Active Literacy: Whole School Literacy Framework

My whole school literacy framework is made up of the following elements:

  1. Professional development for staff
  2. Literacy elements embedded in learning sequences
  3. Intervention for those students working below level

Literacy elements are taught explicitly in English, but expanded upon and made specific in other Domains.

(Victorian Curriculum, 2015)

Literacy elements:

Vocabulary

Whole school vocabulary initiative based on the Marzano 6 step process

ESC Vocabulary model

Reading and viewing

Reading and annotating text

Active Literacy reading program

Writing

Whole school writing – Text Types

Whole school writing – Write to Learn

Information literacy – Effective Research

Speaking and listening

Year 9 Your voice, your choice

Substantive talk

 

 

 

ESC Effective Research

 

Effective research logo

 

Effective Research at Emerald Secondary College is based on 6 steps:

  1.  Define the task
  2. Locate information
  3. Select resources
  4. Organise your notes
  5. Present your ideas
  6. Evaluate your work

Resources to support these steps:

ESC Library Effective research student planner booklet 2016

ESC Library Effective Research Teacher guide – to come

Effective Research wikispaces – this link takes you to another website with a step by step guide to the research process.

Other useful resources

ESC Library Website evaluation activity 2016 – this activity is based on the Constructivist approach to learning

 

Note taking template:

Note taking template 1

Active Literacy – Reading comprehension program

Why read?

Reading is an essential life skill, but more than that, it is the ticket to success in life.

Every day we see that literacy is the catalyst for positive change. It allows individuals to develop their knowledge and potential, earn their livelihood, participate fully in their community and wider society, and enjoy continuous learning and the fullness it brings to their lives.

Source: http://www.literacyworldwide.org/get-involved

connecttoreading

 

Active Literacy at Emerald Secondary College

Students are invited come along to a reading session in the library on a fortnightly basis.  Students complete the following passports to develop their comprehension skills across fiction and non-fiction.

Section 1: Monitoring comprehension – The inner conversation

a Following the inner conversation
b Notice when we stray and how to fix it
c Knowing what you know and don’t know
d Noticing and exploring thinking
e Read, write and talk

ESC Library Active literacy continuum student book section 1

ESC Library Active literacy Teacher guide Section 1

Section 2: Activating and connecting to prior knowledge

a Beginning to make connections: It reminds me of…
b Text to self-connections: Relating the characters to ourselves
c Distracting connections
d Text-to-text connections: finding common themes in author studies
e Noticing and thinking about new learning
f Rethinking misconceptions: New information changes thinking

ESC Library Active literacy continuum student book section 2

(Teacher guide to come)

Section 3: Questioning: The strategy that propels readers forward

a Share your questioning about your own reading
b The more we learn, the more we wonder
c Some questions are answered, others are not
d Gaining information through questioning: Thick and thin questions
e Reading with a question in mind
d Questioning that leads to inferential thinking

ESC Library Active literacy continuum student book section 3

(Teacher guide to come)

Section 4: Visualizing and inferring

a Visualizing from a vivid piece of text
b Creating mental images that go beyond visualizing
c Inferring the meaning of unfamiliar words
d Inferring with text clues
e Visualizing and Inferring to understand information

ESC Library Active literacy continuum student book section 4

(Teacher guide to come)

escactiveliteracybkmark

ESC Active Literacy Book mark – respond to reading with Reading comprehension strategies; prediction, clarify, question, summarise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ESC Active Literacy bookmark

 

My grateful thanks go to the staff at Rowville Secondary College for sharing their resources which formed the basis for this program. 

This program is adapted from the following resources:

Harvey, S., & Goudvis, A. (2000). Strategies that work: teaching comprehension to enhance understanding. York, Me.: Stenhouse Publishers.

Oczkus, L. D., & Pearson, P. D. (2010). Reciprocal teaching at work: powerful strategies and lessons for improving reading comprehension. (2nd ed.). Newark, Del.: International Reading Association.

Witter, M. (2012). Reading without limits: teaching strategies to build independent reading for life. Sydney: John Wiley and sons.

School Library Association of Victoria, (2014). Build community through reading. [online] Available at: http://slav.org.au/ [Accessed 20 Nov. 2014].

 

About the library

 

The ESC Library is a vibrant hub of activity where students read, research or complete homework, individually, in small groups or as a class

Staff are committed to providing an environment where students can work to the best of their abilities.

The purpose of the library is to work with the school community in the promotion of:

READING: nurture a love of books and enjoyment of reading

RESEARCH: encourage the development of inquiring and informed individuals

RESOURCES: provide up to date and quality resources for both staff and students

Opening hours

Monday – Friday from 8:15am – 4pm.

Closed recess (except for Seniors with private study)

Open lunchtimes from 1pm.  (Monday 1:10pm)

Staff

Mrs. Ferguson – Teacher Librarian

Mrs. Heldoorn – Librarian

Mrs. Semple – Librarian

Ms. Cardamone – A/V Technician

Students are welcome to come into the library with their class, as small groups or individually.

If you come from your class to complete individual study, or to use the Learning Commons, you must bring a note in your planner.

Students must always bring student planner, pencil case and have a purpose for being in the library.

Follow us on Social Media:

Facebook: Emerald Secondary College Library page – All news and events happening in and recommended by ESC Library

Twitter: ESCLibrarytweet – Relevant and engaging teaching resources

Instagram: esclibrary – Young Adult reading recommendations and related events.