Literacy beyond the early years: teaching complex texts, sustaining joy

Purpose
The aim of this paper is to explain key aspects of teaching and learning relevant to sustaining literacy development beyond the early years of schooling, including effective teaching of more complex texts. The paper takes as its point of departure Touchstone 9 of the Foundation Touchstones promoted by the Foundation of Learning and Literacy: “Effective literacy teaching and learning need to continue beyond the early years as literacy learning and texts become more complex”.

Design/methodology/approach
This essay adopts a general narrative review approach, canvassing a range of relevant research and examples, along with implications for teaching practice.

Findings
Research shows that beyond the early years of school, literacy development involves learners responding to a range of new demands – demands for which foundational literacy skills are a necessary but not sufficient resource. Effective teaching recognises and draws learners’ attention to how language works in different discipline areas while concurrently supporting learning of content knowledge. The sustaining of enjoyment in literate activity is also identified as an important dimension of ongoing literacy development.

Originality/value
This paper distils scholarship of teaching and learning as well as insights from educational linguistics to outline some important ways in which teachers can support learners in expanding their literacy repertoires across the school years.