Information Retrieval. Literacy Progress Unit (for Use with Small Groups). Key Stage 3: National Strategy.

Developed for use in small groups, this unit focuses on developing some of the reading skills pupils need if they are to progress from Level 3 to Level 4 of England's National Curriculum. It is meant to supplement, but not to replace, the English curriculum for Year 7 pupils. The unit builds on the successful approaches of the National Literacy Strategy in primary schools, and therefore features a core teaching sequence which promotes active learning. The unit consists of 18 session plans, plus support materials in the form of teacher and pupil sheets. Each 20-minute session is fast-paced and interactive. The focus of the unit is firmly non-fiction, to complement the unit "Reading between the Lines," which is fiction-based. The unit seeks to extend pupils' repertoire of reading strategies by helping them to read the context as well as the text: activities are based on materials which are typical of those they meet across the curriculum. Appended are weekly overview sheets and tracking sheets. (RS)