Literacy

Literacy skills are critical for all learning, so at Bass Valley Primary School we use evidence-based methods to ensure all students succeed and thrive in this area. Students participate in a two hour daily session dedicated to teaching these skills.

Explicit and systematic teaching of fundamental knowledge and skills guides our approach to provide the best possible environment for all students develop the ability to read, write and understand the rules that govern the English language.

Teachers are currently being trained in Sounds Write to further develop an approach to teaching reading and spelling that is aligned with what the science states around literacy instruction. This approach recognises that reading is made up of 6 key areas:

1. Phonological Awareness
2. Phonics
3. Sight Words
4. Fluency
5. Vocabulary
6. Comprehension

For parents and community members interested in learning more about helping children to read and write, take a look at these free short Udemy courses from John Walker, a literacy expert who created the Sounds Write program:

• Help Your Child to Read and Write (beginner, 1.5 hours)
• Help Your Child to Read and Write (intermediate, 1.5 hours)

When helping children to read, we encourage them to:

• Look through the whole word, left to right
• Break the words up into sounds, syllables or chunks
• Blend the sounds and link the letter strings
• Listen to their own voice and think…‘does that word make sense?’
• Ask for help

This infographic from Teach Starter is a useful summary of these strategies.