Loving Learning Literacy

Prep-Year 2 Literacy Workshop – Thank You

Thank you to all the parents and carers who attended our Prep to Year 2 Literacy Workshop on Tuesday. It was wonderful to see such strong engagement and shared commitment to supporting our students’ learning. We hope you found the session informative and practical.

For those who were unable to attend, or who would like a refresher, we will be running another session next term. Further details will be shared early in the term.

Supporting Literacy at Home

Research from cognitive science and the science of reading shows that children learn best when key skills are practised regularly, explicitly, and in small steps over time.

Families play a vital role in reinforcing this learning at home. Here are some evidence-based ways you can help:

• Reading (Decoding + Understanding)
  • Listen to your child read aloud regularly.
  • Encourage them to sound out unfamiliar words rather than guess.
  • Re-read familiar books to build fluency.
  • Talk about the story to support understanding (e.g. “What happened?” “Why did the character do that?”), after a reading to your child or when your child can fluently read a text.
  • Continue reading favourite stories to your child, this not only helps to build vocabulary and provides a model of fluent reading, it also builds a love and joy for reading
• Writing
  • Encourage your child to write for real purposes (notes, lists, stories).
  • Support them in stretching out words and writing the sounds they hear.
  • Keep feedback simple and focused (e.g. one thing to improve at a time).
• Spelling
  • Practise high-frequency words and phonics patterns in short, regular sessions.
  • Use strategies like saying the word, segmenting sounds, and writing it down.
  • Revisit previously learned words to strengthen memory (spaced practice).
• General Learning Tips
  • Keep practice short and consistent (little and often is best).
  • Build routines to support focus and reduce distractions.
  • Offer encouragement and celebrate effort as well as progress.

Further Information for Families

If you would like to explore these approaches further, the following resources provide clear, research-informed guidance:

• Reading Rockets (practical strategies for parents)
• Five from Five (Australian resource)

Story Book Suggestions for Home Reading

Prep

• The Very Hungry Caterpillar – Eric Carle
• Where the Forest Meets the Sea – Jeannie Baker
• Kissed by the Moon – Alison Lester
• Edwina the Emu – Sheena Knowles, illus. Rod Clement
• Possum Magic – Mem Fox, illus. Julie Vivas
• Where Is the Green Sheep? – Mem Fox, illus. Judy Horacek
• Time for Bed – Mem Fox, illus. Jane Dyer
• Sleepy Bears – Mem Fox, illus. Kerry Argent
• Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late! – Mo Willems
• Each Peach Pear Plum – Janet & Allan Ahlberg

Year 1

• Zog and the Flying Doctors – Julia Donaldson, illus. Axel Scheffler
• Hey Hippopotamus, Do Babies Eat Cake Too? – Hazel Edwards, illus. Helen Oxenbury
• Splosh for the Billabong – Ros Moriarty & Balarinji
• The Moose is Loose! – Pamela Allen
• Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes – Mem Fox, illus. Helen Oxenbury
• Koala Lou – Mem Fox, illus. Pamela Lofts
• Wombat Divine – Mem Fox, illus. Kerry Argent
• Hattie and the Fox – Mem Fox, illus. Patricia Mullins
• Pirates Eat Porridge – Adam & Charlotte Guillain
• Seven More Sleeps – Jimmy Barnes

Year 2

• Chook Doolan: Saves the Day – James Roy
• Mike the Spike – Adam Wallace
• Bad Buster – N. H. Clark
• Sophie Scott Goes South – Alison Lester
• Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge – Mem Fox, illus. Julie Vivas
• Whoever You Are – Mem Fox, illus. Leslie Staub
• The Magic Hat – Mem Fox, illus. Tricia Tusa
• I’m Australian Too – Mem Fox, illus. Ronojoy Ghosh
• The Day the Crayons Came Home – Drew Daywalt, illus. Oliver Jeffers
• Silly Billy – Anthony Browne

We appreciate your ongoing support in building strong literacy foundations for your child. 

Taryn Travanca & Nella Fimiani