Murrumbeena Primary School Literacy Program

At Murrumbeena Primary School, we believe that strong literacy skills are the foundation for success at school and beyond. Our literacy program not only teaches students to read and write, but also encourages them to think deeply, ask questions, and find joy in learning. We aim to foster a lifelong love of literacy in every student.

Our comprehensive program covers reading, writing, speaking, and listening, and is designed to meet the diverse needs of all learners. We recognise that students learn in different ways and tailor our approach to support a variety of learning styles and abilities. Students are also taught to navigate, analyse, and create multimodal texts, developing the communication skills they need now and for the future.

We use continuous assessment to monitor student progress and adjust teaching accordingly. Literacy skills are explicitly taught, integrated across all subject areas, and connected to students’ units of inquiry. This approach encourages students to apply their reading and writing skills in real-world and inquiry-based contexts. Our program aligns with the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP), which embeds literacy within transdisciplinary learning, helping students build broad and adaptable communication skills.

Phonics and Spelling Instruction

Explicit and systematic phonics instruction is a key feature of our early years program. Understanding the relationship between letters and sounds is essential for decoding unfamiliar words and developing fluent reading.

In line with Victorian Department of Education guidelines, students in Prep to Year 2 take part in daily Multisensory Structured Language (MSL) sessions. This evidence-based approach helps students build the foundational decoding skills needed for confident, independent reading.

Students in Years 3 to 5 participate in a sequenced spelling program that includes instruction in phonics, morphology, and etymology, supporting the continued development of word knowledge and spelling accuracy.

Oral Language and Comprehension

Strong oral language forms the basis of all literacy learning. We support its development through rich classroom conversations, read-alouds, and structured opportunities for discussion. Research highlights the importance of explicitly teaching academic vocabulary and exposing students to a wide range of texts to build comprehension.

Students are taught specific reading strategies such as making inferences, drawing connections, predicting, and summarising. These strategies enhance their understanding and support critical thinking when engaging with texts.

Students in years 3-6 also participate in novel studies where teachers guide students to engage deeply with literature by analyzing characters, plot, themes, and literary devices. Novel studies further develop a love of reading, guiding students to engage with a range of genres and authors.

Writing Instruction

Writing plays a vital role in reinforcing reading skills by supporting phonics, vocabulary, and language development. Our writing program offers students authentic opportunities to write across a variety of genres and for different purposes.

Students engage in the full writing process—planning, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing—and learn to analyse texts for structure and language features. These insights help them improve and refine their own writing.

At Murrumbeena Primary School, literacy is not only a set of essential academic skills but also a powerful tool for thinking critically, reflecting, and communicating effectively in a range of contexts.