Literacy policy reminder:Speak like an essay

Write like an expert

Allow time to improve work

Focusing on HOW to encourage and implement / enforce

‘Speak like an essay’

Think It, Say It, Write It

Logically,

1. We can only say what we can think.

2. We can only write what we can say.

3. But if we can say it, we can write it.

Thought stems

• Turn thought stems used for essays into prompts for expressing ideas verbally in the classroom.

• Display prompts around the room and direct pupils to express their ideas using the thought stems.

• Examples…

Thought Stems: English

Alternatively, the writer may be suggesting that …………………………...

This makes the reader feel a range of emotions such as ……………………………...

This could symbolise …………………………… or may perhaps signify …………………..

Reflecting the text’s overall theme of ……………….., the line “ …………” suggests ………………………………..

Thought Stems: French

J’aime beaucoup…. parce que…

J’ai passé je passe je vais passer

PAST PRESENT FUTURE

A mon avis / D’apres moi / Selonmoi/ Pour ma part, je pense que…

Thought Stems: Maths

A good questionnaire should have t… b… and a t… l…

A sample should be f… otherwise it is b…

To find x we should multiply both sides by…

To add fractions the d… must be the s…

Corresponding angles are found… and… the parallel lines

Thought Stems: History

One effect of … was to …

The first reason for … was …

These factors led to …

As a result …

CREATE YOUR OWN …• In faculties, create your own ‘thought

stems’ or sentence starters that would work for your subject.

• These can be turned into large laminated posters to display around the classroom

• Then point to them and remind students to use ‘Speak like an essay’ – using formal language and key words in responses.

Can you differentiate them?• How could your thought stems be

appropriate for different levels? • What different paths of thought might a

lower ability or an upper ability student make? How could this be used to help differentiate for them to challenge their ideas?

The signifier shows…

The signifier could suggest…

One interpretation of the signifier

could be…

Thought stems in action…