At Dillbadin Primary School, we are passionate about building strong, confident readers and writers through explicit, structured literacy teaching every day.
We begin each two-hour Literacy block with a 1-hour daily phonics session, where students engage in systematic, explicit instruction in letter-sound knowledge. Phonics is one of the Big Six components of reading—essential building blocks that help students decode words accurately and develop fluent, confident reading skills.
Our Reading program is built around the Big Six components of reading:
Oral Language – building speaking and listening skills that support understanding and communication.
Phonological Awareness – learning to hear, identify and play with sounds in spoken language.
Phonics – understanding the relationships between letters and sounds for reading and writing.
Vocabulary – learning and using new words to understand and express ideas clearly.
Fluency – reading smoothly, accurately and with expression.
Comprehension – making meaning from text by thinking within, beyond, and about what is read.
Throughout our Literacy program, each session begins with a focused mini-lesson, where students are introduced to the learning intention, why it’s important, and how they can demonstrate success. Students then apply their learning through group activities, independent work, and conclude by sharing and reflecting on their progress.
In Writing, students learn to carefully develop their ideas while focusing on sentence fluency, organisation, voice, word choice, conventions, and presentation. They are encouraged to plan, draft, revise, and publish writing that is purposeful and expressive.
In Reading, students are supported to choose “Just Right Books” and apply strategies to build their reading skills. They work independently, in small groups, and one-on-one with teachers to develop accuracy, fluency, and deep comprehension. Students also use Reader’s Notebooks to track their thinking and reflect on their learning.
Our Literacy program is engaging, evidence-based, and designed to meet the needs of every learner—setting them up for success as confident communicators and lifelong readers and writers.
