Curriculum - English

Speaking and Listening

Students will also be involved in informal discussions, small group discussions and formal presentations of project work. Being an active listener and asking relevant questions is also expected at this level and beyond.

 

Reading and Viewing

This year we will continue our CAFÉ approach to reading. CAFÉ focuses upon Comprehension, Accuracy, Fluency and Extending Vocabulary. In the classroom, CAFÉ will give the students the opportunity to read, interpret and respond to a wide range of written and electronic material in different formats.

Activities are completed through individual, partner, small group and whole class reading. Students are encouraged to monitor their reading goals through conferencing with their classroom teacher.

 

Writing

At Black Rock we use Big Write and VCOP (Vocabulary, Connectives, Openers and Punctuation) methodologies to guide our teaching of writing. VCOP is based on the premise that ‘if they can’t say it, they can’t write it’. Learning is scaffolded in the classroom to allow students to become articulate thinkers and speakers, who in turn become articulate writers. It is a differentiated approach, allowing teachers to cater for varying needs. After completing a ‘Big Write’ students assess their own work using a criterion scale. This empowers the students by allowing them to analyse where their skill set lies, and specifically what steps they need to take in order to further their writing.

 

Spelling

A word study program focusing on phonics, vocabulary, and spelling strategies will be taught from Year One to Year Six. Word study involves active exploration of words and offers students the opportunity to make their own discoveries about how words are  spelt by comparing, categorising and manipulating them. When students understand the spelling and meaning of words, they become more excited about words and are more confident to apply these correct strategies in their reading and writing.  The students are assessed and their errors are examined.  After this, the students are grouped into ‘like ability’ groups for instruction and they are taught at their point of need.

 

Handwriting

Year Four students will continue to develop their handwriting skills, with a focus on the correct letter size, sloping, spacing and joining. Students are expected to write in grey lead until they receive their pen licence sometime during Semester Two. Expectations for achieving a pen licence will be discussed and modelled to the students. It is our aim that all students will receive their pen licence by the end of the school year.