At Flowerdale Primary School, we place an emphasis on developing students with strong communication skills. Students are encouraged to participate in peer, group and class discussions to articulate their knowledge of the world, to express their opinions and expand on and evaluate the contributions of others. Oral language forms the basis for understanding in reading and contributes to the clear recording of thoughts and ideas when writing.
Reading requires the five pillars of phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. At our school, all elements of reading are explicitly taught through modelled and shared reading; small group and individualised instruction; and plenty of independent reading time to practise skills taught in class. We have a Literacy Intervention teacher who works with students in a one on one setting to support the reading growth of our students. Students are encouraged to read at home daily and many students participate in the Premier’s Reading Challenge each year.
At Flowerdale Primary School, regular handwriting lessons reinforce correct letter formation and develop writing fluency. Writing text types such as recounts, narrative writing, information reports, procedures and persuasive texts are modelled and taught in all year levels. A love of literacy and literature is fostered through the MACC Van Library program as well as classroom activities. Regular events for Book Week and a biannual Writer’s Festival with neighbouring schools help to encourage our students to become enthusiastic readers and writers.
