English
At St John’s, our English curriculum is a personalised pathway designed to build articulate, engaging and highly literate communicators. We empower our students to think, create and respond to the challenges of their world.
How We Deliver English:
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Master the Art of Storytelling: We guide students to confidently listen, speak, read, view and write, unravelling complex texts through the lens of history, culture and social context.
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Communicate with Impact: Students master Standard Australian English while learning to blend words with body language, expressions and visual media to bring their messages to life.
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Fall in Love with Literature: We spark curiosity by teaching children to dive deep into books, dynamic digital media and poetry—learning to critique the mechanics and appreciate the beauty of great writing.
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Harness the Power of Voice: Our students discover how language can move people, spark feelings, share grand ideas and build deep, lasting connections with the world around them.
Structuring English Lessons at St John's
Starting with the introduction of new content and skills, effective teaching will follow this sequence:
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Explicit instruction: Teachers fully explain the concepts and skills that students are required to learn.
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Modelling (I DO): Effective teachers break down what students need to learn into smaller learning outcomes and model each step so that students can see what is expected of them (Rosenshine 2012)
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Guided practice (WE DO): Teachers provide multiple opportunities for students to practise and support is gradually removed as students develop understanding and can work more independently.
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Independent practice (YOU DO): Once students have developed understanding, teachers ask students to complete tasks themselves while the teacher monitors and provides feedback.
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Formative assessment: Effective questioning is a core part of effective formative assessment. Instruction is most effective when it is highly interactive with frequent checks for understanding to identify where a student is in their learning. This helps teachers choose the right starting place before introducing a new unit of work (AERO 2021)
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Regular review: Rehearsing and reviewing information creates stronger connections and makes prior knowledge more readily available for use. Material that is practised and discussed in review will be easier to recall. If students are struggling with a concept during review, teachers can do a quick re-teach lesson.
Learning in English is supported by:
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6+1 Writing Traits
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Intervention programs in early years Reading
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Extension programs
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Public Speaking opportunities
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Celebrating Literacy and Numeracy Week and Book Week
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Extensive Resource Centre (Library)
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ICT devices and Google Apps For Education
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Online programs to target specific learning goals
Our English Program includes:
A two hour daily Literacy Block for Prep to Year Six involving shared texts, teacher-led focus groups, independent activities, use of technology and contemporary resources.
We rely on ongoing assessment to continually inform our teaching and provide content that is differentiated for the individual student’s needs.
We provide explicit teaching of phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension strategies from Prep to Year Six.
We provide English learning that is based on analysis, critical thinking, reflection and responding in all modes of English.
We provide ongoing Literacy Coaching and Professional learning for our staff using contemporary approaches to teaching and learning.
We provide early intervention programs such as Reading Recovery, ERIK, PERI, Toe By Toe, GReeaD, EAL support, and Extension education groups, Oral language support and other personalised interventions to ensure that all students are challenged and extended.
