For the Love of Literacy

October 2016

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Year 8 student Liam M has taken part in the Accelerated Reader programme.

This year, as part of our ongoing commitment to improving literacy skills among our young people, our English Department and Library will be promoting a number of exciting literacy initiatives.

As a result of the positive outcomes and student responses to our Accelerated Reader programme, which we launched last September, this year will see a much higher profile approach to the scheme, with all students in Years 7, 8 and 9 enjoying one dedicated lesson in the Library each week. Accelerated Readers select a book to read from a recommended list and, on completion, answer questions to test their understanding of the text. All students will have their own online account, which they can access at school and at home, to track their current reading level and progress, and to take part in the online quizzes.

To assist extended writing skills and increase vocabulary, all departments now have subject-specific key word glossary cards to help students incorporate more sophisticated language into their written work; and, new for this year is the introduction of writing frames to assist in structuring essays, reports and letters. Generic writing frames have been included in individual student planners this year and departments will hold writing frames appropriate to their subject, such as those for formal reports or business letters in Business Studies, or critical analysis frameworks in creative subjects such as Art, Media and Drama.

Other new initiatives will include participation in the Royal Shakespeare Schools Festival for Years 7-13, a scheme that combines interpretation of text with creative performance; and visits to theatre productions to analyse a variety of plays. Year 7 students will also be taking part in the BBC News report in March, which involves seeking out and writing news stories which are then filmed by our roving reporters and submitted to BBC News for inclusion on their website.