The key to literacy, for students of all ages, is knowing the ways written language represents the language they speak.

Literacy consists of orthography (knowledge of spelling), writing, oral language, stories, reading and vocabulary.

A developmental approach to teaching literacy is adopted in schools. For the purpose of this article, I would like to specifically look at orthography in a P-2 classroom. 

Students are taught:

• the concept of synthesising – the sounds prompted by the letters are put together or blended to pronounce words;

• phonemic awareness skills are sequentially built upon to include the ability to substitute, delete and manipulate phonograms (a combination of letters used to produce a sound);

• to analyse parts of words;

• the 70 phonograms which includes the writing of phonograms and words in connection with the sounds they represent, to build automaticity;

• phonological awareness – word awareness, rhyme, syllables, onset and rime, phoneme isolation.

If you would like to know more about how to support your child’s literacy development, contact the College on 07 4698 7777for further information.

Mrs. Natalie Adler
Assistant Principal Teaching & Learning: Junior