Literacy

At St Francis de Sales we offer an evidence-based approach to teaching critical literacy skills based on our firm belief in literacy as a tool for promoting positive life outcomes. As such, we strive to develop an engaging literacy program that promotes skill development in reading and viewing, writing, speaking, and listening in a supportive and stimulating environment.

Our Prep and One Teachers plan and teach Systematic Synthetic Phonics. Little Learners Love Literacy (LLLL) resources and the UFLI Foundations program are used in our junior grades to support the systematic teaching of phonics. Our program delivers an explicit and sequential approach for teaching children to read, write and spell. Our approach to teaching English, in the junior years, focuses significantly on phonemic awareness and phonics for reading and spelling, and also developing handwriting.

Our early year’s educators engage all students in Prep to Year 2 with daily Phonological & Phonemic Awareness activities. In Prep we also use the Little Learners Love Literacy Systematic Synthetic Phonics (SSP) program.

At SFDS, a daily literacy block is mandated at each level of our school. It is structured so that teachers work with both whole and small groups, enabling differentiated teaching and learning to take place.

Literacy Leader | Amelia Morse