Literacy & Numeracy
LITERACY
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The study of English is central to the learning and development of all young Australians. It helps create confident communicators, imaginative thinkers and informed citizens. It is through the study of English that individuals learn to analyse, understand, communicate with and build relationships with others and with the world around them (ACARA).
At St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary School we believe in facilitating a collaborative approach to support student achievement in the English Learning Area. Parents and caregivers are the first educators of their children and play a critical role in the initial development of their children’s literacy. We support this role of parents and caregivers by providing an education that has a balanced focus on the development of children’s oral language, phonological awareness, phonic knowledge, writing skills, reading fluency and comprehension.
At St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary School:
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We provide meaningful and structured learning experiences that explicitly teach phonological and print awareness skills, high frequency words, reading and comprehension strategies, and writing genres.
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PreLit and InitiaLit, an evidence based whole class literacy program is used from Kindergarten to Year 2 to teach the English curriculum and support the development of individual literacy skills. Talk for Writing is also another engaging framework which is used to further develop literacy skills in the early years of schooling.
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We also encourage and support students to become independent readers and writers using programs such as Literacy Pro, English Stars and Talk for Writing in the middle to upper year levels.
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Individual student needs are also meet through quality differentiated learning experiences and intervention supports where needed.
NUMERACY
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St Francis of Assisi ensures that Number lessons are broken into four parts, following an explicit instruction model of teaching:
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I do - students view examples of the learning intention and how the teacher demonstrates the thinking process when solving mathematical concepts.
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We do - encourages students to work through example questions, starting with easier questions leading to more complex examples.
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You do - children access independent tasks and work through a mathematical concept at their own pace.
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Conclusion/Plough Back – the class gathers to discuss and revise concepts, new learning and any common misconceptions.
At the start of each unit of concept, children complete a pre-test which determines the children’s ability and prior knowledge. It is also great for informing the teacher’s future planning. The pre-test results allow teachers to group children and provide differentiated activities aimed at each child’s level.
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At the end of the concept, students complete a written post-test. The test includes questions to cover all ability groups, and the data is then collected and analysed for future planning, teaching and reporting.
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Using technology in Maths (such as OneNote, Seesaw, Microsoft Teams) enables the children to access work of varied levels, both at school and at home. The St Francis of Assisi Maths Model encourages teachers to use a bank of Math resources to plan and teach Number, as not one particular text book covers all concepts and components essential to a Maths program.
