At West Northam Primary School, we have been working hard to ensure we have a consistent approach to Literacy across the whole school. Following similar routines and literacy programs in every class, ensures that students can develop what they are doing without having to relearn new programs as well as new content with every new teacher. All classes follow the West Northam Literacy Block.
Students engage in daily literacy warm ups, recapping what has been taught so far, followed by explicit teaching of the new concept or strategy. Teachers then involve students in daily modelled, guided and independent reading and writing activities. Teachers model the strategy or concept being taught through the text they are reading. Guided activities are worked on together with the class and often in small groups. Students are then given the opportunity to work on their new concept independently. Activities are differentiated so that students are working at the level of instruction needed. The end of the lesson involves reviewing what has been learnt.
West Northam uses Brightpath, a reading and writing assessment and reporting software tool. The program is designed to support teachers in making accurate judgments about student performance so they can better target the needs of each individual student in order to help them improve their reading and writing.