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Our Literacy Program is designed
to ensure that teachers know what they are responsible for teaching as well as a
guide to be able to anticipate skills and concepts already taught. It outlines:
Targets,
Assessment and timelines,
Suggested resources,
Suggested strategies,
Focussed spelling program
combining the use of the Soundwaves package and our spelling lists which are a
guide to expected standards,
Focussed writing program
including genre chart and specific writing skills,
Focussed reading program
which includes code breaking skills, meaning making skills leading into learners
being taught the skills required to analyse and use text,
Clear expectations for
teachers to ensure their accountability.
Our literacy program is based
heavily on the First Steps resources and relies on teachers using the Four
Resources Model to design a balanced focus for reading and analysing text.
There are multiple copies of these resources in the resource centre. There is
at least one copy of the spelling, reading and writing resource text per
classroom teacher. It is expected that you will access and use these resources
on a regular basis. You will not be able to utilise our literacy program as a
stand alone document; it is designed to be used with the First Steps resources.
This program uses the following
language of:
Expose: E
o
concepts are introduced
and the students work with them with support and scaffolding from the teacher.
Teach: T
o
concepts are taught
explicitly – ie structure, language use and grammar, text organisation, generic
structure. Students should be able to use the concept / genre / skill
independently.
Maintain: M
o
concepts are revised to
ensure level of understanding and competence. Mastery of concept is
anticipated.
Incidental: I
o
informal exposure which
continues to take place throughout the years – all year levels at appropriate
teachable moments.
Since introducing the Soundwave
approach as a whole school in 2004 to teaching spelling, our students’ writing,
spelling and knowledge of sounds has improved significantly. It is important to
note that student work books MUST NOT be sent home at any time. The work books
must be used at school in conjunction with the resources available from the
Soundwaves Teacher Resource Book. The Soundwaves student work book is not to be
used as a stand alone spelling program.
The staff
of Sunbury State school have defined literacy or being literate as:
Being able to function and communicate effectively in a
symbolic world;
Being able to understand and use a common set of tools to
draw upon to make sense of the world in order to interact effectively;
Being able to create and express opinions and modify or
redefine based on new knowledge or experiences;
Having a “road map” requiring a common set of values,
experiences, skills and language to be able to manoeuvre through life.
Classroom
Organisation and Pedagogy.
Teachers
at Sunbury embrace and value the opportunity to be creative and flexible in
their planning to meet the learning and interest needs of the students in their
classes. We believe that students learn best in a supportive, disciplined
environment that includes explicit instructional lessons as well as
opportunities for students to work in groups. Teachers must cater for all
learning styles across the course of their teaching day. The learning
experiences they plan will reflect a wide range of teaching strategies within a
balanced program that incorporates a range of strategies. All teachers will
provide opportunities for children to:
o
be active learners,
o
become independent
o
take responsibility
o
think for themselves
o
learn how to learn.
School
organisational structures are in place to support student learning:
We have planned the school times and have tried to
timetable specialist lessons to allow for an uninterrupted 2 hour teaching block
in the morning.
Our teacher librarian is in an integral component of the
attainment of literacy skills at our school. All classes are allocated a
library borrowing time each week. In addition classes access specialist lessons
with the teacher librarian which are supported by the class teacher. The library
is open before school each day and every lunch time so that children see the
service as an important part of their learning. We are going to trial accessing
a story teller or and indigenous teacher aide sharing stories with small numbers
of students during second break to provide a new experience at our school, and
to demonstrate the value we have for literacy.
We are piloting a process where our year one and two
student have the same teachers for the first two years of primary school, as
this maximises the relationships between students and teachers and teachers and
parents at a crucial stage of child development.
Junior primary classes are exploring the introduction of a
perceptual motor program to enhance learning focus and attainment of gross and
fine motor skills. One of our year two teachers will shortly embark upon
formalised training in this area.
Our year one teachers are exploring the use of “Jolly
Phonics” and whole language approaches to literacy teaching.
Our prep year is also a key component of early literacy
development. This year we will introduce a formalised oral language program.
Our prep teachers also provides an abundance of information to parents about
the development of literacy.
Our middle year teachers (years four and five) are
attending a two day THRASS course in order to explore the potential for this
program to operate in our middle school from the beginning of term 2.
We have reduced class sizes in all year levels – more
significantly in middle and upper school with the employment of an additional
class teacher.
Resource allocation attempts to maximise focussed literacy
teaching. During 2003 and into 2004, our literacy resources will be “ungraded”
and stored in the one area making it easier for teachers to select appropriate
resources catering for the range of learners in the classroom.
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Literacy
