English at Nearnung Primary School is informed by the Victorian Curriculum.

Aims

The English curriculum aims to ensure that students:

• learn to listen to, read, view, speak, write, create and reflect on increasingly complex and sophisticated spoken, written and multimodal texts across a growing range of contexts with accuracy, fluency and purpose
• appreciate, enjoy and use the English language in all its variations and develop a sense of its richness and power to evoke feelings, convey information, form ideas, facilitate interaction with others, entertain, persuade and argue
• understand how Standard Australian English works in its spoken and written forms and in combination with non-linguistic forms of communication to create meaning
• develop interest and skills in inquiring into the aesthetic aspects of texts, and develop an informed appreciation of literature.

Nearnung Primary School utilises InitiaLit and Fountas and Pinnell to support high quality English teaching and learning.

InitiaLit Program (Prep - Yr 2)

InitiaLit is an evidence-based whole-class literacy program which provides children with the essential core knowledge and strong foundations to become successful readers and writers. 

The InitiaLit program includes the teaching of:

• Reading (using an explicit and systematic synthetic phonics program)
• Comprehension
• Oral language
• Listening comprehension
• Vocabulary
• Writing 
• Spelling
• Dictation
  
  

Fountas & Pinnell (Yr 3 - 6)

Teachers use Fountas and Pinnell research based resources to support their approach to teaching literacy skills using a strategically designed continuum of skills. Fountas and Pinnell supports teachers to:

• implement a coherent set of evidence-based instructional practices in whole-class, small-group, and individual contexts
• make expert decisions about the next steps in learning, based on evidence gained from observation and ongoing assessment data
• work as a team to take collective responsibility for the high achievement of each student in a widely diverse population
• act as members of a community with a common vision, common goals, common language, and a strong belief that their work can transform children’s lives through literacy.

Spell It (Yr 3 - 6)

Spell-It provides an explicit and structured approach to teaching spelling within a whole-class or small group framework. The program provides assessment tools for teachers to identify the spelling skills that are needed most, and to develop a teaching program to target these areas.

Specific teaching strategies are included for each teaching topic, with alternative ‘routes’ for differentiated instruction, extensive examples and word lists for use within lessons.

The program’s content can be delivered over time, and through practical activities and targeted written exercises, students’ ability to generalise their newly learned spelling skills to their writing can be monitored.

Through both the InitiaLit program and Fountas and Pinnell resources, teachers make expert decisions based on individual student's needs. They provide a range of scaffolds and supports to promote ongoing learning of the English language and development of each student's literacy skills.