Western Sydney Region – Literacy

1. Literacy Continuum K-6 Western Sydney Region – Literacy

2. The Literacy continuum K-6 provides… • clear and accessible representation of the development of the critical aspects of literacy across the seven years of primary education • sound research-based evidence to plan teaching to meet individual student needs at all levels • explicit descriptions of the skill and knowledge involved in progressive development and achievement in literacy. • recognises and includes digital literacy across all levels of schooling. Western Sydney Region – Literacy

3. What resources are embedded in the continuum… • Unconstrained Skills • Comprehension • Vocabulary • Reading Texts • Constrained Skills • Phonemic awareness • Phonics Western Sydney Region – Literacy

4. Developmental progression… • The continuum: • is a form of progress map, which can be described as a guide to the kinds of learning experiences likely to be most useful at that stage in the student’s learning and as a basis for monitoring growth • shows a clear progression across the 12 clusters, from prior to school to the end of Year 6. Western Sydney Region – Literacy

5. The Continuum – 8 Critical Aspects of Literacy Reading texts Comprehension Vocabulary knowledge Unconstrained skills Aspects of writing Aspects of speaking Phonics Phonemic awareness Constrained skills Concepts about print Western Sydney Region – Literacy

6. ‘Texts’ include oral, aural, written, visual, electronic and multimodal texts. 8 Critical Aspects - Definitions Reading Texts involves recognising words automatically, reading in a phrased and fluent way and navigating texts to create meaning. Comprehension involves responding to, interpreting, analysing and evaluating texts. Vocabulary knowledge involves understanding the meaning of spoken and written words and using words to create and understand texts. Aspects of writing involves using spelling, grammar, design features, handwriting and digital tools to create texts for specific purposes. Western Sydney Region – Literacy

7. ‘Texts’ include oral, aural, written, visual, electronic and multimodal texts. 8 Critical Aspects – Definitions (cont) Aspects of speaking Involves using oral language to communicate with others in a range of contexts, and listening actively and attentively when interacting with others. Phonics involves making the connection between sounds and letters when reading and spelling. Phonemic Awareness involves hearing and manipulating sounds in spoken language. Concepts of Print involves understanding and using conventions and concepts about print. Western Sydney Region – Literacy

8. Each aspect needs to be unpacked • One critical aspect at a time. • Unpack the definition • Select the cluster most appropriate for your students. Eg Year 4 class – cluster 9 (end of year 3) – (can move up or down but use as a starting point) • Unpack the cluster markers under the chosen cluster. • Select the marker that needs to be explicitly taught to the majority of your students • Backwards map to the previous cluster the same thread (or idea) and then forwards Western Sydney Region – Literacy

9. Reading Texts - Definition involves recognising words automatically, reading in a phrased and fluent way and navigating texts to create meaning. How does this translate into the clusters? Western Sydney Region – Literacy

10. Reads for sustained periods (15–20 minutes) and sustains understanding in longer texts over time, e.g. reading short novels • over several days. • Uses visual representations, e.g. photographs, tables, charts to enhance meaning when reading factual texts. • Selects and uses the most effective word identification strategy to maintain fluency and meaning. • Demonstrates an awareness of how to use skimming/scanning and text features such as subheadings to locate specific information. • Uses screen navigation features when reading and viewing Internet texts. Cluster 9 (end Yr 3) Western Sydney Region – Literacy

11. Reads increasingly longer novels and subject texts using a range of effective word identification strategies to maintain meaning. • Reads, views and uses a wide variety of literary and factual, print and electronic texts with increasing autonomy, e.g. Extended novels and information texts, video documentaries, multimedia and performance texts, graphic material. • Reads more demanding subject texts that have increasing levels of technicality and abstraction. • Monitors reading for accuracy and meaning by selecting and using appropriate higher order word identification skills such as knowledge of word origins and analogy. • Confidently adjusts the chosen reading/viewing pathway to achieve the intended purpose in literary and factual, print, electronic and multimodal texts. Cluster 12 (end Yr 6) Western Sydney Region – Literacy

12. One marker in ‘Reading Texts’ aspect Cluster 9 (end yr 3) Cluster 10 (end yr 4) Cluster 11 (end yr 5) Cluster 12 (end yr 6) Reads for sustained periods (15–20 minutes) and sustains understanding in longer texts over time, e.g. reading short novels over several days. Reads for sustained periods (20–30 minutes) and sustains understanding in longer texts over time, e.g. reading short novels over several days. Reads short novels with minimal illustration, unfamiliar content, settings and characters and challenging and unusual vocabulary. Reads increasingly longer novels and subject texts using a range of effective word identification strategies to maintain meaning. Western Sydney Region – Literacy

13. Interactive Literacy Continuum K-6 12 cluster markers (with school year) 8 Critical Aspects Western Sydney Region – Literacy

14. Select a aspect and cluster. • move up and down the cluster • move left and right of the aspect • select PDF Download to access the teaching ideas. Western Sydney Region – Literacy

15. The Teaching Ideas attached to the Literacy Continuum K-6 are… • designed to provide students with independentpractice of the skills and knowledge described in each marker or cluster of markers • designed to occur after the teacher has provided sufficient modelled and guided experiences of the knowledge and skills described in the markers • provide excellent opportunities for teachers to assess how well each student has achieved the skills and knowledge described in the markers by using observation, interaction and questioning as students are working and by recording their analysis of each student’s achievement. Western Sydney Region – Literacy

16. Teaching Ideas from Interactive Literacy Continuum K-6 • Download the PDF for the selected aspect and cluster • save • print • number of pages Western Sydney Region – Literacy

17. Examples of Teaching Ideas Markers for the cluster (in the aspect) Teaching Ideas with explicit instructions. Western Sydney Region – Literacy

18. Key questions to ask yourself • Who is using the Continuum at your school? • Which Critical Aspects (if any) are being avoided? • In your context, how often is the continuum used? • In what ways is the continuum being used? • What students are benefitting from teachers using the continuum? • How can you and your school embed the continuum into current practice? Western Sydney Region – Literacy

19. Where to next? • Discuss the continuum with your colleagues • Further Professional Learning for teachers and literacy leaders around the continuum. • The examples of the tracking sheet will be emailed • Further professional learning around the continuum will be published in MyPL and in the Literacy Newsletter. Contact: Cheryl Farkas Literacy Consultant K-6 cheryl.farkas@det.nsw.edu.au Caroline Hopwood Middle Years Literacy Consultant caroline.hopwood@det.nsw.edu.au Martha-Jean Hynes Literacy Consultant K-4 martha-jean.hynes@det.nsw.edu.au Cathy Keller Quality Teaching Catherine-Ann.Keller@det.nsw.edu.au Western Sydney Region – Literacy