Prep - 2 Literacy Programs
UFLI
Last year staff at St Mary’s advanced our understanding of implementing a synthetic phonics program to align with the Science of Reading. Based on our new learning, we have decided to implement UFLI, which stands for University of Florida Literacy Institute.
UFLI is an explicit and systematic program that follows a carefully developed scope and sequence. It is designed to ensure that students systematically acquire skills needed for reading, writing and spelling. As it incorporates spelling it will replace our SMART Spelling program in 1/2. You can read more about it here
Our P-2 staff will all be attending further training on UFLI on Feb 19.
Although we will be de-implementing Little Learners Love Literacy (LLLL), which is a recognised synthetic phonics program, its resources will support UFLI so you will see take-home readers from the program come home with your child. The sounds in these books will complement what your child is learning through UFLI.
Take-home readers for 1/2s will begin in Week 4.
MiniLit Intervention
MiniLit is a Tier 2 small group reading program for students in the bottom 25% of the expected range for their age group in Year 1 and 2. The program provides explicit instruction in phonemic awareness, systematic synthetic phonics for reading and spelling, letter formation, and connected text reading.
We will begin assessing students next week and the program will commence soon.
Parents whose children will be involved in this program will be notified.
3-6 Literacy
This term we are exploring resources through OCHRE Education which aligns with explicit teaching and the Science of Reading. These resources incorporate the Daily Review which is a fast-paced review to help students embed their learning into their long term memories. They also include focussed spelling words, which we will use in place of the SMART Spelling program.
VCOP & The Big Write
We will continue using the VCOP structure to support Writing sessions in our classrooms. It focuses on four main aspects of the writing process (VCOP) and provides children with the skills to improve their own writing through self-assessment.
VCOP stands for Vocabulary, Connectors, Openers, and Punctuation
Big Write sessions happen throughout units of work, providing students with the opportunity to write a full start-finish writing piece with support of the teachers and VCOP resources.
Cold Write sessions are where students are not given the opportunity to talk about the topic before writing and the learning aides are removed. It often comes with a whole school stimulus to get everyone talking. This is an opportunity for students to display what they know without the assistance from external resources.
Brenda Lycke
Literacy Leader