CURRICULUM

Reading

We foster a love of reading in all students at Darnum Primary School. Our priority is to develop passionate and independent readers.  Junior classrooms have a strong focus on developing phonological awareness and phonics knowledge with decodable readers used to support students who are learning to read.  Our teaching model for reading in the senior classrooms is based on a Reader’s Workshop. Each day, students will participate in a variety of reading activities that enable them to experience a wide range of fiction and non-fiction texts in both print and electronic media. Students also have access to levelled books, and a wider selection of texts through our library.

 

You can support our reading program at home by making reading an enjoyable night time activity. Reading to your child, talking and discuss the book together, and encouraging your child to read for leisure are valuable for your child’s literacy development.

 

Writing

Students are provided regular opportunities to be authors and create authentic texts as part of Darnum Primary School's writing program. Students work through different stages of the writing cycle and learn skills related to developing ideas, organisation, voice, word choice, sentence fluency and conventions. Across the school, we ensure that students practice the skills of phonics, spelling and grammar through purposeful and engaging writing opportunities. We use quality texts, real life experience and the children’s own experiences to instil a love of writing.

 

An ongoing highlight of our writing program is our annual Writer’s CAFÉ, a whole school celebration that showcases student examples of writing with families.

 

Spelling  

Our phonics/spelling program is an important part of the literacy block in junior classrooms. We use the Decodable Readers Australia scope and sequence and resources to develop and support students knowledge of letter sound relationships, their ability to hear sounds in words and make phonetic attempts at spelling. Students in the senior years continue to have specific spelling sessions throughout the week focusing on grapheme knowledge, etymology and morphology.  Each week, students across the school will explore sounds, letters and different spelling patterns.

 

Oral Language 

Students will participate in a variety of activities each week that encourage the development of their speaking and listening skills.  

 

Maths

Students participate in maths lessons daily. As part of our maths curriculum, we explore number and algebra, measurement and geometry and statistics and probability.

 

Humanities and Integrated Studies

Each term children will explore a specific area or the curriculum outside literacy and numeracy. This includes geography, history, civics and citizenship, design technology and health among others. These areas are explored through explicit teaching and are also integrated into other areas of learning.

 

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Specialist

Specialist classes form a large part of the curriculum at Darnum Primary School. Students participate weekly in the following specialist classes:

Science

Music 

Art

PE

Japanese 
 

HOMEWORK

 

Homework tasks that are expected and consistent at Darnum Primary School are:

 

• Reading – both decodable reading practise (in particular in junior years) and reading for pleasure

• Documenting their reading in their reading journals

• Practising sight words and graphemes related to their decodable readers in the junior years.

• Practising multiplication tables in senior years.

 

Types of homework tasks that may be provided to students from time to time are:

 

• Practising sports skills

• Topic specific tasks for research projects

• Practising words/phrases learnt in Japanese

• Engaging with parents in learning activities such as:  

  • rehearsing a presentation with parent/carers, and seeking their feedback

  • interviewing a family member as part of a research project. 

 

Darnum Primary School encourages students to experience a variety of enriching activities outside of school. These may be things like participating in sporting clubs, interest groups such as scouts, assisting parents/guardians with projects around the house, home activities such as cooking and gardening etc.

 

The amount of time that students should spend on their reading and homework is graduated from Prep to Grade Six. The school recommends the following as a guide:

 

Prep – Grade One                 10-15 minutes minimum

Grade Two – Grade Four     15-20 minutes minimum

Grade Five – Grade Six        20-30 minutes minimum

 

LIBRARY

All students are required to borrow their reading material through our library borrowing system. Each class has a different borrowing time. Please ensure all school reading material is returned to school weekly to allow us to maintain up to date information. Library bags are not required for borrowing.