Thankyou 

Sally and I would like to take this opportunity to thank families that have kindly donated to the Library Fund each year. Many new titles have been purchased for our school library and we have been able to continue building our classroom libraries and mentor texts.

Due to your generous donations, this year we plan to invest in more mentor texts, build classroom libraries (Year 5 and 6)  and purchase books for novel studies.

What are mentor texts?

We use mentor texts, real books, articles or short pieces of writing, as models to help students become stronger readers and writers. When we read these texts closely, students learn to notice how authors structure sentences, choose precise vocabulary, organise ideas and show what characters are thinking and feeling. This deep reading improves comprehension, as students begin to recognise text features, understand author purpose, infer meaning and think more critically about what they read. Instead of simply telling students to ‘improve’ their writing, we show them clear examples of quality writing and guide them to apply those techniques in their own work. By learning from published authors, students build confidence, strengthen both their reading and writing skills, and develop a clearer understanding of how effective texts work.

What are novel studies?

A novel study is when the class reads and explores the same novel together over time, using it to build strong comprehension skills. In line with our comprehension model, we focus on the key building blocks of reading; accurate word reading, vocabulary knowledge, background knowledge, and understanding how language works. Rather than relying on quick strategies, we support students to unpack complex parts of the text, discuss meaning deeply, and revisit challenging sections so understanding grows over time. Students learn to think carefully about what the author is saying, connect ideas across chapters, and strengthen both their reading stamina and ability to understand increasingly complex texts.

Peyton and Evan (Year 5) are excited about the new books!