Oxford Spires Academy

English Specialist CfBT Sponsored Academy

Our background

• CfBT Sponsored Academy opened January 2011

• Significantly low levels of attainment on entry• 43% Pupil premium, 25% SEN, 53% EAL• Richly diverse• Strong student leadership and behaviour• 93%of teaching is good or better• Setting a positive culture was key to success

Successes• Good and close to outstanding OFSTED July 2013

noting excellence in English• Progress levels in English Language significantly higher

than average (87%[ 2012] 83% [2013] achieving expected and 46% 4 levels)

• 70% and 72% C + in English despite significantly low levels on entry

• UK winners in Poetry competitions (Tower, Foyle, COMPAS, John Betjeman, Lancaster, Magdelen College School)

• Winners of Blenheim Palace Public Speaking trophy and Jacobsthal Debating Competition

OFSTED 2013

• “Students make impressive progress from their starting points, attaining results that are sometimes significantly above national expectations, especially in English and mathematics”

• “Extra help is provided when needed and no child is left behind”

• “Tolerance, equality and harmony are promoted seriously and are integral to the life of the academy”

OFSTED 2013 contd.• “Students are proud of the academy and thrive on

the opportunities to compete and participate in the range of enrichment activities on offer”

• “Students who speak English as an additional language do well and quickly acquire the necessary skills”

• “Students read accurately, and effective programmes to encourage reading for pleasure, supported by a well equipped library are having a positive impact on students’ progress”

• “Students work well together. They are expected to discuss each others work and be critical and evaluative”

What is fundamentalto our success?

• An outstanding English department• An outstanding Head of Faculty• Curriculum time including extra

timetabled intervention in Year 11• A Writer in Residence• Every teacher a teacher of Literacy• Literacy intervention and enrichment

What is fundamentalto your success?

• What could you do even better?

• What strengths could you develop?

Writer in Residence

Poetry Successes:The Christopher TowerThe Sir John BetjemanThe FoyleThe COMPASThe Lancaster UniversityThe BBC poetry by heartMagdalen College School

What has helped our success?

• LEXIA and Accelerated Reader• First Story • English Specialist Co-ordinator running a

prolific extra curricular offer• Talking Schools Action Research• Literacy Co-ordinator working closely with

teachers• Good EAL provision• Great library and librarian

English Specialist Co-ordinator

Talking Schools: Constructive Controversy

Literacy Co-ordinator• A linguist who collaborates with teachers in

class and preparation• A non teaching member of staff• Involved in 3 Literacy Action Research projects• Runs whole school INSET• Produces resources• Monitors effectiveness of strategies across the

school• A teacher of small group and one to one

teaching

FORMAL ELEMENTS: The formal elements of art are the basic units and the means artists use to create and design their work.

LINE: A series of points connected to form a length. An artist's line is a drawn mark and has length and width. (Mark-making).

TONE: Shading - The areas of light and dark within an image to create the illusion of depth.

COLOUR: Colour is the element of art that is produced when light, striking an object, is reflected back to the eye. Groups of Colour: PRIMARY, SECONDARY, TERTIARY. WARM/COLD.

COMPOSITION: The positioning of elements within an area.

TEXTURE: The surface quality - textures can be categorised as: VISUAL TEXTURE is a mere illusion & PHYSICAL TEXTURE refers to the tactile features.

FORM: A shape that is 3D or looks 3D.

SHAPE: Any area enclosed by a line. Geometric & Organic shapes.

PERSPECTIVE: A way of showing distance in a drawing or painting.

Signpost What are you writing about? •I am looking at ?........ ?........’s work because (LINK to your own artwork)•I am interested in ?........ ?........’s work because…. (CONTEXT)

PointRespond directly to the art work (artists work or your own) This is where you state your opinion and identify the relevant information to describe/discuss the artwork.•I can see the artist has used……. (FORMAL ELEMENTS) •I can see the media/materials/technique/ process the artist has used is …. (PROCESS)•I think that the work is about… (CONTENT/MOOD ideas, feelings communicated)•I think the work is successful because….Should be short, clear and precise.

EvidenceWhat information / examples do you see in the artwork that supports your point?•May be introduced with: Because I can see, For instance, For example, The reason for this is, The evidence to support this is, This is shown by…

ExplanationThis is where you back up/justify your opinion.•How does this evidence prove your point?•What does this evidence show you?•What wider impacts could this evidence have?

DevelopThis will be the section of your paragraph where you can develop your explanation further. You may need to evaluate or justify your point and evidence.•Is there an alternative interpretation of your first piece of evidence?•What other evidence do you have to support your point?•Is there another source that is relevant to your point?•Does your selected evidence illustrate similar ideas to other evidence?•To what extent does the source or evidence make a convincing argument?Building further: Further SPEED paragraphs should follow, using signposts such as ‘additionally’

or ‘on the other hand’ to indicate how your next idea links with the previous paragraph.

A guide to analysing your own or others artwork

Presenter

Presentation Notes

Connective Table Mats so students see the same thing across subjects. Connectives or functional language forms need to be explicitly taught alongside content vocabulary and purposeful verbs.

Key ingredients

Plan it – order your ideas

• Box up information logically in paragraphs• Introduce topic clearly with a hook• Round information off with interesting

conclusionLink it – join your ideas effectively

• Begin each paragraph with a topic sentence to introduce topic

• Link points with connectives and sentence signposts

Express it –make your ideas sound good

Check it: Green Pen Policy

• Choose effective phrases to help reader understand• Include detail to illustrate points• Vary sentences to keep it interesting• Use technical language appropriately

• Read it through, check for accuracy and improve • Make certain it informs the reader

Co-constructed toolkit for information text

Presenter

Presentation Notes

Literacy Marking Classroom poster with LSCWC grid for pupils to write misspellings in back of their books to learn.

Presenter

Presentation Notes

Talk for Writing Maths Mat to support understanding of word problems in maths.

Prohibit(Verb)

To forbid by law or other authority.

The sale of alcohol to young people is prohibited by law.

definition

definition

To prevent something from happening or being done.

Drinking plenty of water prohibits dehydration.

Prohibits

prohibited

prohibitingprohibitive

prohibition

Word Forms

The Matthew Effect: the rich get rich and the poor get poorer.Plan ‘Talk’ into all lessons. It should be purposeful

and structured.

Systematically introduce key vocabulary (use visuals)

Model good communication

Working with meaningful word parts (morphemes) helps pupils read and understand extended vocabulary.

1 2 3 4 5 6

UniMono

Bidu

tri QuadTetraquart

PentaQuint

HexaSext

4 Kinds of Questions

• Right There = literal, the answer is in the text for the reader to read.

• Pulling it together = bridging, answer is in the text but reader has to pull it together from different parts.

• Author and me = inference, answer is not in the text. Reader has to use information given (find clues) and own general knowledge to find the answer.

• On my own = evaluative, answer is not in the text. Reader does not have to have read the text to answer the question but reading the text will inform his/her answer.

DARTS Directed Activities Related to Text

Diagram Completion

Underlining Highlighting Annotating

Advantages of DARTS Promotes problem solving thus promotes thinking skills Active learning in pairs or groups Interacting with texts supports comprehension Supports reading of more difficult texts Enables going beyond the literal meaning Become aware of how texts are structured/improving own

writing

Presenter

Presentation Notes

This is a model from the 80s but continues to be an excellent way of working on comprehension of text. Members of a group take on these roles separately as the teacher of their group.

Brain Friendly Exam Revision

Your own notes are the best. The more you personalise your revision, the more effective it will be. So, the notes y o u make are the best.

The process of making notes is part of your revision.

Once you own the work, it is easier to remember!

Brain Friendly Exam Revision

Your brain adores colour and will remember things more easily if you use it.

Key Words

Concepts

Dates

Run on sentences are sentences that lack punctuation. They simply run into each other!

E.g. I rushed out to the shop I had no milk left.

Solutions:

1. Put in a full stop.

I rushed out to the shop. I had no milk left.

2. Use a semi-colon if there is a connection between the two sentences.

I rushed out to the shops; I had no milk left.

3. Insert a connective to make a complex sentence.

I rushed out to the shop because I had no milk left.

Although it may be obvious in this simple example, it is easy to get carried away when writing an essay and end up with too many run-on sentences!

From students’ perspectives

Empowered students

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1cAGoo-CJE

Final thoughts!

What is fundamentalto your success?

• What could you do even better?

• What strengths could you develop?

• What actions will you take?