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individual whiteboards, pupils suggested and evaluated descriptive words and
phrases for the various moods created by the music. The teacher’s open
questions encouraged them to reflect on the links between sounds, images and
language, to draw inferences and make predictions. Good use was made of the
classroom’s ‘writing wall’, to which pupils had earlier contributed descriptive
vocabulary.
50. Some pupils were slow to volunteer ideas at this stage. They could, however,
be seen actively contributing to discussion a little later when working in small
groups to interpret characters’ developing relationships and the author’s
intentions in the illustrations. When pupils then shared their thinking with the
whole class, role play and hot-seating clearly helped them to be specific and to
dig deep into motivation, mood and point of view. It was noticeable that far
more pupils were able to contribute productively to the final discussion than
had been the case at the beginning of the lesson. Their involvement and
learning had been developed through approaches that included visual, musical
and linguistic strategies.
51. In discussion, pupils were emphatic that the thinking and analysis prompted by
this approach to reading had a positive impact on their writing: ‘It makes you
more imaginative.’ They drew on the ideas and strategies that they had
identified through their analysis of visual texts. Their extended writing was
often imaginative, vividly descriptive and carefully plotted. This was
demonstrated in work sparked by exploration of the opening sequences in The
arrival. Boys as well as girls enjoyed building up suspense and an atmosphere
of menace, trying out for themselves Shaun Tan’s device of half-seen,
suggestive glimpses of ‘things’ that create unease. Those whose grasp of
English made extended writing difficult were able to develop and organise their
ideas as a captioned poster or storyboard.
52. The explicit development of pupils’ speaking and listening skills is also key to
achievement in a school where English is an additional language for most
pupils. Teaching in English is characterised by a distinct and well-developed
approach to group work. The school has replaced the more common primary
school policy of guided reading with a group reading programme which it has
adapted to suit the needs of its pupils. The principle behind this approach is
that sharing observations and interpretations enhances what any pupil can do
individually: ‘You have more fun. You look closely and see things you didn’t
notice before.’ Pupils describe this approach as ‘giving and receiving’. Central to
the programme is that children think of their own questions to discuss with
their peers. This develops reading comprehension alongside independence and
thinking skills.
53. One lesson observed showed how teachers managed this approach to group
work on a class novel. The different activities were as follows. One group was
led by a pupil selected by the other pupils. This was a productive exercise in
enlightened decision-making: ‘We’re not judging people. We choose a leader to
be happy. We give a turn to everybody.’ As pupils took turns to read aloud, the
Excellence in English: what we can learn from 12 outstanding schools
May 2011, No. 100229
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