Learning and Teaching
Literacy Pro Information
This year the students at Galilee will be using Literacy Pro. Literacy Pro is a program designed to help students improve their reading by providing Powerful Reading Opportunities. This program helps to link students to books that are at the right reading level for them.
This is done by allocating a readability level or Lexile to fiction and non-fiction books. The system then measures each student’s reading ability using a fast, adaptive online test and generates a Lexile level for the student. Using this level as a guide the student can select books that have a similar Lexile to his or her own level ensuring they have success engaging with the text. On completion of the book student sit an online quiz that gives valuable feedback on how well students have read the book.
Information gathered from the student’s quiz performance and book selection are used to generate a wide variety of reports that can be used by teachers, parents and students to set goals, identify areas for instruction, improvement and acknowledge good performance.
Ways to support your child's literacy development
Research has shown that children's motivation and achievement improve when their parents or carers are involved in their education. There are many everyday things you can do to encourage literacy learning.
These include:
- valuing and encouraging your child's effort with literacy
- sharing your knowledge and explaining how you use literacy in your everyday life
- encouraging your child to read and view a variety of texts such as newspapers, novels, comics, magazines, websites, email, timetables, instructions and recipes
- encouraging your child to write and design for a variety of purposes e.g. lists, thank you notes, invitations
- encourage your child to speak and listen for a variety of purposes e.g. sharing a joke, giving instructions or asking for information
- talking about things that you have read or viewed that were amusing, interesting or useful
- discussing favourite authors, producers, directors or illustrators and what you like about them
- playing games that develop knowledge and enjoyment of words
- making use of community resources for information, local and school libraries, clubs, community groups and websites.
Number Intervention
Jane Ferris
jferris@gsmelbournesth.catholic.edu.au
What a busy start to 2018! We have a number of initiatives in Mathematics beginning or continuing this year:
Maths Collective: At the end of last year, Galilee formed a partnership with two other schools in the area and sought and received funding to implement the learning framework used in Number Intervention in classroom practice. Our Prep, Year One and Year Two teachers will be involved in several days of Professional Learning about the programme this year, as well as regular training within the school. Our Year 3-6 teachers will develop most of their knowledge about the programme through school-based training this year, and then next year will attend Professional Learning days. All children are currently being assessed in a classroom-adapted assessment interview by their classroom teachers. We are very excited about this initiative and look forward to improved Maths outcomes across the school!
Number Intervention – Intervention Specialist: Over the past couple of weeks, I have assessed various Year 3 and 4 students in Number. From these assessments, I have been able to select eight students who will work with me in an intensive programme aimed at developing confidence, knowledge and skills in Number. The children will learn with me individually or in groups of three, approximately four times each week for 30 minutes each session. This programme has proven very effective in improving students’ outcomes in Maths. I look forward to working with these students to help them to be the best they can be!
Next semester, I will complete a similar programme with children from Years 1 and 2.
Number Intervention – Learning Support Officers: Various students from Years 2 to 6 will work with our Learning Support Officers in the same programme in a less intensive manner, beginning in Week 6. Our Learning Support Officers have trained in the Number Intervention programme and have achieved excellent results with their students. The students will work in pairs or individually, twice each week for 30 minutes each session, outside the classroom.
Number Intervention – Parent Helpers: Last year in Term 4, a group of dedicated and willing parents attended training sessions with me in Number Intervention, and proceeded to work with Prep children who needed a little boost in Maths. Each of the children supported by these wonderful parents showed marked progress in their confidence, skills and knowledge of Number and ended Prep at the expected standard. We will be continuing this initiative this year, beginning with a training session on March 2.
I have decided to include the Number Intervention training with the Classroom Helper Sessions on the following dates: March 2 or March 9. The Number aspect of the training will commence at 10am. However, if you are also interested in helping in classrooms, you must attend from 9.00am, when a discussion of general classroom expectations will be held.
Please contact me via email (above) if you would like to take part in parent training in Number Intervention in 2018. This training enables you to work with individual children (not necessarily your own child), following a sequential programme. Thank you very much to parents who have already contacted me. I will contact interested parents via email soon. I appreciate very much your ongoing support and look forward to another great year of Number Intervention!
Term One Overviews
Please take some time to read over the Term One Overviews. The Overviews contain information regarding the learning that will occur in each year level this term. They also contain important dates and events that families will need to be aware of. We have published the Overviews on our School Website so that you can refer to them throughout the term. Term Two Overviews will be published within the first three weeks on next term.
Year 5 Overview, Term 1 (1).pdf