Literacy
Literacy
The Writing Wrangle Developing Children’s Literacy Skills across the Curriculum Oracy is a key skill within the curriculum for Wales. ‘Speaking and Listening’ play a vital role in children’s language development and are the foundations stones for reading and writing later on. With schools under pressure to get children reading and writing as soon as possible, there is a danger that the focus shifts away from ‘oracy’ too soon. So how do we balance the need to drive up standards in literacy, while still respecting each child’s stage of language development? During the day, this dilemma will be explored through practical examples to demonstrate how experiences that encourage ‘reasoned talk’ secure high quality writing across the curriculum as outlined in the consultation document for the Literacy and Numeracy Framework. Course participants will have the opportunity to: £ Consider the stages of language development and what may impede or accelerate a child’s capacity to learn. £ Explore and experiment with ideas to ‘shore up’ oracy in the Foundation Phase. £ Use small world as a starting, mid and end point for talking and writing. £ Gather ideas on how to get children to ‘think out loud’, articulating their thoughts clearly to others. £ Consider how and when different genres of writing can be introduced to children. £ Focus on the development of new technologies in developing literacy across the curriculum. Target Audience: Date: Course led by: Cost: Course Booking Code:
Foundation Phase Teachers, Literacy Co-ordinators Thursday, 26th June 2014 Glenda Dudley and Wendy Thomas £160 +VAT 425*
*Terms and Conditions apply
22 For further information and to book courses, please log on to www.tlpwales.co.uk
Literacy
Talk for Reading Extending children thinking in both dialogue and reading Reading is fundamentally about the drive to make sense and gain meaning from a text. Do your children understand what they read? When asked about the text, can they respond at a deeper level? Do they have the skills to discuss what they have read? Classroom talk which develops the full range of children’s comprehension strategies and which allows opportunities to explore texts at a deeper level is critical to their overall competency as readers. This course will provide talk based approaches to teaching reading which will extend children’s skills in both dialogue and reading. Course participants will have the opportunity to: £ Explore approaches for developing comprehension and reading skills including Booktalk. £ Provide strategies which develop children’s skills in dialogue. £ Develop an understanding of how to improve classroom talk so that it impacts on reading development. £ Provide a range of practical ideas and activities. Target Audience: Date: Course led by: Cost: Course Booking Code:
Literacy Co-ordinators and Class teachers from Years 1-6 Friday, 4th July 2014 Carol Satterthwaite £160 + VAT 429*
*Terms and Conditions apply
Summer 2014 - Spring 2015 23
Literacy
The Grammar Gap Calling All Grammar Geeks and Grammar Phobics! £ Why does grammar matter? £ How it can help children? £ And why do all teachers need to know about it? The LNF demands closer attention to linguistics-informed grammar. Yet many primary teachers have been taught little grammar themselves, while for those who learned it during the last century, the new curriculum’s approach may seem bewildering. Sue Palmer is a lifelong grammar geek, author of around 50 grammar books and a BBC TV series on the subject and co-author of the National Literacy Strategy’s ‘Grammar for Writing’. This one day course interweaves what Sue has learned about language, literacy and learning with an update for teachers on 21st century grammar, as well as a wealth of ideas for teaching it within The LNF to children age 5 to 11 years. It is also fun and engaging. If you want to raise standards in Literacy, then start here! Course participants will have the opportunity to: £ Refresh their own understanding of grammar and tighten up on those ‘tricky bits’! £ Reflect on the requirements of the LNF that demand excellent teaching and learning of grammar. £ Consider how a high level of grammar across the curriculum is essential for raising standards. £ Access a range of exciting ideas to develop grammar across the curriculum. £ Consider the progression of teaching grammar within challenges that are fun and achievable.
Target Audience: Date: Course led by: Cost: Course Booking Code:
Literacy Co-ordinators and Key Stage 2 Teachers Wednesday, 15th October 2014 Sue Palmer £160 +VAT 446*
*Terms and Conditions apply
24 For further information and to book courses, please log on to www.tlpwales.co.uk
Literacy
Ways With Words Stepping-stones to being a good writer As Pie Corbett once said: ‘Writers love words’. They enjoy playing with language, endlessly experimenting with its possibilities. They seem to have an inbuilt sense of the rhythm of words and phrases, (vital for an understanding of spelling and punctuation). Good writers are also usually good readers who have read widely and learnt how a skilful author can grab and sustain our attention. Unfortunately many children come to school with a very limited vocabulary and little understanding of the musical patterns of language. Helping these children become effective writers can be a considerable challenge for teachers. In this course Paul Smith will look at ways of helping all children develop their skills across a range of writing genres. Course participants will have the opportunity to consider a range of activities designed to encourage children to: £ Explore the structures and meanings of words. £ Use Poetry to develop a better sense of the rhythm of language. £ Develop a greater awareness of the purpose and audience for their writing. £ Gain a better understanding of the notion of an ‘authorial voice’. £ Consider improvements to their work in the light of constructive feedback.
Target Audience: Date: Course led by: Cost: Course Booking Code:
All Key Stage 2 Teachers Wednesday, 22nd October 2014 Paul Smith £160 + VAT 448*
*Terms and Conditions apply
Summer 2014 - Spring 2015 25
Literacy
Boys and Writing Harnessing the power of outdoor play for mark-making and literacy development “Boys’ mark making tends to flourish when the pressure is off, the choice is theirs and the motivation arises from a specific desire to communicate.” Mark Making Matters, DCSF 2008:7 Participants will explore the strong potential of a rich outdoor environment for offering boys compelling experiences to encourage emergent literacy skills through making marks and creating stories. Jan will use images of outdoor provision across the UK and beyond to support creative thinking and responses in these areas. The day will include two practical outdoor sessions, so please come dressed for the weather! Course participants will have the opportunity to: £ Consider the physical and neurological processes that must take place for good control of the hand and pencil use to develop well. £ Explore ways of using the outdoors to promote boys’ mark-making, writing and story telling. £ Consider key starting points and motivators for boys. £ Replenish their bank of ideas for learning outdoors in a broader sense. £ Increase practitioner confidence and enthusiasm for using the outdoors for implementing the LNF.
Target Audience:
All practitioners and teachers working in the Foundation Phase Date: Tuesday, 4th November 2014 Course led by: Jan White Cost: £160 +VAT Course Booking Code: 451* *Terms and Conditions apply
26 For further information and to book courses, please log on to www.tlpwales.co.uk
Literacy
Evidence of Progression in the LNF Monitoring Literacy Skills across the Curriculum By now, the LNF has had time to become embedded within the school curriculum, but how sure are you, as the Literacy Co-ordinator, that the literacy strands are developing cohesively with a robust progression of skills? In your role as Literacy Co-ordinator your attention will be turning to gathering evidence to support and demonstrate the impact of the LNF. This one day course will provide you with the tools and the ideas to collect, collate and qualify what has been happening to date. We will further develop strategies and approaches to monitor and evaluate the progress made. **Course delegates are asked to bring three samples of written work with them to share and discuss on the day** Course participants will have the opportunity to: £ Review and explore the key messages from the Welsh Government materials for monitoring and evaluating the LNF. £ Consider a range of ways to monitor literacy across the curriculum. £ Re-visit key themes in order to identify the progression of skill development across the strands. £ Use a framework of questions to consider what is working well and what needs further development within their own school. £ Discuss strategies for keeping ‘everyone on board’ both at classroom and at team level. £ Thinks about what to do when things are working well and explore approaches for when there are specific challenges.
Target Audience: Date: Course led by: Cost: Course Booking Code:
Literacy Co-ordinators Tuesday, 18th November 2014 Glenda Dudley and Wendy Thomas £160 + VAT 452*
*Terms and Conditions apply
Summer 2014 - Spring 2015 27
Literacy
Talk for Learning Develop a culture of supportive and responsive ‘talk’ in the classroom Talk is essential to learning. It underpins all that we do in the classroom and the quality of our classroom dialogue influences the quality of our children’s thinking and learning with Oracy at the heart of the LNF. Many teachers often report however that schools also now need to teach children ‘how to talk’. How can we improve the quality of our classroom talk and maximise its potential so that children talk to learn as well as learn to talk? This course will explore powerful but simple strategies and approaches which will develop your classroom dialogue and support the explicit teaching of talk skills. Course participants will have the opportunity to: £ Develop an understanding of how to improve classroom talk so that it develops effective learning. £ Consider how to plan and teach for talk skills linked to the LNF. £ Explore simple dialogic essentials and approaches which make a difference. £ Provide practical strategies and ideas. £ Refresh their bank of ‘ideas for talk’ to take back and use immediately.
Target Audience: Date: Course led by: Cost: Course Booking Code:
Literacy Co-ordinators and Teachers from Y1- Y6 Tuesday, 2nd December 2014 Carol Satterthwaite £160 +VAT 455*
*Terms and Conditions apply
28 For further information and to book courses, please log on to www.tlpwales.co.uk
Literacy
Write Inspired An inspirational course using sound and images to inspire creative writing This practical one day course written and delivered by Philip Davis and looks at how to use images and sounds to generate ideas for creative writing. It is a highly entertaining, thought provoking day full of brilliant original ideas to use in the classroom. It will change the way you teach and help to bring the LNF to life! Course participants will have the opportunity to: £ Observe and imagine how to get ideas from image and sound creating sonic stories. £ To experience the elements of sound that inspire and consider their practical application. £ How to use sound to generate ideas - the physical, visual and emotional responses. £ How to create more dynamic learning environments for story telling and writing. £ How to organise ideas using specially developed narrative planning maps.
Target Audience:
Primary Teachers, Literacy Co-ordinators, Music Co-ordinators Date: Tuesday, 13th January 2015 Course led by: Philip Davies Cost: £160 +VAT Course Booking Code: 457* *Terms and Conditions apply
Summer 2014 - Spring 2015 29
Literacy
‘Excellent Standards’ – What’s the Problem? The importance of language in developing problem solving skills at KS2 The most recent report from the Chief Inspector of Estyn identified some key characteristics of schools that achieve ‘excellent standards’: ‘Nearly all of the pupils have good problem solving skills and apply these well to new learning situations. In these schools, most pupils apply their literacy skills exceptionally well across the curriculum. They use a wide and varied vocabulary, and enjoy experimenting with language.’ In this course Paul Smith will provide practical examples of activities that encourage children to use ‘reasoned talk’ for problem solving across a range of subjects. Course participants will have the opportunity to: £ Support children developing a broader vocabulary. £ Focus in on Reading Comprehension skills with the LNF. £ Incorporate a variety of problem-solving strategies within their teaching. £ Include and improve their self-evaluation skills. Those who have worked with Paul before will know that he likes to keep participants actively engaged and hopefully have some fun along the way!
Target Audience:
Teachers, Literacy Co-ordinators, Deputy Headteachers, Headteachers Date: Tuesday, 20th January 2015 Course led by: Paul Smith Cost: £160 +VAT Course Booking Code: 458* *Terms and Conditions apply
30 For further information and to book courses, please log on to www.tlpwales.co.uk
Literacy
Our Own Odyssey Story Telling for Thinking in English and History This full day course, based on Peter Worley’s award winning books, The If Odyssey and Once Upon an If, will be practical, experiential, interactive and learner-centred. Attendees will experience at least two sessions from the books run by different facilitators to give them different styles of storytelling. The day will be focused around the needs of the teachers by asking them to identify the important features they feel they need to work on. All participants will have the opportunity to practice storytelling in a safe, non-pressured environment and will learn strategies both on how to tell a story and how use storytelling to engage children’s critical thinking. Attendees will leave the course with a number of stories to use in their class the next day, as well as techniques, strategies and insights for using stories to think with, and with the confidence and enthusiasm to start using storytelling in their classes - particularly in relation to English and History. Course participants will have the opportunity to: £ Learn storytelling skills and memory techniques to help them tell a story with confidence. £ Explore ways to use stories for thinking: when to stop a story, when to ask a question, how to use first and second person or past and present tense in order to get children involved, use of role-play. £ Develop storytelling skills for the children to enhance speaking and listening within the LNF. £ Consider how stories that relate specifically to the English and History curriculum, as well as other curriculum areas such as PSHE, Geography, RE and Maths support the development of the LNF.
Target Audience: Date: Course led by: Cost: Course Booking Code:
Foundation Phase and Key Stage 2 Teachers Tuesday, 3rd February 2015 Peter Worley and Steve Hoggins £160 +VAT 462*
*Terms and Conditions apply
Summer 2014 - Spring 2015 31
Literacy
Creative Communication? Developing communication and language skills through the arts Young children communicate in so many different ways - through their bodies, their eyes, their gestures, and of course through sound or verbal expression. The arts provide some fantastic pathways for children’s voices to be expressed and heard, and for their language to be developed. Singing provides one of the most fundamental stages to language building, helping the mouth to form the right shapes long before words start to form. Movement enables children to learn how to communicate and manage expression through their bodies and brains, as well as developing core motor skills. Drawing helps children express deep and significant ideas, whilst arts and crafts help them construct ideas and adapt them through the process of making. We will explore the reasons why different children communicate in different ways, and how we can enhance our role as facilitators of their many different languages of expression. Plus we’ll have a go at some great fun exercises that can be used immediately back in the setting. Course participants will have the opportunity to: £ Understand how and why different creative approaches help children to communicate in ways that build on their interests and improve their skills. £ Explore how to encourage different forms of creative expression, so that children can feel better understood and more fulfilled. £ Learn about how our bodies and brains become connected up through different arts approaches (e.g. drawing, movement, music and photography) in the context of early learning. £ Identify different approaches to evaluating and mapping the learning that is happening specifically in language and communications. £ Identify extension activities depending on the needs, interests and ideas of your particular children. Target Audience: Date: Course led by: Cost: Course Booking Code:
Birth to Three Practitioners and Foundation Phase Teachers Tuesday, 10th February 2015 Ruth Churchill Dower £160 +VAT 465*
*Terms and Conditions apply
32 For further information and to book courses, please log on to www.tlpwales.co.uk
Literacy
Picture the Music! Using Sound in the Classroom for Literacy and Communication Skills This one day course will look at the techniques of using sound in the classroom to generate creative responses - and how these can be effectively developed for literacy outcomes especially for reluctant learners. It is an ideal way of providing rich experiences for all children but particularly for disadvantaged groups. The first part of the day will focus on simple movements that can help co-ordination and beat competency. The course will look at items such as pitch, dynamic tempo and melody and how these create responses. We will look at the different nature of responses and discover how to use this knowledge to help people respond to sound. This is a fun filled practical exploration of sound and its use to put across ideas. You are requested to bring 2 instruments of your choice - xylophones, glockenspiels, shakers, tambourines, Tambours, Drums of any shape and size, claves, rainsticks...anything.
A fantastic day that links closing with the ‘Deprivation Agenda’. It will inspirational any teacher - lots of potential to develop art, literacy, music and maths teaching. Course participants will have the opportunity to: £ Use music and art as starting points to enhance well being. £ Use sound to draw and create pictures. £ Find out how sound in partner artwork helps develop non-verbal communication skills. £ Reflect on the emotional connection and opportunities for self-expression that these experiences offer children who are disengaged or harder to reach. £ Develop story telling of both imaginary and ‘lived experiences’ through sound. £ Generate creative responses for literacy outcomes. Target Audience:
Foundation Phase and Key Stage 2 teachers, teachers working with SEN pupils, Nurture Group Teachers and Leaders Date: Tuesday, 10th March 2015 Course led by: Phil Davies Cost: £160 +VAT Course Booking Code: 472* *Terms and Conditions apply Summer 2014 - Spring 2015 33
Literacy
Dots, Dabs and Scribbles Mark Making and Early Writing Opportunities for mark making and early writing are fundamental in developing children’s confidence and enjoyment in becoming writers. As well as considering the progression of writing in the early years, this course is packed with tips and ideas on how to get the most out of the children in your school or setting. You will leave buzzing with ideas to start immediately, as well as longer term aims to improve your practice. Course participants will have the opportunity to: £ Re-visit the progression of writing from the earliest days. £ Develop ideas for a ‘graphics rich’ environment. £ Consider what motivated boys and girls as writers and how best to meet their needs. £ Reflect on the stages that children go through when learning about print. £ Consider the demands made on children as they become writers. £ Refresh their bank of ideas and re-invigorate their practice!
Target Audience:
Teachers and practitioners working with children from Birth to Seven Date: Tuesday, 11th November 2014 Course led by: Glenda Dudley and Wendy Thomas Cost: £160 +VAT Course Booking Code: 477* *Terms and Conditions apply
34 For further information and to book courses, please log on to www.tlpwales.co.uk