At the beginning of 2024, Heathdale Christian College started a different approach to teaching Literacy by introducing Little Learners Love Literacy, a systematic synthetic phonics program and Literacy blocks.
We aimed to ensure that all classes in P-2 have a block of time in a day that is focused on Literacy. In Year 2, the 100-minute allocation is dedicated to explicitly teaching the new phonetic code (reading and writing), teaching heart (common) words, revising previously taught phonemes, graphemes and explicit grammar lessons. Students then work in small groups which rotate each day.
These groups generally focus on the following:
- Reading comprehension with the teacher using decodables with previously taught phonemes and graphemes.
- Partner reading with feedback.
- Handwriting.
- Breaking new words into sounds and syllables.
- Compound sentences. This focus changes depending on the focus for the week and is then embedded in writing.
As you can see by some of the fantastic tasks, students are totally engaged with the range of tasks and the use of different digital platforms to support their learning. Year 2 is so much fun!