At Tawhero School we are beginning to follow a Structured literacy approach for our teaching of the English Curriculum. A Structured Literacy approach is a highly explicit and systematic way of teaching all important components of literacy. These components include both foundational skills (e.g., decoding, spelling, handwriting and letter formation) and higher-level literacy skills (e.g., reading comprehension, written expression).
We have invested in the Little Learners Love Literacy (LLLL) decodable texts, the Heggerty Phonological Awareness Programme and activities too. The Ministry of Education's new Ready to Read, Phonics Plus readers will be used in the scope and sequence that we have adopted from the LLLL programme.
All our staff at Tawhero are included in professional learning and development with RTLB to learn about the 44 sounds and over 170+ spelling patterns. This is a school wide approach that is explicit and systematic.
We have a school wide spelling programme that is based on The Code by Liz Kane. We utilise assessments for placing learners at particular levels/lists so that they can learn the patterns they are missing that is evident through our assessment.
