Following the recent roll out of decodable texts to primary schools to support school's reading programs, the literacy team got together to discuss the effective use of these books for reading instruction. We talk about what they are, what their purpose is, how to select a text for instruction or independent practice and about the inclusion of other texts in reading instruction. Listen in to our discussion on effective reading instruction incorporating decodable readers. 

For further information you could also visit the decodables section on the Literacy and numeracy website: https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/literacy-and-numeracy/teaching-and-learning-resources/literacy/effective-reading-in-the-early-years-of-school/decodable-texts

Discussing Decodables with the Literacy Team

This podcast discusses assessment of student reading. For our NSW DoE teachers, we chat about what is available and how these assessments support us in identifying the reading behaviours and strategies of our students. We can use that information to make decisions about the next focus areas to target our teaching to meet student need. 
For more information on these assessments and how to access them you can visit the assessment section on the Literacy and Numeracy website: https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/literacy-and-numeracy/assessment-resources
or the Learning Resource Hub: https://resources.education.nsw.gov.au/?source=readingandnumeracy&sort=relevance

For further support please email literacy.numeracy@det.nsw.edu.au

Let's chat about the assessment of reading

Rosie Farnham, Linda De Marcellis and Shannan Salvestro from the Literacy and Numeracy team talk through the Professional Learning pathways documents that have been developed to support schools’ priorities in literacy and numeracy according to the needs of teachers and students.
Each pathway displays an overview of the professional learning and resources available in a suite of learning and provides a recommended order for engagement. Scenarios provide examples of how you can tailor a pathway to suit individual contexts.

You may benefit from having the pathways documents open while you listen to the discussion. They can be accessed by NSWDoE staff on the literacy and numeracy website - 
https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/literacy-and-numeracy/resources-for-schools/pathways

You can join the Literacy and Numeracy Statewide Staffroom to ask questions and stay informed. 
Literacy SWS - https://teams.microsoft.com/l/team/19%3a42316349d42e47178cba9da92ab992dd%40thread.tacv2/conversations?groupId=26306aea-e8d5-49fe-88fd-4da661f01fd5&tenantId=05a0e69a-418a-47c1-9c25-9387261bf991
Numeracy SWS -https://teams.microsoft.com/l/team/19%3a25f15c444946478698aa09a497223ab6%40thread.tacv2/conversations?groupId=1b4d6e82-09f3-4598-ac69-8a47327eedc6&tenantId=05a0e69a-418a-47c1-9c25-9387261bf991
You can join the AP, C&I Yammer community - https://web.yammer.com/main/groups/eyJfdHlwZSI6Ikdyb3VwIiwiaWQiOiI5NDA3MTc1ODg0OCJ9

Explaining the Professional Learning pathways

In this episode we talk about handwriting. Why is it such an important skill to learn? How do we teach it? Listen in to hear our key messaging about handwriting.

For further support and resources visit the NSWDoE Literacy and Numeracy website https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/literacy-and-numeracy
Effective writing professional learning - https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/literacy-and-numeracy/professional-learning/effective-writing-evidence
Handwriting lesson advice guide - https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/literacy-and-numeracy/teaching-and-learning-resources/literacy/lesson-advice-guides

In conversation about handwriting

Oral language is the system we use for spoken words to communicate ideas, knowledge and emotions. It has a strong relationship to reading and writing and is recognised as a component of early reading instruction. Here we begin the first of a two part discussion podcast with Jane Beale, a speech pathologist, to hear her views on oral language.
Further resources:
Deslea Konza, Phonological awareness
https://speldnsw.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/1.2-phonological-awareness.pdf

Deslea Konza, Oral language
https://speldnsw.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/1.1-oral-language.pdf

Deslea Konza, Phonics https://www.ecu.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0012/663699/SA-DECS-Phonics.pdf

Deslea Konza, understanding the reading process https://www.ecu.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/663696/SA-DECS_-Understanding-the-Reading-Process.pdf

Isabel Beck, Making sense of phonics
https://www.booktopia.com.au/making-sense-of-phonics-second-edition-isabel-l-beck/prod9781462511990.html

Literacy and numeracy NSWDoE
https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/literacy-and-numeracy

A speech

A speech pathologist's view on oral language, phonological awareness and phonics. PART 1

This second part of the podcast continues on from our discussion on oral language in part 1, and we take the chat onto phonological awareness, the sounds of our language, and to phonics which is about the relationship between sounds and the letters that represent them. Speech pathologist Jane Beale discusses her view on how these components work together for effective early reading and writing instruction. Further resources:
Deslea Konza, Phonological awareness
https://speldnsw.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/1.2-phonological-awareness.pdf

Deslea Konza, Oral language
https://speldnsw.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/1.1-oral-language.pdf

Deslea Konza, Phonics https://www.ecu.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0012/663699/SA-DECS-Phonics.pdf

Deslea Konza, understanding the reading process https://www.ecu.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/663696/SA-DECS_-Understanding-the-Reading-Process.pdf

Isabel Beck, Making sense of phonics
https://www.booktopia.com.au/making-sense-of-phonics-second-edition-isabel-l-beck/prod9781462511990.html

Literacy and numeracy NSWDoE
https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/literacy-and-numeracy

NSW DoE Literacy & Numeracy

A speech pathologists view on oral language, phonological awareness and phonics PART 2

A conversation with Professor Anne Castles about the systematic and explicit instruction of phonics. We discuss how phonics can support early reading acquisition, as a foundation skill that helps us to move to the ultimate goal of making meaning.
Further resources:
Ending the Reading Wars, Reading Acquisition from novice to expert, A.Castles, K. Rastle and K. Nation, 2018 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1529100618772271

Ending the Reading Wars: a talk by Kathy Rastle -https://youtu.be/nisZ4og8xPk

Moats, L.C. (2010). Speech to print: Language essentials for teachers. https://www.booktopia.com.au/speech-to-print-workbook-louisa-cook-moats/prod9781598571622.html?source=pla&gclid=CjwKCAiA5qTfBRAoEiwAwQy-6cDalSkz-c7I6r8G_IQuex1bHEneM8RWJkqZEM3hHBEViR5ATbQ0UhoCaA0QAvD_BwE

Adams, M.J. (1990). Beginning to read: Thinking and learning about print.
https://www.booktopia.com.au/beginning-to-read-marilyn-jager-adams/prod9780262510769.html

Beck, I, Making sense of phonics.
https://www.booktopia.com.au/making-sense-of-phonics-second-edition-isabel-l-beck/prod9781462511990.html

Literacy and numeracy NSWDoE
https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/literacy-and-numeracy

In conversation with Anne Castles

In conversation with Anne Castles: systematic and explicit phonics instruction

Eddie Woo discusses the importance of student engagement, and defines what this means, explaining the research and giving some practical advice.

For further reading and learning:
Framework for engagement with mathematics by Dr Catherine Attard
https://engagingmathsdotorg.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/framework-for-engagement-with-mathematics.pdf

Engagement with mathematics by Dr Catherine Attard
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ978128.pdf

Visible Learning, by Hattie,Fisher & Frey
https://shop.acer.edu.au/visible-learning-for-literacy-grades-k-12

Woo's wonderful world of maths by Eddie Woo
https://www.panmacmillan.com.au/9781760782900/

Eddie Woo talks about student engagement

In this conversation Dr Tessa Daffern explains why an instructional approach for spelling should include phonological, orthographical and morphological word forms. Effective spelling instruction should be explicit and occur frequently from the early years of school. 
Dr Tessa Daffern has contributed to education in many capacities for over 20 years: as a classroom teacher in schools, teaching and learning specialist, literacy coordinator, academic, and education consultant. Tessa is currently a Senior Lecturer at the University of Wollongong and has previously held positions at the University of Canberra and Charles Sturt University. Tessa's research is driven by her passion for English language education and for empowering teachers and undergraduate teacher education students to develop contemporary understandings that can inform their teaching of language and literacy. Tessa’s PhD examined the teaching and learning of spelling and writing in Australian school contexts.
Further reading and resources:
Spelling in the primary years
https://youtu.be/MWEgQ6WxaxI

The Unique Role of Early Spelling in the Prediction of Later Literacy Performance
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10888438.2019.1573242

Progress in Reading Instruction Requires a Better Understanding of the English Spelling System
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0963721418773749?journalCode=cdpa

Does spelling instruction make students better spellers, readers, and writers? A meta-analytic review
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11145-014-9517-0

What Happens When a Teacher Uses Metalanguage to Teach Spelling?
https://ila.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/trtr.1528

Literacy and numeracy website (NSWDoE intranet)
https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/literacy-and-numeracy

In conversation with Dr Tessa Daffern: teaching spelling

Year 1 teachers from Cronulla Public School talk about how they use decodable texts in their classrooms during guided reading sessions and for independent practice of the strategies that students are being taught.

NSW DoE Literacy and Numeracy

Teachers talk about using decodable readers in the classroom

Teachers talking about using decodable texts in the classroom

Kate Blackwell, a classroom teacher at Blackheath Public School in the Blue Mountains shares what she has learnt about the neuroscience of reading and what the implications of that knowledge has meant to her classroom practice when teaching children to read.
Kate references these sources:
Reader come home: The reading brain in a digital world by Maryanne Wolf https://www.maryannewolf.com/reader-come-home-1

Language at the speed of sight by Mark Seidenberg 
https://seidenbergreading.net/

Reading in the brain, the science of how we read by Stanilas Daheane https://www.penguin.com.au/books/reading-in-the-brain-9780143118053?utm_expid=.JC69wDioR_Kc4RimyKASfg.0&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F

Educating the brain - Stanislas Daheane 
https://youtu.be/0esnsHI4opA

Literacy & Numeracy website (DoE intranet) https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/literacy-and-numeracy

Let's chat about the cognitive neuroscience of reading

Let's chat about the neuroscience of reading with Kate Blackwell

Dr Danielle Colenbrander chats with us about the role of vocabulary in reading instruction. 
Dr Danielle Colenbrander is a researcher and member of the Macquarie University Centre for Reading. Danielle trained as a speech language pathologist at Macquarie University before completing her PhD exploring the role of oral vocabulary in reading comprehension difficulties. She has worked with diverse populations of children in a variety of settings in Australia and the UK. She is interested in relationships between vocabulary knowledge, reading aloud and reading comprehension.

For further reading and professional learning:
Effective Reading: Vocabulary (professional learning for NSWDoE teachers)https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/literacy-and-numeracy/professional-learning

Literacy and numeracy website (NSWDoE intranet)
education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-l…y-and-numeracy1) 

Beck, McKeown & Kucan (2013). Bringing Words to Life: Robust Vocabulary Instruction (2nd edition)

Beck, McKeown & Kucan (2008). Creating Robust Vocabulary: Frequently Asked Questions and Extended Examples,

Parsons & Branagan (2017). Word Aware: Teaching Vocabulary Across the Day, Across the Curriculum.

Duff, Dawna (2019).Has Vocabulary Intervention Had an Effect? A Valid, Reliable, and (Fairly) Quick Outcome Measure for Semantic Knowledge, Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools • Vol. 50 • 506–517

Dr Danielle Colenbrander chats about vocabulary for reading instruction

Literacy and Numeracy forms the basis of all of our learning as they are required for learning other skills and participating in everyday life. To improve student outcomes in literacy and numeracy we look at evidence-based practices and focus on the quality teaching of literacy and numeracy in all NSW schools.

NSW Department of Education

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