Literacy

Developing proficiency in reading, writing and language.

At St Joseph’s we aim to provide our students with rich and authentic literacy learning experiences to develop proficiency in reading, writing and oral language. Students are involved sustained, organized and comprehensive experiences in reading (print and electronic form), oral language development and writing activities.

There is an emphasis on the development of skills and strategies at the letter, word and text level, accomplished through making connections between reading, writing and spoken language. Our literacy programs ensure that students have rich reading experiences, opportunities for purposeful writing and occasions for meaningful interactions with peers and Learning Advisors (teacher).

Learning Advisors (teachers) use a range of ongoing assessment tasks for the purpose of informing instructional decisions about student learning, and providing feedback to learners.

Reading

Reading lessons follow a whole-small-whole approach. Reading lessons begin with a shared experience. This can be in the form of shared reading where the print is enlarged or picture books read to students in a Read-Aloud style to enable the explicit teaching of reading skills and strategies. After the whole class focus, students move into smaller groupings. The Learning Advisor will work with a teaching group where they read texts are matched to their reading ability, and teach skills and strategies specific to the needs of the students in that group. Students not participating in the teaching groups that day, will work independently on word games, listening posts and comprehension activities to practise and consolidate their learning. At the end of the reading lesson students regroup as a whole to discuss and reflect on their learning.

Writing

Similarly, writing lessons follow a whole-small-whole approach. Learning Advisors model to students how to plan, compose, record, revise, edit and publish texts. Students are also provided with opportunities during the whole class focus to contribute to jointly constructed texts. After the whole class focus, students move into smaller groupings. The Learning Advisor will work with a teaching group focusing on learning and improving writing skills and learning new strategies. Students not participating in the teaching group are writing independently on their own writing tasks. Once the Learning Advisor has finished working with the teaching group, the Learning Advisor monitors the student’s writing through individual conferences. Students are provided with opportunities to plan, compose, record, revise, edit and publish their writing. At the completion of the writing lesson, students regroup as a whole to discuss, share and reflect on their writing.

Oral Language

Oral language development is embedded in all areas of the curriculum. Reading and writing lessons provide the opportunity for the explicit teaching of the reciprocal nature of reading, writing and oral language: “What I can say… I can write, and what I can write… I can read.”

Literacy Intervention

Reading Recovery is a one-on-one teaching intervention that is provided for those students who, after their first year at school and despite good teaching, are not developing effective reading and writing skills. It is a short term intensive program designed to enable Year 1 students to catch up to their peers.

For more information visit www.readingrecovery.org

Leveled Literacy Intervention, or LLI, is a small-group, supplementary intervention designed to provide literacy support and intervention for students who have been identified as requiring extra assistance to improve their performance in literacy. Through systematically designed lessons, students are supported in both reading and writing development as well as expanding their knowledge of words and how they work.

For more information visit www.fountasandpinnell.com