There may be no silver bullet, but what if there is already a great recipe to base our teaching upon?

The current climate in education is an intriguing one. Here in New Zealand, it seems we're on a quest for silver bullets—quick fixes to declare ourselves 'world-leading.' We have received polished maths programmes in the post, yet there's a lack of focus on the 'what' and the 'why' and a total lack of prioritising teacher knowledge.
 My wish is for our government to invest in a robust, evidence-based framework for all teachers and give them time to deeply engage with this framework. This would allow programmes or approaches to be delivered in ways that benefit every child, adapting to their needs moment by moment.

Origins of This Post

This blog post has been swirling in my mind for a while. I'll be honest—I am still learning, and this post might not hit the mark for everyone. Over the past eight years, and particularly the last five, my learning journey has reshaped my teaching practice significantly. The learning curve has been steep. This learning curve is evidenced by the blog posts that I leave here, rather than deleting, even in knowing that now there are some of my older posts that I disagree with.  I believe there is nothing like transparency when it comes to sharing ones learning journey.

Like many who will read this, I am a learner. If this post doesn't resonate with you, feel free to move on, knowing I have much to learn. My hope is to provide teachers that need it, some clarity on effective classroom practices because if you are anything like me, you yearn for stable ground right now.  This post is intended as food for thought.

I understand the concern that 'teachers are not robots' and nor should they be.  However, there are some core ingredients we should all be adding to our teaching to benefit our children.  These core ingredients will not lead to a cookie cutter approach, in fact, I believe the opposite to be true.  Using these core ingredients will actually lead to more effectively meeting the diverse needs of our classes and giving us much more opportunity to add our 'flair' because the core components are taken care of.   In essence the cognitive load of 'how to do it' is reduced, allowing us greater freedom to make adaptations to our practice.

Do I believe you need to be recording all of these things in great detail and adding them to your planning for others to check, no certainly not, what would be the benefit of that?  

Acknowledging Diversity in Learning

We all know there is no silver bullet. Almost daily, I hear the argument that every child is different, and no one size fits all. However this argument should not prevent us from exploring what the sciences offer.  While I agree that no single approach that fits all and learners do have diverse needs, it would be naive to think the basis of what I do each year, could not remain the same, while allowing for adaptation based on the needs of my class,  in fact, it is this adaptation that we are free to make when we have the majority of the recipe covered.  

This year, I was quickly reminded of this need to adapt my practice when I jumped into teaching the scope and sequence, only to realise most of my class lacked the component skills needed. I had to step back and find the right approach for most of my students. This led to tailored catch-up sessions based on their needs. Some required more foundational interventions, which didn't take long due to prior exposure but still needed explicit instruction and practice. Others just needed increased dosage.  Had I stuck rigidly to the script, frustration would have mounted—for both students and myself.  I found the Instructional Hierarchy incredibly useful here to find a new starting point.

Importantly I think it is vital that we also acknowledge the unique developmental needs of the learners entering our schools right now, how we shape learning for them does need to hold these developmental needs at its core.

I've seen the scope and sequence work over the years, but without the right application, it's just a document. The same has happened in reading and writing this year. Accommodations I use now weren't part of my previous approach. The core of my approach remains, but tweaks are based on assessments and daily observations.   Having the core ingredients sorted, allows me to bring the flavour to my teaching.  I am sure that next year the accomodations I make will be different, but know that my children next year will benefit from what I have learned from my children this year.

It is really important to note that while learners do differ, they share more commonalities than differences in learning. So, while there's no silver bullet, I believe there is a recipe with key ingredients that is adaptable to the children's needs before us. The recipe I use this year retains core elements that I will discuss below, but is tailored to this year's students.  

It is important as teachers we do not tie ourselves to one approach, but instead have a kete of strategies we can draw upon when needed.  I’ll continue refining my practice (adapting the recipe) to maximise progress and meet students where they are.

Visualising the Recipe for Effective Teaching and Learning

If you’re like me, a visual representation can be helpful. I couldn't find one online that matched my vision, so I crafted my own. I'm not a visual expert, but I hope it provides a framework for this post.

Core Ingredients for Maximising Teaching and Learning 

So what are the core ingredients of teaching and learning that need to be added before we tweak the flavour to meet the needs of our class at that moment of time?

Here's an attempt to break it down:

Key Ingredient #1: The Science of Learning

"The Science of Learning is an interdisciplinary field of study that examines how people learn and how teaching processes can be enhanced to improve learning" (Shank, 2016).

A quick search will yield a huge amount of information on the Science of Learning, which can be overwhelming. Here are key theories and principles we should take the time to understand and find out more about:

1. Forgetting Curve Theory: Understanding this guides us in practice and review strategies. The Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve illustrates how quickly memory fades if not reinforced.

2. Cognitive Load Theory: This suggests our working memory can hold only a small amount of information at a time. Instruction should avoid overloading it to maximise learning (Sweller, 1988).

3. Biologically Primary and Secondary Knowledge: This differentiates between what we're naturally wired to learn and what requires deliberate teaching. Biologically primary knowledge is acquired unconsciously, like language and basic social skills. Biologically secondary knowledge, such as reading and mathematics, requires explicit instruction, imposing a cognitive load.

4. Gradual Release Model: This model supports moving learners from dependence to independence through explicit teaching, crucial for mastering new understandings.

       5. The Importance of Review: Deliberately providing spaced review, interleaved practice,               and retrieval practice using elaboration, concrete worked examples, and dual coding                   (visual and words.)

The science is ever-evolving, and while these theories are well-researched, we can expect new findings to help refine and shape our practice.

Key Ingredient #2 Principles of Instruction

As a teacher, I believe it's crucial for all educators to be familiar with Rosenshine's Principles of Instruction. If you haven't yet encountered these principles, I highly recommend Tom Sherrington's concise and insightful book, which beautifully illustrates how these principles can be applied in practice. There's also a fantastic visual summary available that encapsulates these ideas effectively (see below.)

By understanding and implementing Rosenshine's principles, we can enhance our teaching strategies and improve student learning outcomes. These principles offer a clear framework to guide instruction, ensuring that we provide the most effective and engaging learning experiences for our students.

Basically there are four strands from which ten principles of instruction fall out of.  The four strands being, sequencing concepts and modelling, questioning, reviewing material, stages in practice.  These are broken down to:

*Daily review

*Present new material using small steps

*Ask questions

*Provide models

*Guide student practice

*Check for student understanding and provide systematic feedback and corrections

*Obtain a high success rate

*Provide scaffolds for difficult tasks

*Independent practice

*Weekly and monthly review

Broken down even further into how these may appear in our sessions:

*Begin a lesson with a short review of previous learning

*Present new material in small steps with practice after each step

*Limit the amount of material students receive at one time

*Give clear and detailed instructions and explanations

*Ask a large number of questions and check for understanding

*Provide a high level of active practice

*Think aloud and model steps

*Provide models of worked examples

*Ask students to explain what they had learned

*Check the responses of all students

*Provide systematic feedback and corrections

*Use more time to provide explanations

*Provide many examples

*Re-teach material when necessary

*Prepare students for independent practice

*Monitor students when they begin independent practice

As a teacher, just looking at these provides us with ideas of where we might improve our practice, there is no way that I am getting to all these things in a quality way in every session I teach, but being aware of these principles allows me to reflect on where I could be improving my practice and that is why I think Rosenshine's principles should be a key ingredient of every classroom.  

Key Ingredient #3 The Instructional Hierarchy

I have blogged (or vlogged) a bit about this before, but I see the instructional hierarchy as crucial if we are to pitch our sessions in the 'just right' zone for our children.  

A quick goggle search will see you find many visuals of the instructional hierarchy.   Some have four stages, but after listening to and reading a lot from Amanda VanDerheyden I prefer the representations with three stages, seeing adaptation and generalisation as happening together.

A thorough description can be found by following this link.

https://www.thescienceofmath.com/how-teachers-can-make-learning-happen

 The instructional hierarchy allows us to ensure what we are teaching, is pitched at the instructional needs of the children in front of us.  Rather than being a set of steps we need to work through, we can think of one third of our session being in acquisition (working with knowledge yet to be understood) one third of our session being working on fluency (working with knowledge children do have understanding of) and one third in generalisation (working with knowledge children have fluency with allowing them to solve new problems or work in new ways with this knowledge.). 

This is a very simplistic description and there is so much out there to read on this.  The instructional hierarchy alone has transformed my practice and how I pitch my sessions both whole class and through Tier 2 work with individuals and groups.  That in my opinion is what makes the instructional hierarchy a key ingredient for every classroom.   When children do not understand a skill, we can step back through skills to find where the disconnect happened and then work through the acquisition phase to build from there.

Let's Add the Flavour to the Recipe

If the things I have listed above are seen as core ingredients it is vital that we acknowledge the fact that what is most important is meeting our children where they are, to do that we need...

1) Excellent Teacher Knowledge

While following an approach may start to improve our practice over time, it is vital that teacher knowledge is foregrounded.  Simply throwing a programme at a teacher and expecting the progress of children to be improved is like putting your dog in the bathroom and expecting it to take a shower.   To improve outcomes in maths, reading, writing...any academic area in fact, the teacher needs a good level of knowledge, committing to strong PLD is vital.  This PLD is best delivered in bite sized amounts over time, tailored to the needs of our staff. 

We add the flavour to our learning and teaching recipe by using our knowledge to know how to best assist children in their next learning steps, enabling them to build a strong schema and to make connections between new knowledge and existing knowledge.

2) Assessment of and for Progress 

Using quality assessment, on the spot during the learning, through examples of work, by listening to explanations and responses gives us insight into if our teaching is hitting the mark.  It guides us to ensure the extra ingredients we add are just right for the next steps of our children.  Utilising quick check in assessments allows us to quickly find and fill any gaps.  Using useful more formal assessments along the way allows us to inform the effectiveness of our practice, allowing us to be responsive to need and to what may or may not be working.  Involving children in this process is a vital ingredient, a child understanding and articulating their next step goals is a simple, but very powerful tool.  

3) Understanding the Unique Needs of Every Class We Teach

We must be prepared to meet children where they are at.  Every class has a different make up, different needs, as well as academic, these needs are also developmental along with social and emotional.   Incorporating approaches to meet these into our recipe is vital if we want to maximise progress.  It is vital here we understand the role of executive functions, that we take time to understand relational neuroscience and take the time to ensure positive learning talk is activated for all children, basically taking the time to make the invisible process of learning, visible to children. 

Notice/Recognise/Respond

The gift working through play over the last ten years has given me, is a deepening of my ability to notice, recognise and respond.  Rather than ploughing on through sessions, we of course will notice when things are not hitting the mark.  What we may have intended to be fluency building, instead might cause a high level of frustration for most of our learners.  If we are noticing this, we will recognise this frustration and respond by moving back to acquisition.  Having a good understanding of the principles of instruction, allows us to do this seamlessly.   Tuning into the theories within the Science of Learning, also allows us to shape our sessions based on these, to think about cognitive load, breaking skills down to their component parts, being explicit and ensuring enough practice blocked and then spaced over time to ensure learning is stored eventually in long term memory.

When I posted about writing in my group earlier this year, one thing that came up was the question about the value of copying for writing.  However, if we see this through the lens of the instructional hierarchy, we recognise that this was an acquisition tool, that for the majority of the class, this was where they were working and the copying, while not the sole focus of the session, was entirely valid for that moment in time.  For those that did not need to copy, they moved into more of a fluency building task by writing their own sentence with some support.  As teachers we must always retain this ability to be flexible.  In my opinion, there is no value to a novice learner, who is yet unable to combine sounds to spell, to be sent off to write independently, all I will cause is frustration.  If success is our goal, then this tactic of allowing children to flounder would not be of beneficial use.

Using the instructional hierarchy allows us to pick the appropriate tactic for the children in front of us at the time.  Would copying be an appropriate tactic for children who had already developed a high degree of fluency with writing?  No, but it is an appropriate tactic for the acquisition phase and some would even say copying a sentence the child has dictated is indeed a tactic to encourage fluency.  It is all about understanding the how and the why, not about looking at the end product.

It all comes down to knowing where your class is with their learning at this point in time, what works for one class, may not work for another, unless it is pitched just right.

In Conclusion - The Same But Different

Understanding and taking the time to learn about the Science of Learning, Principles of Teaching and the Instructional Hierarchy, along with prioritising our own teacher knowledge allows us to create a learning and teaching recipe that maximises the progress of our class, academically, developmentally, socially and emotionally.   

In this way we have a core set of ingredients we can call upon and rely upon, while still bringing the flair and absolute brilliance of every teacher to the fore and doing what is right for our class such as employing relational neuroscience and focusing on the development of executive functions through areas like play.   

In this way, we can ensure any programme is useful to us, but not driving us or our learners.  We can use it as guidance, but not as gospel and have enough teacher knowledge to know what tool is just right at the time.  

Instead of teaching like robots, we will be teaching like magicians and the experience of all our children will be one where all of their needs are met in a responsive and informed environment.

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Some Examples

Below is a table that I have quickly created based on where my year 2 class is right now.  It is very likely I have missed bits and pieces out, but I wanted to give you an idea.  Earlier I said that you may do 1/3 of the session in acquisition, 1/3 of the session in fluency and 1/3 of the session in generalisation.  Of course there may be times this happens neatly, I know that my literacy sessions usually flow like this (but are not taught in one big go, instead in bite sized amounts) however, there may be times that you spend 100% of your time on acquisition, other times where the focus of your session is simply fluency building.

The tables below are simply to show how, when making decisions about teaching and learning in my classroom, I can use the instructional hierarchy to help me.  Knowing this, I can then use the strands from the Principles of Learning that best fit within each phase, to deliver this piece of learning.  I do not plan like this, this table is just to show you what is in my head when I am making decisions, it would not be my intention that you should do something like this, however, it could be a useful activity for reflection.

Useful Information

As I said at the outset, I am simply a learner, trying to pull this all together and there are many places you can go to listen, read or watch information from experts that know much more than I.  This is by no means an exhaustive set of links, but it is a good start.

SPP 168: Dr. Amanda VanDerHeyden and the Science of Learning

Chalk and Talk - Science of maths Amanda VanderHeyden

Rosenshine Masterclass

Nathaniel Swain - Deep Dive Into the SOL

Tom Sherrington on why we need precise teaching methods

Why so many students can't master maths

Recommended Books (I am sure there are many many more)

Just Tell Them - Zac Groshell

Harnessing the Science of Learning - Nathaniel Swain

Rosenshine's Principles in Action - Tom Sherrington

Why Don't Students Like School - Daniel T Willingham

The Importance of Sentence Level Fluency And Comprehension In Literacy

 The Importance of Sentence Level Fluency And Comprehension In Literacy

Sentence-level fluency and comprehension are often overlooked components in literacy education. These elements are crucial for helping children not only decode text but also understand and connect with it. In my teaching practice, I have been inspired by the works of Anne Lucas, Tim Rasinski, Hugh Catts, Nell Duke, and Lyn Stone. Their research and insights have significantly influenced how I approach literacy in my classroom. I shared some of these inspirations in a blog post at the beginning of 2023, which can be found here.

Developing Class Texts

In 2023, I focused on the development of class texts to improve sentence-level fluency and comprehension. This initiative was documented in my post on this blog, "The Unintentional Impact of My Class Decodable Texts." The primary goal of this work was to strengthen the connection between reading and writing.

The Role of Ned and Bob

Ned and Bob, the original characters in my class stories, played a pivotal role in this journey. Initially, I ensured that the class texts were at least 80% decodable, aligning with the phonetic code we were teaching. Over time, as students gained confidence and understanding of the code, this reduced to around 60%. Of course, for many of the class, these texts were 100% decodable.  How decodable a piece of text is, is of course based on an individuals acquisition of the code itself.  The purpose of these stories was not merely to practice decoding but to enhance comprehension and fluency at the sentence level and I came to realise that the better I taught explicitly in the beginning, the more children started to learn implicitly.

Story Development and Student Engagement

As students' reading abilities improved, our class stories evolved. New characters and adventures were introduced, often generated by the students themselves. This interactive process was engaging and I started to see a high degree of ownership and connection from the children, to the characters in the stories themselves.

Structure of the Class Stories

Each story was crafted in three parts. This structure allowed for repeated reading, which was essential for developing fluency in challenging texts. By focusing on one part of the story at a time, we could analyse it sentence by sentence, constructing meaning across the entire text. To reinforce understanding, students were encouraged to draw pictures related to each story segment.  To begin with, the stories only really consist of three sentences, as the year progresses, these are padded out more, with more detail.

Implementation and Impact

For those unfamiliar with our class stories, they consist of paragraphs or sentences accompanied by space for illustrations. Each paragraph or sentence is unpacked through group reading, buddy reading, and independent reading. Students then draw a picture representing the sentence or paragraph. The following day, a new paragraph is added, allowing students to revisit and deepen their understanding of the text. This repetitive yet progressive approach ensures that students encounter each paragraph or sentence multiple times, enhancing both fluency and comprehension.

A text from the beginning of the year, one sentence has been added each read.  

A sample of a text from the end of the year, with a third paragraph to come in the next reading.

Children interact with the text, highlighting key pieces of information.  This group have a more complex text right now as they are no longer on decodable texts.

You can see how these two stories are linked, the starting paragraph from the story below, is the last paragraph from the story above.  These are both from the end of the year in my Year 1 - 2 class.

In writing we could then link what we are working on with colourful semantics, to use this framework to comprehend the sentence/s.  Analysing this first through reading and then recreating through writing.

Who is in the sentence?  What are they doing?  Where are they?  etc

Enhanced Reading Capabilities by the End of 2023

By the conclusion of 2023, I observed a significant improvement in my students' reading capabilities. This progress was not just a result of their engagement with high-level language at the sentence level, but also through various mediums such as class stories, chapter books, shared texts, non-fiction texts, podcasts, and short documentaries. As a result, their comprehension skills improved substantially. This enhanced understanding of texts naturally extended to their writing abilities, as students began incorporating what they encountered in their reading into their own sentence construction.  Not only that, because they were encountering many words that would not have been included in controlled texts, they had a sight bank of words that they previously would not have had and their vocabulary bank was much richer.

The Role of Explicit Teaching in Reading

A pivotal factor contributing to this improvement was the explicit teaching of the key elements of the reading code. Once these fundamentals were clearly taught and consolidated, a remarkable amount of self-teaching began to take place. It was gratifying to see many students independently choosing to read chapter books during our reading sessions, indicating a newfound confidence and enthusiasm for reading.

The Writing-Reading Connection in 2024

As we moved into 2024, the connection between writing and reading became even more pronounced. I began experimenting with Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD), which further highlighted how writing could complement reading. In fact, it became evident that writing activities were enhancing their reading skills even more significantly than reading alone had improved their writing.

These observations underscore the interdependent relationship between reading and writing. By fostering an environment where both skills are developed in tandem, students can achieve a more complete understanding and early mastery of language.

Writing is connected to the story that we had been reading, with children predicting what may come next.

The Complimentary Nature of Reading and Writing

The complementary nature of reading and writing has become increasingly evident as we engage in writing GIST sentences about various types of content, such as texts, images, videos, and podcasts. Children learn to craft these concise summaries, which enhances their ability to analyse a piece of writing for the same elements they aim to incorporate into their own work.

The Role of Colourful Semantics

In junior school, colourful semantics is a valuable tool not only for developing oral language and sentence formation but also for comprehending texts. This approach provides a foundation for our youngest learners to grasp the structure and meaning of sentences, aiding their overall growth an literacy.

Advancing to Longer Texts

As we progressed into 2024, we began to tackle longer texts that are integral to our knowledge development. Students applied their abilities to comprehend at the sentence level, showcasing their growing comprehension skills. Because our background knowledge development was closely aligned with what we were reading, comprehension was higher.  

This transition highlights the importance of incremental learning and the building blocks of literacy. Going slow in order to go fast.

The Importance of Breaking Down Learning

Often, we attempt to cover too much material at once, overwhelming children rather than simplifying the learning process. My experience so far has shown that by breaking lessons down to the sentence level at the beginning, students achieve more significant success by the end of the year. This approach allows them to master foundational skills before progressing to more complex tasks.

Addressing Diverse Learning Needs

While some students progress more slowly in reading, it is crucial to provide high-quality Tier 1 instruction. For those requiring additional support, Tier 2 interventions are offered within the classroom, and a few students benefit from Tier 3 support, often delivered outside the classroom. Despite these differences, all students gain from our class stories and the development of knowledge, comprehension, and language skills.

Every child benefits from our literacy activities, though some may require more repetitions and explicit support to achieve success. By tailoring our teaching strategies to meet individual needs, we ensure that every child has the opportunity to thrive in their literacy journey.

ThinkSRSD - my journey so far with my Year 1 and 2 class

A reflection of my journey  - slideshow shows my progress this term as detailed in this blog post.

Introduction to SRSD

If you have been following any of my posts, you will know that my journey into evidence-based practice in all areas led me to SRSD (Self-Regulated Strategy Development) last year. I started to explore what I could find online and quickly realised that, even though I was only scratching the surface of what SRSD is, the impacts on my class's writing were obvious.

I listened to numerous podcasts and read as much as I could find, discovering that SRSD truly fits the bill for an evidence-based approach to writing. I must preface this by saying that I am not an expert; my qualifications lie in my commitment to using best practices and making this work in a typical New Zealand classroom.

Professional Learning Development (PLD) with ThinkSRSD

As a staff, we collectively decided to undertake Professional Learning Development (PLD) in ThinkSRSD. Our goal is to develop a shared learning language across the school. This is a year-long commitment, but it has been encouraging to see classes engaging in both collaborative and independent writing already.  We are working through this in bite sized amounts at staff meetings and trying as we go along.  This allows us to reflect on how things are going, share our practice and assist each other to iron out any issues as we go.  SRSD will be a wonderful addition to our approach when using the Science of Literacy.  We can see the benefits it will have for both reading and writing.

The Importance of Colourful Semantics

If you have read any of my other posts on writing, you will know that I greatly value colourful semantics as a framework for building sentences. Much of what I have learned over the years has returned to sentence-level construction. Writing, like all areas of learning, is a skill built on many pieces of understanding that must come together to form the 'end' product we eventually see.

Rethinking Writing Instruction

Certainly not an exhaustive list of skills that it takes to be a writer, but these are the many things that go into the process of growing into a writer.

Writing is one of the most cognitively complex processes we ask children to undertake. I have come to realise that it has only been in the last four or five years that my practice has started to reflect this fact. For too long, my approach was based on the simplistic notion that we get better at writing by writing. I have learned that this overlooks the necessity of deliberately building the foundational skills children need to write effectively.

Colourful semantics, developing the foundations of writing and the building of complete sentences form the bedrock of our initial approach to writing, and this became my starting point for this year's instruction.

Ultimately it all comes back to oral language and so, this is where we must start.

We used videos, images and shared books to create shared sentences, using colourful semantics as our framework.  This linked beautifully to learning about writing a GIST sentence.

We then used big books again to explicitly focus on details.  Working on writing these details together and linking to some kind of ending sentence.

Once I felt that the children had a good understanding of what a detail is, we transitioned into using our reading sessions to gather these details. If you are familiar with our whole-class reading approach, you will know that our character stories play a significant role in this process.

I introduced TIDE to the children, and we learned each part of this mnemonic. We then read our character stories and analysed them using TIDE, identifying our topic sentence, important details, and ending. For now, ID will be used together.

Children drew the details and took these home for reading.

They also had a go at writing these details independently, with a little scaffolded support in the form of a word chart.  I use word charts like this a lot, they are a great scaffold for children into independent sentence writing.

From here I wanted to use the character stories we did have, to write a piece collaboratively about our farm friends.  In order to do this, I needed to introduce POW.  

We started by reading our character stories again and then reading the prompt.  

"Tell us about the farm friends". In this context, the us, is our parents as we intended to take home what we had written.

P1 - We wrote our GIST statement, this would form our topic sentence.

P2 - We pulled apart the prompt.

P3 - We picked our ideas using a brainstorm.

From there we moved on to O, organise our ideas.  Children were already familiar with TIDE, we used this to plan our writing.  Referring to our ideas, using our GIST for the topic sentence and then working together on what we think could be a good ending.

This was the end of our first session, completed over a few short bursts of mat time.

On the second day we did our collaborative write, using our TIDE to assist us.  I typed, while they gave me their ideas.  At the end we edited for punctuation and read it again to revise and see if we could change anything.   After reading this again with their buddy children took this home for reading

Moving Into Term Two

Moving into Term 2, I will gradually scaffold the children into independence. We have introduced the character Vog in our stories, so I will create a character bio and additional materials to help them learn about Vog. We will then work through a POWER cycle together. We will plan with TIDE, write the topic sentence collaboratively, and then allow them to develop the details independently. Finally, we will write a conclusion that we are all happy with.

Next term, I will also introduce the assessment aspect using the rocket. Initially, we will examine the "Farm Friends" story we have written, analyse it using TIDE, and then assess it with the rocket. My students loved this activity last year.

For Term 2, our knowledge spine will focus on sea creatures, both past and present, as well as magnetism and flight. As the term progresses, we will gradually build our knowledge by reading texts and working through the POWER cycle, organising with TIDE.

I also plan to introduce CSPACE as a method for analysing narratives. We will see how this goes.

I love the SRSD process as it provides a strong framework for children's writing and can be applied across all year levels. I am eager to see the impact it will have on our writing over the next 3 to 5 years. I particularly appreciate the self-talk component of SRSD, which we have been specifically teaching through handwriting.

Rosenshine's Principles Of Instruction

This year I am deliberately reflecting on and developing how I am using these principles of instruction.  I find this graphic really useful to reflect upon.  When teaching through SRSD I am continually thinking about how I am using these principles to ensure I am maximising my teaching so I maximise my children's learning.

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!