Literacy

Literacy

At Our Lady Star of the Sea we follow the MACS vision for Reading and Writing instruction which involves providing every student with access to a high-quality, evidence-based, structured and explicit literacy program.

In Reading, this includes:

1. Oral Language: The skills involved in speaking and listening, which helps our students to understand and process written text. 
2. Phonemic Awareness: Understanding that speech consists of words made up of distinct sounds. Explicit instruction is beneficial, and advanced instruction should integrate with systematic phonics instruction.
3. Phonics: Knowledge of letter-sound relationships to decode words. Requires explicit and systematic instruction.
4. Fluency: Ability to read accurately, quickly, and expressively, essential for comprehension. Practices include modeling fluent reading and repeated practice.
5. Vocabulary: Understanding word meanings in isolation and context, crucial for comprehension. Rich, explicit vocabulary instruction supports students, especially from disadvantaged backgrounds.
6. Comprehension: The ultimate goal of literacy, relying on strong decoding skills, fluency, and background knowledge. A knowledge-rich curriculum is vital for effective student learning.

In Writing, this includes:

Developing Essential Writing Skills

1. Teach Handwriting: Explicitly instruct students in both handwriting and keyboarding, allowing them to use digital and traditional tools effectively.
2. Emphasize Spelling and Orthography: Focus on explicit instruction in spelling, including morphology, etymology, and phonology.
3. Analyze Words, Sentences, and Paragraphs: Use explicit analysis to improve writing skills at multiple levels.
4. Embed Grammar and Punctuation: Integrate grammar and punctuation instruction within meaningful writing tasks.
5. Comprehensive Writing Instruction: Provide detailed instruction in planning, drafting, evaluating, and revising writing, using formative assessments to offer feedback.

Building Knowledge for Writing

1. Teach Genre Structures: Instruct students on genre structures and features through modeling, guided practice, and examples, with attention to subject-specific genres.
2. Build Content Knowledge and Language Skills: Enhance students’ knowledge and skills for expressing ideas, focusing on linguistic and rhetorical features, and expanding vocabulary.

Levels of support

At Our Lady Star of the Sea, we follow a three-tiered framework to ensure each student receives the appropriate level of support to succeed:

1. Tier 1: Universal 
• Quality instruction and general support provided to all students.
• Includes regular screening, assessment, and quality differentiated teaching practice
2. Tier 2: Targeted 
• For students needing more specific help beyond Tier 1.
• Involves targeted assessments and additional evidence-based supports.
3. Tier 3: Intensive 
• For students requiring intensive, individualised help.
• Includes specialised assessments and interventions, alongside supports from Tiers 1 and 2.