Literacy

InitiaLit/ Reading 

This year we will continue to be using a systematic synthetic approach to phonics. This will be achieved using our InitiaLit program, which students will be familiar with from last year. 

InitiaLit is an evidence-based whole-class literacy program providing all children with the essential core knowledge and strong foundations to become successful readers and writers. InitiaLit is a three-year program, covering the first three years of school (Foundation to Year 2)

In Term 4, reviewing skills covered during the year is especially important as you child prepares to progress to a new level in 2025.

The new concepts being covered this term in Level 1 are the following graphemes and phonemes:

• air as in 'hair'
• are as in 'beware'
• 'c' saying /s/
• 'g' saying /j/
• /dge/ as in bridge
• /ge/ as in 'cage'
• 'tch' as in catch
• 'ch' as in lunch
• prefix 'un'

The new concepts being covered this term in level 2 are:

• 'ph' saying ‘f’
• /ue/ as in glue and /ew/ as in grew

Writing

Our writing program will continue to use mentor texts over a series of 10 lessons to teach fundamental writing skills such as handwriting, spelling, text type, language orientation, grammar, pattern writing and author's purpose.  

Mentor texts are pieces of text we can hold up as examples of good writing. A mentor text could be a single sentence or an entire book. It could be something written by the teacher, a student, a published author or someone else entirely. This term, the children will be immersed in texts that cover the narrative, poetry, persuasive and recount genres.

Level 1 Mentor Texts for Term 4

• Finding Our Heart
• The Most Magnificent Thing
• Little Dog and the Summer Holiday
• Stellaluna
• What do you Wish For?

Level 2 Mentor Texts for Term 4

• Go Go and the Silver Shoes
• Jeremy 
• A Pixar Short Clip 
• The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs
• Everything You Know About Sharks is Wrong!