Literacy Policy
Talking and Listening
Reading and
Writing
Policy Statement
Literacy is a dynamic, socially engineered facet of life. It involves reciprocity in listening, talking, reading, writing, viewing and critical thinking. Literacy empowers the learner to utilise language in order to enhance their capacity think, create and question effectively in a range of contexts. Literacy is the key to overall success, not only at school but in further education and employment.
The literacy goals of Blaxland Public School are explicit and systematic as set by the NSW Department of Education and Training.
The goals are that all students should:
• be able to express themselves clearly and well in written English;
• enjoy expressing themselves in oral and written forms;
• read widely for both pleasure and instruction, with discernment and understanding.
• be articulate in conversation and in public speaking.
• be good listeners capable of comprehending and evaluating what they hear.
(NSW Department of School Education Curriculum Directorate, Focus on Literacy ‘97)
Statement of Purpose
Literacy encompasses Talking and Listening, Reading and Writing.
Effective teaching and learning is systematic and explicit where reciprocity is understood and catered for
through integrated literacy activities.
Blaxland Public school will focus on:
- providing a stimulating language environment that is interactive;
- meeting the needs of all students;
- the teaching of reading K-6;
- the teaching of writing, grammar and spelling;
- providing opportunities to extend talking and listening skills and strategies;
- providing for strategies that lead students to independence in talking and listening, reading and writing;
- intervention for students experiencing difficulty;
- systematic programming;
- responsive and explicit teaching;
- appropriate assessments that provide for informed, responsive teaching and learning;
- tracking and monitoring of students and
- promoting the important role that parents play as partners with the school in achieving literacy development for their child.
(NSW Department of School Education Curriculum Directorate, Focus on Literacy ‘97)
Effective Literacy Teaching and Learning
Blaxland Public School will:
- give literacy improvement a high priority by developing an action plan.
- provide continuing teacher professional development in order to develop understandings about literacy and the knowledge and skills to apply appropriate strategies in the classroom.
- communicate appropriate teaching strategies for improving literacy through training and development within the school, using mentors and consultants.
- provide for consistency in student learning through a planned whole school approach;
- provide for teaching strategies that take students from what they know to the partially known through explicit and systematic teaching on a daily basis;
- identify individual student needs through ongoing assessment;
- provide support teaching for students experiencing learning difficulties;
- encourage and provide for parent input into the learning process;
- track and monitor students K – 6;
- provide modelled and guided teaching and learning experiences leading students to independence in reading and writing;
- provide meaningful learning situations in which students take knowledge, understandings and strategies through to practice in a variety of settings;
- provide positive and constructive feedback for students, affirming what they know and where to next;
- opportunities to review whole or part of the learning cycle;
- review and organise school resources to ensure their appropriateness for optimal literacy learning and teaching;
- evaluate the whole-school literacy program as part of school planning, to measure the progress being made to improve the literacy outcomes of students and
- report to parents on prior and current learning achievements using the standards framework of syllabus outcomes.
(NSW Department of School Education Curriculum Directorate, Focus on Literacy ‘97)
Teachers will provide teaching and learning programs designed to develop talking and listening, reading, writing, viewing and critical thinking.
Teaching programs will include:
- daily instructional lessons that are explicit, systematic and clear in direction for students using the NSW State Syllabus in English as the framework;
- modelled, guided and independent learning opportunities;
- the teaching of knowledge, skills and strategies designed to take the student to independence in learning;
- frequent exposure to, and experience with, meaningful talking and listening, reading and writing activities;
- individual assessment strategies designed to inform teaching directions;
- texts for instructional teaching using reading recovery levels appropriate to each student;
- frequent exposure to, and experience with, quality literature in all forms;
- time for critical reflection and opportunities to construct meaning from a range of viewpoints.
- regular opportunities for students to articulate and demonstrate their learning;
- opportunities for students to talk, listen, read and write for a variety of purposes;
- discussing, viewing, reading and writing of a variety of text types;
- opportunities to explore responses and reaction to media, including visual texts.
- regular tracking and monitoring of students;
- analysis of assessment and
- feedback on achievement.
(NSW Department of School Education Curriculum Directorate, Focus on Literacy ‘97)
The Support Teacher for Learning Difficulties will:
- liaise with class teachers in assessment, programming and monitoring of identified students;
- support with in class teaching and learning initiatives;
- provide support in programming individual educational programs for identified students;
- mentor class teachers in skills and strategies to assist specific teaching and learning needs of identified students;
- support referrals for district support , where appropriate and
- provide feedback to teachers, students and parents, where appropriate.
Students will:
- participate constructively in teaching and learning activities;
- be part of planning for their future learning directions and
- be responsible for their own belongings required for their learning tasks as required by the class teacher, for eg. pens, sharp pencils, books etc
Parents will:
- model and encourage positive and enjoyable reading and shared reading experiences in literature at home;
- support their child with any class requirements such as, pens, pencils etc as suggested by the class teacher.