We are authors

Bookmaking

Bookmaking is a great way for children to record their inquiries. It is personal and individualised, which caters to all levels of writing, from children who are drawing pictures to create books to those writing full sentences and more. 
It allows children to learn high frequency words in context, while learning the rules of writing in a playful way, as well as, provides the opportunity for  children to think and feel powerful like a writer. 
 The process involves  children developing a picture book. Students are asked to think of a topic they are interested in and then develop their story by drawing pictures. They are then encouraged to compose their story, tell it and re- tell it and share it with others if they want to.  At this stage, as we are trying to develop the idea that students can tell a story through pictures. The words are in their head and they can recall them when re-telling the story.  They can capture their story in their memory with repeated readings and this turns into a ‘shared’ memory when they read it to someone else. Some children will begin to attempt words.

Reading

It is crucial that children are exposed to a broad range of text types or genre from the very beginning of school. This term we will explicitly teach recounts while exposing children to the structures of a narrative through ‘read aloud’, role play and story boards.  Teachers ‘think aloud’ to students; modelling how good readers use expression when reading and discuss the comprehension strategies readers use to understand what they read.  We encourage   students  to ‘notice’ and ‘wonder’ to ensure they understand that reading is an active process! Non-Fiction text is also modelled and linked in with Health to ensure our reading programs are comprehensive and balanced and that children understand that ‘we read different texts differently’. During Term 1 we will be immersed in different authors.

Oral Language

Students are given many opportunities throughout the day to practise their oral language skills. From partner talk, small group and whole class discussions, formal presentations to correct pronunciation of sounds. Reception classes are constantly using oral language and focussing building upon their vocabulary by explicitly teaching new words. Our focus words can be found in your child's reflection book.  Even though much of the learning is demonstrated verbally, this is a crucial step before recording. 

Writing

Children will have a chance to write every day through Bookmaking and we will focus on the Recount and Retell genres in Term 1. During Term 2 our focus will be on Descriptive writing and Information reports, as well as exposing children to a range of different authors.