Inquiry focus :Literacy and the journey so far

My inquiry has evolved this year to focus more on the children who have transitioned from Kindergartens and Early Childhood Education (ECE) settings.

Some of the tamariki have not yet mastered their foundational skills, so my inquiry centers on how I can ensure that all my students achieve these foundational skills as soon as possible, specifically looking at literacy.

Below, you will find my Professional Growth Cycle and the work I have undertaken so far. As you will see, this journey is ongoing, and I will be continuing to develop in this area.

I am really looking forward to see how the data on BSLA has progressed. Especially my Tier 2 target group.

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The Syntax Project - NZ version that aligns with our curriculum

I found this on Facebook this morning. I am so excited to share this amazing resource with teachers This was the message by Sarah Peck on the Primary teachers page: Kia ora koutou, not sure how many of you use the Syntax Project for a sentence-level writing resource but here is the scope and sequence with NZ Year level equivalents added. All of the slideshow resources that support the scope and sequence can be found at https://ochre.org.au/ac/the-grammar-project/. You will need to register for (free) access. The materials are designed for NZ Year 0 (NE) to Year 7, however I think if you have older struggling learners that still need sentence level writing teaching, learning, review and practice then you'd potentially still get a lot out of what's on offer. The Syntax Project work has been developed by Australian teachers, for teachers, and is underpinned by work from The Writing Revolution, and the Morphology Project references William Van Cleave's work. Here is the link: ...

Impressive Writing Growth with The Syntax Project

I’ve seen remarkable progress in my students’ writing skills since introducing The Syntax Project . This free, accessible platform, grounded in the concept of colourful semantics, has been a game-changer for our young learners. What is Colourful Semantics? Colourful semantics is a method that breaks sentences down into parts, each represented by a different colour. For instance, the "Who" (subject) could be one colour, while "What doing" (the verb) is another. This visual approach makes sentence building more straightforward and fun for children, helping them better understand sentence structure. It’s especially useful for younger students as they get to grips with the basics of grammar and sentence creation. My Approach to Using the Syntax Project I began using the Syntax Project by focusing on oral exercises. Students first talk through sentences, identifying key parts like who is doing what, and where it’s happening. This has laid a strong foundation for understa...

Handwriting - ideas how support teachers

I stumbled upon this super cool document called " Multisensory Writing: Handwriting Supports " from a pediatric occupational therapist, and it's packed with awesome ideas to help our kids with their handwriting! For all you kindergarten and new entrant teachers here in New Zealand, here's what's super important to keep in mind: Spotting Handwriting Hiccups: We're talking about all those common struggles tamariki have, like pressing too lightly or too hard with their pencil, writing huge letters or totally missing the lines, squishing words together or leaving huge gaps, and not quite getting the hang of tall vs. short letters. Easy, Hands-On Tricks: The document is full of practical tips, and a lot of them use different senses, which is brilliant! Think things like using carbon paper, sandpaper, those bendy Wikki Stix (not the same as pipe cleaners, by the way – Wikki Stix are wax-coated yarn, super safe and sticky!), or even just cool visual cues. Gettin...

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