Literacy and Numeracy

Literacy and Numeracy

At SACS, the teaching of literacy and numeracy skills goes far beyond simply passing a test. We equip our students with the higher-order thinking required for lifelong learning that enables them to adapt, apply, analyse, synthesise and evaluate. These skills are applied not just to Mathematics and English, but across the curriculum, so students are able to fully engage with all the subjects they are learning.

Junior School Literacy and Numeracy

Literacy and numeracy programmes begin in the Junior School. Our approach is based on a clear framework for identifying individual student needs and uses an integrated, sequential methodology from Kindergarten to Year 6. This is supplemented by programmes such as Multilit and Thrass. We also run a before-school targeted literacy programme in conjunction with the School’s Enrichment and Learning department

Highlights from the 2012 NAPLAN results (Junior School):

The Junior School was above state and national average in all areas, and well above in many, except in Year 5 Writing, which was just below the state mean

• 60% of our Year 3 students have attained top bands in all aspects of Literacy and Numeracy, an improvement from 50% just two years ago.
• 44% of Year 5 students received top bands, compared to 29% in the previous year.
• 68% of students received top bands in Reading.
• The greatest growth has occurred in Writing, wherein 52% achieved the top bands in 2011 and 74% top bands in 2012.
   

Literacy and Numeracy in Middle School and Senior College

The focus on individual student needs continues into Middle School and Senior College. Literacy and numeracy is managed collaboratively with the Enrichment and Learning team, providing support to individual students with targeted literacy and numeracy needs. Teaching staff work together to differentiate the curriculum and cater for individual students’ learning needs. They are inspired and guided by a number of well recognised and researched teaching philosophies, including Visible Thinking, Bloom’s Taxonomy and Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence.

Literacy Resources

In addition to classroom resources the School Library provides an extensive range of resources to assist students with reading, writing for specific purposes, researching and referencing. The resources include: 

• Reading for pleasure
• Reading different genres of texts
• Literature Circles
• Understanding and applying the information process
• Improving literacy skills across all subjects
• Research skills
• Using technology in the information process
• Producing better research assignments
• Understanding and practicing the stages of defining, locating, selecting, organising, presenting and assessing assignments
• Interpreting questions
• Organisation and note taking