English / Foundation / Language / Phonics and word knowledge

Curriculum content descriptions

Recognise and generate rhyming words, alliteration patterns, syllables and sounds (phonemes) in spoken words (ACELA1439)

Elaborations
  • recognising and producing rhyming words when listening to rhyming stories or rhymes, for example ’funny’ and ’money’
  • identifying patterns of alliteration in spoken words, for example helpful Henry
  • identifying syllables in spoken words, for example clapping the rhythm of ‘Mon-day’, ‘Ja-cob’ or ‘Si-en-na’
General capabilities
  • Literacy Literacy
ScOT terms

Phonemes,  Syllables

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Getting started with a phonics progression

This professional learning module explains how to use a phonics progression for reading and spelling, and outlines the skills required for phonological and phonemic awareness development. It contains a recording of a webinar, free downloadable resources and further professional reading. It is the first of seven modules ...

Video

Following an evidence-based phonics progression

Literacy specialist Elaine Stanley presents this webinar extract. She provides an overview of the key elements of a quality, evidence-based phonics progression and explains how to follow a phonics progression in your classroom.

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Phonological and phonemic awareness lesson activities

Literacy specialist Rebecca McEwan presents this webinar extract about how to include phonological and phonemic awareness activities in your whole-class or small-group phonics lessons.

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Phonics progressions and phonemic awareness: coaching webinar questions

Literacy specialists Rebecca McEwan and Elaine Stanley present this question and answer session about using a phonics progression and developing phonemic awareness.

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Phonics progressions and phonemic awareness: Q&A webinar questions.

This extract of a Q&A webinar answers questions from teachers and school leaders about using a phonics progression and developing phonemic awareness.

Online

Focused Improvement in Early Literacy Development (FIELD)

This teacher resource describes an evidence-based strategy in which eight disadvantaged metropolitan schools and 12 remote schools in Western Australia assessed the oral English language and emergent literacy development of their pre-primary (Foundation) students, and used that data to inform explicit teaching of English ...

Online

The Oral Language Supporting Early Literacy pilot study

This teacher resource describes the Oral Language Supporting Early Literacy (OLSEL) pilot study sponsored by the Catholic Education Council of Victoria and implemented in eight schools in low socioeconomic status communities across Victoria. The resource is organised in nine sections: Summary, Target student group, Method, ...

Online

Smarter Schools approach to teaching beginning reading and spelling

This is a teacher resource about the Smarter Schools strategy successful implemented by 30 Catholic and independent schools in Tasmania to improve the progress of students in reading and spelling. The strategy uses mainly an oral language approach to teaching phonics and phonemic awareness in an integrated and systematic ...

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Phonological and phonemic awareness overview.

Literacy specialist Rebecca McEwan presents this webinar extract about phonological and phonemic awareness, and why it play an important role in phonics lessons.

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Introduction to SSP - Module 3: key understandings

This 13-minute professional learning video, presented by literacy expert Jocelyn Seamer, discusses key understandings of a systematic, synthetic approach to teaching phonics. It includes information on alphabetic code, sight words, blending and how to meet the needs of all children in the classroom. The other videos in ...

Online

Daily review example

This slide pack provides a sample daily review lesson which is a key component of teaching phonics using a systematic synthetic phonics (SSP) model that follows evidence-based research. It can be adapted to follow any phonics progression or lesson.

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Introduction to SSP - Module 4: features of a systematic synthetic phonics approach

This 23-minute professional learning video, presented by literacy expert Jocelyn Seamer, discusses the features of a systematic, synthetic approach to teaching phonics. It includes information on decodable texts, alphabetic code, and how to teach new sounds. The other videos in the series are; The research base of structured ...

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Choosing and using decodable texts

This self-paced learning module explains the process of orthographic mapping, how decodable texts support this process and how to choose quality decodable texts and use them in your classroom. It contains a webinar, free downloadable resources and further professional reading. It is the third of seven professional learning ...

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The Big Six: a whirlwind tour

This one-hour webinar recording provides an overview of the Big Six components of literacy (oral language, phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension). It includes theoretical understandings and practical ideas for the classroom. It is the first in a series of eight webinars about the Big Six ...

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Demonstration of a daily review

This video provides a demonstration of a phonics daily review using explicit instruction principles. It is presented by literacy specialists Elaine Stanley and Rebecca McEwan.

Downloadable

Sample phonics lesson slides - beginner

This slide pack is a sample of a phonics lesson for students at the beginning of their phonics learning. It is aligned with an explicit instruction model.

Downloadable

Word and code complexity continuum

This diagram shows the gradual progression of skills that students need to develop so they can read and spell words with increasing complexity.

Video

Explicit instruction for phonics - an instructional model: coaching webinar questions

Literacy specialists Rebecca McEwan and Elaine Stanley present this question and answer session about using explicit instruction principles within your phonics lesson.

Online

Patterns

This is a unit of inquiry made up of 12 learning sequences for year F in the English for the Australian Curriculum resource. Each learning sequence contains a series of resources, suggested activities to carry out with students and a post-activity reflection. This unit examines patterns in literature and language, with ...

Online

Meeting Initial Needs In Literacy

This teacher resource is about the Meeting Initial Needs In Literacy (MiniLit) program and its trial with 22 Foundation and year 2 students in a NSW regional public school. MiniLit is an intervention program providing instruction to small groups of young children struggling with reading. The resource describes how MiniLit ...