English

Rationale

At Wandina Primary School, learning English helps students become confident, thoughtful, and effective communicators. Based on the Western Australian Curriculum, our programs develop skills in reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing, and creating in a range of situations. Students learn how Standard Australian English works in both spoken and written forms, often combined with images or media to make and understand meaning. We focus on clear, purposeful communication and critical thinking. We encourage students to enjoy the beauty and power of language by exploring a wide range of texts from different times and cultures. This helps them understand themselves, their community, and the wider world. Our English programs build creativity, analysis, and adaptability. Students create and respond to many types of texts and learn to communicate confidently for different audiences and purposes. In the end, our goal is for students to become reflective, articulate individuals who value language as a key tool for learning and expression.

What does this look like at Wandina Primary School

Reading and Spelling

At Wandina Primary School, we use a variety of evidence-based literacy programs and approaches aligned with Science of Reading, to cater for the diverse needs of our students.

The Science Of Reading- What does the research say? 

Scarborough’s Reading Rope

Initalit: InitiaLit is our literacy program from Foundation to Year 2. It is a research-based and evidence-informed program that incorporates daily lessons in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Using this program, we aim to provide all students with a strong foundational reading and spelling ability, preventing literacy difficulties through explicit, systematic instruction. Students participate in interactive and multisensory lessons involving songs, stories, and games to reinforce learning. It supports Australian Curriculum goals in English and aligns with the Science of Reading principles, setting the stage for future comprehension and language-rich instruction.

 

Reading in Year 3-6: In our middle and upper primary years, we use a combination of Critical Reading and Novel Studies to strengthen comprehension and foster a love of literature. Critical Reading involves explicit instruction followed by guided and independent tasks, helping students analyse texts for purpose, structure, vocabulary, and author’s craft. It aligns with the Talk For Writing Program and builds students’ background knowledge. Carefully selected texts and discussion-based questioning promote active thinking and improve NAPLAN comprehension outcomes. Novel Studies offer in-depth exploration of whole texts over several weeks, focusing on comprehension, vocabulary, literary devices, and thematic analysis. This approach encourages rich discussion, personal connections, and cross-curricular links, while building reading stamina, empathy, and independent reading habits.

 

Spelling Mastery (3-6): Spelling Mastery program is the base of our instruction in spelling from Year 3-6. It is delivered in small, ability-based groups, focusing on phonemic, morphemic, and whole-word strategies. Through structured lessons featuring choral responses, dictation, and immediate feedback, we explicitly teach spelling rules and patterns to promote automatic and accurate spelling. This approach keeps students engaged and has proven highly effective, particularly for those with learning difficulties or persistent spelling challenges.

 

David Kilpatrick’s One Minute Instructional Drills (3-6): We use David Kilpatrick’s Phonemic Awareness program to develop students’ phonemic awareness and fluent word recognition through brief, daily 1-2 minute drills. These fast-paced and targeted sessions focus on advanced phoneme manipulation and automatic word retrieval, helping to build reading fluency by strengthening the brain’s orthographic mapping process. Students enjoy the quick, challenging format, which promotes rapid success and skill development. Backed by cognitive research, this approach is highly effective in accelerating word recognition and supporting struggling readers. It lays a vital foundation for decoding, fluency, and overall literacy growth.

Reading Fluency: At Wandina Primary School, students from K-6 engage in regular paired fluency sessions designed to improve reading fluency, expression, and comprehension.

 

Talk For Writing: We use Talk For Writing program as our whole school approach to writing instruction. A three-phase model: imitation, innovation, and invention. Students internalise language patterns through oral storytelling before moving to shared, guided, and independent writing. It is an interactive program that develops confident, creative writers through structured language development and genre knowledge. We use story maps, drama, and group retellings to boost student participation and enjoyment. Through this program, students learn to write with structure and enhance their vocabulary, oral language and grammar.

How do we track progress?

Kindergarten -Year 2

IL – Screener PP, 1&2 
DIBELS 8th ORF Yr1-2
Writing tasks
PAT R

Year 3 – 6

DIBELS 8th MAZE 
DIBELS 8th ORF
Spelling Mastery Placement
Writing tasks
NAPLAN
PAT R

Overall School wide Impact

  • Consistency across year levels to ensure no gaps in instruction.
  • Data-driven, research-based practices support all learners, including those with learning difficulties.
  • Increased teacher clarity and instructional alignment, improving collective efficacy and outcomes.
  • Likely improvement in NAPLAN results, student engagement, and long-term literacy success.