English

At North Shore Primary School the teaching of ENGLISH has the highest priority. 

Literacy is integral to successful participation in our world today.

 Two hours are devoted daily to the teaching of English (as seen in our English Policy)

*Reading (and viewing)

*Writing

*Speaking and Listening

*Critical Thinking

*And Digital Literacy

In the Prep-Grade 4 (Laying the Foundations) the curriculum focuses on developing the fundamental knowledge, skills and behaviours in literacy. The Literacy teaching session begins with each student involved in group activities such as big book reading, rhymes, special news or reading of stories using the Interactive Whiteboards. This is followed by small group work where children are involved in activities to practise and to improve newly learnt skills. A whole class reflection and celebration of new learning completes each reading and writing lesson. Teaching groups change according to the particular needs of the children. Small class sizes and assistance by additional staff ensure a curriculum where individual student’s needs can be met.

Spelling is an integral part of the literacy P-6 program and in order to facilitate the teaching of phonics and spelling, a teaching tool ‘THRASS’, is being integrated as a whole school approach.

In Years 3 and 4 students develop learning goals which drive their own learning. Students are encouraged to use a wide range of resources to increase their literacy skills. Resources include individual dictionaries, websites,  Interactive Whiteboards, internet search engines, word banks, personal reader boxes, literacy board games, listening posts, mind mapping tools, Mac books, computer-based interactive games and hands-on games. By drawing on a wide range of resources, and with teacher support, students are engaged in their own learning and increase their ability to solve their own learning tasks and goals. 

In Years 5 and 6 – (Building breadth and depth) students progress beyond the foundations and their literacy becomes more developed. They are expected to work with increased independence, take some responsibility for their learning and to work on their own Individual Learning Plans.

The students are broken up into learning groups, with less than 16 students per group, and the teacher offers explicit teaching to each child.

Children are encouraged to develop positive attitudes towards reading, writing, viewing, speaking and listening and critical thinking. Students use computers, flip cameras, and a number of learning tools found on the internet, such as Ziptales to enhance their literacy skills.

As part of their “English Toolbox” students also develop their spelling and handwriting skills with weekly spelling assessments and daily handwriting practice.