Literacy

Our Approach

At Yarraville West Primary school, our school-wide approaches to teaching Literacy are informed by evidence- based research and guided by the Literacy Leader. The Literacy Leader works closely with teachers to ensure our practices are effective and consistent across the school.  Cohort-based teaching teams and the Literacy Leader regularly collaborate to plan, monitor, and evaluate learning programs so that we can best meet the needs of our students and support them to flourish.

All teachers are involved in regular professional learning to ensure that collectively we are teaching literacy effectively at all levels of the school.

Reading

In Prep to Grade 2, we aim to instill a love of reading within our early years learners as they develop foundational skills and understandings of language and literacy.

We focus on ‘The Big Six’ (D. Konza), the six key components that contribute to skilled reading as indicated by research, to equip children with the necessary skills for future reading success:

• Oral Language
• Phonological Awareness
• Phonics
• Vocabulary
• Fluency
• Comprehension

‘The Big Six’ are taught through consistent practices across our junior school in a range of instruction settings. Students are explicitly taught strategies and concepts in whole class sessions and build and refine their skills in targeted small group sessions and individual conferences.

Systematic Synthetic Phonics

Systematic - follows a scope and sequence or specific order

Synthetic – focuses on the blending of individual sounds

Phonics – the teaching of the relationships between sounds and how sounds are represented by letters or letter patterns

From Prep to Grade 2, Little Learners Love Literacy guides the systematic and synthetic teaching of phonics (Systematic Synthetic Phonics). Students are explicitly taught to synthesise (blend) sounds, a key principle for reading. This skill is developed through a systematic approach, following a clearly defined and logical progression. Students learn to identify the connection between sounds (phonemes) and their written representation (graphemes) in the English language.

A set of basic correspondences is introduced first, with more complex ones added gradually. This learning is reinforced using decodable texts, which closely align with in-class phonics instruction. Decodable texts contain specific letter-pattern-sound combinations, allowing students to practice the combinations and word-solving strategies they are learning.

Starting in Prep, students build a strong literacy foundation by linking letters and sounds. With each subsequent year of schooling, students expand their knowledge and skills, engaging with increasingly complex vocabulary and more advanced language analysis. This foundation ensures students are well-prepared for future success as they encounter more sophisticated language concepts.

In Grades 3-6 we continue to foster a love of reading for our students as they gain greater levels of independence and autonomy. Students are exposed to a diverse range of spoken, written and multimodal texts designed for different purposes. We build reading capability through teacher-led small groups and student-led groups where students can deeply comprehend, critically analyse and describe the impact of written, visual, print and non-print texts. By connecting students to literature relevant to their world, students are supported to become insightful thinkers and effective critical readers, able to apply their reading skills and knowledge in their daily lives.

Writing

Through exploring various modes of writing, students build early understandings of writing as a communication form.

Students establish the link between spoken language and its representation in print, as letters, words and sentences. So that students write correctly and efficiently, we prioritise the development of good habit in letter formation. In these beginning writing stages, we celebrate all new learning and attempts to write, to inspire our students to share their thoughts and ideas with others. These foundational understandings develop over time, as students become proficient in recording clear, structured ideas on a page.

In the teaching of writing, we appreciate the works of great authors as students develop skills to create writing pieces of their own.

In our classrooms, students are explicitly taught writing skills, practise and refine them with support and build independence on their own. Students work on individual goals in small group and individual writing conferences to assist their learning growth.

As our students build greater proficiency in Years 3-6, students investigate the range of purposes and audiences for which we may write.

We expose our students to high quality texts to provide them with models they can first enjoy and be captivated by and emulate when crafting their own pieces. These exemplar texts contain rich language, supporting students to build a wide vocabulary.

Through analysing these high-quality texts, students observe the power of a carefully selected word, sentence length or phrase. Students replicate these elements when crafting their own pieces to develop a wide range of writing skills.

Spelling

In the English language, the spelling of a given word relates to sound (phonology), meaning (morphology), word origin (etymology), and structure (orthography). We teach a repertoire of strategies so that children have a comprehensive understanding of how sound, visual, meaning, connecting and checking strategies may support them when spelling words.

Literacy Intervention

To ensure that all learners are supported to thrive, we offer a Literacy Intervention Program. The program provides supplementary support for students who find reading and writing difficult. Our Literacy Intervention Teachers are highly trained in the early detection of reading difficulties and approaches to support those who require further instruction. Literacy Intervention Teachers provide skillful reading instruction in intensive small group settings, in addition to the classroom program. Literacy Intervention can change the path of a child’s journey into literacy, by providing them with the essential skills and confidence to succeed.