Learning Support

Literacy Support Program

Newport Lakes Primary School is committed to tailoring the curriculum to our students’ needs. We offer writing, reading and spelling intervention to select Year 1-6 students that are not meeting benchmarks in reading and writing. We offer placements within the support program on a term by term basis, with students selected through looking at semester reports, other common interim assessment results and in consultation with teachers. We provide a structured, highly scaffolded and engaging program, using a variety of resources and learning methods suited to the age, ability and learning styles of each student, including a focus on synthetic phonics. Through regular, intensive one-to-one or small group support, we aim to fill any gaps in the students’ literacy skills to ensure that they are better placed to meet expected curriculum standards. Depending on the needs of each student, the program can assist in growing students’ understanding/confidence in areas such as the following:

  • Building phonological awareness and their understanding of phonics (letter/sound relationships) in order to assist in decoding unknown words when reading and to make better spelling choices when writing
  • Improving  handwriting to help build automaticity and confidence when writing independently
  • Increasing their bank of ‘off by heart’ / sight words
  • Growing their understanding of what a great piece of independent writing looks like, based around the 6+1 traits, so they can be more confident in writing, with a focus on organisation, word choice and conventions to begin with.
  • Building their vocabulary in order to help build fluency and understanding as well as making their writing more interesting
  • Developing better comprehension strategies when it comes to understanding texts at a more meaningful level

G.R.I.N

An intervention program is available and run for students in Grades 3/4 called Getting Ready for Numeracy (G.R.I.N.). The program aims to front-load students by exposing them to key ideas, strategies and vocabulary prior to their Maths lesson. It has been very successful in increasing student confidence, changing their outlook towards mathematics and raising their level of understanding to the expected level.