Literacy

Writing

Writing is something that we do for many purposes throughout the day and we encourage you to take opportunities to point this out and share writing with your children.

The explicit teaching components of writing in our classrooms are as follows:

Handwriting

Is is essential to focus on correct tripod pencil grip and letter formation (see home support pack for further information) as incorrect formation is very hard to correct once it becomes habit.

• Practise writing the daily sound on paper during RWI

• complete a letter per day in the handwriting practice book

• during play, try writing letters in multiple ways and with different implements, for example, write on pavers with a water using a paint brush or cotton bud, with paint on paper, chalk on the footpath or driveway, with their finger in flour on a table or tray, on a window with a whiteboard pen ...

Bookmaking

Please refer to the pamphlet in the Learning at Home pack and the video links below for essential information about the Bookmaking process.We use a Bookmaking approach to writing, as picture books are a form of writing that children are familiar with and understand. We teach the children to notice and talk about what the author and illustrator are doing to make the books interesting and fun and encourage them to use these strategies themselves. By recognising and using these, the children are developing a strong sense of themselves as authors.

Each week we have mini lessons that focus on a particular element of writing that we will encourage the children to use. These foci will be shared via class dojo.

Essential links

The importance of making books. click here

Supporting Word Making for Young Writers: Part 1 click here

Supporting Word Making for Young Writers: Part 2 click here

Finding Ideas for Books click here

Reading

Reading takes many forms. It is something that we do on a daily basis, across many activities and for multiple purposes, including enjoyment and relaxation. There are many ways to incorporate your child's development of reading into daily routines.

• Share a book with your child, whether it's during the day or at bed time. Click here for ideas on how to make the most of reading to your child in Supporting Young Readers Before (and After) They Can Read the Words. The video contains tips for developing your child's comprehension, oral language and thinking skills while sharing a picture book or other texts.

• "Reading to Self" is a daily activity in our classrooms, where children look at and make meaning from picture or information books that they have chosen themselves. The above video talks about how children can get meaning by looking for and noticing things in the illustrations that support the words.

• recognising and reading labels, signs and print in their home environment.

• Reading decodable texts - Once they can automatically and fluently recognise and blend letters into words, the children will begin to read decodable texts at an appropriate level in RWI. We will share more information about this as appropriate during the term

There are also MANY story book read alouds online.

The school has subscriptions to the following sites, for use by our students. Your child's teacher will share the login details with you via Class Dojo.

• Sunshine Online

• Story Box Library