LEARNING & CURRICULUM
Literacy
Literacy
Being literate is critical to students’ education, supports development in all curriculum areas and is essential for success at school and beyond.
At Boyare Primary we achieve a balanced approach to teaching literacy through the following research-based practices:
• A focused two-hour literacy block incorporating key teaching approaches such as guided reading across all year levels, allowing all students to benefit from small group instruction tailored to meet their stage of development.
• Daily explicit teaching of reading, writing and word study strategies.
• Small group instruction in reading and writing allowing for differentiated learning, balanced with whole class and individual learning opportunities.
Our motto ‘Learning Together’ captures the community focus of our school. We are committed to building strong and positive partnerships with parents and local community.
• A whole school approach to synthetic phonics. We use PLD because it is an innovative, evidence-based approach to literacy. PLD advocates that children’s’ literacy and learning outcomes are maximized when the areas of Literacy, oral language and movement and motor skills are simultaneously targeted.
• A whole school approach to developing oral language and writing skills. Talk for Writing is an engaging teaching framework developed by Pie Corbett, supported by Julia Strong. The talk for writing approach enables children to read and write independently for a variety of audiences and purposes within different subjects. A key feature is that children internalise the language structures needed to write through ‘talking the text’, as well as close reading.
• It is important children develop effective writing skills including letter formation and pencil grip as they embark on writing letters and words, that will continue throughout their lives. From Pre-primary onwards, it is critical that letter formations are explicitly taught. Students need regular opportunities to practise handwriting and receive feedback on their progress. The writing font we use is New South Wales Foundation font.
• Boyare Primary School recognises the need to provide supplementary small group explicit teaching for students at risk of non-achievement in literacy. We use rigorous student performance data to select students to participate in the intervention program and inform all targeted instruction.
• We consistently promote literacy throughout the school and celebrate student achievements with our fortnightly literacy awards and annual literacy week including a spelling bee, speaking competition and book week parade.