Sessions for Teachers

Saturday workshops with Debbie Sukarna
at Darebin Arts & Entertainment Centre
(Cnr Bell St & St George's Rd, Preston)

Mark these dates in your 2008 diary:

Sat 16 Feb

Improving the quality of children's writing.
Writers' Notebooks (P-6); Extending language awareness (P-2);
Effective teaching of grammar (3-6).

Tue 4 Mar

Getting readers workshop organised

Sat 15 Mar

Developing effective spellers

Sat 12 Apr

Comprehension and strategies for reading fiction

Sat 3 May

Focus on Writing: developing an effective writing program

Sat 17 May

Planning integrated units of work

Sat 16 Aug

Assessment of writing and spelling (Debbie only, P-6)

Sat 6 Sept

Reading / Writing / Thinking with non-fiction: strategies for success

Sat 25 Oct

Assessment of reading

For more information, contact Paula Welham:

Curriculum Days & Staff meetingsEarly Years Literacy

On-going sessional work can be negotiated with individual schools.

Early Years Literacy

  • Using Real Books to teach literacy skills
  • The importance of the literature strand
  • Developing phonemic awareness
  • Teaching phonics and spelling in context
  • Rediscovering the Language-experience approach
  • Getting the most out of shared reading
  • Guided reading at the different developmental stages
  • Developing an effective writing program
  • Writers' Notebooks
  • Developing an awareness of language structures and features
  • Classroom organisation to support literacy learning

Middle Years LiteracyMiddle Years Literacy

  • Developing comprehension and thoughtful literacy
  • Developing critical literacy
  • Encouraging wide reading
  • Engaging students through powerful literature
  • Extending response to literature
  • Using different texts for different purposes
  • Shared and guided reading for older students
  • Teaching with non-fiction texts
  • Developing an effective writing program
  • Extending spelling strategies
  • Developing language awareness (grammar)
  • Making grammar 'accessible'
  • Classroom organisation to support literacy learning

Learning and Teaching

  • Understanding curriculum (a model that makes sense!)Learning and Teaching
  • Learning different literacies
  • Learning 'from the inside' (learning as an apprentice)
  • Documenting growth in learning (accountability)
  • Teaching: a gradual release of responsibility
  • Teaching with a focus on strategies
  • Questioning (expanding your repertoire)

Integrated Curriculum

  • Understanding the inquiry process
  • Selecting significant topics
  • Asking important questions
  • Planning units of work
  • Whole school planning
  • Literacy through integrated units