Literacy News
Mrs Elise Rimington
In recent years, there has been a vast amount of research and debate about ‘best practices’ when teaching children to read. As a result, the way in which schools approach the teaching of reading is changing.
At St Michael’s we are embarking on a change to our practices that supports the most up to date, evidence-based, research. This approach is called ‘The Science of Reading.’ It's primarily focussed around these five components of reading:
- Phonemic awareness
- Phonics
- Vocabulary
- Fluency
- Comprehension
We also add Oral Language into this and create a sixth component, due to its critical importance in supporting ALL students to learn to read and comprehend competently.
As a result of this, you will see changes in what activities are sent home to support your child’s reading, particularly in the Prep to Year Two area. The focus will be more around ‘decoding’ the text and using symbol to sound relationships, rather than relying on cues such as pictures or guessing the word.
As with any change, it is systematic and considered. We have purchased materials to support this approach and have new decodable texts in the classroom. Throughout the year, we hope to continue to purchase more texts, particularly ‘take home decodable readers’ which support the classroom program.
In the Year Three-Six area, the teachers are also focussing on these critical six components of English, referred to as ‘The Big Six’. Throughout the year, staff will be provided with professional development to implement these components in the classroom in their Literacy Programs.
Keep an eye out for a Parent Information Night that will be on offer to further explain the rationale behind The Science of Reading and the direction that St Michael’s will be taking to implement these changes.
Please refer to the following articles if you would like to learn more about this systemic change within our school system, and as always, please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or queries. Let’s all learn together!
Warmest Wishes,
Elise Rimington.
Literacy Leader
The Reading war is over and phonics has won - 2020 (Sydney Morning Herald)