At THPS, we recognise that literacy is not just about reading and writing; it's about empowering students to navigate the world around them with confidence and competence.

English is taught across all years at THPS, using best practice and current research to inform our teaching and learning in line with the Victorian Curriculum 2.0

Our Literacy program includes: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, Phonics Prep - 2. Spelling and Grammar is carefully entwined into both Writing and Reading sessions to ensure students have a deep and fundamental understanding of key Literacy concepts. 

To achieve this, we have developed a comprehensive approach to literacy instruction that encompasses the Big 6 in Reading – Oral Language, Phonological Awareness, Letter/Sound Relationships (phonics), Vocabulary, Fluency, and Comprehension. Incorporating the Big 6 into our daily Reading and Writing blocks is fundamental to our teaching methodology.

• We prioritise fostering strong oral language skills through interactive discussions, storytelling and group activities. By encouraging students to articulate their thoughts and ideas, we lay a solid foundation for future literacy development.
• Our systematic structured phonics program helps students develop an understanding of letter-sound relationships and phonemic awareness. Through explicit instruction and multisensory activities, students learn to decode and encode words with confidence.
• We believe that a robust vocabulary is essential for comprehension and expression. This is why we incorporate explicit teaching of tier two vocabulary – words that are essential for understanding across different domains.
• Our literacy block includes opportunities for repeated readings, choral reading and reader's theatre to help students develop fluency and prosody.
• We teach students to actively engage with texts through strategies such as predicting, questioning, summarising and making connections. By scaffolding comprehension skills, we empower students to become strategic readers who can extract meaning from text.
• We incorporate author studies to expose students to a wide variety of literary voices and styles. By exploring the works of different authors, students gain insight into the writing process and develop a deeper appreciation for literature.
• We provide opportunities to view and write in a range of different text types, such as Narrative, Persuasive, Informative, Poetry and Exploration. As a class students unpack the structure, language and organisation of these texts as well as developing their writing skills, such as punctuation, spelling and grammar. 
• Our students are guided through the writer’s process of planning, drafting, editing and publishing and developing their understanding of each area and the importance of each for a writer.   

Our teachers tailor instruction to meet the diverse needs of students, providing targeted interventions and enrichment opportunities as needed. Each student has their own reading and writing goal and regularly confers with their classroom teacher, one-on-one and small in groups.

Each classroom contains their own classroom library, filled with various genres of engaging books chosen and categorised by the students. During independent reading we provide opportunities for independent practice with these books.

At Taylors Hill Primary, literacy is more than just a subject – it's a journey of discovery, empowerment and lifelong learning. Through our research-based practices and consistent whole school approaches, we strive to ignite a passion for reading and writing in every student, equipping them with the skills they need to thrive in an ever-changing world.

For further information about the Victorian Curriculum please click here

To see images of our classroom libraries, click here 

Learning Centre

Oliver is the library operating system we use at Taylors Hill PS with ORBIT being the junior version for students. This allows access the library catalogue and exploration of the ORBIT site from any device in the school or at home providing there is an internet connection, no log in is required.

Students in Grades 3 - 6 who have been given their log in at school are able to borrow ebooks via the site at any time.  Students are not permitted to make reservations on-line these must be made during a Learning Centre session.

The address to access ORBIT is: 
https://taylorshillps.softlinkhosting.com.au/oliver/junior.do?_open=1

Or you can scan this Qr Code: