It inspires me to do better things… a professional reflection on teaching reading comprehension

“I like how Daniel was nice in the end.” Matthew, age 8 “I love this book.” Tanya, age 7 “I’ve never read such a fantastic book how enemies became friends.” Anne, age 8 “It is funny. It has nice adjectives, and it is my religion and I love the story. It is the best.” Hasad,

A Cognitive, Social and Intellectual Phenomenon?

Emerging from an idyllic holiday with family and friends over the Christmas and New Year, I’m feeling more energised than I have for a long time. I’ve decided to revisit my neglected blog before diving into plans for the new academic year in Queensland – January 2023. At the time of writing my previous post,

To scribe or not to scribe?

Can I scribe for my student’s English assessment? Gathered around Prep B’s rainbow table, perched on chairs designed for six-year-olds, seventy scrap books arranged neatly into piles, mark book at the ready and packets of coloured fine-tipped markers in hand. Our early years teachers share a packet of pink vegie-crisps (they’re a thing!) and they

Reader Success: Slipping Through the System

This is the fifth in a series of quick-reads where I explore Armstrong et al.’s book Reading Success in the Primary Years – An Evidence-Based Interdisciplinary Approach to Guide Assessment and Intervention. I recently learnt from a close friend that her partner could not complete his induction for his job without her help. Up to half

If You Can Read, You Can Write. If You Can Write, You Can Read

In a life before children, I spent a year living in my husband’s home town in Ukraine. For this Aussie girl, it was a wonderful, exciting, and sometimes shocking cultural experience. It was vastly different to my own. To begin with, I had entered a country where most people did not speak any English. Fortunately

Reader Success – 5 Skills That Can Predict Future Reading Success

This is the second in a series of quick-reads where I explore Armstrong et al.’s book Reading Success in the Primary Years – An Evidence-Based Interdisciplinary Approach to Guide Assessment and Intervention. Did you know that in the years prior to schooling, babies and toddlers are already developing their literacy skills? “…research demonstrates that the

Reader Success: The SVR Model

This is the first of a series of quick-reads where I explore Westerveld et al.’s book Reading Success in the Primary Years – An Evidence-Based Interdisciplinary Approach to Guide Assessment and Intervention. In this introductory post I want to briefly explain the model that this approach is based upon: the Simple View of Reading (SVR).

What do you mean, “literacies”?

Literacy, literacies, literature, language. In the Australian Curriculum, Assessment & Reporting Authority (ACARA) subject area: English, these terms are everywhere. What do they all mean and how can I make sense of it all? Let’s start with some definitions as defined by ACARA. English is one of eight subject areas in the Australian F-10 Curriculum.