Literacy

Language & Literacy Approach

To teach reading and writing skills in Grade 3 and 4 students are exposed to a diverse range of reading, writing, speaking and listening activities for authentic purposes using high quality literature. Students explore story and sentence structure and analyse and examine the use of language features in written texts. When writing students are encouraged to include what they have learnt in their own writing. Targeted Reading groups incorporate Guided Reading, My Literacy, Literacy Planet, comprehension activities, grammar and spelling. Spelling groups focus on Read Write Inc., Structured Word Inquiry and word exploration. Explicit handwriting lessons are designed to improve form and size and progress to cursive writing. 

Read Write Inc.

Read Write Inc. is a whole school approach to teaching early reading and writing, designed to ensure progress for every child. It connects word reading, comprehension, writing and spelling together seamlessly.

Numeracy

Numeracy has never been more important. The rapidly evolving nature of knowledge, work and technology, demands stronger understanding, reasoning, strategic and problem-solving skills.

The Victorian mathematics curriculum is based on three sub strands Number and Algebra, Measurement and Geometry, and Statistics and Probability.

The proficiencies of Understanding, Fluency, Problem Solving and Reasoning are fundamental to learning mathematics and working mathematically and are applied across all three strands.

Each week numeracy consists of a combination of whole class lessons and needs-based groupings designed to:

• Foster a love of mathematics
• Cater for individual differences
• Monitor and assess individual progress
• Provide classroom cultures where the students are encouraged and rewarded to take risks and experiment
• Provide students and teachers with comprehensive and up to date resources and materials
• Be stimulating and relevant to real life 

We use Essential Assessment to guide our cohort needs and then are able to determine individual needs.

As well as the daily explicit teaching of mathematics Mentone Primary School provides the children with a wide variety of programs and special events, such as Maths mind benders, Family Fun Maths Night and whole school Numeracy Week activities and challenges that celebrate mathematics.

Inquiry

Inquiry is embedded into our program each week and promotes curiosity, engagement and teamwork. This year we are focusing on:

• Australian History
• Civics and Citizenship
• Digital Technologies
• Design Technologies

At Home

Parents are encouraged to assist their children with:

• Home reading 
• Responding to reading through:summaries, questions, wonderings, vocabulary & predictions

• Using online programs such as:

• Essential Maths and Essential Literacy
• Sunset Maths
• My Numeracy
• My Literacy
• Sunset Maths
• Jet Pack Algebra
• Projects