Archive for the ‘Literacy general’ Category

As a Rotarian, I have become aware of a wonderful initiative that is making it possible for disadvantaged children to be exposed to good quality literature. It is called ‘The Kids’ Book Club’. This initiative is responsible for children under eight years old receiving a good quality picture book each month.

We all know how important it is for children to be exposed to good quality …

I was fortunate enough to be working with some amazing educators and students at Jamboree Heights State School last term. I began by delivering demonstration Guided Reading lessons to all year levels. Many of the teachers then volunteered to teach a Guided Reading lesson, giving me the privilege of coaching them. Whilst these teachers did not believe they had all the answers, they enjoyed an open culture where …

When I began teaching in NSW primary schools many years ago, teacher aides were almost non-existent. Now they are an integral part of most classrooms.

The big question is how can teacher aides best support the learners in any given classroom?

We need to address this issue by way of asking a question… If choosing between the teacher and the teacher aide, who spends the majority of …

Take advantage of more difficult texts in English and across the curriculum. We know that frequent, short bursts of explicit instruction produce powerful outcomes. We also know that students’ literacy skills and knowledge underpin the synthesis of new content across other key learning areas. Add to this, that the bulk of the texts students will be required to read, respond to and craft in secondary …

Aiden and his older brother, Jack, sit together to eat. Aiden lifts his banana, it slides from his fingers and drops to the concrete. Jack quickly comments, “Better eat that now; don’t save it for later.”

“Why?” asks Aiden.
“The bruise will make it go brown and squishy. Then it won’t be as good to eat.”
“How do you know?” enquires Aiden.
“I’ve dropped apples before. Trust me.”

Why does …

The classroom literacy program, sometimes referred to as the Literacy Block enables teachers to timetable for explicit teaching across reading, writing, speaking and listening, accompanied by differentiated learning, the independent application of skills and knowledge and a time to reflect or share.

In reading, approaches commonly used for explicit instruction include modelled reading and shared reading. These lessons may run for 15-20 minutes, with mini-lessons …

A literacy block should provide a balanced program of literacy instruction including the following teaching/learning approaches to support reading and writing.

Essential Reading Components:
Modelled Reading

occurs when an expert reader reads a difficult text to less experienced readers, enabling the experienced reader to model how effective readers sound, solve and think about texts when reading
The “think aloud” strategy is used strategically by the expert reader to model …

With the introduction of the Australian Curriculum, teachers have never been so inundated with products and programs claiming to enhance or build the literacy skills of students. Pre-packaged, or commercially produced programs for phonics, high frequency words, word work and comprehension have been around for decades and online access has added another dimension to their use.

Some products even claim to be effective in ‘teaching comprehension’ …

Big kids too old for picture books?

What can picture book authors offer older students … more experienced writers, still developing crafting skills and learning the tricks of the writing trade?

Last week I shared, ‘Fancy Nancy’ by Jane O’Connor, with some Year 5 students, to highlight how cleverly the author used words, seemingly too complex for the intended audience, to paint the canvas of her …

Many students choose to listen rather than actively participate in learning conversations. Yet to achieve the best possible outcomes, teachers must expect that students OPT IN to literacy learning; opting out should not be an option. It must be our clear expectation to students that we expect full and active participation.

I’ve recently been talking up the importance of active engagement by students to build proficiency …