Literacy
Literacy Development in Ysgol Penglais School (download our policy by clicking here).
As a school we aim to develop and embed literacy across the curriculum to raise the standards of reading, writing and oracy for every learner within our school. We aim to support learners in their acquisition of literacy skills through a broad and balanced whole-school approach. At Penglais, literacy development is a collective responsibility and shared goal; all staff should ensure skills are consistently addressed to allow students to fulfil their potential as confident and articulate communicators.
Language is the main medium we use for teaching, learning and developing thinking so it is at the heart of our daily school life. Not only is literacy essential for progress in the school environment, but also lays the foundations for lifelong learning; underpinning personal, inter-personal and team-working skills.
Literacy support at home
| What can we do? | Further Suggestions |
| Skimming a text to get the general idea | Use an article on current affairs or a newspaper item. (What is this text about?) |
| Scanning a text to search for specific details | Choose topics of interest and ask closed questions to gather information. (What? Who? When?) |
| Reading together. Use extended texts which may be more challenging. Concentrate on understanding the main theme of the text. Think about understanding the big picture and not stressing about some difficult words. | Use an article on current affairs. Guide the reading through the whole text, pausing at interesting points. |
| Read the text and predict the ending. Consider different viewpoints of the character and discuss how the story could develop. | Talk about the reader and make reasonable guesses about the text or the characters. (What do you think happens next? Why do you think this? What do you think the character will say about?) |
| Read aloud: challenging texts such as newspaper articles or resources which may have been covered in lesson. | Encourage variety in tone of voice; this may help understanding. Pay attention to punctuation; pausing for effect. |
| Review work completed in school. Look through exercise books and discuss work done in lessons. | Has the work been enjoyable or challenging? It is important to discuss opinions and not just content. |
| Recall information. Read, reread and repeat the passages you find appealing. | Describe an interesting event in a novel or film, recall the main information in a story from a newspaper article. Could any of the vocabulary be used in work for certain subjects? |
| Read varied texts and then compare them and give them your opinion. | Discuss different parts of the text. What have you learnt? What ideas are presented? Why are the texts persuasive or appealing? |
Recommended reading lists per year
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Year 7 Recommended Reading List
The Goldfish Boy- Lisa Thompson
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone- JK Rowling
The Island at the End of Everything- Kiran Millwood Hargrave
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas- John Boyne
Diary of a Wimpy Kid- Jeff Kinney
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase- Joan Aiken
Billionaire Boy- David Walliams
Artemis Fowl- Eoin Colfer
Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief- Rock Riordan
The Dark is Rising- Susan Cooper
Wolf- Gillian Cross
The Boy in the Dress- David Walliams
The Wizards of Once- Cressida Cowell
The Seeing Stone- Kevin Crossley-Holland
The Carpet People- Terry Pratchett
War Horse- Michael Morpurgo
Northern Lights- Philip Pullman
Current Affairs Website
The Week Junior www.theweekjunior.co.uk
BBC News www.bbc.co.uk/news
National Geographic Kids www.natgeokids.com/uk/
Read Fiction Books Online
Google Books https://books.google.co.uk/books
readanybook https://readanybook.com
Amazon Kindle Books
CGP Books Practise & Learn Maths and History are currently FREE for Kindle users.
Plus Amazon are offering a huge range of free books to download including: Alice in Wonderland, Beast Quest, Etty Steele Vampire Hunter.
Please take a look if you have a Kindle.
Year 8 Recommended Reading List
Welcome to Nowhere- Elizabeth Laird
Eragon- Christopher Paolin
Stormbreaker- Anthony Horowitz
The Outsiders- S.E Hinton
The Hobbit- JR Tolkien
The Coral Island- RM Ballantyne
Journey to the River Sea- Eva Ibbotson
Millions- Frank Cottrell Boyce
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime-Mark Haddon
Mortal Engines- Philip Reeve
The London Eye Mystery- Siobhan Dowd
Goggle Eyes- Anne Fine
Small Steps- Louis Sachar
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy- Douglas Adams
The Secret Garden- Frances Hodgson Burnett
Treasure Island- RL Stevenson
The Girl of Ink and Stars- Kiran Millwood Hargrave
Skulduggery Pleasant- Derek Landy
Current Affairs Website
The Week Junior www.theweekjunior.co.uk
BBC News www.bbc.co.uk/news
National Geographic Kids www.natgeokids.com/uk/
Read Fiction Books Online
Google Books https://books.google.co.uk/books
readanybook https://readanybook.com
Amazon Kindle Books
CGP Books Practise & Learn Maths and History are currently FREE for Kindle users.
Plus Amazon are offering a huge range of free books to download including: Alice in Wonderland, Beast Quest, Etty Steele Vampire Hunter.
Please take a look if you have a Kindle.
Year 9 Recommended Reading List
Divergent- Veronica Roth
Hatchet- Gary Paulsen
Noughts and Crosses- Malorie Blackman
The Twilight Saga- Stephanie Meyer
Monster- Michael Grant
Catch 22- Joseph Heller
What not to do if you turn Invisible- Ross Welford
The Fault in our Stars- John Green
The Count of Monte Cristo- Alexandre Dumas
Dracula- Bram Stoker
The Maze Runner- James Dashner
Frankenstein- Mary Shelley
Beauty- Robin Mckinley
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy- Douglas Adams
The Bubble Wrap Boy- Phil Earl
Split Second- Sophie McKenzie
The Book of Dust Volume One- Philip Pullman
You Are Awesome- Matthew Syed
Current Affairs Website
The Week Junior www.theweekjunior.co.uk
The Week www.theweek.co.uk
BBC News www.bbc.co.uk/news
National Geographic Kids www.natgeokids.com/uk/
Read Fiction Books Online
Google Books https://books.google.co.uk/books
readanybook https://readanybook.com
Amazon Kindle Books
CGP Books Practise & Learn Maths and History are currently FREE for Kindle users.
Plus Amazon are offering a huge range of free books to download including: Alice in Wonderland, Beast Quest, Etty Steele Vampire Hunter.
Please take a look if you have a Kindle.
Year 10 Recommended Reading List
A Monster Calls- Patrick Ness
We Are All Made of Molecules- Susin Nielsen
13 Minutes: A Novel by Sarah Pinborough
Every Day by David Levithan
Wuthering Heights- Emily Bronte
Atonement- Ian McEwan
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep- Philip K Dick
The Hate U Give- Angie Thomas
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy- John le Carre
The Lord of the Rings (Trilogy)- JRR Tolkien
Midnight’s Children- Salman Rushdie
Paper Butterflies- Lisa Heathfield
How to Make Friends with the Dark- Kathleen Glasgow
Noble Conflict- Malorie Blackman
Book of Dust Volumes 1 and 2- Philip Pullman
1984- George Orwell
Day of the Jackal- Frederick Forsyth
Current Affairs Website
The Week www.theweek.co.uk
BBC News www.bbc.co.uk/news
Read Fiction Books Online
Google Books https://books.google.co.uk/books
readanybook https://readanybook.com
Amazon Kindle Books
CGP Books Practise & Learn Maths and History are currently FREE for Kindle users.
Plus Amazon are offering a huge range of free books to download including: Alice in Wonderland, Beast Quest, Etty Steele Vampire Hunter.
Please take a look if you have a Kindle.
Year 11 Recommended Reading List
The Time Machine- H.G Wells
Looking For Alaska- John Green
The Hate U Give- Angie Thomas
Game of Thrones- George R.R Martin
The Perfect Storm- Sebastian Junger
We Were Liars- E. Lockhart
The Three Musketeers- Alexandre Dumas
The Hound of the Baskervilles- Arthur Conan Doyle
Shadowhunters- Cassandra Clare
War of the Worlds- HG Wells
Carrie- Stephen King
Midnight’s Children- Salman Rushdie
A Short History of Nearly Everything- Bill Bryson
Knife Edge- Malorie Blackman
Book of Dust Volumes 1 and 2- Philip Pullman
Flowers for Algernon- Daniel Keyes
All the Bright Places- Jennifer Niven
Current Affairs Website
The Week www.theweek.co.uk
BBC News www.bbc.co.uk/news
Read Fiction Books Online
Google Books https://books.google.co.uk/books
readanybook https://readanybook.com
Amazon Kindle Books
CGP Books Practise & Learn Maths and History are currently FREE for Kindle users.
Plus Amazon are offering a huge range of free books to download including: Alice in Wonderland, Beast Quest, Etty Steele Vampire Hunter.
Please take a look if you have a Kindle.