Improving Literacy in the Primary School

BOOK COVER......Page 1
HALF-TITLE......Page 2
TITLE......Page 3
COPYRIGHT......Page 4
CONTENTS......Page 5
TABLES......Page 6
PREFACE......Page 7
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS......Page 8
Introduction......Page 9
‘Improvement’ and literacy......Page 12
What was studied in the research......Page 14
The four major studies......Page 17
Classroom observation......Page 18
Samples......Page 20
The effect of schooling and ‘effective’ schools......Page 23
Improving schools......Page 26
Effective teachers......Page 29
Concepts of ‘literacy’......Page 32
Teaching reading......Page 34
Fluent readers and successful beginners......Page 35
Phonological awareness......Page 36
Teaching methods......Page 37
Enthusiastic readers......Page 38
The contribution of parents......Page 39
3 THE NATIONAL SURVEY......Page 41
Organisation and the role of the language co-ordinator......Page 42
The teaching of reading......Page 45
Reading schemes, books and teaching methods......Page 46
Current initiatives—involving parents......Page 48
Current initiatives—evaluating policy and changing organisation......Page 51
Children with reading difficulties......Page 53
How can reading standards be improved?......Page 54
Baseline assessment......Page 59
Target setting......Page 63
Constraints......Page 65
Local authorities after 1988......Page 69
The study of four LEAs......Page 70
Policy and practice in Birmingham......Page 74
Local authority initiatives and schools’ responses to them......Page 78
A case of ‘self-help’ in a new town......Page 84
Schools’ perceptions of ‘good’ LEA practice......Page 85
5 THE ORGANISATION OF LITERACY IN SCHOOLS AND CLASSROOMS......Page 89
Experience and training in the teaching of literacy......Page 91
Definitions of literacy......Page 93
Responsibility for literacy......Page 95
The role of the post-holder......Page 96
Literacy policies......Page 98
Post-holders’ conditions of work......Page 100
Budgets, resources and support......Page 101
Assessment, monitoring and record keeping......Page 102
Target setting......Page 106
The road to improvement......Page 109
The thirty-five case study teachers......Page 111
Group reading......Page 112
‘Quiet reading’......Page 116
Paired reading......Page 118
Teacher reading to the class......Page 122
Big books......Page 125
Reading as a stimulus for writing......Page 126
Children’s own personalised and self-made books......Page 128
Writing for an audience......Page 129
Information technology......Page 131
Celebration and rewards......Page 133
Displays......Page 135
Teachers’ perceptions of successful and less successful activities......Page 136
Phonics teaching......Page 139
Look and say......Page 144
Hearing children read......Page 146
Writing and spelling......Page 151
Punctuation......Page 152
Making progress in reading......Page 155
Reading materials and resources......Page 156
Analysis of text......Page 158
Poetry......Page 159
Story tapes......Page 161
Plays......Page 162
Pragmatism in practice......Page 163
Support personnel in the classroom......Page 165
The role of parents......Page 167
Parents’ perceptions of schools’ information and advice about reading......Page 171
Taking books home......Page 173
Parents’ accounts of their experiences sharing the school reading book with their child......Page 175
Parents in the classroom......Page 178
Classroom assistants......Page 179
Library support......Page 181
Miss Dobson—Reception teacher......Page 183
Miss Brown—Year 1......Page 186
Miss Stinton—Year 2......Page 190
Mrs Hutchings—Year 2/3......Page 193
Miss Lansbury—Year 3......Page 197
Mrs Turner—Year 5......Page 199
Common features and differences......Page 201
10 THE PUPIL PERSPECTIVE......Page 205
Did pupils ‘improve’?......Page 207
Pupils’ reading......Page 209
Reading with adults......Page 211
Reading strategies......Page 214
Boys and girls......Page 216
Boys’ and girls’ ratings of their own characteristics......Page 217
Boy—girl test score comparisons......Page 219
Salient boy—girl comparisons......Page 221
How pupils see themselves—what they said in interviews......Page 222
Perceived purposes of reading......Page 223
The ‘improvers’......Page 225
Joseph, aged 6, Year 2......Page 230
Miriam, aged 9, Year 5......Page 233
Marcus, aged 10, Year 6......Page 236
Craig, aged 5, Year 1......Page 238
Andrew, aged 9, Year 5......Page 240
Four ‘improvers’......Page 241
Amina, aged 5, Reception......Page 242
Rachel, aged 7, Year 3......Page 243
Charlotte, aged 4, Reception......Page 244
David, aged 9, Year 5......Page 245
A big sinker and an improver within the same class......Page 247
Different patterns of improvement......Page 250
12 IMPLICATIONS FOR POLICY AND PRACTICE......Page 252
Local authorities......Page 253
Schools......Page 255
Teachers and classrooms......Page 256
Pupils......Page 259
Parents and home......Page 262
The performance of boys......Page 264
Foundations for a literate society......Page 269
BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 270
INDEX......Page 278