The development of reading is highly valued at Cordalba State School and we see it as a key skill for the development of all learning. At the end of 2016 school staff decided to follow a new path of teaching early literacy skills and so began the LINK program. The program, developed by Dr Carol Christensen, follows a developmental sequence of introducing literacy skills, beginning with phonological awareness (rhyme, identification of initial and final sounds) and letter/sound knowledge. Children then work through the LINK Decoding program which develops their ability to decode and encode words automatically - a crucial skill for reading success.
After completing the Decoding workbooks, children undertake the reading comprehension component of this program which equips students with a range of strategies to strengthen their understanding whilst reading.
To supplement this learning, Cordalba State School has phased in over time other components of the program, which include a comprehensive spelling program, targeted to individual student levels. Students also improve their handwriting through specific practice and speed trials and have begun to undertake daily oral language activities to strengthen their understanding and use of language. The most recent addition is the 'Writing for Fun' activity, where students experiment with and develop their joy of the writing process.
Cordalba State School has also introduced similar methodology developed by Dr Carol Christensen to approach the teaching of basic number facts. Each time, processes have a very purposeful and sequential method that focuses on students acquiring automaticity with a skill before they move on.
We have been impressed with student participation and development throughout this program. This can be seen below in the progressive scores from actual student results using the decoding program.
STUDENT A