Vision/Intent:
Literacy Laboratory aims to stimulate and challenge pupils with regard to reading comprehension strategies and develop their thinking processes through modelled metacognitive strategies, class discussions and guided practice.
Higher order comprehension skills are explicitly taught which helps develop excellent cognitive processing skills.
The Department:
One specific teaching space for literacy and use of three additional teaching spaces within the school. Department is also supported by two subject specific teaching assistants.
Ms N Simmons – Lead Literacy Lab Teacher
The Curriculum:
KS3
During Yr 7, all pupils will receive one lesson of Literacy Lab each week. Pupils will develop a clear understanding of the process of comprehension. Emphasis is firmly placed on the discussion of the text, thinking processes and how activities related to the text can be used to better comprehend.
Strategies are taught to help pupils in acquiring specific comprehension skills. A variety of text types are explored, including recounts, narratives and reports.
Yr7 Topic Overview and Assessment
- Understanding words
- Retrieving information
- Identifying main idea
- Sequencing
- Similarities and differences
- Predicting
- Concluding
- Summarising
- Inferring
- Cause and effect
- Fact or opinion
- Point of view/writer’s purpose.
Pupil progress is regularly monitored through classwork, both oral and written assessments. Assessment may take the form of regular end of term tests and one end of year standardised assessment
Enrichment
Pupils can attend a writing workshop every Monday after school run by a published author. Pupils are also able to access the latest e-books via the school network and can attend the dept. at lunchtimes to use ‘Nessy’ computerised spelling programme. Pupils also frequently request additional comprehension resources over school holidays.
