with Nina De Rosa    

What is it?

InitiaLit is a literacy program for all children in Kinder, Year 1 and Year 2.  It has been developed by MultiLit, a research-based initiative of Macquarie University.

What does it do?

IntiaLit teaches children how to read and spell
through daily lessons, using research-based teaching methods. It also uses a range of good quality storybooks to develop children’s vocabulary, oral language and writing. IntiaLit will be used daily during the time set aside for literacy.

How does it teach Reading and writing?

InitaLit teaches children that words are made up of sounds and sounds are represented by letters. Unlike learning to talk which children pick up naturally, children do need to be directly taught the relationship between sounds and letters.  In Year 1, children will build upon the knowledge of the alphabetic code that they gained in their first year of schooling (Kindergraten). They will learn that a letter or letters can make different sounds, and that two or three letters together can make a sound. They will also learn key terminology such as ‘vowel’, ‘syllable’, ‘phoneme’, ‘grapheme’, and ‘digraph’. By the time children are in Year 2, they have learnt that words are made up of sounds represented by letters. They should be able to work out most words they encounter for reading and spelling without guessing. The focus now moves to reading comprehension and spelling. There are four main teaching components in InitiaLit–2 spread across the week.

• Comprehension and fluency

• Spelling
• Grammar
• Vocabulary (using children’s literature)

An InitiaLit lesson will take place at least four times a week. The first 25 minutes are spent on the mat where the children are introduced to new letters and sounds or a new concept in a very clear and explicit way. They will do a number of targeted activities to practise reading and spelling words with the new sound during this whole-class session. After the lesson on the mat, the teacher will work with different groups of children to help them read words, sentences and stories using all the sounds and letters they have been taught. While the teacher is working with a group, the rest of the class will be doing an activity to consolidate what they have been learning. This may be a spelling worksheet, a game to practise their tricky words (words with irregular spelling patterns that cannot be sounded out letter by letter), or more practice using an InitiaLit reader. As your child’s reading becomes more confident, they will be able to read a variety of texts.

In Year 2, children will learn to use different comprehension strategies to help them understand what they are reading and they will practise reading with expression.
They will learn the various ways to spell the sounds of English, as well as some spelling rules to help them make the correct choice. They will also be introduced to some simple and useful grammatical concepts to help with their writing. After the new concept has been taught, the teacher will work with different groups of children in turn, helping them to develop their reading fluency and comprehension using a variety of reading material. The rest of the class will be engaged in different activities to consolidate what they have learnt.

How will my child be assessed?

There will be regular opportunities to assess your child’s developing reading and spelling skills. Progress monitoring, Stop and Checks and Cumulative Reviews are built into the program. Children’s reading progress relates to their ability to lift words off the page both accurately and fluently. Reading comprehension is assessed more informally during time spent in reading groups.

How can you help with reading at home?

Read a storybook each day to your child and discuss the story, pointing out any new words to enrich their vocabulary. Spend time teaching your child nursery rhymes, songs and poems. Play language games. Talk about letters and sounds in the environment. Help your child learn to spell the target words which relate to the sounds they are learning. Practise reading and spelling tricky words. Even if your child can read well, it is still appropriate and pleasurable to read to your child. This is a way of exposing your child to books that they may find difficult to read themselves. Provide a mix of non-fiction and fiction books to enjoy together. 

When readers are sent home, make sure that you spend time listening to your child read, providing support to help them apply their knowledge about sounds and letters to the text. Talk about what they are reading, checking for comprehension.

What if my child is struggling to learn to read?

Some children do struggle to learn how to read. Talk to your child’s teacher if you are worried about their reading or spelling. It is important to address any difficulties as early as possible so that extra support can be put in place to help them catch up.  We are utilising other supporting MultiLit programs such as MiniLit Sage and MacqLit, for children who require extra support when learning Literacy skills.

Mrs D’s ‘Thought of the Week….’

“We don't need a list of rights and wrongs, tables of dos and don'ts:

we need books, time and silence.

Thou shalt not is soon forgotten, but Once upon a time lasts forever." - Philip Pullman

Happy Reading.....

Nina De Rosa

Assistant Principal