As the exam goalposts shift yet again, Julie Gibbings, schools manager at the National Literacy Trust suggests some engaging ways to include SPaG across the curriculum…
Since January this year there has been a renewed focus on spelling, grammar and punctuation (SPaG) in GCSE qualifications, with marks awarded in English literature, geography, history and religious studies papers. This was announced back in December 2011, so it’s given us a while to get used to the idea and to incorporate it into lesson planning for years 7 ñ 11. Five per cent of the total marks in these subjects will be for accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar.
The Department for Education has many reasons for introducing these marks, which are all part of the governmentís increased emphasis on SPaG throughout the primary and secondary curriculum. The Importance of Teaching white paper states:
When young people compete for jobs and enter the workplace, they will be expected to communicate precisely and effectively so we think that changes in the last decade to remove the separate assessment of spelling, punctuation and grammar from GCSE mark schemes were a mistake.
This of course means that all teachers need to ensure their lessons feature elements of SPaG. Many have argued that this may pull schools away from subject content, but there are benefits to be found too. The Chartered Business Institute has reported that 42% of employers are not satisfied with the basic use of English by school and college leavers.
As a result 44% have to invest in remedial literacy. We need to address this and help prepare our pupils for real life ñ but do it in a way that is both relevant and engaging. We believe it is the responsibility of all subject teachers, not just the English department, to incorporate SPaG into lesson plans. It doesnít have to be a chore ñ there are unlimited options to keep things interesting, and you neednít be restricted to routine spelling tests for key vocabulary (although pop quizzes can be useful). A whole-school approach is vital for consistency of teaching, however. It ensures that key literacy skills are embedded for students and enables them to transfer skills across everything they do. At the National Literacy Trust we work with a number of secondary schools and showcase best practice. Some of our network members have provided top tips that could easily be replicated in your classroom
Sarah O’Donnell,
(LITERACY COORDINATOR, BANBURY ACADEMY)
We have remodelled our marking practice from Y7 upwards to focus on SPaG. So we have posters in every classroom in every subject (we are linking SPaG to Quality of Written Communication in a drive to ensure all students apply it in all subjects). We then mark using S P G in the margin to indicate where corrections need to be made (which are done in green pen). We also had a whole school launch in tutor time of SPaG to explain what it means, with a video to reinforce it ñ and every exercise book has a sticker on the front reminding students to check their SpaG.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Julie Gibbings is schools manager at the national literacy trust, which provides practical strategies on improving literacy skills for secondary school through its conferences and network. for more information, advice and tips, visit literacytrust.org.uk
