Literacy

Reading

The Reading program at Williamstown Primary School encourages students to develop a love of reading through exposure to rich texts. Students are encouraged to read for pleasure and to read a variety of texts/genres. Building stamina and independently selecting a ‘Just Right’ book are essential stepping stones for our readers. Utilising the 6+1 Traits of Writing (See Writing for more details of the 6+1 Traits) and rich mentor texts are key components of Reading lessons.

All classrooms will have a classroom library filled with books and texts for all readers. Teachers will replenish books for classroom libraries through the school library. Teachers may also include personal books from home. This is not mandatory. All classrooms will have a bank of books permanently allocated to the classroom.

All Prep - Grade Two students will follow the systematic teaching of reading and spelling approach - Little Learners Love Literacy (LLLL)

Summary of LLLL P-2

Little Learners Love Literacy is structured into seven stages. Each stage is sequentially taught so that students can learn, practise and apply new skills whilst continuously consolidating their developing skills – working towards mastery. LLLL is broken down into three steps to read, write and spell. Stages 1-4 are the foundational building blocks. At this stage students focus on single letter-sound correspondences and reading and spelling CVC words. Stages 4-6 is forging ahead. Students are taught blending adjacent consonant words, consonant digraphs, including common double letters. Stage 7 is the fluent and confident reader stage. Students focus on long vowel sounds and alternative spellings. 

In Grade 2, students will start to have explicit teaching of fluency, monitoring and comprehension as part of the five reading lessons per week. This will be determined each year based on the needs of the cohort and teacher judgements. 

What is explored in Reading at WPS (Grade 3-6) - The reading program explores effective reading strategies such as predicting, visualising, questioning, summarising, inferring and text connections. Reading tasks are differentiated and rigorous and are supported by well-selected mentor texts. Students respond to questions and think deeply about the texts. Lessons are taught following the WPS Instruction Model and are aligned with Victorian Curriculum 2.0.

Writing

The Writing Program at Williamstown Primary School encourages students to write with a purpose following the Williamstown Writing Process. Students are encouraged to bring a wealth of ideas and share them through various genres and styles. Lessons are taught following an Instructional Model utilising the 6+1 Traits of Writing and the Victorian Curriculum 2.0.

What is explored in Writing at WPS - The writing program explores both the creative process of writing and the mechanics of writing. It covers handwriting, word processing, spelling (including phonics), grammar, punctuation, editing, vocabulary, creation of texts, and genres (Narrative, Information Reports, Persuasive, Poetry, Procedural)

6+1 Traits of Writing

The 6+1 Traits of Writing is the approach we use for teaching, modelling, and assessing writing in the classroom. It breaks writing down into seven key components, helping us focus on specific areas to develop stronger writing skills. This framework gives us a common vocabulary to use across grade levels, making it easier for students to understand and improve their writing over time.

Summary of the Traits:

1. Voice: The writer’s unique personality and tone come through in the writing, making it engaging and authentic.
2. Ideas: This focuses on the clarity of the message and how well the topic is explored and supported with relevant details.
3. Conventions: The mechanical accuracy of the writing, such as grammar, punctuation, spelling, and paragraphing.
4. Organisation: How the writing is structured, ensuring a logical flow of ideas and a clear beginning, middle and end.
5. Word Choice: The use of precise, vivid, and appropriate words to convey the message clearly and effectively.
6. Sentence Fluency: The rhythm and flow of the writing, with sentences that vary in length and structure, creating a smooth, easy-to-read text.
7. Presentation (The “+1” trait): This is the overall appearance of the writing, including formatting and neatness. Although it’s not directly taught like the other traits, it still plays an important role.

Spelling 

Spelling at Willy Primary has evolved over the years and will look different between the junior and senior school.

• All Prep - Grade Two students will follow the systematic teaching of reading and spelling approach -  Little Learners Love Literacy (LLLL). Students will follow an explicit spelling program that is facilitated by classroom teachers daily.
• Grade 2 students, in Term 4, will start to transition to the SMART Spelling approach.
• In Grade 3/4, the full implementation of the SMART Spelling approach will commence.
• Students will follow a 2-year cycle of sounds that are explicitly taught weekly.
• When students commence Grade 5, a hybrid model of SMART Spelling will be introduced and taught through to the end of Grade 6.