© Smart Learning Ltd 2014

THE STUDENT GUIDE TO

LITERACY IN EVERY SUBJECT

SMART ESSENTIALS

and how it can help to raise literacy levels across the curriculum

© Smart Learning Ltd 2014

What is The Student Guide to Literacy?

The Student Guide to Literacy:• is a handy literacy reference guide, designed to help secondary school

students meet the reading and writing challenges they face every day in their education• is a small (161mm x 117mm), full-colour, paperback book comprising 88

pages of literacy guidance• has been written by experienced English teacher and adviser for Babcock

LDP (Devon), Richard Durant• was reviewed by an expert panel of teachers and literacy coordinators prior

to publication, to ensure the best selection and presentation of content.

© Smart Learning Ltd 2014

How can The Student Guide to Literacy help you?

The Student Guide to Literacy will support a consistent, whole-school approach to literacy across all subject areas.The Guide helps to raise literacy levels across the curriculum by:• focusing on all areas of literacy essential to securing real improvement in students’

reading and writing• providing students with a clear, practical and consistent literacy guidance that they can

access independently in every lesson across the curriculum• helping those students held back by their literacy skills to achieve in other subjects• enabling all teachers, including those with subject specialisms other than English, to

deliver a unified literacy message in their subject area• giving parents the confidence to support their children in literacy work they undertake at

home.

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What’s in The Student Guide to Literacy? (1) – Content

The Student Guide to Literacy covers essential spelling, punctuation and grammar (SPaG), as well as key advice on writing, reading and research skills.The content is organised into the main sections listed on the right:

• Spelling• Word classes• Punctuation• Sentences• Extended writing• Planning extended writing• Reading• Research skills

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What’s in The Student Guide to Literacy? (2) – Approach

The Student Guide to Literacy:• is aimed directly at students – so they can take ownership of their own learning• has a fresh, uncluttered design – making the content easy to navigate and

allowing students to access the guidance independently both during lessons and outside the classroom• is written in clear, accessible language that students can understand• comes in a manageable format that means students can keep it with them at all

times• takes a two-speed approach, with ‘advanced’ content distinguished from ‘basic’

essentials to allow all students to find support relevant to them, whatever their level.

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What’s in The Student Guide to Literacy? (2) – Approach, cont’d

Within each main section of the Guide, the content is divided into two categories: ‘basic’ and ‘advanced’. The author explains the approach:

The ‘basic’ level pages deal with the sort of reading and writing issues students simply can’t avoid – things such as how to improve their spelling, punctuate properly, write good sentences, and read for information.Much of the ‘advanced’ material is not actually very advanced at all. Instead, ‘advanced’ sections deal with literacy features that might not be absolutely essential in every lesson every day, but with which students will nonetheless need to get to grips as they go up through the school: for example, semi-colons, sentence structure, essay writing, and so on.

Advanced content is distinguished from basic content by its tinted background. This distinction means that students still struggling with basic literacy issues can focus on the white pages; with less content to focus on, success in literacy is less daunting.

© Smart Learning Ltd 2014

What’s in The Student Guide to Literacy? (3) – Features

You will find the following key features in The Student Guide to Literacy:• Rules and strategies – These are usually located at the beginning of a section and are set in a box

for quick reference.• Try it out – These sections give students the chance to try out the advice they’ve just been given,

helping to consolidate their understanding.• Tip – Tips often take the form of handy shortcuts, offering students useful ideas or tricks to help

make the literacy skills more accessible.• Watch out – Warnings alert students to common literacy pitfalls, helping them to fine-tune their

skills; for example, drawing attention to exceptions to literacy rules.• Note – Notes usually offer additional clarification or background information, helping students to

understand a particular point or providing more able students with further detail.• Examples – These are drawn from right across the curriculum, from science to dance, helping

students to see how literacy is relevant in all subjects.

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The Student Guide to Literacy in the classroom (1) - Students

Students can use the Guide as a ready reference in lessons, to support them in activating and improving their literacy skills. For example, students might:• look up or check how to apply punctuation correctly, e.g. speech marks• find strategies to help with accurate spelling• check which reading strategy would best suit a particular task• find support and guidance on how to construct whole arguments in extended writing• remind themselves how to structure and organise paragraphs successfully• find out how to undertake effective research.Some students can be reluctant to ask for help. The Guide gives all students a sense of self-reliance and the confidence to solve their own problems in reading and writing independently.

© Smart Learning Ltd 2014

The Student Guide to Literacy in the classroom (2) - Staff

The Guide is useful for teaching staff too, providing:• support for the literacy coordinator, giving them confidence that a consistent

literacy message is at everyone’s fingertips• invaluable support and guidance for teachers whose specialism is in an area

other than English, giving them confidence to deliver literacy in their own subject area• a shared understanding of the problems students face with literacy, and how

those problems might be addressed effectively through a united, whole-school approach• a shared reference point for students and staff, helping to reduce confusion

and boost confidence all round.

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The Student Guide to Literacy in the classroom (2) – Staff, cont’d

Staff, as well as students, can use this Guide as a ready reference during lessons. Here are some examples:Geography Students are reading a text about glaciers to pick out the key

points about how they shape the landscape. You ask what reading strategies they are going to employ and point them to pages 74 to 78 of the Guide as necessary. You might challenge them to do the ‘Try it out’ exercise on page 76 to practise skimming and scanning.Maths Studying types of quadrilaterals, a student asks how to spell

‘parallelogram’. You ask the student to recall strategies they might use to have a go at spelling the word; you might look at the

‘Better spelling’ section of the Guide with them and encourage them to use the guidance to answer their own question.

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The Student Guide to Literacy in the classroom (2) – Staff, cont’d

French Students are planning a piece of recount writing (in French) about the food they eat at different mealtimes. You draw their

attention to the Guide’s section on ‘Extended writing’, which includes guidance on the use of paragraphs. English The class is doing some creative writing, imagining they are in the trenches of World War One, and about to go over the top. You have discussed how they might vary their sentences for effect. The students are working independently, referring to the Guide’s section on ‘Sentences’ for support with simple, compound and complex structures.Tutor Use occasional spare time in tutor periods to direct students to periods particular ‘Try it out’ activities, to consolidate their skills in those

areas.

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The Student Guide to Literacy outside the classroom

The Student Guide to Literacy is as useful outside the classroom as it is in lessons.• Encourage students to refer to their copy of the Guide for support when

completing extension or independent work, or homework. This will help to foster a sense of independence and achievement, as well as developing literacy skills.• Get parents involved. Many parents really want to support their children’s

learning but lack confidence. They might feel they don’t have the skills or background knowledge to help; English might not be their first language. The Guide facilitates a working partnership between parents and children as they consult the guide together.

© Smart Learning Ltd 2014

The Student Guide to Literacy – any feedback?

Smart Essentials is a new series that delivers easy-to-use resources designed to enable a coordinated approach to learning across the curriculum.The publisher, Smart Learning, would welcome feedback on how you and your students use – or intend to use – The Student Guide to Literacy, as well as ideas about any other materials you would like to see as part of the Smart Essentials series.To give feedback, ideas or with any queries, please do not hesitate to contact the team on 01223 477 550, or via email admin@smart-learning.co.uk.

www.smart-learning.co.uk