CURRICULUM
Programs
At Woori Yallock Primary School we run a number of different programs
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Art
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Physical Education
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German
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Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden
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Lunchtime activities
We base our learning on the workshop model and we make sure that we mixed teach to cater to the needs of all of our students.
PE
In PE the children will participate in games to improve the ability of various skills such as rolling, balancing, sliding, jogging, running, leaping, jumping, hopping, dodging, skipping, floating and moving the body through water to safety. All children are given the opportunity to develop their swimming ability at the Yarra Centre through the swimming program. They will develop their fitness skills through lots of running activities which increases their cardio fitness.
The children will learn to bounce, throw, catch, strike and kick using various balls and wide variety of equipment. They learn to work as a team, develop excellent sportsmanship skills and play fairly. They will get the opportunity to participate in sporting activities outside the school whilst interacting with other schools.
We have an annual Fun Run and House Sports competition. There are also experiences such as Tabloid Sports, Photo Trail, for the younger Grades, Grades 3-6 have the opportunity to take part in Athletics, Interschool Sport, Cross Country skiing and Cross Country Run.
SPELLING
At WYPS we are committed to improving the spelling and vocabulary skills of every student. We use a Single Word Spelling Test to derive student’s spelling age and determine which spelling generalisations they need to learn. Through mixed teaching we target student’s needs and students work during the week on individualised spelling words. We extend student’s vocabulary by examining tier 2 words, words not learnt in their early years of talking, we unpack words exploring their synonyms, antonyms, etymology and morphology.
READING
At Woori Yallock Primary School we follow the Reader’s Workshop model from Prep through to Grade 6. As a whole school our students have a 1 hour reading lesson every day that includes:
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Mini-lesson (developing accuracy and comprehension skills),
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Independent literacy work,
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Independent reading (where teachers confer with individual students),
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Share time.
LLI
LLI stands for Leveled Literacy Intervention and is a program designed to assist P-2 children improve their literacy in, primarily, reading but also writing and spelling. Children work in a group with three or four others who are of a similar standard with our experienced teachers four times per week. These lessons are given in addition to literacy instruction which occurs in their classroom. They are closely related to what the children are covering in class and the LLI teachers regularly communicate with the class teacher to discuss the children's goals and progress.
Children will read a variety of fiction and non fiction books, at the appropriate level, and will borrow copies of the books they have read during LLI sessions so they can re read and practise them during their independent reading time in class.
LLI has been a very successful program for improving children's literacy skills.
GERMAN
Guten Tag! The German Program at Woori Yallock focuses on developing language skills and promotes intercultural understanding, where our students become interested in and respectful of other cultures. Students participate in songs, rhymes, games, role-plays and cultural activities including Cooking and much more! Each student from Prep to Grade 6 visits “Germany” for one hour each week. ICT - IPads and Computers are also used in the classroom and this year we will have an interactive white board which will bring Germany, its language and culture into the classroom.
The Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Programme is a wonderful part of our learning at Woori Yallock. Students from Grades 3-6 grow and harvest vegetables from our Garden and then prepare and share the fresh food in our Kitchen.
We learn to make our own compost, grow plants such as rosemary from cuttings and plant seedlings. We love digging, planting, harvesting, finding bugs, and even weeding! In the Kitchen we work in teams, read recipes and produce amazing, tasty dishes which we all share. We even enjoy washing the dishes and sweeping the floor! The best part is working together and EATING!
SCIENCE
Throughout the year four different topics of science are taught across the whole school. The students learn about biological, chemical and physical sciences’ as well as earth and space, with different focuses for each topic depending on the year level. We encourage students to ask questions and think about the world around them as they conduct experiments and explore their topics through a range of thought-provoking activities.
STEPHANIE ALEXANDER KITCHEN GARDEN
TOE BY TOE
Welcome to Toe By Toe at Woori
Toe By Toe is a highly structured one on one phonics-based intervention program to help students who find reading difficult. Named to signify students make progress by the tiniest of steps – one toe at a time.
Steps may be small, but students can clearly measure progress right from the first page. Confidence and self-esteem are boosted as a result.
Students meet with a tutor four times a week for 20 minutes per session and work through the reading manual at their own pace. The manual aims at improving reading skills with a focus on phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency and vocabulary.
During each session students work on sounds and words, blending and segmenting and letter-sounds relationships. Looking at words, breaking them up into individual sounds then recombining them to make words.
These sessions are given in addition to regular reading instruction in the classroom. Tutors regularly communicate with teachers to keep them informed of progress. Please contact Michelle Holt if you have any questions.
MINI LIT
MINILIT stands for Meeting Initial Needs In Literacy. It is a systematic, synthetic phonics for reading and spelling early literacy intervention program. The program is aimed at improving the five literacy skills of:
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Phonemic Awareness – ability to notice, think about and work with individual sounds
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Phonics – matching sounds with letters or groups of letters
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Fluency – ability to read with proper speed, accuracy and expression
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Vocabulary – expanding on the words recognised and used in print
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Comprehension – understanding and interpreting what is read
Sessions are delivered four times a week for one hour to small groups of up to
five students.
During these sessions students will focus on:
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Sounds and words activities.
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Blending and segmenting
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Letter-sound relationships
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Letter formation
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Connected text and story book reading.
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Modelled, guided & independent practice
These lessons are given in addition to regular reading instruction, which occurs in the classroom. They are closely related to what your child is learning in class.
Trained education assistants regularly communicate with the teacher to discuss students’ needs and goals.
