Teaching, Learning and Wellbeing
Text studies for literacy instruction
As part of our new RGLPS explicit teaching pedagogy, classes are transitioning to use of selected picture book or novels in literacy each term. Years 3-6 classes will read a carefully chosen novel or text each term and use this for literacy instruction over a number of weeks. A key point of difference is that each student will have access to their own copy of the text for the use during the term.
These selected texts will be used to teach literacy concepts such as:
- reading fluency
- comprehension strategies (eg. inferring, predicting, summarising)
- text analysis
- subject specific vocabulary
- grammar (eg. punctuation, tense, parts of speech, clauses etc)
- genre analysis (eg. narrative, persuasive text, information reports)
- sentence structure and fluency
writing composition
Where possible, novels and picture books have been selected to support knowledge development that aligns with the humanities or science unit for the term. For example, during a Year 3 term unit focused on indigenous Australian history, students will read 'Home to Mother' by Doris Pilkington. This is a fiction narrative of three Aboriginal girls who escape the Moore River Native Settlement in WA and make their way back to their mother by following the Rabbit Proof Fence. The text is aimed at students from 8-10 years of age. Students will learn about Australian history whilst also developing literacy skills such as inferring, understanding point of view, grammar and developing their writing at both sentence and whole text level.
Our Prep - Year 2 classes will similarly explore several picture story texts in a theme or author study or level appropriate junior novels. These texts may align with their year level humanities or science unit of study each term.
This shift in our RGLPS approach allows teachers to explore a text in greater depth, simultaneously teaching science or humanities content and vocabulary, while developing essential literacy skills.
During 2025, many RGLPS classes have already been trialling this pedagogy by undertaking a class novel study linked to their humanities or science unit of study. Please be aware that we are still tinkering with our structures and texts for 2026 so there are bound to be teething issues. We appreciate your patience while we make this major transition in our literacy instruction.
Kerron Worsdell
Literacy Learning Specialist
Maths Challenge
It's been so exciting to have so many students and families reach out to me regarding the above challenge. Many of you have surprised yourselves by finding even larger numbers than you originally thought possible when revisiting the problem. Well done to everyone who has persisted! This week, we finally arrived at the largest possible number that can be made by moving two match sticks. Congratulations to Dylan (2C) and Orlando (4A), who both made the number 51181 by removing the sticks from the top and bottom of the 0 to make a 1.
This week, I challenge you to create your own tangram puzzle. Instructions can be found here: https://www.tangram-channel.com/crafts-activities/draw-your-own-tangram/
Playing with tangrams is a great way to develop spatial reasoning and geometric thinking. Once you make your puzzle, challenge yourself to create different pictures by rearranging the shapes. I'd love to see (and share) what you come up with!
Please send your responses to sarah.mclellan@education.vic.gov.au
Sarah McLellan
Mathematics Learning Specialist