A Look at Learning

Scholastic Learning Zone - Lexiles

 A Balanced Reader is able to exhibit all of the above concepts in order to understand and comprehend a wide variety of texts. 

As we move through our stage groups students are explicitly taught to decode, read with fluency and comprehend texts assigned to them. This process takes time and is taught from Kindergarten right through to Stage 3.

However, as we move through the stages less emphasis is placed on the decoding skill as students master how to decode unfamiliar words along with other strategies to ensure they are reading for meaning. 

Fluency is monitored throughout the stages and is a skill that is built on the ability to understand punctuation and complex sentence structures.  

Comprehension is taught throughout the whole school in every stage continuously. The comprehension of texts involves the student being able to understand not only what they have read but also the ability to read inferentially. Inference is the ability to interpret and understand what the text is not telling us, reading between the lines. It is the gathering of clues and information from words and pictures and drawing on prior knowledge to get a true reflection of the text and to imply what the author is not telling us directly. 

To build on our comprehension skills students participate in the Scholastic Learning Zone platform, Lexiles. Lexiles provide students with a number which is determined by a quiz that is taken periodically over the year. Students are given this personal number and are able to borrow books from our library that are within their Lexile range. Students read these books and are then able to complete a quiz online that determines their comprehension of the text they have just read. Students gain points and are awarded certificates for their continued improvement, growth and engagement with the platform. 

Lexile also provides an online library where students are able to read a book and answer the quiz immediately after completion. This platform is available on any device at home or school and is accessed by the student's individual login details. 

Mrs Adams, in the library,  will also be working with students on the platform and will help students borrow books that are within the individual student's Lexile range.

This week we awarded Ella Teinaki and Savannah Hogan with their Lexile awards at assembly for their huge improvement and engagement with the program to enhance their comprehension. 

Well done girls!