Literacy
Reading and writing are interrelated. When we focus on one, we are working on both. We must share this awareness with our students and give them every opportunity to make the connections between the two. Reading provides an opportunity for students to be exposed to different text types and explore the different language and structural features, which they can then draw upon and experiment with during writing sessions.
Our main reading resources at Berry Springs are, PM Benchmark and Probe as well as a range of high quality reading materials. All year level teams plan and program together to ensure that all children receive high quality learning experiences.
Students reading is assessed using the PM Benchmark (as a continuation from Early Childhood) or the Probe Reading scheme. Teaching reading is based on the support materials provided by Probe.
Students have access to Reading Eggs and Reading Express which are online reading support programs that the children really enjoy.
Students in Preschool – Year 2 engage in the Dr. Michael Heggerty daily Phonemic Awareness Program. Automatic and efficient decoding skills are essential for a child to become a proficient reader. Through teacher-led oral word play activities, students can begin to develop the skills necessary for reading. This program provides daily word play activities focusing on ten different phonemic awareness skills in every lesson, and is implemented in the classroom throughout the entire school year.
We provide all classes with Literacy support staff to assist classroom teachers in their teaching.
| Guided Reading | Writing Workshop |
|---|---|
| Warm Up 10 minutes • Good readers chant • Sight words (approximately 10 words) • Introduce topic specific words from guided text • Blending/ segmenting/ tracking words from guided text | Modelled/Shared Writing 15 minutes • Teacher models writing in front of the students based on mentor texts, text type and 6 + 1 traits. |
| Teacher Modelling • Introduce focus strategy • Model the use of strategy during modelled read (Whole book or section depending on text level) | Free Choice Writing 30 minutes • Guided Writing • Interactive Writing • Roving Conference |
| Guided Read • Students read the text to self-focusing on identified strategy. • Teacher ask question to students to gain students understanding of focus strategy (popcorn turn taking) • Identified student verbalises understanding by showing where in the text they used the focus strategy (prove and show) and ‘thinks aloud’ their thinking. • Teacher observes reading behaviours of students as they read | Share Time 15 minutes • Author’s Chair • Peer editing and feedback |
