At Landau Forte, students’ literacy skills are priority when facilitating their academic and personal achievements. Students are encouraged, both in and out of session time to communicate clearly and effectively, in written and verbal form, to develop a well-developed thought process; enabling them to thrive during their educational journey.
Word of the Week
Tier 2 and 3 vocabulary
Embedded within all tutor guides and during session time, students are explicitly directed towards using tier 2 and 3 vocabulary during class or paired discussion and independent work. Tier 2 vocabulary is made up of academic words that are used within written texts across multiple contexts. Tier 3 vocabulary is subject-specific academic language. The vocabulary is carefully chosen by subject teams from the current topic that is being taught during the term, which changes as students begin new content. As the majority of terms that fit into tier 2 and 3 are multisyllabic words, the skill of decoding is taught to enable students to determine the denotation and pronunciation of the term. This is a step-by-step process in which students identify the prefix and suffix of a word, compare to familiar words and separate the syllables that make up the term to facilitate their confidence when approaching unfamiliar vocabulary.
Wise Words
During sessions, both teachers and students use the tier 2 and 3 vocabulary when outlining and discussing concepts. Within all exercise books, students write down vocabulary terms that are imperative to their understanding and knowledge of the subject. Within this process, students practice their spelling of unfamiliar words to ensure that they are using it correctly. For all students, their wise words act as a reference point when they are articulating their questioned responses or during discussion points.
Frayer models
Within session time, student are utilising Frayer models to expand and strengthen their vocabulary. Frayer models are designed to allow students to explore vocabulary terms that are fundamental to the curriculum. Students focus on the definition, characteristics, examples and non-examples of tier 2 and 3 vocabulary words to provide a comprehensive and detailed understanding of the term. In turn, this prompts students to use these words within their written and verbal expression; building their vocabulary bank of multisyllabic words across the curriculum.
Assessment feedback
After completing an assessment, students are given literacy targets that focus on their spelling, punctuation and grammar. Alongside subject-specific targets that aid their curriculum knowledge, literacy targets direct students’ focus onto their written expression and how best to improve.
Monthly challenge
Landau Forte’s monthly writing challenge encourages students to improve their written expression and expand the use of vocabulary within their writing. Through detailed planning and thoughtful word choice, students can practice their writing skills during session and at home.
Oracy
