Literacy

Our English program is guided by the Victorian Curriculum and our school’s scope and sequence to ensure a consistent and engaging approach to learning. Students develop skills in Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening through explicit teaching and purposeful learning experiences each day.

At Killara Primary School, improving outcomes in English for every student is a key priority. We are committed to supporting all learners to achieve success.

Each classroom provides two hours of daily English instruction using the Workshop Model and evidence-based teaching practices from the Victorian Teaching and Learning Model (VTLM 2.0). Sequences of lessons are carefully planned and differentiated to meet the needs of all students.

Teachers explicitly teach essential knowledge and skills, using the gradual release of responsibility model (I do, we do, you do). This allows teachers to scaffold learning into small manageable tasks, reducing the cognitive load and enabling deep learning.

During independent work time, students regularly participate in small group instruction and reading conferences to strengthen reading comprehension, fluency and confidence. Teachers use a variety of ongoing assessment to identify students' individual learning needs, set goals and provide targeted support.

Our Word Work program, developed in partnership with our literacy consultant Mardi Gorman, supports the development of phonological awareness, phonics and spelling skills from Foundation to Year 6. Students explore word patterns, meanings and connections, helping them become confident readers, writers and spellers.