This Year St James introduced the Playberry Laser T1-2 Literacy Program in all our learning communities.
Playberry Laser T1-2 is an evidenced informed Literacy Program for primary school students. It follows a structured, synthetic phonics approach to teaching reading and spelling that focuses on developing children’s understanding of the relationship between letters and sounds.
Learning to read involves recognising individual sounds in words (phonemes) and linking them to the letters or groups of letters (graphemes) that represent those sounds. By explicitly teaching the relationships between letters and sounds, children develop the foundational skills necessary for reading fluently and accurately. The efficacy of the structured, synthetic phonics approach is evidenced by one of the strongest evidence bases in educational research.
Learners in the early years of Playberry Laser learn how to read and spell basic code (letter-sound correspondences) and progress to more complex letter- sound correspondences known as extended code.
In the middle years, students consolidate their knowledge of extended code and less frequent, more complex spelling patterns. Students in the upper years consolidate less frequent spellings and master spelling rules associated with how meaningful word parts, (morphemes) come together. Students are taught morphemes, grammar concepts and common spelling rules from Prep to Year 6
How is Playbery T1-2 Taught?
Revision drills are an essential part of daily practice across all phases to ensure that students store in long term memory the phonemes (sounds) that match graphemes (letter/s) taught. Automaticity is the key.
Students learn, review and use spelling rules daily in writing tasks. They read and write words and sentences, read texts and learn vocabulary that is new or unfamiliar. Students also learn and practice how to apply grammar in context. All lessons in the Playberry Laser Program utilise proven, highly effective teaching techniques. New learning is revised until the majority of students have reached mastery. Students needing extra practice receive it.
Multisensory learning is a cornerstone of Playberry Laser’s effectiveness. Auditory, visual and kinesthetic learning channels are engaged simultaneously as students see (read), say and hear (sound out, segment, blend, read words), and do (spell, write).