Hands On Heads Literacy Coaching 

Dear Principals,

Happy Week 9!

I've had a fabulous couple of weeks, learning from and with amazing groups of teachers and leaders- wrapping up in some schools, meeting new colleagues, ready for new school partnerships, mapping out the 2026 school year.

More Opportunities to Respond...in Writing

Have your teachers been using 'pre-prepared' lesson plans, and by pre-prepared, I mean, the ones they haven't prepared themselves (yet), but the ones they’re using from Ochre or Arc or The Resource Room, or from somewhere else? If so, this is a reminder to ensure your teachers are responding to student needs by modifying the lessons where necessary and to ensure they’re reading ahead- reading the book BEFORE reading it with/to the students.

In a recent lesson observation, a ‘pre-prepared’ plan included four think/pair/shares in one reading lesson- without any written response during the chapter. While there’s a place for thinking and discussing, four was excessive! A simple adjustment would be one purposeful think/pair/share (if needed at all), then moving students into writing, brainstorming or stop-and-jot responses during the modelling or guided stage.

This could look like:

• Students skim/scan their own copies of the text for language features/text structures in response to a T/P/S
• Students write one response in their reading books instead of repeating think/pair/share.
• Students annotate a close-read handout of language features and structures, then respond in their reading books.

3,6,11 Literacy Strategy for Success

Remember that title from the beginning and middle of the year? Well, it's time to look at the '11' part of this strategy given the end of the school year is nearing.

A reminder of this strategy 

A great one to use as a reflective activity with your team.

Multidimensional (literacy) Magic Podcast- STORIES OF LITERACY SUCCESS -  Listen here 🎧

Prithi Rao

Head of Pedagogy for Literature – Ivanhoe Grammar School, VIC

In this episode, I speak with Prithi about Ivanhoe Grammar School’s innovative approach to literacy and vocabulary. We explore how defining literacy across word, grammar, text and visual knowledge guides their practice. Prithi shares how explicit teaching, graphic organisers and gamified strategies are improving vocabulary and engagement. A clear set of target words has strengthened curriculum design and consistency, with an emphasis on clarity, collaboration and sustainability. At its core, it’s about intentional vocabulary instruction building confident learners.

Prithi's Wise Words:

• “We really want to see how we might be able to target literacy.”
• “Our objective is to work towards student improvement.”

To your literacy success,