English
At St John’s, teaching English skills is a priority, which contributes in the development of our students as confident communicators, creative thinkers and knowlegable community members. At St John's our students learn to analyse, understand, communicate and interact with others.
English Lessons At St John’s Mitcham
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Reading and Viewing: Our students confidently read a variety of texts, using their understanding of text structures and language features to make sense of what they read. They explore how vocabulary, images and writing choices shape characters, settings and events, and they share thoughtful interpretations based on both what is said and what is implied.
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Writing: Students express their ideas clearly through imaginative, informative and persuasive writing, always considering their audience and purpose. They use rich vocabulary, accurate grammar and correct punctuation, editing their work carefully to ensure it is well-structured and meaningful.
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Speaking and Listening: In our classrooms, students are active listeners and thoughtful speakers. They ask questions, share their views, and take part in respectful discussions. They confidently plan and deliver presentations using a variety of media, always aiming to inform, engage and reflect the values of our St John's school community.
Structuring English Lessons at St John's
- Two hour English lessons everyday
- Explicit whole class teaching of reading, spelling and writing skills
- Focus group teaching to target individual learning needs
- Weekly targeted spelling program
- Phonics based reading and writing
- Regular and ongoing Assessment of English skills
Learning in Literacy is supported by:
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6+1 Writing Traits
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Intervention programs including Reading Recovery
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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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Reading Eggs/Eggspress - 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.
