Reading

Foundation, Level 1 & 2 students

At Jells Park Primary School we use a structured literacy approach in Foundation, Level 1 and Level 2.

Our Literacy program is supported by evidence based research and includes, phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension.

We teach using Little Learners Love Literacy (LLLL)- which is a systematic, synthetics phonics approach (SSP) for teaching children how to read, write and spell. Each of the seven stages teach the 44 sounds of the English language and the principles of the alphabetic code. 

Together with LLLL, we integrate Heggerty Phonemic Awareness, fostering swift and dynamic warm- ups to literacy lessons. This approach enhances student awareness and proficiency, featuring activities that involve making connections between phonemes and graphemes, as well as aligning the sounds we hear with corresponding letters in written form.

Level 3 - 6 students

In Levels 3-6 we teach strategic reading using the CAFE framework. This focuses on explicit reading skills in the areas of Comprehension, Accuracy, Fluency and Expanded Vocabulary. Students are taught specific skills and work on individualised goals to improve their reading ability.

Writing

At Jells Park Primary School our daily writing lessons consist of explicit teaching of a range of writing genres using the Big Write and VCOP Framework.  VCOP stands for Vocabulary, Connectives, Openers and Punctuation. These four elements quickly and easily enhance writing by creating the writer’s voice. 

The Big Write methodology is; ‘If they can’t say it, they can’t write it.’ With talk and communication, an imperative element of the approach, students are engaged in a wide range of warm up activities prior to writing tasks.

Our students are encouraged to up-level their writing by focusing on the elements of VCOP.  Students set individual goals to work on.

We also include the teaching of handwriting skills as an integral part of literacy learning.

Through dedicated instruction, students learn proper pencil grip, posture and starting points, ensuring a solid foundation for written expression. By emphasising the importance of legible and fluent handwriting, we empower our young learners to convey their thoughts with confidence and precision, setting them on a path to academic success.

Speaking and Listening

At our school, we take pride in fostering the growth of self-confident communicators and engaged listeners across various curriculum components.

This accomplishment is the result of our dedicated commitment to Student Voice, Agency, and Leadership seamlessly woven into every lesson.

Students develop these essential skills by actively engaging in vibrant classroom discussions, conferences, collaborative group tasks, project presentations to peers, show and tell, turn 'n' talks, shared/guided/reciprocal teaching, and by consistently demonstrating our school values.