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Reading is a vital skill we use multiple times a day, often with minimal effort. However, this ability to read effortlessly, to understand different texts and read with pace, expression and fluency, is not a naturally developing milestone or innate ability. It requires explicit instruction and rehearsal of many components, which are identified in educational […]

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Sight words are a special high frequency category of words that students are instructed to recognise automatically. The term “sight word” can mean several different things: high frequency words, phonetically irregular words, or familiar words that require no effort to recall (orthographic lexicon or sight vocabulary). When educators refer to sight words they are usually […]

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It is common practice for daycare centres, kindergartens, and other early childhood services to introduce formal literacy concepts. The intention is an admirable one; to provide children with some early literacy skills. However, the negative side of presenting formal literacy concepts without attention to their pre-requisite skills is that it will often produce complications for […]

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In the recent WA Education Department report, which highlighted the success of PLD literacy programs, Louden asked the question  – what do high performing primary schools have in common. Louden’s research reported that seven of the nine high performing schools had adopted what the researcher referred to as ‘lower variation teaching’. Lower variation teaching is […]

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The most fundamental responsibility of schools is teaching students to read, spell and write. Literacy affects academic performance in all subjects and is associated with later social, emotional, economic and physical health. The UK Phonics Screening Check assists teachers in identifying early gaps in students’ reading ability. After decades of multidisciplinary research, the scientific community […]

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During April and May 2015, Emeritus Professor Bill Louden investigated and prepared a case study report on the school operations and pedagogical practices in place in nine high performing primary schools as measured by NAPLAN. The intention of the investigation was to inform the Department of Education’s understanding of the conditions required for a school […]

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Look-Cover-Say-Write-Check is a great strategy for children learning to spell. In this PLD insight, Diana Rigg discusses how to gain the maximum benefit from this technique. The video demonstrates how to slow down and focus children on the process. You can download this poster HERE. Print the poster to display in your classroom or as […]

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As with any teaching resource, there are different ways sound wall displays can be introduced, displayed and utilised.  As sound walls are a fairly new instructional tool, it is important to provide information on how to use them to their full potential. Click here if you would like to read more about sound walls and SSP, […]

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Following on from our previous popular post on Teaching Spelling in Junior Primary is this new post on applying the concepts to Middle and Upper Primary. So welcome again to another PLD Literacy and Learning Insight.  These short 5 minute videos are designed to assist the teaching of Literacy Development. Today’s Teaching Tip is about […]

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This article is for educators teaching older students that require decodable reading material beyond junior primary (or students who need to develop fluency). In days gone by, decodable readers were depreciated for having dull plots and limited vocabulary; very unappealing for older students still requiring decodable reading material.  In response, PLD sourced a range of […]

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Welcome to another PLD Literacy and Learning Insight – short 5 minute videos designed to assist the teaching of Literacy Development principles.   Today’s Teaching Tip is about Teaching Spelling in Junior Primary and specifically. How to slow children down to ‘sound-out’ as they spell and write. Spelling is more difficult than reading. It is relatively […]

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Today’s literacy and learning insight is about students in year 2 and 3 with low literacy skills who are missing some of the basics in early literacy and may actually have gaps in year 1 level. My stance when dealing with young children is always “when in doubt always do check things out”. Small gaps […]

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How Phonic Sound Walls Belong in PLD’s SSP Program Structured Synthetic Phonics (SSP) is at the heart of PLD’s offering.  Every resource we create is intended to scaffold, support, and extend students’ SSP knowledge and skills.  Our latest release, Sound Wall Charts, are a special resource that will bring to life the PLD teaching sequences […]

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The Junior Primary Spelling Activities resource is intended to provide a definition of synthetic phonics and related skills, an understanding of the importance of synthetic phonics, and practical suggestions for how to teach synthetic phonics within the classroom.

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As children reach middle primary school, developed language skills are critical for gaining academic understanding of content and information as well as communicating socially.In this era, many daily activities do not require children to have to use language. For example: watching tv, playing computer games, using a playstation, sitting quietly on their DS, watching DVDs whilst driving…

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To develop strong literacy skills in the junior primary years, students need accurate and fluent vocabulary, comprehension, and oral language skills. The most effective way to teach these skills to students is through the explicit teaching method called “Systematic Synthetic Phonics”. As of 2023, the Year 1 Phonics Check has been implemented across Australia in NSW, […]

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A PLD customer asks; “We are going to have Parent/Teacher interviews soon as we want to “share” and “source” as much information with parents as possible as early as possible. I believe that there are questions early childhood teachers should ask parents about the child’s development since birth. Can you please be of assistance.