In the early years, we place a strong emphasis on building foundational skills. Through programs such as PreLit in preschool and InitiaLit in Transition to Year 2, students are introduced to reading in a clear, sequential way. Students learn to recognise sounds, understand how letters represent those sounds, and blend them together to read words. This structured progression allows students to steadily build their skills, moving from simple sound recognition to reading increasingly complex words and sentences.
Transition is all about building phonological and phonemic awareness and single sound knowledge. The focus is to develop fluency, to be able to comprehend more increasingly complex texts in year one and two. The impact of all programs implemented on students reading is noticeable. InitiaLit’s lessons structure learning to develop student confidence to recognise, read and spell new sounds through game type activities that consolidate new skills through animal friends linked to each single sound. The program across all years sequentially builds students skills of rhyme, syllable, phonemic awareness, single sounds, digraphs, trigraphs, and long and short vow sounds that make them successful readers. These skills are essential for students to develop reading skills as they learn to code words and progress to fluent reading.
For example, the first four sounds in transition. Mm, Ss, Tt, Aa, represented with letters MSTA allow students to read seven words.
Can you show us how you read? [sounding out letters] “At” “Mat” “Sat” “Sam.” When students learn the next vow sound Ee, represented with the letter I, their word reading increases to over 20 words. This highlights the importance of building a strong foundation of sound knowledge through sequential steps that build students’ ability to read. How do you learn to read in year one?
I learn new sounds and digraphs. What’s your favorite part about reading? Reading sentences. Can you show us how you read your sentences? Have you paid for your lunch? “Kaitlyn”
As a classroom teacher, all programs are engaging and fun for the students. They become stronger and more confident readers. That is evident in the data we collect and students’ ability to interpret their worlds.
