Oaklands Literacy Strategy

Contact: Mr C Osbourne

Email: c.osbourne@oaklandscatholicschool.org

Development of Literacy at Oaklands

Department and curriculum vocabulary resources
Literacy resources available elsewhere

Reading and writing is vital to personal and academic development, and our school curriculum offers a myriad of opportunities for students to mature and grow further. Our whole school literacy policy ensures students enhance their academic prowess and progress, both through the reading of challenging texts and discussing complex issues to enhance their individual ability to apply literacy skills in all facets of life.

Prioritising disciplinary literacy:

• Explicit teaching of Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary is a priority. Effective approaches, including those related to etymology and morphology, will help students remember new words and make connections between words.
• Dialogic talk/discussion-based learning is an integral component of our curriculum across the school, as well as intrinsic to our teaching and learning methods (e.g. nominated questioning, reciprocal reading & class debates). This provides opportunities to discuss challenging themes and offers key points to review subject specific vocabulary (both Tier 2 and Tier 3).
• Offer bespoke teaching of subject specific vocabulary throughout our curriculum – inculcating a culture of revision and challenge, throughout a students’ learning journey. Vocabulary lists can be found for all subjects and year groups below.

Giving students the ability to read complex academic texts

• Reading a robust profusion of complex texts and building cultural capital in the school curriculum, develops knowledge and learning throughout each student’s learning journey.
• Emotional literacy is enhanced exponentially through constant exposure to challenging literature/texts, developing intrigue, curiosity, prediction, summarising and questioning (reciprocal reading).
• Encouragement for students to access our Library Learning Centre.

Targeted vocabulary instruction

• Writing offers an opportunity for students to put their knowledge and skills into practice. High scrutiny of technical accuracy, flair and creativity allows students to feel confident in their ability to produce high-quality writing and innovation is fostered at every juncture.
• Methods of reflection, review and redrafting, ensure students are constantly learning as part of their continued development and writing skill.
• Implementation of vocabulary read and learnt through reading, is encouraged to be used in writing tasks and exam responses.
• Encouraging students to include an ambitious range of vocabulary in their writing, as a result of their critical reading of various texts. This encourages students to read, write and think critically, as well enhancing students’ ability to utilise Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary.