Boys and Literacy

Poole Grammar School's Literacy Initiative, Poole Grammar School, United Kingdom
Upper/Senior

The aims of Poole Grammar School's Literacy Initiative are:

•     to improve the literacy of the boys through dedicated Literacy lessons
•     to engender a reading habit and a love of reading
•     to improve the boys' reading skills
•     to embed literacy as a focus to permeate the school's curriculum

It is erroneous to make the assumption that the language skills of boys on entry to PGS are well developed simply because they have passed an entrance test to grammar school. PGS has 'Maths and Computing' as its first specialism and many of the boys gain entry to the school through their abilities in maths. This year the school has been awarded a second specialism in 'Cognition and Learning' and this will further support the literacy initiative, as boy centred literacy strategies are explored with active reading at their core. IBSC Members may click here to view full description.

20th Century Literature: Band of Brothers at Salesianum School, USA
Upper/Senior

As part of my 20th Century Literature class (11th Grade advanced English), we read Stephen Ambrose's "Band of Brothers" as an example of non-fiction. The focus of the unit, in addition to the standard fare in all literature classes, is to discover how that bond of brotherhood was formed, and how we can incorporate that bond into our lives here at school. IBSC Members may click here to view full description.

The Foundation English Program at St. John's College, South Africa
Middle/Senior

The Foundation English program, offered to Grade 8 and 9 boys entering St John's College, targets those whose reading levels are significantly below age-appropriate levels, as measured in internationally standardized tests. The boys identified generally struggle with a variety of underlying language-related difficulties that pose significant obstacles to further academic development in the College, unless urgently addressed. Difficulties include poor word recognition, reading comprehension or limited vocabulary and poor written expression.  IBSC Members may click here to view full description.

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