How To Support Your Teenager With Literacy Aims: *  To provide background information on literacy skills *  To think about the role of technology *  To suggest ideas for a ‘reading and writing’ home *  To help you to support reading, writing, spelling and organisation *  To let you know what to do if you’re worried To be literate you need to be able to read and write at a ‘functional level’. Multiple Literacies * Examples of literacy are everywhere! * The first way you can help students is to encourage them to see that reading and writing are necessary in all areas of life. * Teenagers don’t always make the connection that being a good reader/
writer = independence. Multiple Literacies: *  home literacy (routines, chores, shopping lists) *  literacy in everyday life outside of home (bus timetables / reading menus / understanding road signs etc.) *  social literacy (manners, etiquette) *  work literacy (procedures, routines) *  auditory literacy (radio, conversation) *  visual literacy (graphics, text, TV) *  computer literacy (using software) *  web literacy (surfing the Internet) *  digital literacy (mobile phones, e-­‐mail, MSN) *  curriculum literacy (school subjects) Literacy Support at Home
•  Whilst making students aware of how important literacy skills are is a start, below are some practical ways to support students with these skills. Writing for different purposes •  Use your own correspondence at home to make students aware of the difference between formal and formal writing. •  Use the following documents found on the Parental Advice page to help students to write for different purposes. 1. 
2. 
3. 
4. 
5. 
Writing to Discuss
Writing to Explain
Writing to Inform
Writing to Persuade
Writing to Recount
Website research: Encourage your teenagers to find out about things they ask questions about-­‐ or give them a research task. http://simple.wikipedia.org e.g. “What is Cornwall like for our holiday next year”? “How do you make spaghetti bolognaise”? Then ask them to feedback verbally to you what they have found! The internet offers free resources: Suggestions for online literacy games, quizzes and worksheets: • 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise
http://www.readwritethink.org
http://mathandreadinghelp.org
http://www.ictgames.com/literacy.html
http://www.literacysites.com/litgames.htm
http://www.channel4learning.com/sites/waywithwords/index.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/hardspell/starspell_game.shtml
http://www.brightknowledge.org
http://mathandreadinghelp.org/kids_games/index.html
A reading and writing environment •  Consider if there is anything you can do to change the environment where students do school work and reading generally. •  Go through written work with them and help them to proof read work. •  Don’t mark their work with a red pen! Ask them questions about errors they may have made. E.g. “Does that look right?” “When I •  Read this to you does it sound right?” The days may have gone where you read to
them! But, ask them to read short sections of
books to you.
Alternatively, get 2 copies of the same book
from a library/bookshop and then have
discussions about what you are reading.
Create a literacy environment at home Model your own habits for them: Magazines do
encourage
reading!
Play literacy games together! Many have DVD versions available, or connect your PC or iPad to your TV. Try some of the following: Balderdash, Taboo, Outburst, Cranium What if my teenager gets stuck? Phonemes, phonics, syllables – a quick guide! Phonics… Word families Mum, how do you spell the end of station? !on… It’s the same as ac!on, na!on, men!on…
Get them to create a PowerPoint of word families e.g. common prefixes or suffixes or
words with difficult spelling patterns ‘ight’ ‘ould’ etc.
Syllables Break the words into parts Clap the sound Syllables Daff /o/dil 3 Ex/plan/a/tion 4 Myth/o/lo/gi/cal 5 Asking ‘how many syllables?’ rather than immediately spelling the word can
develop this skill.
Techniques – useful for tricky ‘one-­‐off’ words SUS
Study the word
Underline the difficult part(s)
Say the word carefully
Mnemonics – make up your own *  -­‐ould – Oh, you, lucky duck (should, could, would) *  Laugh – Laugh At Ugly Goat Hair *  Because – Big Elephants Can Always Understand Small Elephants *  Island – an island is land surrounded by water *  Necessary – 1 collar and 2 sleeves are necessary *  Piece – a piece of pie *  Separate – there is a rat in separate *  Accommodation – 2 cats, 2 mice, 1 dog -­‐ accommodation *  Quiet – keep quiet about my diet Help with Writing Tasks Generate ideas anything they can think of and jot it down or draw it. POST-Its
are helpful for this.
Encourage students to think about the sections of what they are writing
and make a plan.
Writing Beginning - (Introduction)
Idea 1
Idea 2
Idea 3
End – (Conclusion)
Reminder-­‐ writing for different purposes *  Writing for different purposes *  Use your own correspondence at home to make students aware of the difference between formal and formal writing. *  Use the following documents found on the Parental Advice page to help students to write for different purposes. 1. 
2. 
3. 
4. 
5. 
Writing to Discuss Writing to Explain Writing to Inform Writing to Persuade Writing to Recount Organisation-­‐ Teach them a 3 stage process which can be applied to home chores and activities as well as homework.
3 STAGE PROCESS -­‐ RAG * 1. Get Ready * 2. Pay Attention * 3. Good job finished! Organisation R = Get Ready *  Make a list of the steps * Find necessary equipment * Make a work station * Tick off the steps Organisation A = Pay Attention *  Stick with the job *  Ignore other distractions and resist temptation! *  It’s okay to take a short break to stretch (and even plan what you’re going to do AFTER the task is complete). *  Prompt them to ask themselves “Is this what I am supposed to be doing?” (Let them know resistance gets better with practice!) Organisation G = Good job finished! * Talk about copying work neatly and proof reading (or asking you to proofread). * Final steps (name on the work, putting it in school bag). Social networking-­‐ does encourage reading! Perhaps the most important thing is to keep talking… Ask them how you could help them best. What if I’m worried? The Thomas Hardye School wants to enable every
student to reach his or her full potential.
Talk to us if you’re worried or concerned.
Contact Claire Davies (Literacy Co-ordinator)
[email protected]
If you’re worried about your own literacy… www.dorsetforyou.com/adultlearning www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/english Suggestions for online literacy games, quizzes and worksheets: • 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise
http://www.readwritethink.org
http://mathandreadinghelp.org
http://www.ictgames.com/literacy.html
http://www.literacysites.com/litgames.htm
http://www.channel4learning.com/sites/waywithwords/index.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/hardspell/starspell_game.shtml
http://www.brightknowledge.org
http://mathandreadinghelp.org/kids_games/index.html