At Badger Creek Primary School, our reading approach is based on implementing evidence-based teaching strategies, where whole class literacy instruction ensures students develop and master skills in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. Skills are built upon year by year.
Literacy instruction is implemented using the Initialit Program in Foundation to Level 2 and SpellEx in Levels 3 to 6. As students display mastery of these essential skills, they progress to applying these in our high abilities’ literacy group.
INITIALIT IS:
- A systematic synthetic phonics program, that teaches letter-sound relationships and how to “blend” those sounds to form words.
- Use of ‘decodable books’ containing words that can be sounded out (decoded) using the phonics skills your child has learned.
- Home reading guidance that encourages students to use phonics skills as the first strategy for working out unfamiliar words.
- Evidence-based screening tools that support intervention and differentiation for students to enhance their mastery.
SPELLEX IS:
- a comprehensive, whole-class spelling program designed to provide explicit instruction in the English spelling system
- It focuses on teaching the “why” behind spelling, moving beyond memorisation to help students understand phonological, orthographic and morphological knowledge.
Key aspects of the SpellEx program include:
- Explicit Instruction: Carefully sequenced, scripted lessons that cover spelling rules, conventions and grapheme choices.
- Evidence-Based Approach: Integrates phonology (sounds), orthography (spelling patterns) and morphology (word structure).
Students requiring further support with their literacy needs receive small group instruction through the MiniLit and MacqLit Intervention Programs, which work in conjunction with the sequence of learning provided through InitiaLit and SpellEx. We also utilise targeted intervention 1-1 with Toe-by-Toe.
When writing, it is our belief that you can only write as well as you read. Students across the school study mentor texts – high quality literature – to learn more complex writing skills, such as sentence structure, precise word choice, and grammar. As they move through the school, students build their capacity to write a range of imaginative, informational, and persuasive texts for a variety of authentic audiences, with writing published in both physical and digital formats.
Mentor Text & Writing Samples
Took the Children Away
As part of our Historical Recount and Poetry unit, our Year 5/6 students explored the powerful song and poem Took the Children Away by Archie Roach. Through this important text, students learned about the experiences of the Stolen Generations and gained a deeper understanding of a significant part of Australia’s history.
Together, we carefully unpacked each stanza, discussing the language, emotions, and historical events referenced throughout the poem. Students also watched BTN episodes and other age-appropriate resources to build their background knowledge and understanding of the impact these events had on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Listening to Archie Roach perform the song allowed students to connect with the emotion and personal significance behind the words.
Using the text as inspiration, students explored how poets use imagery, repetition, and powerful word choices to communicate ideas and emotions. They then applied these techniques to write their own poems, reflecting on themes of family, belonging, identity, and resilience
We are incredibly proud of the thoughtful discussions, empathy, and creativity our students demonstrated throughout this unit. Take a look at some of their powerful writing below.
Student writing samples
When will we be found By Tilly
Lost Love
Lost People
Lost Culture
Lost alone
Left alone
Still today people force the white mans way.
Even through important things
people do hurtful things.
Shouting lies
Shouting hurt
Shouting that we have no worth
Try to explain the pain
Try to explain we want the same
People stole from us
Stole loved ones
Stole our trust
Still we forgive
But we don’t forget
the things you did
and the things you said
Took The Kids Away By Aidan
They took the kids away
On horse that went neigh
They took the kids away
Put them on beds of hay
This is a correct story
They took the kids away
We will teach them what you can’t teach
Is what welfare men told us
The policmen…
Took the kids
Took the kids
Took the kids…
Away
Stole them
We were playing a white role
Feeling black
A role we weren’t to play
Forced to wear a uniform
Made to act like a norm
Then they apologised
Gave the kids back
Let them play their true role
Learn their family
Gave the kids back
Tasmanian Devil
This term, our Year 5/6 students explored the beautiful mentor text Tasmanian Devil by Clare Saxby. What makes this text so unique is the way it combines both fiction and non-fiction writing, using rich, descriptive language to tell a story while also teaching readers fascinating facts about Tasmanian devils.
As writers, we carefully unpacked Clare Saxby’s word choices, discussing how specific vocabulary creates vivid images and engages the reader. Through patterned writing, sentence transformations, and the creation of our own model sentences, students developed their understanding of the author’s craft before applying these techniques independently.
To inspire our own writing, we visited the Sanctuary to research a chosen endangered animal. Students then used their knowledge and observations to create their own fiction and non-fiction pieces, mirroring the style of our mentor text.
We are incredibly proud of the creativity, research skills, and powerful writing our students produced. Check out some of the amazing work from our talented Year 5/6 writers!
Student writing samples
FLYING THROUGH FIRE By Juni
A small Orange Bellied Parrot, reaching adulthood, glides down from her treetop nest on the edge of a beautiful clearing, as she flies down, she sees the forest after the wildfire. The air had cleared since then but she still saw the smoke sometimes, everyone was swallowed by the wildfire as soon as it arrived, she had no friends, no family, no one. She was the only one left.
There was a small rocky glade on the mountain side of the island’s vast, treacherous terrain, the cave that loomed over the same glade was home to a small flock of Orange Bellied Parrots, unknown by humans, unknown by anyone. She hears many loud screeches from the other side of the forest, they are coming from the glade, screeches that sound like hers. She zips through the forest and the screeches get louder, her heart beats with every flap of her wings, her eyes dart back and forth, searching for the noise.
She saw what was wrong, a giant hawk was circling the parrots by the glade. She knew that there was a secret entrance into a tree, big enough for a flock of parrots, small enough so the hawk couldn’t follow. She landed in a cluster of dandelions and stumbled over to the huddle of petrified birds. As she led them into the humongous hollow of a towering oak tree, the hawk crashed into the oak as the last of the orange bellies clambered inside
As the stars begin to fade and the night slips away, they twitter and chirp as the newly hatched chicks begin to flutter and glide in the towering oak hollow. No more fires, no more hawk, all is well. FOR NOW…
ORANGE BELLIED PARROT INFO By Juni
Deep in the New Zealand scrubland, the Orange bellied parrot, searching for food, flies back to her nest, her beak full of seeds, sea rocket and chenopods. Bidgee-widgee, favourite food is found by the sea and they eat as much as they can. They forage on the ground and are strictly herbivores, don’t feed the meat, dairy, cassava, onion, avocado, mushroom, alcohol or caffeine.
The distinctive orange patch on their lower belly sets these parrots apart from the rest, their leafy green chest and back are good for camouflage while their bright blue wings and the blue stripe above their light grey beak may be the most beautiful part.
With dark brown eyes and a yellow upper belly, these beautiful birds are full of light and colour. The females are duller in colour compared to the males but the juveniles have an orange beak and a more yellow-olive colour instead of normal green.
Cats and foxes are only a small part of Orange bellied parrot threats, let me show you. When the parrots are migrating, they are exposed to harsh weather, rough waves and bigger birds, like hawks. Habitat destruction is also one major threat, if they tear down too many trees, their winter nesting places will no longer be there and the result is that they freeze or starve.
This shows that the Orange bellied parrot is one of the most endangered parrot species in the world, if not the most. They are one of the most beautiful parrots in the world and they are so unique that we need to help fight extinction. To help save the parrots, you can protect their habitat or report sightings during the winter.
SAVE THE PARROTS!
