Teaching Reading to ALL!
6 November 2024: Part 1 9 am – 12 noon
20 November 2024: Part 2 9 am – 12 noon
This two-part course introduces the building blocks of teaching an engaging and appropriate reading curriculum for learners with neurodiverse or severe/complex needs.
By providing practical strategies and addressing the gaps in traditional curricula, Sarah will help you create meaningful literacy experiences in an engaging and inclusive literacy curriculum for all learners in your classroom.
Part One: Building Foundation Literacy Skills for All
Sarah outlines the foundation skills needed for literacy learning. She shares practical ideas and strategies for offering an engaging, creative, and inclusive reading curriculum suited to learners with neurodiverse and complex needs at school and at home.
Part Two: Conquering the Complexities of Reading Development
Sarah addresses the gaps in understanding how reading develops and the challenges this creates in supporting all learners in literacy learning. She discusses how a traditional reading curriculum may be inaccessible or inadequate in meeting the needs of learners with neurodiverse or complex needs, illustrating this with practical examples. Sarah then shares ideas and strategies to nurture foundational and emergent reading skills, focusing on fostering enjoyment, confidence, and a love of reading!
9 am Admission and virtual tea/coffee to start the session!
9.05 am Welcome and a warm-up
9.10 am Chat task: Why do you read? What makes us pick up a book?
9.20 AM Session 1: Literacy for all! What is an inclusive reading curriculum?
Literacy is a universal entitlement for all, including individuals with severe and complex learning needs. Sarah explores what an inclusive reading curriculum means and what our role is in creating it.
You will cover:
the importance of purpose, participation, praise, pace and passion in learning to read
why learners with SEND may approach the task of reading with uneven patterns of language skills and what this means for a reading curriculum
the difficulties learners using AAC experience when learning to read and supportive strategies to use
the four aspects of processing in learning to read and what effect these have on the learning experiences provided both in school and at home
10.00 am Break out room activity
10.15 am Session 2: Establishing foundation literacy skills
What fundamental skills are necessary for literacy learning in learners with diverse and complex needs? In this session, Sarah focuses on developing foundation skills in an Inclusive Reading Curriculum (Moseley 2023.)
You will cover:
the development of foundation skills as a continuous cycle of development
ideas and resources to engage and motivate learners learning to read
the importance of storytelling and drama
the impact of a literacy-rich learning environment alongside high aspirations
10.45 am Coffee and a mini online learning activity (video)
11.05 am Session 3: Creating an Inclusive Reading Curriculum (Moseley 2023.)
This practical session will include activities, ideas and resources for all learners in an inclusive reading curriculum.
You will cover:
the importance of rhythm, pattern and order, sound discrimination, awareness of vocabulary and intentionally of text in learning to read
the importance of attention skills and working memory
where to explore practical online resources and available key texts
11.50 am Q & A
12 noon Plenary, thank you and goodbye!
9.00 am Admission and virtual tea/coffee to start the session!
9.05 am Welcome & a warm up!
9.10 am Chat task
9.20 am Session 1: Challenges for Complex Learners
In this session, Sarah considers the implications of traditional reading curricula for learners with complex needs, illustrating the challenges these bring with practical examples.
With specific reference to:
where to begin and the importance of high expectations
the role of foundation skills and understanding the teaching of reading
how to build on existing good practice and confidence
about current research – what is emphasised? What evidence is it built on?
9.50 am Chat task
10.00 am Session 2: Challenges for Complex Learners continued
In this session, Sarah considers the implications of traditional reading curricula for learners with complex needs, illustrating the challenges these bring with practical examples.
With specific reference to:
the role of phonics in an Inclusive Reading Curriculum (Moseley 2023) for learners with complex needs
effective use of assessment to identify gaps, strengths, and next steps for all
the importance of creating accessible and dynamic ways of reading for all: how to assess pre/nonverbal learners, older learners, and those with more complex needs.
why children and young people with SEN have difficulty learning to read
10.40 am Coffee and mini online learning task (video)
11.00 am Session 3: Developing Reading Skills for Complexity
In this session, Sarah moves to introduce insights and strategies to nurture foundational and emerging reading skills tailored to learners with complex needs.
You will cover:
practical ways to plan an inclusive reading curriculum
using technology to enhance your literacy curriculum, promoting motivation and engagement
Bringing everyone with you: why the involvement of families, professionals, and the whole school community is critical to success and how to achieve this.
ideas in action: examples of inclusive practices in action and outcomes for all learners
11.50 am Q & A
12 pm Thank you and goodbye!
This course will be appropriate for classroom practitioners from special schools and colleges, mainstream settings with specialist SEN provision and early years settings, and working with pupils with severe/complex learning needs and autism, or both.
Dr Sarah Moseley has over 25 years of experience working in special and mainstream education, from teaching assistant to Headteacher. She has a solid research background which includes a master’s degree and PhD in Special Education, focusing on the teaching of reading for pupils with SEND and inclusion. Sarah has presented nationally and internationally at conferences and is a published author.
Sarah’s PhD centred on teaching reading to pupils with SLD and the impact on their feelings of themselves as learners. Her research focused on six special schools across the UK with pupils aged 11-14 years and found positive results from including all pupils in a reading curriculum.
She is now an independent Educational Consultant specialising in school improvement and raising outcomes for all learners. Her key areas for support focus on all aspects of SEND, teaching and learning, inclusion, behaviour, and the development of literacy/communication
All the resources from this event will be in your account at online.hirstwood.com. You will access these using the email address on the booking form and your password (instructions in the joining information for creating your password.)
Here you will find:
a digital recording of the event
resources shared or signposted during the session
a transcript of the Zoom chat
your certificate of attendance
These will be available for 10 days after the event.
Each place costs £225 plus VAT.
You can pay by credit card for this booking or request an invoice on the booking form.
‘big thank you feel inspired!’
‘Thank you. This was really useful and I have so many ideas for things to look into at school’
‘Interesting and very useful.’
‘Expand my knowledge of literacy in an ever fast changing digital environment – hoping to explore new resources to access.’
‘Thank you. That was excellent.’
‘All the ideas and up to date information!’
‘It illustrated the things that I currently do are correct and gave me lots of ideas for the future.’
