Grade 1 - 5 Parent Literacy Workshop (September 2016)

1. Gr 1-5 Literacy Parent
Workshop
A.Anita
Date: 22 September 2016

2. What was the last book that you read?
The vital role of parents as role models for their children

3. Key elements of our Literacy Programme
Blocked time each day for each grade
from Gr 1 - Gr 5
Differentiated instruction based on
individual needs
EAL and Learning Support working
with homeroom teachers
Balanced Reading and Writing
Programme with Oral Language
woven through
Daily iRead and follow up Literacy
activities at home

4. Phonics
Key building block in developing reading and
writing skills
Understanding the link between letters and
the many sounds they make
Explicit teaching and opportunities for inquiry
and applying phonics knowledge to reading
and writing activities

5. Guided Reading
Teacher supported reading of the text at an
instructional reading level
Small groups of students of similar ability
working with the teacher
Each child has their own copy of the text to work
with
Teacher acts as a guide, students are responsible
for reading focusing on comprehension of the
text.

6. Comprehension
Literal comprehension
● Questions where the answer can be
found directly in the text
● Who, What, Where, When questions
● Retelling the story
● Structure; Beginning, Middle with a
problem and ending
Inferential comprehension
“Reading between the lines”
● Questions where the answer cannot
be found directly in the text
● Predicting before and during reading,
summarising
● Why, How questions
● Relate to student’s own knowledge
and experiences to draw conclusions

7. Balanced writing programme
Big Writing

8. How can I help my child with their writing?
Strong, vivid vocabulary: “You chose a really interesting word to describe that monster – ferocious. That word
makes me go WOW!
Idea development: “You described how the lizard’s tongue works really clearly. At first I couldn’t understand
how a tongue can smell, but this sentence helps.”
Audience awareness: “This sentence starter really grabbed my attention.”
Organisation: “Nice connectives here: ‘On the other hand.’ That’s a good way to show that you’re going to talk
about a different side of the issue.”
Attempts at sophisticated punctuation: “Is that a semicolon? Wow, that’s a pretty advanced punctuation
mark. I like to see you trying new things with your writing.”
Proof-reading: Encourage your child to re-read their work, “How can you make your writing better? Does that

9. What is Big Writing?
3 key elements
1. “Talking time”
Related to the text type or topic the children will be writing
about
2. Big Write Day: Session 1 VCOP and planning time
Build on existing skills, use assessment to guide next steps
3. Big Write Day: Session 2 Silent, individual writing time
Setting the scene in the classroom to encourage creativity and
concentration, time prompts

10. Differentiation in Big Writing
Start with
ASSESSMENT
Set
TARGETS
to improve
Plan
VCOP
lessons
Take into
account
PLPs
Termly
assessment
tasks
Big Write session
as part of weekly
writing tasks
T
TALK

11. VCOP
What is VCOP?
Connectives
Openers
Punctuation
Vocabular
y

12. Quickly, the fox jumped over the babbling creek
in hot pursuit of the rabbits. Frightened, the
rabbits were hopping and jumping quickly as they
desperately tried to reach safety. The fox could
smell their fear as they reached the edge of the
forest. He knew that dawn was approaching and
soon he would not be able to hide under the
cover of darkness…
VCOP -Detail and description

13. The role of assessment
Reading
Phonics
Running records
SRI (Scholastic Reading
Inventory) Gr 2-5
ISA (International Schools
Assessment) Gr 3-5
Writing
Phonics
Writing levels
ISA (International Schools
Assessment) Gr 3-5
Spelling
We use assessment to help us plan learning activities specific
to the needs of each child.
The importance of GROWTH

14. Further support at home
Be good role models, encourage vocabulary development, be involved, ask
questions. Model what we want our children to be, confident readers and
writers who can think critically and apply their literacy skills in a range of
settings.
Encourage students to be strong speakers, readers and writers in their
Mother Tongue
Encourage genuine opportunities to write; postcards, birthday cards, diaries,
recipes
iRead - reading DAILY Use our school library
Check the unit flyers posted on the grade level blogs
Homework grid - Writing task each week
Raz Kids/Study ladder/Khan academy