The English curriculum is built around three interrelated strands of Language, Literature and Literacy. Together these strands focus on developing student’s knowledge, understanding and skills in listening, reading, viewing, speaking, writing and creating.
At Banksia Park Primary School, we are developing whole school approaches to literacy learning with various programs being embedded into our literacy learning blocks.
Reading
Reading is a fundamental skill your child will use for the rest of their life. Reading is supported in every classroom through teaching and learning opportunities, home reading, special events such as Book Week, and our school library filled with a wide range of quality fiction and non-fiction books.
Home reading helps to build a love of reading in your child. It strengthens their language, vocabulary and comprehension skills, and improves their social skills and confidence as you listen to them read. Reading for just 5 minutes a day exposes a child to 282,000 words per year, increasing a child’s vocabulary and ability to achieve at school.
Building a love of reading in your child gives them the best start for a life of learning and discovery. The quality time you will also spend with your child raises their mood and sense of wellbeing and creates special moments you both will always cherish.
Home reading occurs formally from Pre-primary to Year 3. Decodable reading books are used in the early years of reading to develop phonemic awareness, phonics, comprehension, vocabulary and fluency. As reading skills develop, students are supported to read for a wide variety of purposes and are encouraged to continue reading for pleasure every day.
Phonics and Spelling
PLD (Promoting Literacy Development) PLD is a Structured Synthetic Phonics (SSP) program used at Banksia Park Primary School for all students from Kindergarten to Year 6. It provides an Australian, evidence-based approach to teaching aligned with the Science of Reading. PLD’s SSP approach extends from Kindergarten through to spelling in the upper primary years facilitating a whole school approach.
The program aims to build children’s speaking and listening skills which is an important part of early reading and writing skill development. Children with good vocabulary, articulation and grammar knowledge are more likely to interpret what they read and write.
PLD also prepares children for learning to read by developing their phonic knowledge and skills. It sets out a detailed and systematic program for teaching phonics. There are six overlapping phases within letters and sounds. Students are tracked as they progress through the phases.
Seven Steps Writing Program
Seven Steps is a school wide approach that makes writing engaging, creative and successful. It implements a framework for writing that encourages collaboration and creates a common language across the school. It inspires writing, helping students to realise their potential and become effective, lifelong communicators. Developed by an Australian author and using both author and curriculum based techniques, it develops skills and strengths in students which are applied to all forms of writing including narrative, persuasive and informative texts.