Literacy

At St Finbar’s, the English curriculum is informed by the science of learning and delivered through differentiated and targeted instruction. Literacy skills such as reading, spelling, grammar and speaking and listening are explicitly taught using evidence-based strategies. These skills are developed through daily practice and strengthened through spaced review, cumulative learning, guided practice and timely feedback. Instruction is provided at the whole class level, in small groups and through individual support to ensure all students develop the skills and love of reading and writing.

Reading:

At St Finbar’s, we recognise that reading is a complex skill that develops gradually through consistent instruction and practice. Learning to read involves two essential skills: accurately decoding words and understanding their meaning. Through our structured literacy approach, we support students at every stage of their reading journey, fostering a lifelong love of learning.

Here at St Finbar's we have a strong focus on the following as the research consistently highlights these five essential skills for reading:

1. Phonemic Awareness – Recognising and manipulating individual sounds within spoken words.
2. Phonics – Using knowledge of letter-sound relationships to decode written words.
3. Fluency – Reading text with accuracy, appropriate speed, and expression.
4. Vocabulary – Understanding the meaning of a broad range of words and their usage in context.
5. Comprehension– Interpreting and making sense of the text's meaning and purpose.

Prep - Year 2: InitialLit is an evidence-based literacy program designed to support teachers in delivering explicit and systematic instruction in reading, writing, and spelling. The program focuses on key components of literacy development: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

Year 3 - 6: In Years 3 to 6, St Finbar’s utilises the OCHRE resources—Australian-created, curriculum-aligned materials designed to build knowledge and vocabulary through evidence-based teaching practices. These lessons focus on spelling, morphology, grammar, handwriting, reading fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension, all while engaging students with rich mentor novels to deepen their understanding and appreciation of literature.

Reading Supports and Intervention: For students who need additional support in reading, we offer targeted intervention programs across all year levels. In the junior years, we implement the MiniLit program, while in the senior years, we use the MacqLit program. These evidence-based programs align with classroom reading instruction but are tailored to meet the needs of students requiring extra support, ensuring they develop essential reading skills with confidence.

Writing:

Seven Steps for Writing Success is an evidence-based Australian writing program that breaks down the writing process into seven key techniques, which are drawn from the practices of professional authors. The program focuses on one technique at a time, allowing students to understand, practice, and master each individual skill before moving on to write a whole text. By taking small, manageable steps, the program helps build students' confidence and makes writing more enjoyable and achievable for students of all ability levels. This approach is grounded in best-practice pedagogy and educational research, providing a structured way for students to approach creative writing.

Spelling:

Prep - 1: InitiaLit The Reading program the Junior classrooms follow incorporates spelling within those lessons.

Year 3 - 6: Spelling Mastery
Spelling Mastery is a research-based program designed to develop accurate and confident spellers by systematically teaching the essential strategies needed to understand and apply spelling rules. The program is grounded in explicit instruction and uses a combination of phonemic, morphographic, and whole-word approaches to address the diverse ways students learn to spell.

Each year level at St Finbar’s follows a structured Spelling Mastery program, with students placed into one of three groups based on a placement test. This ensures that spelling instruction is tailored to each student’s needs. Spelling sessions run daily from Monday to Thursday, with a spelling test every Friday to track progress and reinforce learning.

Speaking & Listening:

At St Finbar’s, we place a strong emphasis on speaking and listening, providing daily opportunities for students to develop their communication skills. Through structured discussions, presentations, and collaborative activities, students build confidence in expressing their ideas and actively engaging with others.

Year 6 Leadership Roles where all students get an opportunity to lead the school in a specific area
Speaking with Power
Whole School Musical
Mayflower Resident Biographies
Circle time
Presentations

Story Dogs:

Story Dogs is a volunteer reading program that helps children build confidence and develop their reading skills by reading aloud to a trained dog and handler in a relaxed, non-judgmental environment. At our school, selected students participate in regular sessions where they enjoy one-on-one time with a Story Dogs team, making reading a positive and enjoyable experience.