Murray Gadd

Ten Clearview teachers attended a workshop run by the Canterbury Literacy Society. It featured Murray Gadd, author of Essential Literacy Practices, discussing Writing Across the Curriculum. The main message of the talk was that it is time to throw out those literacy plans that focus on teaching genre at a particular time, and look at the message of the NZC which is "meeting literacy demands across the curriculum." He gave examples of planning a unit of inquiry, and asking the question: "What literacy skills will my students need to have?" This allows integration and the opportunity for students to make connections that reading and writing don't just happen at reading and writing time. An excellent session, followed by workshops that teachers could opt into. The one I attended looked at using picture books as a stimulus for writing. Some fantastic ideas were shared.