At Bethany Catholic Primary School we understand how vital English skills are, to support all learning. Our explicit directional instruction focuses on developing essential literacy skills, knowledge of reading and writing, and building a love of learning, language, and literature. We use evidence-based methods related to the Science of Learning and explicitly the Science of Reading  to ensure all students succeed and thrive in this area.

 

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

 

Reading is made of six key areas:

1.    Phonological Awareness

2.   Phonics

3.   Oral Language

4.   Fluency

5.   Vocabulary

6.   Comprehension

 

We follow a developmentally appropriate teaching sequence using a structured literacy approach, emphasising highly explicit and systematic teaching of all components of Literacy. These include Foundational skills through to higher order thinking skills and cover the following:

• Phonemes

• Letter-sound relationships

• Syllable patterns

• Morphemes

• Vocabulary

• Sentence structure

• Paragraph structure

• Text structure

 

Through whole school structures including Daily Reviews and Phonemic Awareness, as well as structured intervention and extension programs, we aim for all students to have success and enjoyment in Literacy learning. 

 

Fluency

Fluency is defined as the ability to read with speed, accuracy, and proper expression. In order to understand what they read, children must be able to read fluently whether they are reading aloud or silently. When reading aloud, fluent readers read in phrases and add intonation appropriately. Their reading is smooth and has expression.

 

Spelling

Spelling activities involve students spelling, blending and segmenting words. Students are also explicitly taught the 6 syllable types and morphology (prefixes, suffixes) and the spelling rules that govern them. High frequency words (learned words) are included in the daily English structure.

 

Vocabulary

Vocabulary is one of the six major components of reading and is linked to academic success. Vocabulary instruction provides essential background knowledge for reading and writing. If students are taught the meaning of words that they don’t know from the text, they have a better chance of comprehending what has been read.

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Writing

Across all of our year levels, we use rich content material, both fiction and non-fiction, to develop units of work, relating to the same topic. We use The Writing Revolution method to enable students to master the skills that are essential to become competent writers. It is these skills that also equip students to become more proficient readers, to communicate more effectively in writing and speaking and evaluate their thinking.

Students need explicit instruction in writing, beginning in the early grades.  Sentences are the building blocks of all writing.  When embedded in the content of the curriculum, writing instruction is a powerful teaching tool.  The content of the curriculum drives the rigour of the writing activities.  Grammar is best taught in the context of student writing.  The two most important phases of the writing process are planning and revising.