Availll (Advancing literacy learning with books and films)

AVAILLL is an internationally recognised research-validated reading enhancement programme that uses popular films, based upon books, to successfully teach reading skills to students.   Audio Visual Achievement in Literacy, Language and Learning, or AVAILLL for short, has been successfully used in schools in New Zealand since 2008.  AVAILLL aims to increase a student’s abilities in comprehension, fluency, vocabulary, spelling and attitudes toward reading and does so in a way that is novel and exciting.

We are learning to; 

Use video Subtitles to explore:

• Parts of speech.

• Vocabulary.

• Retaining information.

• Comprehension strategies (Using prior information, making predictions, making connections, questioning, drawing inferences, visualising, finding the main idea and synthesising.

To be successful we will;

• When being read to or watching video we will be actively listening and watching the subtitles to gain information.

• Read the text provided carefully.

• Ask questions if unsure.

• Skim and Scan to find the information required to complete the follow up activities.

• Be able to discuss and justify our answers.

Tips for home reading

Read and talk together

• Get your child to tell you about what they are reading. Who is their favourite character and why? Is there anyone like that in your family? What do they think is going to happen? What have they learnt from their reading? Does it remind them of any of their own experiences?

• Help your child with any words they don’t understand – look them up together in the dictionary if you need to

• Read recipes, instructions, manuals, maps, diagrams, signs and emails. It will help your child to understand that words can be organised in different ways on a page, depending on what it’s for

• Read junk mail – your child could compare costs, make their own ‘advertisements’ by cutting up junk mail or come up with clever sentences for a product they like.

Here's a tip: talk a lot to your child while you are doing things together. Use the language that works best for you and your child.

Read with others

• If your child has chosen something to read that is too hard at the moment, take turns and read it together

• Reading to younger brothers or sisters, whānau or grandparents will give your child an opportunity to practise reading out loud

• Encourage other family members (Aunty, Grandma, Koro) to read to and with your child 

• Playing board games and card games is important, too

• Choose games that everyone wants to play. Make them challenging, not too easy.

Here are some tips: keep the magic of listening to a good story alive by reading either made-up, retold or read-aloud stories to your child – with lots of excitement through the use of your voice!

When they are reading, the most common difficulty your child is likely to have is working out the meaning of new words, phrases and expressions. To do this your child will use their knowledge of words and word patterns (eg prefixes, suffixes and root words) to help build meaning. You may need to remind your child to read back and forward for clues to help their understanding of what they are reading. Talk with your child about the meaning.

Take your child to the library

• Help your child to choose a variety of books they want to read

• Help them look for books about topics they’re learning about at school

• Get your child to choose a book that you can read to them (listening to you read helps them with their reading)

• Encourage your child to retell favourite stories or parts of stories in their own words.

Here's a tip: help your child link stories to their own life. Remind them about what they have done when a similar thing happens in the story.