Assistant Principal - Curriculum

Victoria’s approach to teaching reading F-2

Beginning this year, all Victorian schools are mandated to implement an approach to teaching Reading which aligns to the "Victoria’s approach to teaching reading F-2" which underlines how Reading should be taught in classrooms across Foundation to Level 2. A core principle of Victoria’s approach to teaching reading F-2 is that Reading is taught in a structured approach focussing on the following 6 elements:

• Oral language – knowing and using spoken words to express knowledge, ideas and emotions 

• Phonemic awareness –which is the knowledge of sounds (phonemes) 

• Phonics – knowing the sound (phoneme) and letter (grapheme) relationships 

• Fluency – reading accurately and at an appropriate rate with expression 

• Vocabulary – understanding words in isolation and in context

 • Comprehension – making meaning from text which includes developing knowledge of grammar

If you wish to know more about phonics - please see the attached information sheet provided from the Victorian Academy of  Teaching and Learning. 

At Park Ridge Primary School, we are currently using the following approaches (and more!) to ensure an effective, engaging and rigorous reading program.

• Little Learners Love Literacy (LLLL) is used as our synthetic, systematic phonics program to ensure our Foundation and Year 1 students gain a thorough and working knowledge of phonics and phonemic awareness to allow them to decode text with accuracy, fluency and confidence.
• The Sound Waves spelling program allows us to teach explicit phonics lessons from Year 2 onwards; consolidating from the foundational knowledge built upon by LLLL to allow students opportunity to transfer their decoding skills to become accurate spellers.
• Decodable readers (texts that can be decoded/read as they are strategically written to only include known sounds) are widely used throughout Foundation, Year 1 and Year 2 for both classroom activities and home reading. 
• Reading sessions at PRPS incorporate small group instruction enabling students to be taught at their area of need (whether it be to support, consolidate or extend) in any of the above 6 elements.
• Teachers are encouraged to model an enthusiasm and love of reading by reading regularly with their class. This is done through the use of big books, class novels, picture storybooks and other everyday texts. These regular opportunities allow students to discuss and develop their understanding of oral language and vocabulary.
• Students are assessed regularly in both their ability to decode text in an accurate and fluent manner as well as being able to read for meaning to enable a deep comprehension of the text.

Please see your child's classroom teacher or myself if you would like any further information regarding our approach to Reading.