Literacy - Reading and Writing

At Hataitai School we want our students to:

• Develop the skills and strategies to read at or above their chronological age
• Develop clear, accurate written and oral communication skills
• Develop the skills and strategies to spell at or above their chronological age

Reading

The Essence of Reading

Reading encompasses learning to read and then reading to learn: enjoying and making sense of a broad variety of genre and communicating understandings.

Decoding, understanding and applying written, oral and visual forms of language is the basis of the teaching and learning of reading. By engaging with text-based experiences students will develop the skills necessary to become successful readers and communicators.

A GOOD READER

• Engages with a wide range of texts with confidence, enthusiasm and enjoyment.
• Understands the purpose of texts and the messages they communicate.
• Independently uses a range of strategies to decode texts of increasing complexity.
• Reads texts with increasing fluency and phrasing.
• Can demonstrate an understanding of what they have read orally or in a written or visual form.
• Makes connections between text and their own prior knowledge and experiences.
• Can recognise and identify features of language.
• Forms their own opinions of a range of texts and evaluates them

Writing

The Essence of Writing

Writing encompasses learning to write and then using writing to communicate ideas, opinions and information: enjoying and making sense of a broad variety of genre and communicating understandings.

It is a basic life skill to be able to present ideas and to make appropriate choices about effective communication.  Writing can also be a creative expression. To write is to practise making and creating meaning. It is fundamental to all curriculum areas.

A GOOD WRITER

• Takes risks and has a fresh perspective - can personalise writing or take a ‘different spin’
• Is confident in their own ability and ideas.
• Has a mastery of fundamental skills in editing, language techniques, spelling and grammar.
• Does not necessarily have to be a good editor
• Gets excited by words - is inspired and inspiring
• Takes pride in their writing
• Is able to write a variety of genres effectively
• Can respond constructively and positively to others’ writing and use these as models when appropriate
• Can sequence ideas logically
• Can use creativity and imagination