TheU UnitedK KingdomL LiteracyA Association Everyone can be news a writer.

An agenda for action SPRING 2010 In the autumn edition of Literacy News I argued for UKLA to formulate a straightforward, succinct and under- The President’s Message - standable statement of what should be the basis for developing literacy David Reedy education in the 21st Century. The Executive and National Committees of Moving forward together

UKLA is growing. Get involved! the Association have been discussing what ought to be included and a draft How heartening it is to be able to write Whether you have just joined or have ‘Agenda for Action’ has been produced. that in these straightened times. Our been with us for a while, we can only This will now be included in the next membership significantly increased continue to grow in size and influence issue of ‘English 4-11’ and uploaded during 2009. It means that in excess of if members get involved in the associ- onto the website soon. Please read, 25% of our members have joined over ation’s activities. There are many ways discuss and feedback your comments the last 6 months or so and are in which you can do so. Here are some: so that it can truly represent the broad committed to our overarching objective • Come to our vibrant and view of our membership to feed into of the advancement of education in inspirational conferences. The next the ongoing discussions with policy literacy. Welcome to you all and a big national conference is at the British makers over the coming months. thank you to old friends who are Library in London on March 30th still with us! (see below for details). UKLA News A good proportion of our new members • Contact your Regional Representative We hope you like the newly designed are lead teachers who are part of and find out what is happening in UKLA News which we hope reflects England’s Every Child a Writer (ECaW) your area and how you can help to the Association’s active contribution initiative, led by the Primary National organise activity and events in the to literacy education. This edition will Strategy. UKLA is very keen to support region (visit the UKLA website to also, for the first time, be available and involve these classroom teachers find out who your representative is). on-line. Developing an on-line edition and so we have set up a Task Group, of UKLA News is part of the Association’s • Instigate or join one of the special convened by Marilyn Mottram, Vice plan for sustainability. Members will interest groups (SIGs) or volunteer President, in order to do so. If you go continue to receive the newsletter in to be on a committee. to the UKLA website (www.UKLA.org) the post but if you’d prefer only to have you will find some downloadable • Submit a research proposal and the on-line version, please contact materials which all class teachers share your insights at one of Brenda Eastwood on [email protected] should find useful. If you are an ECaW our conferences. giving her your email address. leading teacher, I am sure Marilyn and • Visit the website and contribute the task group would love to hear I wish you a productive year and ideas and questions to the from you about what you have been look forward to meeting and hearing discussions and forums there. doing and how UKLA could support from as many of you as possible you further. during 2010. Your UKLA Membership

Welcome to all new members, The National Association for the Teaching of English - Eastern Region including all those who have joined and The United Kingdom Literacy Association - Eastern Region through ECaW and the teachers, schools and consultants Pleasure & Progress in Speaking & Listening involved in the 2010 UKLA Children’s A conference for teachers of English, Drama and Media Book Award. Primary to Post-16 Saturday Morning Conference - 13th March 2010, 9.00 - 13.00 Free raffle for all members University of Cambridge Faculty of Education who pay by direct debit! Donald McIntyre Building, 184 Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 8PQ We are delighted that many of our http://www.educ.cam.ac.uk/about/reachus/maps/campus.html members choose to pay by direct Opening keynote address David Reedy debit. In order to say thank you we Effective Talk for Learning: Lessons from research applied to practice offer a FREE RAFFLE each year at the International Conference for all direct David’s talk will focus on what seem to be the key issues identified through debit members. The prize is over £100 recent research which develop classrooms where talk most powerfully leads to of recently published children’s books. changes in pupils' thinking. He will explore practical examples of classroom The next raffle will be discourse and the implications for continuing professional development. in Winchester 9-11 July 2010. Workshops Jackie Woodward: Filming Shakespeare on Location CHANGE now to DIRECT DEBIT Sarah Izzard: Speak, Listen, Dance, Write in order to be entered Richard Spencer and Anthony Partington: Lend Me Your Ears for the raffle! Simon Wrigley: Talk for Learning Just contact Closing keynote address Kevin Crossley-Holland Brenda Eastwood Never Mind the Story! at [email protected] Kevin is renowned for his retellings of traditional tales as well as being a don’t worry if you don’t know your leading children's author and poet. He was shortlisted in 2009 for the membership number - position of Children's Laureate. we can find it! NATE/UKLA members £25 • Non-members £30 • NQTs £20 • Trainees £10 Choice and Voice: Reading and Writing for Pleasure and Independence The British Library, Tuesday March 30th 2010 This exciting and inspirational conference focuses on the significance of children reading and writing for pleasure & independence. It explores ways to motivate, engage and foster both choice and voice in the early years and in primary classrooms. UKLA are delighted to be hosting this conference in the fabulous surroundings of the British Library, near St. Pancras, a fitting venue for a conference dedicated to developing young people’s desire, interest and independence as both readers and writers. Target audience: Teachers (F-KS2) lecturers, advisers and consultants.

Speakers include: Richard Andrews, London Institute of Education Teresa Cremin, Open University Popular children’s author, Alan Gibbons

This professional development opportunity will enable participants to: • profile reading and writing for pleasure in school - the will alongside the skill • examine ways to build communities of readers and writers • engage with classroom activities that promote independence and choice • browse and buy books from a specialist children’s and UKLA bookshop

Conference fee: Non-UKLA members £125 • UKLA members £100 • Students and unwaged £60 For more information and to apply please contact [email protected] or visit www.ukla.org.uk News from UKLA Special Interest Groups

Children’s Books in Initial Teacher Education SIG Some UKLA teachers tried the following ideas: Following the lively inaugural session of the Children’s Books in ITE group at the International Conference in Greenwich, a questionnaire about what is happening on “I explained that readers always imagine education courses around the UK was completed. The characters, places and events differently; content of the returned questionnaires was the focus for no book is ever understood in exactly the discussion at a meeting at Birmingham City University on same way by two readers. I challenged Friday 22 January. It is evident that there is a great deal of reading partners to identify similarities variation in the time dedicated to children’s books in ITE and differences in how they had imagined and that reasons for this are often historical rather than the characters and places in the book based on learning needs of trainees. they were reading. I was stunned by the conversations this simple task produced. Different training programmes also had an impact, with Instead of thinking about comprehension PGCE and EBITT (Employment Based ITT) having much as a ‘right or wrong, they began to less time than BAEd or BEd. The SIG members were all share and explain interpretations.” keen to continue their exploration of the topic and will be “I think poor concentration and poor aiming to feedback to UKLA colleagues at the International comprehension are often linked. I gave Conference in July. everyone in my class who had poor concentration extra lessons to build Left: Members of the Children’s Books in ITE SIG at BCU basic comprehension. It didn’t improve everyone, but it worked for quite a lot.” “I taught my class to ask themselves: ‘Is Comprehension SIG the answer in the book or is the answer All members are invited to join UKLA’s comprehension SIG in my head?’ It helped them think about how to combine what they know with Conveners: Sue Ellis and Colin Harrison the book information.”

What’s it about? • Is it time to question traditional “I asked my pupils to cut faces from magazines and newspapers to show what Reading comprehension is as fundamental, assumptions about comprehension teaching? Is the traditional framework they thought the different characters in but debates on literacy are dominated the story looked like. When we compared, by phonics. We are starting a UKLA of ‘literal, inferential and evaluative’ comprehension useful, or should we the differences and explanations Comprehension SIG to think about use frameworks that focus more on were amazing.” comprehension teaching in schools. how and where children use their We want to know: knowledge? If you are interested in joining • What teachers do that works? • Traditional activities such as reading a Go to the UKLA website and click on the • What teachers have tried that passage and answering questions, ‘login’ and enter your username and is different? tend to test comprehension rather password (the system will email you • What problems do teachers face in than teach it. What sort of written prompts if you don’t know what these teaching comprehension really well? activities are useful? What about are). Then, go back to the UKLA home page and go to the Discussion Forum If any of the following issues interest activities that are not paper-based? link. There you will find a forum for the you, we’d also love you to join us: • Children who struggle to understand Comprehension SIG. There, you can: • Research shows that children with what they read are unlikely to become • Contribute your ideas, questions, poor comprehension at seven years engaged, avid readers, with all the benefits that such reading engagement observations old are likely to be poor comprehen- • Outline your own examples of ders at 15 (Nation, 2005). Anecdotal brings (Cunningham and Stanovich, 1998). If reading engagement matters, classroom work or research evidence is that teachers over-estimate which authors and texts are particularly • Discuss the work on any of the topic their pupils’ comprehension (Ellis helpful for poor comprehenders? Can areas above. and Jajdelska 2009) and do not reliably you recommend some? • Suggest a new topic area. identify those with comprehension • Find the full list of references used in problems (Ricketts et al 2010). • The need to focus on comprehension this extended flyer. is one justification for the ‘simple • Some widely used screening tests may model of reading’, which splits reading We look forward to talking to you! not offer teachers much help. Nation into two distinct knowledge domains, and Snowling (1997) show that decoding and comprehension. Colin Sue Ellis and Colin Harrison children can do well in some of the Harrison (2010) challenges these claims close reading elements of the Suffolk but acknowledges their appeal to Reading Scale but remain poor at policy makers. What do you think? understanding longer texts and open questions. Launch of Perform-a-Poem, the first e-safe site for children’s poetry perfomances www.performapoem.lgfl.net

“I’m hoping that Perform-a-Poem will give an opportunity for children and teachers to experiment and play with poetry in an exciting way. All poems have a voice; sometimes this voice is best heard silently, but most poems enjoy being spoken and performed, because this is how we get to feel a poem.” Michael Rosen

Poetry Competition Winners Perform-a-Poem Above; Winners of the poetry competition with poets, was launched on Roger Stevens and John Agard. (Photo by Susan Greenhill) Tuesday 3rd November at Photograph of young poets at the celebration of the Old a reception at the Possum’s Children’s Poetry Competition, taken after each of National Theatre in them had read their winning poem to a full house at the Unicorn London. It is a Theatre on 14 December 2009. Two of the judges - Roger Stevens unique poetry and John Agard - performed their own poetry and presented performance website the children with their prizes. The judges were excited by the for high standard of the poetry (all on the theme of ‘Heroes and children which Heroines’) and they took time to explain the strengths of each encourages children winning poem. Comments from Carol Ann Duffy, Poet Laureate to write, choose, and this year’s Chair of the judging panel, were relayed to the perform, film and edit poems. Their poetry video performances audience: ‘We left our meeting convinced that the true beginnings can then be uploaded by their teachers, and browsed and of poetry are to be found in writing by children.’ All the winning enjoyed by children in other schools as well as families and poems are published in a booklet and will be featured on the friends. The site contains resources for teachers, written by Children’s Poetry Bookshelf website at teachers and others, on all aspects of using the site - writing www.childrenspoetrybookshshelf.co.uk poems, choosing poems to perform, performance skills, filming, and on the British Council’s website editing and uploading. Initially piloting for London schools, is www.learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/your-turn a joint project between Michael Rosen, Booktrust and the London Grid for Learning (LGfL).

United Kingdom Literacy Association 46th Annual Conference The Changing Face of Literacy: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow University of Winchester 9th - 11th July 2010

UKLA’s 46th Annual International Conference will explore the changing nature of literacy. It will provide an opportunity to examine, discuss and debate what has shaped literacy practices in the past, to speculate about the potential new forms of literacy, and to extend thinking about already existing literate practices.

History and culture, social formations • virtual communities and literacy These, and many more themes, will and technology all profoundly shape practices inside and outside feature in this convivial conference. what literacy was, is, and what it the classroom Visit the UKLA website for more could be. The theme, ‘The Changing • popular culture and its status in Face of Literacy: Yesterday, Today and information and application. the classroom www.ukla.org.uk Tomorrow’ will explore research and • literacy practices and assessment practice on the following topics: for learning • historical perspectives • implications of change for both UKLA • multi-literacies and multimodal policy and practice practices • imaginative approaches to the Winchester • subject and pedagogical content teaching of literacy knowledge in the literacy • the role of the literacy teacher and 2010 curriculum professional development EVERYONE A WRITER Every Child a Writer in Birmingham There are over 300 primary schools in Birmingham and many of them have been looking for new ways of supporting young writers for some time. When we had the chance to join the Every Child a Writer (ECaW) programme we were keen to give it a go. As a team of three Primary Strategy Consultants we have been coordinating the programme with thirty schools since September. We have a fantastic team of ten talented and experienced Leading Teachers, who are implementing the project in their own school in addition to supporting two other participating schools. They are working alongside Year 3 and 4 teachers to share their own good practice and to introduce them to existing and new materials to support their teaching of writing. We have been able to supplement the core programme in exciting ways. Sharing quality literature and rich, challenging picture books has encouraged teachers to plan their own units of work with books that inspire them as well as the children! With any programme that involves 1800 children and 60 teachers, there are inevitably going to be a few hurdles along the way. Our Leading Teachers have built good relationships with the colleagues they are supporting through school visits, shared team teaching and informal cluster meetings. Some strong links between schools are now established, enabling staff not directly involved with ECaW to benefit and creating support structures for the future. Many of the teachers - some of whom are very early in their careers - have become confident enough to share new strategies for teaching writing with their colleagues and have led staff INSET meetings. We held a series of review meetings in December for headteachers and were delighted to hear many positive stories and some really useful suggestions on how to improve the programme further next year. Headline news from pupil progress data, which comes hot off the press, confirms that these positive relationships are having an impact on children's writing - and that's what it's all about! The support materials on the UKLA website have helped us to broaden the whole programme and we are using the Review of Classroom Writing as a tool for self-reflection with many of our teachers - not just the ECAW teachers. We are beginning to see success, not just in progress but in the growth of rich and exciting writing classrooms where there is lots of talk and many opportunities for children and teachers to write for real purposes. Alison Sturgess, Catherine Tooze and Sonia Thompson, Birmingham Primary Strategy Consultants and UKLA members!

word books A Filth of Starlings and A Books to support writing Drove of Bullocks. Here are just a few of the many books A Kick in the Head is subtitled ‘An John Burningham (2000) John Patrick - new and old - that provide support Everyday Guide to Poetic Forms’ but it is Norman McHennessy Red Fox and ideas for writing for teachers and far more exciting than that makes it sound. Jo Furtado & Frédéric Joos (1998) children. Don’t forget all the UKLA A brilliant book, beautifully produced Sorry, Miss Andersen Press publications that also offer sound and illustrated; one to take time over Patrick George (2009) A Drove of theoretical and practical advice on to fully appreciate. Bullocks, A Filth of Starlings teaching writing (for more information Nikki Gamble (2008) Writers’ Secrets visit www.ukla.org.uk). Meeting and listening to authors can be inspirational for young writers. Writers’ Wayland Making up a story can be daunting even Secrets uses that simple fact to bring Jacqueline Harrett Exciting Writing though children are always coming up together the voices of many popular (2006) Paul Chapman with amazing excuses. Sorry, Miss tells children’s authors. It is so helpful to read Robert Hull (2010) Poetry from of the little boy who kept forgetting to that writers sometimes can’t get an idea Reading to Writing Routledge return his library book. My pupils loved or makes mistakes. Paul Janeczko & Chris Raschka (2009) inventing the most fantastic excuses in Poetry from Reading to Writing is a new A Kick in the Head Candlewick Press just four sentences (On the Way Home Paul Johnson (2008) Get Writing by Jill Murphy and John Burningham’s book on reading and writing poetry to add to any others - for example, you will A&C Black John Patrick Norman McHennessy are Jill Murphy (2007) On the Way Home also great for exaggerated excuses). probably all have Exciting Writing by Jacqueline Harrett and the two wonderful Macmillan Children’s Books If you haven’t tried Paul Johnson’s approaches to book making, Get Writing is the book you need. EVERYONE A WRITER

Young people as writers Encouragement for Young people's writing: adult writers Would this invitation interest Attitudes, behaviour and your students? International production company the role of technology Leopard Films have been commissioned Do you want to take part in the world’s by the BBC to produce six short videos, This report outlines the findings from oldest and largest international writing available online at www.bbc.co.uk/mystory 3001 pupils aged 9-16 from England and prize for young people? The Royal to support the recently announced My Scotland, who completed an online survey Commonwealth Society runs this Story website as part of a commitment in May 2009. It explores gender and age extraordinary project to give young to encourage adult literacy. The shorts differences, and examines the link people, no matter what their background, are designed to help people plan and between socio-economic background a voice by promoting literacy, academic structure their stories as well as offering (in terms of FSMs) and writing. excellence, story telling, reflection, tips on writing styles and skills. The Furthermore, it explores young people's awareness and creativity. For full details series of online films will drive awareness writing with respect to mobile phone please see of the UK-wide search for the best ownership, having a blog and having a http://www.thercs.org/youth/ untold real life stories resulting in fifteen profile on a social networking site. It competitions. of the most compelling storytellers concludes with practical and policy Open from January and closes appearing in a BBC One TV series. And implications. 1 June 2010. five of the best stories will be made into For further information please visit five books. My Story is Leopard's first www.literacytrust.org.uk/research/ foray into scripted comedy and features writing_survey_2009.html or contact several leading names from the world of [email protected] entertainment. The short videos are presented by Lenny Henry (returning with national favourite character Deacus) and Nina Wadia (Eastenders.) They also feature cameo roles from Tara Palmer Tomkinson, Stephen K Amos, Rowland Rivron and Peter Duncan.

As fourth year students studying own passion for books and to share UKLA Event Primary Education, we found the lecture this with our children. We laughed, to be thoroughly inspirational and cried and pondered as short excerpts in Scotland found Prue’s excitement about reading of stories and books were read aloud On Tuesday 24 November, the University truly motivating. The lecture was aptly to us and we each thought about the of Strathclyde had the privilege of named A Passion for Reading as this was moment when we felt we had truly welcoming Prue Goodwin to deliver a exactly what Prue has - a true passion “become readers”. UKLA public lecture. This was attended for reading which she shared with us in the short time we had. We hope to be able to bring enthusiasm by students studying on the BEd course into the classroom ourselves and allow at Strathclyde among many others. The UKLA research project Teachers as children the freedom to experience Readers was discussed and proved their own “significant moments” that extremely interesting to us as future make them into readers. teachers. She highlighted not only the importance of teaching children to Claire Beckett, Fiona Goss read, but teaching them to “become and Laura Campbell, readers”. Her talk was emotive as she Trainee teachers at spoke about “significant moments” Strathclyde University with reading and books, i.e. when she felt she had become a reader. It proved to be an extremely moving talk where we were encouraged to identify our News on UKLA Children’s Book Award 2010 from Lynda Graham

Left; Bromley teachers involved in the 2009 award.

The UKLA Children’s Book Award is a national award conferred by education professionals and it is held in high esteem by teachers, who regard the shortlist as a reliable indicator of the best books of the year for inclusion in class and school collections. It is a unique award as it is the only national award in which the shortlists and prize winners are chosen by teachers.

UKLA thanks publishers who submitted over 240 books for the 2010 award. A longlisting panel of consultants steeped in the world of children’s books spent a busy summer reading and discussing these books. This panel: Marilyn Brocklehurst, Nikki Gamble, Prue Goodwin and Lynda Graham (chair), selected two longlists (3-11 and 12-16) at the beginning of September. To see the longlists of selected books visit www.ukla.org.

Meanwhile, Liz Chamberlain (UKLA Regional Rep and lecturer at University of Winchester) and Lynda Graham (convenor of UKLA membership and awards) met with Hampshire consultants Carol Pitts and Jenty Alston, to invite schools in Hampshire to select the shortlists for the award in 2010. Carol, Jenty and Helen Bulbeck introduced the award at a number of meetings at the beginning of the autumn term. Many schools were interested. The 20 longlisted books would be for the schools to keep, and teachers welcomed the idea of reading and discussing newly published children’s books with colleagues. Schools volunteered, and some were selected by ballot as so many were interested. Finally, 10 primary schools and 8 secondary departments were selected, together with some feeder schools. These schools received the 20 longlisted books at the end of the autumn term and are now reading, discussing and arguing about books for the shortlists. Recently, Carol Pitts, Deputy County Inspector for English in Hampshire, sent the following report on their progress: ’Yesterday I had a meeting with five teachers and someone from the School Library Service who all managed to fight their way through the snow, to talk about books we've read so far!! It was great fun and we had some very similar views... and some quite different ones.’

Thank you to all those colleagues reading and talking about books in the following schools: Four Lanes Community Junior School Waterside Primary School John Hanson Community School Lee-on-the-Solent Infant School Wellow Primary School Oaklands Catholic Orchard Junior School Weyford Junior School Otterbourne CE Primary School Winnall Primary School. Portchester Community School Sharpse Copse Primary School Applemore College Testwood Sports College Titchfield Primary School The

Our thanks also go to students on Jonathan Rooke’s course who are shadowing the award, the Hampshire School Library Service, a team from the University of Winchester (Collette Blair, David Simpkin and Catherine Wharton) and Wells Bookshop in Winchester, who are all busily promoting the books longlisted for the UKLA Children’s Book Award 2010. All members are invited to the wine reception for the presentation of the awards on 8 July. Look out for the invitation on-line in the summer www.ukla.org

Lynda Graham