Literacy

Science of Literacy at Kangaroo Flat Primary School

At Kangaroo Flat Primary School, literacy is central to every school day. We are committed to a knowledge-rich, evidence-based approach grounded in the Science of Literacy and aligned with the Victorian Curriculum 2.0.

We hold high expectations for all learners and believe that with explicit instruction, deliberate practice and strong support, every child can succeed.

Our Approach to Reading

Research shows that effective reading instruction includes six essential components: oral language, phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. At KFPS, these components are taught explicitly and systematically every day.

Students engage in structured lessons that build background knowledge and deepen understanding. We use carefully selected, high-quality texts across English, Humanities and Science so students develop strong literacy skills while building knowledge of the world.

Foundation – Grade 2: Building Strong Foundations

In the early years, we prioritise the development of accurate and automatic foundational skills while building rich content knowledge.

Students participate in daily phonological awareness lessons using the Heggerty program, with a strong focus on blending (decoding) and segmenting (encoding). We use the Little Learners Love Literacy (LLLL) program to explicitly teach the 44 phonemes and their corresponding graphemes. Students read decodable texts that directly align with the sounds they have been taught.

Fluency is developed through paired reading, choral reading and teacher modelling. Vocabulary and comprehension are strengthened through whole-class texts and structured discussion.

Importantly, students in Foundation–Grade 2 also read and write about carefully sequenced content from Humanities and Science. This ensures they are not only learning to read and write, but building essential background knowledge in history, geography and the natural world.

Handwriting, spelling and sentence construction are explicitly taught each day, and students write regularly across a range of text types connected to their learning.

Grades 3 – 6: Reading to Learn

In the middle and upper years, students apply and refine their literacy skills across a knowledge-rich curriculum. They continue to strengthen fluency, vocabulary and comprehension through increasingly complex texts.

The Sound Waves program supports the development of spelling knowledge, including morphology and word origins. Reading and writing are integrated across subjects so students deepen both disciplinary knowledge and literacy capability.

Writing at KFPS

Writing is taught explicitly at the sentence, paragraph and whole-text level. We use The Writing Revolution approach to develop clear, coherent writing, beginning with strong sentence construction. Students engage in oral rehearsal before writing to strengthen ideas and language.

Story Champs is used to explicitly teach narrative structure, ensuring students can organise ideas clearly. Handwriting, grammar and text structure are taught directly and practised regularly.

High Expectations and Targeted Support

We are committed to ensuring every student reaches their full potential. Some students require more support and intervention.

Our Response to Intervention model provides:

Tier 1 – High-quality whole-class instruction

Tier 2 – Targeted small-group support

Tier 3 – Intensive, individualised instruction including Minilit and Macqlit and SPAIDE support.

Through explicit teaching, strong knowledge foundations and high expectations, we ensure every student at Kangaroo Flat Primary School develops the literacy skills needed for lifelong success.