At Northcote Primary School, we take a differentiated approach to literacy instruction that relies on teachers knowing each of their students, how they learn, and what to do to enable all students to improve and strengthen their skills and knowledge. Teachers work, plan, assess and monitor student learning in a collaborative environment which allows students to be supported and extended to meet learning outcomes in a variety of different ways.
Literacy instruction is embedded across all areas of the curriculum. This ensures student engagement and literacy outcomes are achieved organically and purposefully. Focused programmes for phonics and explicit applications are integrated into classroom programs, to enable students to make connections with their learning.
In Foundation - Year Two, digital technologies (such as iPads) are used as a tool to support and link literacy instruction. In Years Three - Six, students use iPads and laptops to broaden their literacy skills whilst strengthening their computer and word processing experiences.
A synthetic phonics-based teaching approach from Foundation - Year Two provides students with solid letter/sound knowledge which gives students the knowledge and skills to decode words and read texts. Students are then supported to build their ability to comprehend concepts and themes in the texts that they read through explicit structured activities and group work. Throughout all year levels, the teaching of reading is differentiated to meet each student’s needs and to support fluency and deeper understanding of texts.
Students apply their phonics knowledge of letters and sounds to segment words and create written texts. Our writing sessions cover a variety of text types and skills as we develop this notion of students as writers. This enables students to understand the similarities and differences in language, structure, and content for specific purposes. Students are encouraged to express themselves creatively to write texts based on their own interests and experiences.
Students strengthen their verbal communication skills when exploring, reflecting, and presenting their understandings of what they read to help make connections with their own experiences. They develop their confidence when speaking aloud in more formal settings – such as whole-school assemblies.
In the upper year levels, there are opportunities to speak in a more public setting, such as giving speeches and oral presentations.
Students learn the skills to communicate effectively, whether it be written or verbal and demonstrate their understanding, with the support and encouragement of our dedicated teaching staff.