Great Idea: Early literacy word work

How early literacy word-level activities work

For early literacy word work to be effective, it is important to: 

• Select words carefully to ensure they will help learners access and engage with the curriculum. This is likely to mean using words that are either central to the curriculum learning (e.g., a circuit when learning about electricity) or words that will be frequently encountered in lessons. If the learner is also at the new to English stage of speaking and listening, then basic “everyday” words will be important (sometimes known as “tier 1 words”) - a switch, for example. If the learner’s speaking and listening skills are further developed (early acquisition to fluent), high utility words that the learner is likely to encounter across the curriculum may be particularly useful (sometimes known as “tier 2 words”) - connect, for example. 
• Consider the number of words the learner will work with in one session so that they are appropriately challenged but not overloaded. We recommend between approximately three and eight words at a time.  
• Provide an opportunity for learners to learn and rehearse the words orally before engaging with literacy activities. 
• Model clear handwriting and give guidance on letter formation, e.g., with a reference sheet showing the starting point and direction of each letter. Supervise early handwriting as much as possible. 
• Provide opportunities for translation where appropriate. This could be with another learner or member of staff who speaks the same language, or with the use of translation software.   
• Provide frequent opportunities to revisit the words to support learning.  
• Expect rapid progression from the earliest stages of literacy development and provide the learner with opportunities to start reading and writing the words/phrases in sentences and texts. Word-level activities can be effectively carried out in preparation for, and alongside, sentence and text-level literacy activities, such as DARTs and the use of writing frames.   

Top Tip

Once the focus words have been chosen and images selected, these can be used repeatedly for different activities. For example, a matching activity created on a Word document, can be easily adapted to make other activities such as labelling or filling in initial letters. Widget Online is a useful website for sourcing visuals and creating resources.

Why is early literacy word work a Great Idea for learners using EAL?

Learners who are literate in another language will have transferable skills when learning to read and write in English (August, et al., 2009), but those who are using English as an Additional Language to learn to read and write for the first time will need considerably more support. Early literacy word work is an approach to addressing some of the specific needs of learners who are at the early stages of literacy, and an example of the kinds of “highly differentiated classroom practices” necessary to meet these (Anderson, et al., 2016).  

Research suggests that some specific focus on the development of word-level skills is beneficial for the literacy development of learners using EAL (Murphy and Unthiah, 2015). With its focus on vocabulary building, along with skills such as single word reading and phonological awareness, the activities above combine “language” and “literacy” support (Murphy and Unthiah, 2015). Integrating language and content is a fundamental principle of EAL pedagogy (Gibbons, 2009), and the focus on curriculum-related vocabulary, which underpins the concepts they are learning (Conteh, 2015), supports learners’ access to the curriculum while they are developing their proficiency in English.   

Visuals, widely agreed to be useful for learners at the early stages of learning English (NALDIC, 2005), offer contextual support, a key tenet of EAL pedagogy. Cummins argued that the teacher’s task is to gradually reduce contextual support while increasing cognitive challenge (in Sharples, 2021). Although early literacy word work is unlikely to be highly demanding cognitively, the level of cognitive challenge these tasks offer will depend on the learner’s age (Sharples, 2021) and existing skills and knowledge. Because it is context-embedded and unlikely to present significant cognitive challenge, early literacy word work is a supportive starting place for learners who are taking their first steps to engage with written text independently.

References

Anderson, C., Foley, Y., Sangster, P., Edwards, V., and Rassool, N., 2016. Policy, Pedagogy and Pupil Perceptions: EAL in Scotland and England. [pdf] Available at: < https://www.bell-foundation.org.uk/app/uploads/2017/05/CERES_Full_Report.pdf> [Accessed 10 November 2022]. 

August, D., Shanahan, T. and Escamilla, K., 2009. English Language Learners: Developing Literacy in Second-Language Learners – Report of the National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and Youth. Journal of Literacy Research, 31(4), pp. 432-452.  

Conteh, J., 2015. The EAL Teaching Book: Promoting Success for Multilingual Learners in Primary and Secondary Schools. London: SAGE. 

Gibbons, P., 2009. English Learners, Academic Literacy, and Thinking: Learning in the Challenge Zone. Portsmouth: Heinemann. 

Murphy, V. and Unthiah, A., 2015. A systematic review of intervention research examining English language and literacy development in children with English as an Additional Language (EAL). London: Educational Endowment Fund. 

NALDIC, 2005. Developing Language in the Mainstream Classroom. [pdf] Available at: <https://www.naldic.org.uk/Resources/NALDIC/Initial%20Teacher%20Education/Documents/Developinglanguageinthemainstreamclassroom.pdf> [Accessed 10 November 2022]. 

Sharples, R., 2021. Teaching EAL: Evidence-based Strategies for the Classroom and School. Bristol: Multilingual Matters.