Day. This day involved students participating in activities that specifically focused on developing communication skills and confidence. All subjects were involved in this day, and it was great to see the amazing work that both teachers and students produced. For example, in history, students created a radio broadcast which was from the British prime minister addressing the public about the atrocities committed by Adolf Hitler. In Modern Foreign Languages, students raced other teams to find and share information about the German traditional festival of "Fasching" and the French festival of 'Mardi Grass', in order to improve their cultural understanding through speaking and listening skills. In Maths, students helped their peers by verbally communicating information about a mathematical word that was hidden on the board behind them. In food tech, students had to share the process of making Ravioli whilst other students assessed them on their oracy presentational skills.

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