Learning to Write, Reading to Learn: integrating the teaching of reading and writing within teachers’ subject areas

Francine McMahon interviewed Claire Acevedo, the European consultant for the Learning to Write, Reading to Learn approach. This classroom pedagogy is designed to integrate the teaching of reading and writing within teachers’ subject areas.  It does this through using a functional model of language that teaches pupils the patterns of texts (the stages and phases of texts), the patterns of sentences (the functional grammar of texts) and the patterns of words (the spelling of texts) while teaching the content or ‘field’ of the subject area, in an integrated sequence of learning from the top down.

To support teachers in doing this, the approach uses three levels of scaffolding which include nine intervention strategies and develops teachers’ knowledge of Systemic Functional Linguistics.

This classroom pedagogy was born out of work between Educators and Linguists and has been shown to dramatically accelerate reading and writing outcomes for all learners.

In the first interview, Claire explains how this classroom pedagogy uses the three levels of scaffolds in a sequence of learning that uses four key distinct stages

In the second interview, Claire explains how the success of the programme is built on a functional model of language and how this top-down approach supports pupils to make progress using the patterns of language at the text, sentence and word levels. This includes the latest development in research around the phases to texts by Systemic Functional Linguists.

For more information, or related training, explore our Improving writing in KS2 CPD and Teaching reading in KS2 CPD courses.