Contact: Dr David Rose 612 98162893 0408487086 d.rose@edfac.usyd.edu.

au

Accelerating learning & closing the gap

Learning to Read:Reading to Learn is a literacy teaching program designed to enable
all learners to read and write at levels appropriate to their age, grade and area of study. It
has been developed with teachers of primary, secondary and tertiary students of all
backgrounds, across Australia and internationally, to support reading and writing across
the curriculum. The teaching strategies have been proven to enable weak readers to
rapidly learn to read and write at grade appropriate levels, and advanced students to
develop language understandings well beyond their independent competence. They
draw on principles of scaffolded learning, functional linguistics and genre approaches to
writing, in a form that is accessible, practical and meets the needs of teachers and
students.
Literacy scaffolding across the curriculum
The program trains teachers in scaffolding strategies that support students to read texts
that are expected of their level of study and curriculum area, with fluency and
comprehension. The ability to read these texts then forms the basis for learning to write
texts at similar levels. The strategies enable teachers to actively engage all students in a
class in recognising, interpreting and using the language of texts in their area of study.
They can be used as part of normal classroom practice, engaging and extending all
students, and as additional support for students in need.
Reading and writing at all levels of schooling
For beginning readers the program focuses on recognising, comprehending and
spelling words, and reading and writing stories. In the middle school years it includes
techniques for teaching reading and writing of both stories and factual texts. In senior
secondary and tertiary study, the program focuses on reading and writing technical and
academic texts.
How the strategies work
Teachers support students to read a high level text, firstly by preparing them to
comprehend the text as it is read aloud, and then by giving them meaning cues to
recognise and understand wordings within each sentence. As students are actively
recognising wordings for themselves, these reading skills transfer to other contexts over
time. Once students can read and understand a text, they prepare to write by spelling
words and writing sentences from it, or by taking notes from it. Students then practise
writing a new text that is based on the one they have learnt to read, using the information
from factual texts, or the literate language patterns from stories.
Training teachers
The Reading to Learn inservice program provides teachers with two sets of skills: firstly in
supporting learners to recognise and use literate language patterns in texts, and secondly
in selecting texts and analysing their language patterns to plan lessons and programs. The
discussion used to scaffold all students in a class, including weaker readers, is different
from the practices that teachers are generally used to, and the analysis of language
patterns to discuss with students is unique. The program provides careful demonstration
and supported practice over time for teachers to take on these skills, using a series of
workshops, training videos and print resources.
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Three Sets of Strategies for Reading to Learn

Reading and Writing Factual Texts
Reading to Learn strategies for factual texts support students to practise key skills of
reading specialised, technical or academic language, finding key information, and using this
information in their own writing. These skills are practised in four stages. First the text is read
aloud, but students are first prepared for listening with comprehension, by giving them
background knowledge and summarising the sequence of meanings in the text. Secondly, in
a detailed reading of a short passage, students are prepared to recognise and understand
wordings within each sentence, using cues so that students understand what each group of
technical or literate words mean, and can identify it in the sentence. Students highlight these
words and the teacher then elaborates by defining, explaining or discussing them in more
depth. This enables all students to read the passage fluently with full comprehension. Thirdly,
students take turns to scribe the word groups they have highlighted, as notes on the
classroom board. Fourthly the teacher guides the class to write a new text using these notes,
but in words that are closer to the level they would write themselves. Students then practise
writing texts independently from notes. These activities support students to critically interpret
texts they are reading and writing, and prepare them for independent research.

Reading and Writing Stories

Strategies for reading and writing stories are similar to those for factual texts, although the
focus is on literary wordings, rather than specialised or technical information, and the goal for
writing is to create a new story, using the literary language patterns they have learnt in
reading. Here additional support can be given by writing out sentences or paragraphs on
cardboard strips and using these to practise reading, spelling and writing. (This extra support
can also be used with factual texts.) First the text is read aloud, as with factual texts, and
students are prepared with background knowledge and the sequence of meanings in the
text. Secondly, in the detailed reading of a selected passage, the teacher prepares students
to identify and highlight wordings and then elaborates by defining, explaining or discussing
them. Thirdly, selected sentences or paragraphs may be written on cardboard strips and
students cut up and re-arrange words in the sentences until they have full control of their
meanings. Fourthly, students may practise spelling these words on small whiteboards. Fifthly,
they can practise re-writing whole sentences or paragraphs on their whiteboards, using the
words they have learnt to spell. And finally the teacher guides them to write a new text using
the overall structures and the language features of the passage they have learnt to read.

Reading and Writing in Early Years

Junior primary teaching is usually good at engaging young children in story reading, so
that all children can say the words in shared reading books. But many children need
additional support to recognise the words, to spell them, and to form letters properly.
Reading to Learn strategies enable children from oral family backgrounds to rapidly learn to
read shared reading books, in five stages. The first is shared book reading, in which the
teacher reads a story with the class until children can understand and say its words. Secondly
children learn to identify words as they say them, using sentences from the story written on
cardboard strips. Thirdly they manipulate the words, cutting them out, mixing them up, turning
them over, looking and saying them again, and putting them back in order in the sentence.
Fourthly they learn to spell the words by practising to write their letter patterns on small
whiteboards. Here the teacher can also show them how to form letters correctly. Finally they
can practise writing the whole sentence on their whiteboards using the words they have
learnt to spell. The teacher can help by showing or writing other words in the sentence for
them, until they can write it independently.

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Reading and Writing Factual Texts

1 Preparing before Reading 2 Detailed Reading
Teacher and students discusses topic and Teacher prepares students to identify and
sequence of the text, which is then read aloud. highlight wordings in each sentence.

3 Note Taking
Students and teacher discuss and interpret the Students scribe highlighted wordings on the board
text at each stage of reading and writing. as notes.

4 Rewriting from Notes Students first write the text together and then
independently.
Teacher guides students to write a new text using
text structures and information from notes.

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Reading and Writing Stories

1 Preparing before Reading 2 Detailed Reading
Teacher and students discusses topic and Teacher prepares students to identify and
sequence of the text, which is then read aloud. highlight wordings in each sentence.

3 Sentence Making 4 Spelling

Students cut up and re-arrange sentences on Practice in writing words from the story on
cardboard strips. whiteboards.

5 Sentence Writing 6 Text Patterning

Practice in rewriting sentences from the story on Writing a new story using the structure and
whiteboards. language patterns from the reading text.

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Reading and Writing in Early Years

1 Shared Reading 2 Recognising Words
Read a story until children can say all the words. Children point at each word as they say it.

3 Cutting up Words 4 Making Sentences

Cut off each main word in the sentence. Mix up words and put the sentence together.

5 Spelling 6 Forming Letters

Practise spelling words from the sentence. Show children how to form letters as they spell.

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Background of the program
Building on two decades of research in literacy and language learning in Australia, the Learning to
Read: Reading to Learn program emerged from action research with Indigenous education programs
in Central and South Australia.
Education programs participating in the program since 2000 have included the Anangu Teacher
Education Program, University of South Australia; Association of Independent Schools of Western
Australia; Cape Techikon; Catholic Education Office, Melbourne and Western Regions; Charles Darwin
University; Department of Education and Childrens Services, South Australia; Department of Education
and Training, NSW; Department of Education and Training, Victoria; Koori Centre and Yooroang
Garang School of Indigenous Health, University of Sydney; Koori Education Strategy Team, DET Victoria;
Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University; Nyangatjatjara College, NT; Office of the Board of Studies,
NSW; University of Cape Town; University of KwaZulu Natal; University of Stellenbosch; Yirara College, NT.
Independently evaluated outcomes include literacy development at two to four times expected
rates, and teachers reporting major changes in their practice:
...the average improvement in reading and writing was 2.5 levels1...At the same time,
teachers have noted a range of student learning outcomes that are more difficult to measure,
like an increased level of student engagement in their learning. (McRae et al 2000).
…average literacy gains across all schools and classes, and among students from all
backgrounds and ability ranges, was consistently more than…double the expected rate of
literacy development. Furthermore, 20% of students made gains of…four times the expected
rate of literacy development (Culican 2006).
The model was seen as superior by practising teachers in relation to other previous
professional development experiences…teachers witnessed a general improvement level in all
students irrespective of reading ability and literary experience…A work ethic became evident
among those students that had never previously been able to engage for anything more than
very short periods…attendance had elevated from 50% to 86% attending on a regular basis
(Carbines et al 2005).
Program Delivery
The training program is delivered over 12 months, in a series of two-day workshops, with teachers
implementing the training between workshops. The first workshop introduces the strategies and
provides maximum support for teachers to practise with detailed lesson plans for teaching specific
texts. The second expands teachers’ command of the strategies and introduces techniques for
planning lessons independently. The third introduces techniques for selecting and analysing texts for
planning lessons across the curriculum. This in-depth program can provide teachers with the expertise
to train others in the strategies.
Further Reading
Carbines, R., Wyatt, T. & Robb, L. 2005. Evaluation of the Years 7-10 English Aboriginal Support Pilot
Project, Final Report to the Office of the NSW Board of Studies. Sydney: Erebus International
Culican, S. 2006. Learning to Read: Reading to Learn, A Middle Years Literacy Intervention Research
Project, Final Report 2003-4. Catholic Education Office Melbourne
McRae, D., Ainsworth, G., Cumming, J., Hughes, P., Mackay, T. Price, K., Rowland, M., Warhurst, J.,
Woods, D. & Zbar, V. 2000. What has worked, and will again: the IESIP Strategic Results Projects.
Canberra: Australian Curriculum Studies Association, www.acsa.edu.au/publications/worked, 24-26
Martin, J.R. & Rose, D. 2005. Designing Literacy Pedagogy: Scaffolding democracy in the classroom. In
Webster, J., Matthiessen, C. & Hasan, R. (eds.) Continuing Discourse on Language. London:
Continuum,
Rose, D. 2005a. Learning To Read: Reading To Learn: Submission to the National Inquiry into the
Teaching of Literacy 2005. Canberra: Department of Education, Science and Training
www.dest.gov.au/sectors/school_education/policy_initiatives_reviews/key_issues/literacy_numerac
y/national_inquiry/documents/pdf2/sub_315_pdf.htm
Rose, D. 2005b. Democratising the Classroom: a literacy pedagogy for the new generation. In Journal
of Education, University of KwaZulu Natal, 25pp
Rose, D. 2006. Literacy and equality in the classroom. Future Directions in Literacy, Sydney: University of
Sydney, www.edsw.usyd.edu.au/schools_teachers/prof_dev/index.shtml
Rose, D., Lui-Chivizhe, L., McKnight, A. & Smith, A. 2004. Scaffolding Academic Reading and Writing at
the Koori Centre. In Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 30th Anniversary Edition,
www.atsis.uq.edu.au/ajie, 41-9

12.5 National Literacy Profile levels is equivalent to over four years average literacy development in one year – a common rate
of improvement in the Learning to Read: Reading to Learn program.

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