Primary English: Teaching Theory and Practice, 4th Edition (Achieving Qts)

207 Pages·2009·1.53 MB·English

by  Liz Coates

Achieving QTS
Meeting the Professional Standards Framework
Primary
English
Teaching Theory and Practice
Fourth edition

Achieving QTS
Meeting the Professional Standards Framework
Primary
English
Teaching Theory and Practice
Fourth edition
Jane Medwell . David Wray . Hilary Minns
Vivienne Griffiths . Elizabeth Coates
www.learningmatters.co.uk
Acknowledgement
Chapter 8: extract from The Hodgeheg by Dick King-Smith (Hamish Hamilton, 1987)
copyright (cid:1)Dick King-Smith, 1987. Reproduced by permission of Penguin
Books Ltd.
Firstpublishedin2001byLearningMattersLtd.
Secondeditionpublishedin2002.
Reprintedin2002,2003,2004(twice),2005and2006.
Thirdeditionpublishedin2007.
Reprintedin2007.
Reprintedin2008.
Fourtheditionpublishedin2009.
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,storedina
retrievalsystem,ortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronic,
mechanical,photocopying,recording,orotherwise,withoutpriorpermissioninwriting
fromLearningMatters.
(cid:1)2009JaneMedwell,DavidWray,HilaryMinns,VivienneGriffiths,ElizabethCoates
BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationData
ACIPrecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary.
ISBN9781844452750
TherightofJaneMedwell,DavidWray,HilaryMinns,VivienneGriffithsandElizabethCoates
tobeidentifiedastheAuthorsofthisWorkhasbeenassertedbytheminaccordancewith
theCopyright,DesignsandPatentsAct1988.
CoverdesignbyToucan
TextdesignbyBobRowinskiatCode5Designs
ProjectManagementbyDeerParkProductions
TypesetbyPDQTypesetting,NewcastleunderLyme
PrintedandboundinGreatBritainbyCromwellPressGroupLtd,Trowbridge,Wiltshire
LearningMattersLtd
33SouthernhayEast
ExeterEX11NX
Tel:[phone]
[email protected]
www.learningmatters.co.uk
Contents
1
Introduction 1
2
Learning English 5
3
Effective English teaching 17
4
Speaking and listening: developing talk in the primary classroom 26
5
Teaching reading at Key Stage 1 41
6
The teaching and learning of phonics and phonologicalawareness 52
7
Teaching early writing 69
8
Teaching handwriting and spelling 79
9
Developing reading at Key Stage 2 90
10
Teaching writing at Key Stage 2 112
11
Teaching with electronic texts 128
12
Including all children 142
13
Organising and resourcing English at Key Stages 1 and 2 148
14
Assessing English 167
Glossary 187
References 190
Index 193

1
Introduction
About this book
Thisbookhasbeenwrittentocaterfortheneedsoftraineesonallcoursesofprimaryinitial
teachertraininginEnglandandotherpartsoftheUK.Bytheendoftheircourse,traineesare
requiredtohavedevelopedadefinedsetofprofessionalattributes,professionalknowledge
andunderstandingandprofessionalskills.Suchteachingskillsarerequiredfortheawardof
Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) or its equivalent. The book will also be useful to Newly
QualifiedTeachers(NQTs)andotherprofessionalsworkingineducationwhohaveidentified
aspectsof theirEnglishteaching whichrequireattention.
ThisbookhasbeenwrittenwiththerequirementsoftheProfessionalStandardsforQualified
Teacher Status firmly at its core. Section 3 of these Standards describes the professional
skills essential for those to be awarded QTS. Specifically, these skills include the ability to
planappropriatelyfortheEnglishworkofaspecifiedgroupofpupils,tomonitor,assessand
recordpupils’progressinthevariousaspectsofEnglish,andtoteacheffectivelythematerial
specified in theNationalCurriculum and thePrimaryFrameworkfor literacy teaching.This
bookaimstoaddresstheessentialskillsofEnglishteachingasspeltoutinthesedocuments.
Features ofeachchapterofthisbook include:
. clearlinkswiththeProfessionalStandardsforQualifiedTeacherStatus;
. linkstotheEnglishNationalCurriculumforEngland(DfEE/QCA,1999);
. linkstotheEarlyYearsFoundationStage(DCSF,2008);
. linkstothePrimaryFrameworkforliteracyandmathematics(DfES,2006);
. Englishknowledgeandunderstanding;
. classroomstoriestoillustrateimportantpoints;
. researchboxes;
. practicalactivities;
. reflectivetasks;
. movingonsectionssuggestingideasforfurtherdevelopment;
. furtherreading;
. aglossaryofimportantterms.
Each chapter of this book addresses the teaching of particular areas of English, such as
readingandwriting.Thesubjectknowledgethatprimaryteachersneedinordertobecome
effective teachers of English and literacy is addressed in the companion volume, Primary
English: Knowledgeand Understanding(Learning Matters, 2009). However, the authors of
thepresentbookhavealsoattemptedtomakecleartheknowledgeyouwillneedinorderto
carry out successful Englishteaching.
What is primary English?
There is a good deal of consensus about what we want children to achieve in primary
English,butitcanstillbedifficulttodefineprimaryEnglishasasubject.Forthepurposes
1
Introduction
of this book we feel that primary English is about acquiring the skills, knowledge and
attitudestobecomeanempoweredreader,writer,speakerandlistener.
Teaching primary English involves ensuring children learn the skills and processes of
literacy and oracy, but these are not always defined simply. Literacy can be construed as
havingtheskillsnecessaryforeffectivereadingandwriting,butthisraisesmanyquestions.
Forinstance:whatdegreeofexpertisemustoneachievetobe‘literate’?Aresomepeople
more literate than others, and what do we mean by this? Does literacy involve reading
certaintextsandnotothers?Whataboutmedialiteracy–theabilityto‘read’andbecritical
aboutmedia suchas TVandthe internet?
TheNationalCurriculumlooksverybroadlyatliteracy,aimingforallchildrentobeableto
readandwriteafullrangeoftexts.Theyshouldlearnnotonlytodecodeandencodewritten
English,butalsotobecriticalaboutwhattheyreadsothattheycanidentifythestanceofthe
authorandtheintendedeffectsonthereader.TheNationalCurriculumaimsforchildrento
readawiderangeoftexts,includingelectronictexts.Inwriting,too,theaimsoftheNational
Curriculumarenotonlyforchildrentobeabletowriteinatechnicalsense,butalsoforthem
to beableto writeto express themselves and achievetheirpurposes forwriting.
Inoracyitisalsoimportanttorecognisethatchildrenneedtobeabletolistennotonlytothe
literalsenseofwhatissaid,butalsotolistencriticallyandevaluatetheveracity,relevance
andintentofwhattheyhear–tobecomecriticallisteners.TheNationalCurriculumaimsto
empower children to become critical speakers, too, so that they are able to speak appro-
priatelyandeffectivelyinawholerangeofsituations,whateverthepurposeoftheirspeech.
To use reading, writing, speaking and listening skills, children need a great deal of knowl-
edge. They need to know about the technical aspects of speaking, listening, reading and
writingiftheyaretobeabletousethemeffectively.These‘technicalaspects’includeavast
rangeofspecialisedknowledge,forinstanceknowingthesoundsofEnglish,knowingabout
word order in sentences, knowing how to listen for the key points from a text. The most
importantandcomplexknowledgechildrenmustgainisknowledgeabouthowtoorches-
tratetheirskillsandunderstandingsaboutreading,writing,speakingandlisteningeffectively.
Todothis,childrenneedtoknowaboutsuccessfultexts–thesecanbewrittenexamplesof
literature or non-fiction, spoken discussions or reports. If children have clear, effective
modelstheycananalysewhytheseareeffectiveandbegintomaketheirowntextseffective.
Allthis knowledgeis part ofprimaryEnglish.
In addition to skills and knowledge, primary English also involves attitudes. We aim for
children to find reading fiction an enjoyable experience, so that they will be motivated to
domore.Weaimforchildrentofindnon-fictionpersuasive,interestingoruseful.Weaimfor
childrentolearnfromlisteningandtospeakpowerfully.Theseareonlyafewoftheattitudes
towardsliteracyandoracythatweaimforchildrentodevelop.Thetextsbythemselveswill
not develop useful attitudes in children. It isthe way the texts are treated byteachers and
childrenthatdevelops attitudes.
PrimaryEnglishisaboutempoweringchildrenwitharangeofskills,knowledgeandattitudes
for schooling and life. Primary English involves studying and creating spoken and written
texts.Englishtextsandlanguageareworthstudyingforthemselvesandalsoasagatewayto
every othersubject inthecurriculum.
2
Introduction
The Professional Standards for Qualified
Teacher Status
TheProfessional Standardsfor Qualified TeacherStatus includethreeareas.
1. Professional Attributes – defined as the attitudes and commitment to be expected of
anyonequalifyingtobeateacher.
2. ProfessionalKnowledgeandUnderstanding–definedasanauthoritativeknowledgeof
thesubjectbeingtaughtandanunderstandingofpupils’progresswithinthatsubject.
3. Professional Skills – definedasthe skills needed toplan, manage, monitorand assess
pupils’learning.
TheGuidanceaccompanyingthestatementofProfessionalStandardsclarifiestheserequire-
mentsandgivesseveralexamplesoftheminaction,aswellasofthekindsofevidencethat
a traineeteachercoulduseto demonstrate achievementof theStandards.
Inthisbookwearefocusingmainlyonthethirdoftheabovethreeareas,theskillsneededto
plan,manage, monitorandassesslearning inEnglish,includingliteracy.
English in the National Curriculum
EnglishintheNationalCurriculumisorganisedonthebasisoffourKeyStages.KeyStage1
for5to7yearolds(Years1and2)andKeyStage2for7to11yearolds(Years3to6)cover
theprimaryrange.ThecomponentsofeachKeyStageincludeProgrammesofStudywhich
set out the English that children should be taught: Attainment Targets which set out the
English knowledge, skills and understanding that children should attain, and Level
Descriptions which describe the types and range of performance that children working at
aparticularlevelshouldbeabletodemonstratewithineachAttainmentTarget.Englishinthe
NationalCurriculumisaminimumstatutoryrequirement.Sinceitsintroductionin1989ithas
been significantly revised three times. The Programmes of Study for English currently
include:
. En1SpeakingandListening;
. En2Reading;
. En3Writing.
English in the National Curriculum also emphasises links with other subjects, and sugges-
tionsfortheuseofICT.AlthoughEnglishwillbethespecificfocusofEnglishlessonsitisalso
apartofmostoftheothersubjectsyouwillteachintheprimaryyears.Thisoffersvaluable
opportunities to work across the primary curriculum so that children not only gain extra
practiceinEnglishskills,butusetheirliteracyororacyinwayswhichmakeitmoremean-
ingful ordevelop flexibilityandfocus.
The Early Years Foundation Stage
TheEarlyYearsFoundationStage,includingtheEarlyLearningGoals,describeswhatmost
childrenshouldachievebytheendoftheirreceptionyearandoffersastructureforplanning
3