Literacy across the Curriculum

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Literacy across the Curriculum

• St Ninians High Kirkintilloch High

Caroline Harper Neil Hannah Kathryn Macleod Scott
McEwan
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Central Thesis

• Learning is mediated by language.
• By increasing the literacy requirements of a
  subject, you will improve learning and raise
  attainment in that subject.

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Structure of Team

• St Ninians High School - four pairs
• English-Biology
• English-History
• English-Physics
• English-Geography
• Kirkintilloch High School - two pairs
• English-History
• English-Modern Studies

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Structure of Work

• Development day to look at aspects of courses in
  pairs and increase literacy challenge.
• Literacy Lunch to present results of development
  day.
• Further day for evaluation and write-up.

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Next stage

• Original team (12 people) will now each take a
  new partner and repeat the process, using extra
  Curriculum for Excellence in-service day as
  initial development time.

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I can design and carry out investigations into
the strength of magnets. From research I can
compare the properties, uses and commercial
applications of electromagnets and supermagnets.
SCN 424LPhys

• I can convey information, describe events,
  explain processes or concepts and combine ideas
  in different ways.
• LIT 327AE

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Skim text on page 94 take 5 minutes

• 3 Facts
• Hans Christian Oersted accidentally found
  electromagnetism
• When current flows through a wire a magnetic
  field goes round it
• Putting a core of Iron inside makes the field
  stronger
• New Words
• Core Insulated
  Coil Danish

• When you skim read you dont need to look at
  details. You just want a general idea of what the
  passage is about.
• Write down three important facts about
  electromagnetism
• Write down any new words or words you do not
  understand

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In pairs Scan text on page 94 take 5 minutes

• Sample Answers
• He found out that when a current flows through a
  wire the wire has a magnetic field round it
• When a current flows through a wire there is a
  magnetic field
• The needle was effected by the magnetic field and
  it swung round
• Put a core of iron inside it. If the wire was
  made into a coil.
• New words
• coil

• When you scan read you look for answers to
  particular questions
• How did Mr Oersted find out about the connection
  between electricity and magnetism?
• What happens when a current flows through a wire?
• What happens to a compass needle when positioned
  close to a current carrying wire?
• Name two methods for strengthening the magnetic
  effect round a current carrying wire?

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• Pupil answer
• The bell can only work when electricity flows
  through it. The core makes a magnetic field which
  attracts the dinger and when the wire breaks the
  dinger hits the bell

• Teacher demonstration of real bell
• Class discussion on bell (using web based
  animation)
• Write notes on how an electric bell works

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Skim Electric Bell section on page 95 take 5
minutes

• The electric bell uses electromagnetism to switch
  off and on the bell automatically
• The electromagnet attracts a soft piece of iron
  with a hammer on the end
• When the switch is pressed a current flows
  through the coils
• Words
• Armature Gong

• When you skim read you dont need to look at
  details. You just want a general idea of what the
  passage is about.
• Write down three important facts about electric
  bells
• Write down any new words or words you do not
  understand

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In Pairs. Read Electric Bell section. List
instructions for making bell work.

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Ordering and Presenting

• In groups place the statements in the correct
  order.
• Each group presents to the class How the bell
  works

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Electric Bell

• Using Wordbank and connectives
• Write a paragraph describing how an electric bell
  works

• Pupil answer
• When the switch is pushed the current flows
  around the circuit, an electromagnet is made.
  Iron is attracted to the electromagnet so the
  hammer hits the gong. This breaks the contact and
  the electromagnet stops attracting the iron. Then
  the spring pulls the hammer back and the contact
  is closed. The current flows again and the hammer
  hits the gong again and again until switch is
  opened

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Other ideas

• Checking for Precision
• Prepare examples of answers
• Write down 3 things that were correct about the
  answer
• Write down three things that were wrong about the
  answer

• Build a bell
• Have a set of laminated bell components
• Pupils to place in correct order

• Just a minute
• classroom version of a radio show called "Just a
  Minute".
• A pupil has to speak on the topic for 60 seconds.
  
• Pupils from the audience can challenge the
  speaker, by raising their hands, and take the
  topic from them for reasons
• Hesitation Repetition - Order

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Literacy Across the Curriculum

• Kirkintilloch High School
• Kathryn Macleod
• English Department

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Common areas of concern

• Written accuracy
• Poor quality of extended written responses

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Aims

• To give pupils greater confidence in producing
  extended responses to give them strategies which
  will encourage responses of greater quality.
• To explicitly teach the skills involved in
  structuring extended responses summarising
  writing answers in their own words.
• To enhance pupils transferable skills and to use
  strategies which could be adopted by teachers in
  other curricular areas.

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Literacy Experiences and Outcomes

• I can convey information, describe events,
  explain processes or concepts, and combine ideas
  in different ways. (LIT 327AE)
• I can persuade, argue, evaluate, explore issues
  or express an opinion using a clear line of
  thought, relevant supporting detail and evidence.
  (LIT 328AF)

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Extended Written Responses

• Incorporate alternative strategies into S1 Harry
  Potter unit.

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Original Pupil Task

• Write a few paragraphs about the character of
  Harry Potter so far. (5-14 English)
• Describe in what ways costume or set would add
  to the overall effect you wish to communicate to
  your audience. (SG Drama)
• Explain how you adapted your strategy and how
  this made your performance more effective (Int I
  PE)

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Pupils Initial Responses

• Very short responses
• Longer responses which did not address the
  question appropriately

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Teaching Approaches

• Provide structure
• Teach the essential components
• Extensive use of self/peer assessment
• Active Learning highlighting, snowballing,
  markers meetings, etc.

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For Example
Four Essential Components
Content
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Pupils Response
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• Harry has a difficult family life and the
  Dursleys dont seem to love him. An example of
  this is that he is made to sleep in a cupboard.
  This shows us that the Dursleys treat Harry badly
  as they dont even give him a bed to sleep in.
  If they cared about him at all they would look
  after him properly. To treat a young boy in this
  way is very cruel and it makes me think that the
  Dursleys are really cruel people. I feel so
  sorry for Harry here because he doesnt have a
  family who love him.

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Final written response (paragraph one)

• Harry has a difficult family life and the
  Dursleys dont seem to love him. An example of
  this is that he is made to sleep in a cupboard.
  This shows us that the Dursleys treat Harry badly
  as they dont even give him a bed to sleep in.
  If they cared about him at all they would look
  after him properly. To treat a young boy in this
  way is very cruel and it makes me think that the
  Dursleys are really cruel people. I feel so
  sorry for Harry here because he doesnt have a
  family who love him.

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Success Criteria

• Has this piece of writing met the success
  criteria in each paragraph?

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Success Criteria

• Has this piece of writing met the success
  criteria in each paragraph?

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Success Criteria - Drama

• Has this piece of writing met the success
  criteria in each paragraph?

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Final written response (paragraph five)

• As the novel continues we find out that Harry
  is a wise boy. This can be seen when Harry meets
  Malfoy at boarding school. Harry is cautious
  enough not to shake Malfoys hand and he also
  avoids becoming friends with him. This reveals
  to us that Harry is a very mature boy, who is
  very perceptive and has strong instincts. I
  think this is an admirable quality as most young
  people do not have this kind of wisdom.

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Impact

• Every pupil produced a written response of
  appropriate length and improved quality.
• Pupils demonstrated
• an enhanced understanding of how to structure an
  extended response of quality.
• increased confidence in their understanding of
  the language of instruction explain,
  evaluate, etc.

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Across the Curriculum

• These strategies could be adapted to any topic,
  within any curricular area, adapting the column
  headings as appropriate.
• Posters visual tool for pupils and teachers to
  refer to easily in order to promote improved
  written accuracy.
• Pyramids/Cubes a cross-curricular tool to
  reinforce punctuation sentence openers subject
  specific terminology language of instruction
  etc.