Research School Network: The Foundations of Early Literacy 5 musings on early reading and writing

Charlotte Scanlon

A guaranteed way to get my Year 2 class to fall quiet is to say ​‘Right, it’s story time, who would like to choose a book?’ I am no Michael Rosen reading his famous Chocolate Cake poem (look it up on YouTube!) nor do I have the storytelling prowess of any of the many celebrity readers on CBeebies bedtime story slot. But somehow, those magic words of ​‘story time’ seem to instil a calm hush in the busy classroom as the children settle down to be transported into another world through the pages of a book. This informal, treasured time is just one facet of primary literacy that provides the foundation for confident literate pupils.

The EEF’s recent Guidance Report, Improving Literacy in Key Stage 1, distils recent research into 8 key recommendations to support literacy in the early years of primary education, arguably the critical moment when pupils become speakers, listeners, readers and writers. Their eight recommendations are described as ​‘lever points’ which are key moments where teachers can impact a pupils’ literacy education. This blog summarises and gives examples to support those recommendations.

1. Classroom talk at the heart of literacy

Recommendation 1 – Develop pupils’ speaking and listening skills and wider understanding of language

James Britton is quoted as saying ​‘Writing floats on a sea of talk’ and he’s right, without the development of early language through teacher interactions, early writers would find it very difficult to articulate their ideas on paper. Aimee Stephens from Billesley Research School takes this quotation a step further saying, ​‘Everything floats on a sea of talk’ and I couldn’t agree more. Research by Mary Myatt places oracy at the centre of learning, putting emphasis on classroom talk to facilitate learning. 

The EEF Guidance Report states this as ​‘talking with children rather than just talking to children’. Arguably this starts before KS1 in nursery and the EYFS, but it’s compelling that this is primary recommendation of their paper. Not only do children develop their ability to communicate but their knowledge and vocabulary is stretched too. Utilising talk partners in the classroom is an effortless way to implement this on the ground. Also hearing children read aloud to adults, their peers and themselves develops their language and literacy skills indefinitely.

2. Phonics and decoding are the building blocks of early literacy

Recommendation 2 – Use a balanced and engaging approach to developing reading which integrates decoding and comprehension skills
Recommendation 3 – Effectively implement a systematic phonics programme

Whilst the centre of literacy may well be talking, the formal method of learning to read is held up by the pillars of decoding, comprehension and synthetic phonics. children and parents alike may shudder at the idea of blending digraphs or sorting their phonemes from their graphemes, but a solid phonics education is critical to literacy success. The EEF recommend using different media, genres and content topics to engage pupils and this has been widely successful across the school in which I teach, in particular in KS1. I have a class of caring animal lovers so any comprehension text that mentions animals is sure to engage, equally non-fiction fact files have been perfect as a new type of comprehension text where inference and retrieval questions can be answered.

In Reception and Year 1, a clearly managed phonics programme gives children a structured start to their early grasp of reading. The pandemic and home learning forced many parents to become more familiar with the intricacies of learning to read, especially when helping their children with phonics work. The EEF’s third recommendation outlines clearly what to consider when teaching a phonics programme and how to successfully implement this in your school.

3. PEE in every paragraph? Comprehension techniques of old and new

Recommendation 4 – Teach pupils to use strategies for developing or monitoring their reading comprehension

Teachers of a certain vintage may themselves remember ​‘PEEing’ in every paragraph when they were at school, a phrase which, when uttered that was sure to send a class into fits of giggles. There is still a place for this innocuous acronym – PEE standing for Point, Evidence, Explain – which can help pupils to structure their answers to comprehension questions. Certainly, my Year 2 class can clearly remember the ingredients of a decent answer if they write P‑E-E across the top of their page. The EEF clarifies that strategies are important to help pupils check their own understanding especially with challenging texts. Although PEE might be an easy to remember acronym, teachers need to check understanding through modelling and support, even at the earliest stages of reading comprehension in KS1. This might initially be through verbal back and forth questioning but will develop to pupils being able to write down their answers independently.

4. The pen is mightier than the sword, especially when wielded by a six year old

Recommendation 5 – Teach pupils to use strategies for planning and monitoring their writing
Recommendation 6 – Promote fluent written transcription skills by encouraging extensive and effective practice and explicitly teaching spelling

Reading a 6 year old’s story can bring untold joy and a magical insight into the inner workings of their mind. There is nothing more satisfying for child and teacher alike to see their words become a plot, no matter how straightforward, in the manner of their favourite authors or storytellers. To get to this point, all the classroom talk, phonics learning and reading skills come together in combination. Parents often query how they can encourage their children to ​‘write more’ or ​‘write faster’ and I often refer to the ​‘nuts and bolts’ of writing being important scaffolding for their creative ideas.

The EEF’s fifth and sixth recommendations link to these ​‘nuts and bolts’. To support early writers, we must help them to plan their work to avoid their working memory being overloaded and therefore their ideas lost. Teachers must also explicitly teach spelling (Recommendation six) to encourage pupils to write fluently and not worry about the transcription at the expense of their creativity.

5. Stumbling blocks in literacy are common

Recommendation 7 – Use high-quality information about pupils’ current capabilities to select the best next steps for teaching
Recommendation 8 – Use high-quality structured interventions to help pupils who are struggling with their literacy

I remember on my PGCE training, in a Primary English session, the lecturer saying that teaching a child to write was the most difficult part of primary teaching. Cue gulps of fear from 20 fresh faced teachers and these words echoing in my ears as I approached a Year 1 writing lesson on my first placement. Spoiler alert, that first lesson was disastrous as I thought all 30 odd pupils would magically produce a brilliant piece of writing based on the bells and whistles input I’d sweated over. However, fast forward to the end of a 6 week placement when, even those who struggled with literacy, had become wonderful (5 year old) wordsmiths. Teachers are constantly gathering information about the pupils in front of them and it is this important data that can inform the next steps for planning and teaching early literacy. The EEF summarise how to change tack into two key points: changing the focus or changing the approach (recommendation 7). Both steps will ensure the literacy teaching is of the highest quality. This is not to deny that there will be pupils in the classroom who continue to struggle, which is why it’s critical to keep reviewing approaches and foci to ensure they’re relevant to the pupils in front of you. Equally where further support is needed by a pupil, it’s important that these interventions are high quality and structured (recommendation 8) to ensure this raises a pupil’s level of literacy.

1. Improving Literacy in Key Stage 1 – EEF Guidance Report
2. Reading floats on a sea of talk by Aimee Stephens, Billesley Research School
3. Navigating the sea of talk by Early Excellence
4. Walking the talk by Mary Myatt