What to teach? When to screen? How to cater for the range in ability?

This course will provide you with the structure and tools to improve the literacy outcomes of your early years students.
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About the Learning to Read, Spell and Write Online Course

Recommended for - Staff working within Pre-primary (WA), Kindergarten (NSW, ACT), Prep (QLD, VIC, TAS), Reception (SA) & Transition (NT).
Course presenter - Diana Rigg BA(Ed), BEd, CPP(UK), MEd, MSc(SpPath)
Course length - 3 hours viewing plus quiz
Access to course - 90 days
Certificate - Awarded upon completion
Supporting materials - Referenced material available for download


Learning to Read, Spell and Write in Foundation Course Description

The Foundation school year is incredibly complex to teach. Those working within the Foundation year require strong theoretical knowledge, the ability to deliver their instruction in an explicit and focused manner and time efficient tracking processes to determine the rate of progress and then next elements to introduce.

Typically children read 1st, spell 2nd and write 3rd. This typical progression into literacy starts first with targeting the ‘specific’ pre-literacy skills. By explicitly instructing the prerequisites for literacy, greater numbers of students achieve a strong start.

The complication in the Foundation classrooms is that students present with a range in ability; delayed skills, age appropriate skills and advanced skills. The course provides resources, explanations and demonstrations focused upon explicit instruction for the three different ability groupings.

This cost effective short course is comprised of 4 installments

Follow the links in the detailed course description below for a FREE PREVIEW of Installment 1.
Note: You’ll be asked to create an account prior to the preview but you will not be charged at this point.

Instalment 1: Pre-Reading and Early Reading (PREVIEW)

- The explanation of the two skills that facilitate early reading (decoding).
- Demonstrations of the explicit instruction of the two pre-reading skills.
- An overview of early reading research drawn from ‘meta-analysis’ reviews.
- The provision of ‘The Junior Primary Reading Profile’; designed to track early reading development and to direct teaching efforts.

Instalment 2: Pre-Spelling and Early Spelling

- The explanation of the three core skills that facilitate early spelling.
- Demonstrations of the explicit instruction of the three pre-spelling skills.
- The provision of ‘The Junior Primary Spelling Profile’; designed to track early spelling development and to direct teaching efforts.
- The outline of an early childhood approach to early spelling, while letter formation skills develop.

Instalment 3: Balancing Pre-Literacy and Early Literacy

- An explanation of the potential range in ability that may present at the start of each school year.
- Demonstrations and explanations of the typical mid-year situation in which a proportion of the class will be starting to read (or read and spell) and a proportion of the class will be still acquiring their pre-reading and pre-spelling skills.
- Demonstrations and explanations of the typical semester two situation in which although students are engaging in early reading and spelling it is difficult and suggestions how to maintain an ‘early childhood approach’ but continue to develop early literacy skills.

Instalment 4: Pre-Writing and Early Writing

- Explore the complex nature of writing, and how it is more difficult than early reading and spelling.
- Suggestions on when in the school year should writing become of significant focus?
- Outline the key milestones with early ‘phonetic writing’?
- Guidelines for marking early writing efforts?
- Guidelines for supporting the range within classrooms; independent writers, semi-independent writers and reluctant or non-writers.
- Provide a range of short 5-10 minute writing tasks of increasing levels of complexity.
- Importantly, demonstrations focused upon how to instruct writing; initially with ‘mirrored writing’ controlled content writing and then self generated writing. 

Interested in this training for more of your team?

We offer discounts for group sign ups. Click on the links below for more information.

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR

Diana Rigg

Founder of PLD Literacy and Learning

Diana Rigg founded PLD Organisation because she recognised a large gap in the time it took for research findings to make it into practice in the classroom. With a Master’s degree in Education and Speech Pathology, Diana was convinced she could help close that gap, offering assistance to parents, teachers, and school systems looking for help in promoting literacy to the young people in their lives. With extensive experience as a Classroom Teacher, Specialist Literacy Teacher and Speech Pathologist, Diana understood what was needed. Drawing on over 15 years as a Professional Educational Consultant, Diana assembled a passionate team of Speech Pathologists, Occupational Therapists and Designers to help her translate the latest research and best practices from around the world into attractive, easy to use resources for both the home and classroom setting. Diana is active in both consultancy and publishing. Understanding the challenges of a classroom puts Diana in the perfect positions to deliver quality products aligned with school learning systems. Extensive experience in consultancy allows her to develop products suitable for use in the home either as supplemental lessons or as part of a homeschooling curriculum. In February 2010, Diana was recognised as one of Western Australia’s top “40 under 40” by the WA Business News. For more information on Diana’s work, you can Contact Diana or connect via Facebook or LinkedIn

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