Whole Class Teaching - matching our expectations to reality

 I have had many people interested in understanding how whole-class literacy teaching is implemented in a Year 1-3 class, where there is a wide range of learning stages (from pre-stage one to 'off decodable stages'). I have blogged a bit about this, and you can find older posts by scrolling through this page.

This year, I started with great enthusiasm, having ended the previous year on a high note with my students and feeling very confident about teaching the whole class. I planned my sessions, intending to deliver each part in bite-sized amounts throughout the day. I thought I had designed pared-back sessions and eagerly jumped into it.

Immediately, I realised that what I had planned was slightly out of reach—not so much in terms of achievement levels, but more concerning executive functioning. The children struggled to meet the expectations I was setting, even though we were only aiming for ten-minute sessions at a time, interwoven with valuable play blocks. How did I know they were struggling? Their behaviour made it very clear. They were cognitively and developmentally overloaded.

I continued for a few days, slightly pruning what I included in the slides, but I went home feeling quite defeated.

I firmly believe that kids do well if they can. Therefore, for some reason, even in a pared-back fashion, what I was expecting, or how I was delivering it, meant they couldn't do well. I also believe that we must meet children where they are, not just in terms of achievement, but also in terms of development. So, instead of 'blaming' them, I wanted to find out what I could do differently.

I started by completely stripping away my plan, choosing to focus on sounds and spelling, along with very explicit, step-by-step teaching of our handwriting shapes. I concentrated on my rhythm, my wording, and how I could be more explicit. I established language around how we used our boards and pens, including what we do with our pens when we are not using them ("cap it and park it") and how they recognize through my hand movements when I wanted them to respond.

I focused on my pacing: Could I be more energetic, clearer? Were they understanding my language? Could I be more explicit? How was I articulating the sounds? Was I being clear enough? Were they practicing enough? I really reflected on myself.

Instantly, the vibe changed. The children were engaged, they experienced success, found the rhythm, and were able to sit for the entire 15 minutes of our main session included in the slideshow. They were regulated, not overloaded, and their nervous systems were calm—a great foundation for learning. I was then able to start incorporating some of my catchphrases: "Mistakes are how we learn, but only if we notice them,"  "Practice makes progress," and so on. I even had the opportunity to introduce self-talk.

This is an example of my currently very pared-back slideshow, which will grow over time but, right now, is just right for us.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/17JYBij3R_HF5RyiviDCLACHXxjMrzZJ1LHoQcy-5t3k/edit?usp=sharing

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1i8PuyNpaHJ40PV0yyC5SVmg1BgOG1QDr6aC0YtAIqM8/edit?usp=sharing

Weekly Whole-Class Literacy Overview

Please note that these slides are simplified, and the little songs we use are designed to encourage children to experiment and play with words. I consciously incorporate spaced practice with these, and in the slides preceding these, our songs have focused on short vowel sounds. Short vowel sounds often pose a significant challenge for children, particularly in spelling, so I emphasise them consistently and repeatedly. Over time, the letter sounds that the children have mastered (most of the class have stage one and two sorted) will be removed, and only the new or commonly challenging ones will be continued. It is also important to note, that while a few of my readers have no need for decodable readers as tools, they still have spelling as a much needed focus.

What Does Whole-Class Literacy Look Like Over the Week?

• Handwriting: We start the day with handwriting practice. We are working through our Casey shapes on whiteboards and will gradually drop shapes as they are mastered. We are currently focusing on writing the letters a, b, c, d, and have recently added e, ultimately I want them to be able to work on fluency by writing the alphabet in order. As the children progress from acquisition to fluency, we will introduce additional letters. Twice a week, children work in their handwriting books, focusing on letters related to the focus shapes (for instance the focus has been on those letters with Casey’s open mouth for now.) Fluency is our goal after children have acquired all of the shapes. This segment is brief, lasting a maximum of 15 minutes, but is adjusted based on how settled the children are. Afterwards, they have 20–30 minutes of playtime.

• Slideshow Literacy: This typically occurs when we return from the initial play-based time. It generally takes us about 15 minutes to go through the slideshow. If we don't complete everything, we revisit it after a break. Over time there will be word ladders that children will take away and work on word reading fluency with a buddy, for now, we are just focused on our initial routines. This structured approach helps to ensure that literacy skills are developed systematically and that each child can progress at their own pace while addressing any difficulties with particular sounds or letters.  Teach it, before you have to fix it.

• Just-Right-For-Me Reading: At some point during the day, we dedicate ten minutes (a duration that will increase throughout the year) to our "just-right-for-me" reading. A video provides more information about this activity.  Most of the class are reading decodable books, while a few will be reading from chapter books just right for them.

• Class Stories: Once or twice a week, we engage with class stories. I use Pearl, our storytelling puppet, to capture children's imaginations and gather their ideas. The focus is on repeated reading and sentence-level comprehension. This year, we have two versions of the text: a basic one and a more complex version with additional details. More information is provided in the video below.

This is Pearl the puppet, who helps connect us to the world of our 'story' friends.

This structure supports literacy development by combining handwriting practice, reading comprehension, and creative storytelling, all tailored to meet the children's evolving learning needs.  This year, I have two versions of the story, one basic and one more complex.  I am very conscious that those children further along the progress scale need to be provided for too.

So our whole class literacy is basically:

1. Handwriting
2. Slideshow
3. Just right for me reading (where the decodable books are used as tools)
4. Class stories (not quite decodable stories that focus on sentence level fluency and comprehension)

What Else?

While we work on spelling as a big part of our whole class focus and have a big focus on handwriting, elements of writing do stand outside of this.  Once a week we will engage with a session from the Syntax project and right now our focus for writing is on writing a full sentence using colourful semantics.  

The emphasis is on oral language and it is a heavily scaffolded process.  I found last year, that the work put in here, had big spinoff benefits for the remainder of the year and last year my children were writing better than ever class I have had before.  I credit this progress to the time we spent building the foundations of writing, or you could say the building blocks of writing.

We will slowly start into SRSD towards the end of this term and that was a winning approach last year, with the training that we are doing this year, I expect there to be an even greater impact.

We also have a class chapter book that we are reading (Naught Amelia Jane) and are focused on building knowledge in specific areas so that we have something to write about.  As this is not a post about writing, I will not go into much more detail, but I have posted before about this.  Here is the blog post specifically about knowledge building.

Like everyone we also read quality picture books, shared books and as we advance into the term I will start to add fluency passages like poems that we can learn 'off by heart' to focus on prosody.  We work to a level where we can perform this, similar to the idea of readers theatre or talk for writing.

Supporting Diverse Learning Needs

This year, I am particularly focused on catering to children whose progress is significantly ahead of their peers. To address this, I have introduced two versions of our class stories: a basic text and a more complex text. We also engage in extended writing activities with the class, where everyone contributes ideas. These stories are then sent home for either independent or shared reading. With the more advanced students, I work in small groups on the complex text. Together, we write based on what we've read, exploring intricate spelling patterns and studying morphology.

For students needing additional support, I have two children at Stage One in Year Two/Three, and one child pre-Stage One. I work with them individually in a Tier 2 setting each day. These children also receive Tier 3 support outside the classroom, which is closely aligned with our classroom activities.
Each child has an individual literacy goal derived from assessment sheets. This approach helps us monitor their progress and tailor our teaching strategies accordingly. We share these goals with whānau, providing clear guidelines on how they can assist their children with practice at home. Some children require more frequent check-ins, while others might only be seen three times a term.

When necessary, I work with children individually or in small groups based on their needs. These groupings are flexible and used only when required. Some students engage in more repeated readings of our class stories, while others read in small groups with me.

By implementing these strategies, I aim to ensure that each student's unique learning needs are met as effectively as possible within the limited time that we have throughout the day.

Don't stop now; we still have work to do!

 Taking a moment to reflect on how far we have come in our journey with structured literacy is truly rewarding. As an individual, my exploration into this field began in 2018. It was then that I wrote my first blog post, sharing my initial insights into the fascinating world of the reading brain at the end of April that year.

From that initial step, my passion for learning and implementing structured literacy practices has continually moved my teaching approach forward. In May 2018, I shared another blog post, expressing my excitement about decodable books and phonics. This was just the beginning. By 2019 and 2020, our entire school was engaging in structured literacy learning, leading to rapid growth. Our journey has been marked by an ongoing cycle of reflection, refinement, and adaptation. A crucial element of our progress has been our willingness to acknowledge and learn from our mistakes, which has empowered us to deepen our understanding.

The self-driven nature of our learning journey has been another important factor. We have progressed at our own pace, addressing our unique needs and challenges. Now, in 2025, I sit here, enthusiastic about the prospect of nationwide consistency in New Zealand, where we can establish a consistent baseline for best practices in literacy education. It has been seven years since I began this journey, and while I often cringe at some of my initial thoughts, I treasure my early blog posts as milestones of growth and reminders that every journey must start somewhere.

Despite our achievements, what we are currently striving for should be viewed as merely a baseline for effective practice—what every child in New Zealand should receive. It’s important to recognise that this is not the end of our efforts. Significant work remains. As the title of this reflection suggests, don't stop now; we still have work to do.

A baseline for best practice is a start, but it won't meet the needs of every student. We need well-developed systems to support students who struggle (Tier 2 and 3) and those who require additional challenges. Our goal should be to deliver exemplary practice to the entire class while ensuring that every student's needs are met.

It's encouraging that we are making strides toward more robust Tier 2 and 3 support, but we must admit that we are far from reaching our destination. Schools are doing their utmost, yet meeting these children's needs necessitates comprehensive systems and adequate resources. Implementing a phonics check is one thing, but do schools have the resources and systems in place to act on the data? We must question the practicality of class teachers conducting these assessments when they already gather valuable phonetic information. It may be more practical for one designated individual to handle assessments and provide feedback. An individual who is also in charge of implementing systems of identification and support.

Additionally, our understanding of dyslexia, developmental language disorder (DLD), dyscalculia, and neurodiversity remains inadequate across the sector. Schools often lack the time and resources needed to address these diversities effectively. Ideally, each school should have a dedicated expert to establish systems for identification and support, but this is not currently feasible within the resourcing we receive. Our education system needs easy access to speech-language therapists, educational psychologists, occupational therapists, and more. Expecting teachers to fill roles for which they haven't been trained is unrealistic and unfair. Building an exceptional educational environment requires both funding and key personnel.

Additionally, we must better identify and support students who need challenge. This goes beyond assigning independent projects; it involves teaching that genuinely meets their advanced needs. While teachers strive to provide differentiated instruction, our children deserve more. A gold standard of practice cannot be achieved if teachers are stretched too thinly.

While meeting the needs of all children is complex, it is achievable with the right systems and resources. Our journey in structured literacy is far from over, and we must remain committed to ensuring every child receives the support they need to thrive.  

This journey is in no way basic, schools currently don't even receive enough funding to provide teacher aides to those who desperately need it.  Throwing resources at schools, while gratefully accepted, is just one tiny part of the puzzle, if we truly want to transform our system, much, much more is needed.

You could say, we are not done yet!

 

Whole Class Teaching - What Could Go Wrong?

If you have followed any of my posts over the last few years, you will know I am an enthusiastic advocate of whole class teaching. I have employed this method in mathematics for a long time and transitioned to using it in literacy a couple of years ago.

The Success of Whole Class Teaching

I am deeply passionate about whole class teaching, and when I reflect on the progress of my class over the past couple of years, compared to when I was teaching in smaller groups, I am convinced of its efficacy. It is not just working well but is highly effective.

Addressing Diverse Needs

A primary concern often raised concerning whole class teaching is how to cater to the diverse needs within a classroom. How can educators effectively address the needs of every child? Does whole class teaching imply that everyone receives identical instruction?

Potential Pitfalls of Whole Class Teaching

This concern leads to the crux of this discussion: where could whole class teaching fail? If the approach results in everyone receiving the same instruction and nothing more, it is likely that it will not meet the needs of all children. This issue pertains not only to children who may struggle with learning but also to those who excel and learn implicitly. These children might already be using their foundational knowledge to self-teach and only require minimal guidance to grasp and apply new concepts.

Whole class teaching can indeed falter if teachers assume that merely following a script and delivering the same lesson to all students suffices, without modifying the level of support or extending the content as needed. Don’t get me wrong, I am all for ensuring every child benefits from consistent explicit teaching, but I also know it is possible to notice, adjust and accomodate within this.

Adapting Instruction in Mathematics

When I began teaching mathematics to the whole class, the session's objective remained consistent. However, the level of support or challenge was tailored before, during, and after the session to meet the students' needs.

This adaptation could involve pre-teaching the concept to those who need it, providing additional repetitions for reinforcement, or expanding on the concept to offer extra challenges either within or after the session.

The Role of Play-Based Pedagogy

Here, the beauty of a play-based pedagogy becomes evident. Children engage in play that challenges and interests them. Those who quickly form connections in their learning and enjoy extra challenges often pursue these through play. These moments allow me to determine how best to support each student's individual needs and provide for them within the environment. Not only does it benefit these children, but it benefits everyone, as learning is shared with the whole class and inspires further discovery for everyone.

Applying Whole Class Teaching to Literacy

When I began teaching literacy through whole class instruction, I applied similar principles. Literacy encompasses reading, spelling, handwriting, and foundational writing skills. While the sessions are uniform, those needing additional support receive it individually or in small groups at other times. Students requiring extra challenges can be provided for within the session by introducing advanced content, which involves some observation and questioning. Sentences can be expanded, and spellings elaborated upon. Extra support is available as needed, while other children are able to exercise more independence. Those who enjoy additional challenges can be encouraged to engage further, reading complex texts, writing about their readings, sharing insights with peers, and even creating simple podcasts to integrate their knowledge.

Implementing "Just Right for Me" Reading

Our "just right for me reading" initiative complements our whole class sessions. It requires some coaching, but with effective routines and systems in place, students quickly begin reading texts of their choice that are appropriate for their stage. This allows me to support those who need it while giving others the freedom to explore more complex texts.

Modifying Class Stories

Class stories can also be tailored. Although this was unnecessary last year, I now have children entering my class this year who are already reading significantly ahead of their peers. This year I will create more complex texts for them to read and engage with, in addition to the class story we all share. (You can learn more about how I have used these class stories in the past by reviewing some of my previous posts.)

Conclusion: Avoiding Misinterpretation of Whole Class Teaching

In conclusion, the danger in whole class teaching lies in interpreting it as providing just the same instruction to everyone. We understand that the greatest difference between students is the number of repetitions they require and the level of support needed. Therefore, even within a whole class teaching approach, it is crucial to observe, adjust, and accommodate to ensure that all children receive what they need.

Further Exploration

The video below discusses how various needs can be met in mathematics using a whole class teaching approach.

You really need to try whole class teaching of literacy

Well, it has been a little while since I actually sat down to write a blog post so I thought it was about time I got back into it.

For those that have been following my journey, you will know I started whole class teaching for literacy in 2023.  It has been one of the best things I have ever done as a teacher and I want to urge others who may be considering it, to leap in and give it a go.

You can read back over my blogs, but the main reason I started whole class teaching for literacy (had always done so for maths) was that I felt I was spread to thin across my class, that I was not having a positive impact on all of my groups and it was impossible to deliver any extra support for those that needed it, I just did not have the time.  Sometimes, I would find myself, with the end of the day looming, squeezing in a reading group, just so I felt better that I had seen them that day.  Value added = 0.

My main concern about whole class teaching was the broad spread of abilities within my Yr1-3 class, I struggled to get my head around how an earth teaching whole class would be beneficial for everyone.  I started out thinking it was about reading, but over time I have come to see literacy as everything and understand now that the boxes we create for reading and writing, are just that, boxes constructed within as system that needs to finally acknowledge that all areas of learning are connected.  By teaching in a connected way, we do our ourselves and our children a huge benefit.

When I started my journey into Structured Literacy I worked hard to get my head around everything, to really understand the evidence and enact that into practice that actually worked in a real classroom.  However, I was tied to my reading groups and it wasn't until I let these go, that the real magic started to happen.

If you have read my other posts, you will know I started writing my own sessions, then tried UFLI and then, last year, felt confident enough to again write my own, this time, truly incorporating everything into our class sessions.  You will also know that my connected texts were an overwhelming success, something I am very proud of.

The intention of teaching whole class, is to ensure that everyone gets everything.  We know the main difference between how children learn, is in how many repetitions and what level of support they may need.  Like everyone, I had children that needed one repetition and others that needed multiple practices.  

Whole class teaching ensured these repetitions happened, while still introducing them to parts of the code, that had they sat in a group, they may not have worked with until much later on.   What I found with whole class literacy teaching was that children made more rapid progress within the stages they were consolidating, but also, because they'd been working with parts of the code I may not have previously introduced, they didn't stall, in fact, they started to read and spell words I would never have expected them to read or spell.  In essence because they were not assigned to sit in a group and largely move with that group, they consolidated learning more quickly, developed an understanding of the code outside of what they would have worked with in a group and experienced a huge amount of success, which in turn lead to increased motivation and engagement.  In essence,  success bred success and success bred independence.

For those children who required less repetitions, they still benefitted from the repeated practice daily, but also consolidated more advanced elements of the code more rapidly and started using these elements in their independent reading and writing because they had so much stored in their long-term memory, that they in turn had the cognitive bandwidth to apply to new areas of learning and develop extra skills I may never have introduced them to before.  

Rather than 'holding them back' the opportunity to engage in a lot of repetitions of learning did the opposite, it propelled them forward even faster.

So, how, when there is such a wide spread of levels, do you decide where to start, and what is included?

This is the big question isn't it.  Where to start.  

What is included, changes over the year, the sessions start out quite simply and then get more developed as the year goes on.  Learning within these sessions includes:

*Retrieval of sounds

*Handwriting

*Teaching of new sound

*Apply that by reading and spelling words associated with that new sound

*Irregular words, retrieve those known and learn new

*Word chains - spelling

*Dictated sentence

These sessions evolve as I get better at designing them, but here is a link to a very simple one from the beginning of Term 1.  Basically, I look at the whole class, decide what sounds the class have consolidated as a whole, put those in our retrieval deck and then start teaching from there.  

This is a link to one of our slides from the beginning of Term 4, you can see that it has become much more developed.

The slides do follow the same flow from week to week, but different aspects may be dropped or added depending on our focus.  The slideshow is used for the whole week.

My connected texts had a big role to play here and you can learn more in this video about those.

This vide also explains more about these texts

Children all read these connected texts, which go from very simple, to quite complex over the year.

Decodable books are used for independent practice and used with Tier 2 children that need it.   My Tier 2 children benefit from the class session and an individual or group session, meaning they are getting the extra practice that they need.

I still check in every fortnight with my children individually, just to track their progress and keep a record of where they are up to in the scope and sequence, this allows me to see where there are common areas of need that I need to focus on.  

What Have I Noticed?

*Because this is literacy and everything is integrated, children are building stronger foundations.  Spelling and writing has greatly helped their reading and comprehension.

*I have more time to focus on explicit teaching, children are getting more, rather than me being spread to thin.

*Tier 2 children benefit greatly from practicing at their level, but also participating in the class sessions, they have often acquired understandings further up the code, meaning that when we get there, they need less repetitions.

*Children all become very capable readers and those children we would class as natural readers really skyrocket.  

*Because within the reading we initially focus on sentence level fluency, I noticed the whole class had much better fluency by the end of the year and in turn, their comprehension was better.

*Children feel successful, they enjoy it and do really well.

*I am not so stressed trying to plan for groups throughout the week.

*Children benefit from practicing from decodable texts, while still being about to benefit from less controlled texts.

If you are still on the fence about whole class teaching for literacy, just leap in and give it a go, I promise, you will not look back!

Sunday Vlog - Explicitly Teaching and Understanding the Component Skills

 This vlog talks about the importance of understanding what lies beneath the learning outcome that we see.  It has been one of the biggest learnings for me and I hope this thinking is useful for you too.

Welcome to the world of the upside down...

We are currently experiencing massive changes in education here in Aotearoa. As someone who has embraced evidence-based practice, I should be fairly content with the intent of these changes. However, I am not. Why? Simply put, our current government is trying to impose 'accelerated' changes on a system where most of us are just struggling to keep our heads above water.

While there is no denying that we desperately need to address certain aspects of literacy and math teaching, achieving this is nearly impossible right now without first implementing some long-overdue changes.

Teachers are overwhelmed; they are dealing with behaviours not seen even five years ago, facing massive levels of need with little to no support. The stories I hear about the number of schools needing to teach children basic skills like using the toilet are overwhelming. Many children come to school with a developmental age of two or three, unable to speak in full sentences. Many teachers and leaders are experiencing parent behaviours that can only be described as bullying, and they are full of anxiety as they enter each teaching day in a system that essentially expects them to tolerate it.

Teachers are desperately trying not to apply deficit thinking. They work with the children who come to school each day, try to form solid relationships, and manage the rest of the class when a child in a dysregulated state, who does not qualify for a Teacher Aide (TA), is having an emotional meltdown, intent on tearing up the classroom, or worse. Moreover, some children come to school hungry, tired, or in no emotional state to engage with learning.

Schools are financially strained, simply trying to provide enough support for the children who desperately need it so that classes can maintain some semblance of calm. Leaders, like myself, can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but right now, it is not sunshine and rainbows peeking through—it's a train hurtling at lightning speed toward us.

Do we need changes in literacy and math? Undeniably, yes. I have spent the last seven years learning all about it, but there are shifts we must make first to ensure that teachers are in a position to embrace these changes.

We don't expect our children to engage with learning when they are stressed or overwhelmed. We change the environment and expectations until they are ready and able to do more. Why are teachers not afforded the same level of empathy right now? Instead of expecting teachers and leaders to embrace changes that require more cognitive energy than they have, significant shifts need to be made now.

Firstly, children do well if they can, so all schools need time to learn about trauma-aware, developmentally informed, and neurodiverse-affirming practices.

Additionally, all schools need to have a TA funded for each class, no questions asked. If we want teachers to meet specific needs through evidence-based practice, they need support in the classroom.

Learning support funding also needs to be addressed. Many schools have given up applying because there are too many hoops to jump through, and children who desperately need support are missing out because they are not "bad enough." This is a crucial step, in my opinion, if we want schools to be in a position to embrace change, because right now, the system is a joke.

Schools also need funding for at least one to two teachers above their Full-Time Teacher Equivalent (FTTE) entitlement. This would allow more teachers to be free to support in classrooms and deliver effective Tier 3 support. Having these extra staff to cover when teachers are sick would also reduce significant stress and mean classes wouldn't have to be shared out or asked to stay home due to a lack of relievers.

All schools need a skilled Learning Support Coordinator.

Right now, everything seems upside down. Teachers are incredibly hard workers with huge hearts who want the best for their children. I know they will do their best to embrace change, but sadly, right now, much of that change will be surface-level unless we get the circumstances right.

We seem to have a government intent on pushing change through at the speed of light without any understanding of what a real classroom looks and feels like each day.

We know we need change, but the conditions must be right for that change to have any real impact on our children.

A little bit about leadership

This vlog focuses a little on leadership and a little on PLD,