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Development of substantive and disciplinary knowledge

 

OLSK - Substantive Literacy

Substantive knowledge

In reading, substantive knowledge is the ability to decode and sight-read words. To begin with, they will need a secure knowledge of phonics. This means that they will be able to hear phonemes, identify digraphs and trigraphs and match the sounds to individual letters and groups of letters (phoneme-grapheme correspondences). They will then apply these skills to blend the sounds of letters together to decode unfamiliar or unknown words. They will also need to sight read a range of tricky words to enable them to become fluent readers.

 

As they progress in their reading, children will begin to automatically recognise words, reading with automaticity and pace.  This provides children with opportunities to read for pleasure, including reading and reciting poetry, and helps them to develop their vocabulary. Children are then able to apply their knowledge of reading strategies to comprehend a range of texts.

 

In writing, substantive knowledge includes understanding of structural, grammatical and linguistic features, as well as knowledge of handwriting and spellings. Children will begin with developing the knowledge of how to structure a simple sentence, using accurate punctuation, and will then learn how to combine sentences to form paragraphs to suit different writing genres.  Through deliberate practice, this substantive knowledge becomes automatic and fluent, and children become confident in effectively planning, drafting, and constructing writing for different purposes.

Disciplinary knowledge

In both reading and writing, disciplinary knowledge is the process of thinking critically and creatively using the automaticity of substantive knowledge. Once children are fluent readers, who can understand what they have read, they begin to develop their disciplinary knowledge in reading. This also applies to writing: once children can confidently structure sentences using accurate punctuation and grammar, they are able to develop disciplinary knowledge in writing.

 

In reading, this involves the ability to interpret different texts, drawing upon knowledge of language and literary conventions. It involves the skills of supporting an opinion, based upon evidence within the text, and comparing and contrasting books from a range of genres, written by a variety of authors. Children will develop the skill of comparing themes, drawing upon extracts from the text to back up arguments and discussions and evaluating the intentions of the author, and expressing personal preferences.

 

In writing, disciplinary knowledge is the ability to evaluate and edit text and apply substantive knowledge to effectively write for a range of purposes. Children will be able to adapt their writing to suit different genres and audiences, making careful language and grammar choices. They will be able to edit and re-draft their writing, using tools such as dictionaries and thesauruses to help them. Children will carefully structure their writing in such a way as to engage the reader, maintaining their interest throughout.


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