English

Overview

Mernda Primary School seeks to inspire students and develop an ongoing love of learning whilst developing quality skills in English. Our whole school approach ensures continuity of teaching, learning and assessment practices.Teachers at Mernda Primary School use the Victorian Curriculum to plan and implement programs that are differentiated and cater for student’s individual learning needs.  A range of teaching strategies are taught and reinforced at all year levels.

Implementation

The Literacy Block incorporates Reading and Writing with Speaking and Listening. There is a strong focus on reading texts, decoding texts, comprehending texts, using and understanding vocabulary, formulating ideas, and using correct grammar, punctuation and spelling.

Throughout Literacy sessions, students develop their skills and knowledge through a variety of whole class, small group and individual instruction, designed to cater for differentiated learning needs whilst encouraging all students to become independent readers, writers and communicators.

Curriculum Content

Mernda Primary School is extremely well resourced with student and teacher materials.

Guided Reading forms the basis of our reading program and groups are formed with students who have similar needs. Multiple copies of the same text are used so that each student can access and read their own copy. Texts range from Level 1 through to Level 30 (and beyond). Students are exposed to a wide variety of genres in order to ensure that they can use and understand a wide variety of texts.

CARS & STARS is a structured reading program that diagnoses student comprehension and then guides teachers to instruct, to the level of each student’s ability in order to improve literacy results. 

The school uses the Spelling Mastery program to differentiate spelling for each child (in Grades 2-6), based on their individual needs and abilities.  Using a combined approach of phonemic, morphemic and whole-word strategies, Spelling Mastery helps students to understand the relationship between sounds, word parts and spelling patterns.

Reading and Spelling the Magic Words is a strong focus in Grades P-2. Students are supported as they work their way through 200 sight words. Automatic recognition of the Magic Words helps to accelerate learning and rapidly improves reading, increases fluency and develops comprehension in reading.

Read, Write Inc

Read Write Inc. Phonics (a synthetic phonics program) which has been implemented in the  F–2  area is proven to create fluent, enthusiastic readers, confident speakers and willing writers. It incorporates effective classroom management strategies that ensure participation and fast progress for all students and comes with comprehensive lesson plans and assessment resources. 

Read Write Inc. Phonics is a comprehensive, robust, curriculum-aligned literacy program that connects all aspects of literacy.

WRITING

At Mernda Primary School, students participate in lessons focusing on different text types including, narrative, recount, persuasive, and procedural texts.

VCOP/Big Write

Mernda Primary School is a registered Big Write VCOP school.

Big Write and VCOP is designed to bring the fun back into writing, to make children want to write, and to be continuously challenged throughout the writing journey. Through games, activities, writing tasks, conversations and discussions, students learn not only where their abilities lie in a fun and engaging way, but also the steps they need to take, in order to continue to improve.

Big Write and VCOP is a methodology for raising the standards in writing across all ages and ability levels.

ICT Literacy Resources

Mernda Primary School uses a range of ICT Literacy Resources to support classroom teaching and learning programs.

Some of the programs that are accessed on our wireless network include:

In addition to these a range of books and activities can be accessed on netbooks, laptops and Interactive Whiteboards.

Assessment

Teachers at Mernda Primary School closely monitor each child’s progress in Reading, Writing and Speaking & Listening using a range of assessment tools. Assessment includes teacher observation and anecdotal notes, formal assessment, students completing assessment tasks using ICT and teachers moderating samples of work. These tasks are linked to benchmarks to provide data. All year levels use the PM Benchmark Reading Assessment Tool to establish reading comprehension levels and each child’s literacy learning progress is tracked as they move through the school.

Home and School Partnership

A partnership between home and school is strongly encouraged and Home Reading is an essential part of our school’s reading program. Making Home Reading fun will help to develop a love of reading for your childYou can read to and with your child, as well as listening to them read..

Students are provided with books to read at home through our Take Home Reading system, as well as through Library borrowing. 

At Mernda Primary School we take great pride in the development and implementation of our Literacy program and its associated achievements. We are committed to supporting our staff with establishing best practice and ongoing professional learning.