In this Key Learning Area, students develop knowledge, skills and understandings about English language and literature. We encourage positive attitudes towards learning English, using language effectively and critically reflecting on how language works.
The focus areas for each stage support students’ growing knowledge and understanding in the areas of:
- Oral language and communication
- Vocabulary
- Phonological awareness
- Print conventions
- Phonic knowledge
- Reading fluency
- Reading comprehension
- Creating written texts
- Spelling
- Handwriting
- Understanding and responding to literature
We provide a varied curriculum which caters for the individual needs of each student. Our programs reflect the belief that talking and listening, reading and writing all have a role in communication and that development in one of these areas is very much linked to the development in the others. Students are regularly assessed to monitor their learning using a variety of methods.
The children are provided with experiences using a wide range of literature and a variety of strategies are used in the English programs which assist the children to work towards achieving outcomes. Working together with parents, we aim to foster in your children a love for literature. Having a positive attitude to literature impacts on the children’s learning for the future.
At St Martin’s we have a two-hour uninterrupted “Literacy Block” each day.