This document provides an overview of how the Australian curriculum can be used as a framework to develop literacy at the Adelaide West Special Education Centre. It discusses key concepts in literacy development including balanced literacy, communication, mastery versus emergent views of literacy. Time recommendations and achievement standards are presented for various learning areas from the Australian curriculum adapted for students with disabilities. The use of individual goal setting and reporting on the general capabilities is also described as part of a balanced literacy approach at the school.

1. Literacy through Curriculum:
Using the Australian
Curriculum as a springboard
for literacy
Lorna Fenech, Deputy Principal
Jane Farrall, Sidekick

2. Thanks:
• All staff, students and families at Adelaide West Special
Education Centre
• Centre for Literacy and Disability Studies
What to expect:
Communication and Literacy
Australian Curriculum
General Capabilities and goal setting
Balanced Literacy at Adelaide West Special Education
Centre
Learning Areas:
• English
• Mathematics
• Science
• History
Assessment

3. Communication

4. Literacy and Communication
• Literacy is an extremely important life skill. (see
OECD, 2005)
• Teaching communication skills should be one of
the most important priorities… because the ability
to communicate affects learning in all other
content, as well as overall quality of life. (Browder
& Spooner, 2011)
• For students who are unable to communicate
through a conventional mode the explicit
teaching of literacy skills becomes even more
essential so that they can develop alternative
means of gaining information and expressing
themselves. (ACARA, 2012)

5. Oral and Written Language
Development
Literacy
AAC/
Speaking
Wri3ng
Listening
Reading
Koppenhaver, Coleman, Kalman &
Yoder, 1991. Adapted from Teale
and Sulzby, 1989

6. Communication and Literacy
• Literacy activities are a platform to
develop communication
• Communication development
supports literacy development and the
understanding of functions of print.

7. Mastery/Readiness/
Reductionist View of Literacy
• Literacy is learned in
predetermined,
sequential manner that
is linear, additive and
unitary
• Literacy learning is
school based
• Literacy learning
requires master of
certain prerequisite skills
• Some people will never
learn to read
Emergent View of Literacy
• Literacy is learned
through interaction with
and exposure to all
aspects of literacy (i.e.
listening, speaking/AAC,
reading and writing)
• Literacy is a process that
begins at birth
• Literacy abilities/skills
develop concurrently
and inter-relatedly
• All children can learn to
use print meaningfully
Koppenhaver, Clendon and Farrall, 2012

8. Context

10. How do we navigate
curriculum requirements?

11. South Australian Curriculum
Time Recommendations

13.
Organising
elements
Level
1
a,
students:
Level
1
b,
students:
Comprehendi
ng
texts
through
listening,
reading
and
viewing
Comprehe
nd
texts
use
behaviours
that
are
not
inten3onally
directed
at
another
person
to:
• a@end
to,
respond
to
or
show
interest
in
familiar
people,
texts,
events
and
ac3vi3es
use
informal
behaviours
that
show
consistent
an3cipa3on
of
events
in
regular
rou3nes
to:
• a@end
consistently
to
familiar
texts
• respond
consistently
to
social
interac3ons
with
familiar
people
• demonstrate
an3cipa3on
of
predictable
events
• respond
to
ques3ons
• respond
to
requests
Literacy

14.
Organising
elements
Level
1
a,
students:
Level
1
b,
students:
Composing
texts
through
speaking,
wri<ng
and
crea<ng
Compose
texts
use
behaviours
that
are
not
inten3onally
directed
at
another
person
to:
• refuse
or
reject
• reflect
a
preference
or
desire
• reflect
state
of
wellbeing,
for
example
contentment,
joy,
worry,
pain
• reflect
a
physical
state,
for
example
hot,
cold,
nausea
use
informal
behaviours
to
inten3onally
communicate
a
single
message
consistently
in
familiar
environments
with
familiar
people,
such
as
to:
• refuse
or
reject
• express
a
preference
• request
the
con3nua3on
of
an
ac3vity
• request
something
new
• request
more
• request
a@en3on

15. Numeracy
Organising
elements
Level
1
a
Level
1
b
At
the
end
of
Founda<on
Year
students:
Level
2
At
the
end
of
Year
2
students:
Understand
and
use
numbers
in
context
demonstrate
concepts
of
coun3ng
using
every
day
experiences
connect
and
order
number
names,
numerals
and
groups
of
objects
using
numbers
up
to
two
digits
model,
represent,
order
and
use
numbers
up
to
four
digits
Es3mate
and
calculate
recognise
the
effects
of
adding
to
and
taking
away
from
a
collec3on
of
objects
solve
everyday
addi3on
and
share
stories
es3mate
the
solu3on
to
a
problem
and
then
calculate
the
answer

16. Personal and Social - Self
Awareness
Organising
elements
Level
1a
Level
1
b
At
the
end
of
Founda<on
Year
students:
Recognise
Emo<ons
recognise
and
iden3fy
their
own
emo3ons
iden3fy
a
range
of
emo3ons
and
describe
situa3ons
that
may
evoke
these
emo3ons
Recognise
personal
quali<es
and
achievements
express
a
personal
preference
iden3fy
their
likes
and
dislikes,
needs
and
wants,
and
explore
what
influences
these
Understand
themselves
as
learners
select
tasks
they
can
do
in
different
learning
contexts
iden3fy
their
abili3es,
talents
and
interests
as
learners
Develop
reflec<ve
prac<ce
recognise
and
iden3fy
par3cipa3on
in
or
comple3on
of
a
task
reflect
on
their
feelings
as
learners
and
how
their
efforts
affect
skills
and
achievements

17. General Capabilities:
Goal setting and Reporting

18. General Capabilities:
Goal setting and Reporting
2013
Goal
Beginning
Emerging Developing
Consolida3ng
Achieved
Individual Goals
Literacy
Students become literate as they develop the knowledge and
skills to use language for learning and communicating.

19. Literacy
• “literacy is an essential skill for students in
becoming successful learners and as a
foundation for success in all learning
areas.” (MCEETYA 2008)
• “the reciprocal relationship between reading
and writing opportunities and proficiencies
have been well established”. (Allington, 2011)
• "reading and writing are reciprocal message
getting/message giving, problem
solving activities which increase in power and
flexibility the more they are practiced.” (Clay,
2004).

20. Balanced literacy – Emergent
Students
Shared
Reading
Repeated
reading
of
a
book
with
an
adult
with
a
focus
on
interac3on;
student
chooses
book.
Independent
Reading
Daily
opportuni3es
to
interact
with
books
as
independently
as
possible.
Shared
Wri3ng
A
structured
wri3ng
task
with
a
focus
on
language
selec3on;
teacher
is
usually
the
scribe
e.g.
Predictable
Chart
Wri3ng
Independent
wri3ng
Daily
opportuni3es
to
write
for
real
reasons.
Focus
is
oPen
on
learning
the
func3on
of
print.
Incidental
and
explicit
instruc3on
around
le@ers,
sounds
and
print
concepts.
Incidental
instruc3on
included
through
the
above
ac3vi3es;
explicit
instruc3on
in
separate
ac3vi3es.

21. Balanced literacy –
Conventional Students
Guided
Reading
Daily
reading
of
the
book
of
the
week,
with
discussion
of
a
daily
purpose
for
reading.
Comprehension
focus.
Wri3ng
Daily
opportuni3es
to
write
for
real
reasons.
Self
Selected
Reading
Daily
opportuni3es
to
choose
a
book
to
read.
Working
with
Words
Daily
opportuni3es
to
work
on
sight
words
and
on
decoding.

22. Examples of literacy
implementation

23. Guided Reading
• Anchor
– Activate Background Knowledge
– Set the purpose
• Read
– The book
• Apply
– Discuss the purpose

24. Writing
Goals are to improve students’:
• Independent writing skills for real
purposes
• Written language skills at an individual
pace
• Expressive language skills by sharing
what they’ve written.

25. Writing with a flip chart

26. Emergent Writing

27. Conventional Writing

28. Learning Area - English
COMMUNICATION
supported
by
Australian
Curriculum:
English
STRAND
THREAD
YEAR
LEVEL
CONTENT
DESCRIPTORS
adapted
for
Adelaide
West
Special
Educa3on
Centre
Founda3on
Year
1
Year
2
Year
3
Year
4
Years
5
&
6
Language
Language
varia3on
and
change
How
English
varies
according
to
context
and
purpose
including
cultural
and
historical
contexts
Share
with
students
that
English
is
one
of
many
languages
spoken
in
Australia
and
that
different
languages
may
be
spoken
by
family,
classmates
and
community
Experience
that
people
use
different
systems
of
communica3on
to
cater
to
different
needs
and
purposes
and
that
many
people
may
use
sign
systems
to
communicate
with
others
Explore
spoken,
visual
and
wri@en
forms
of
language,
and
that
their
use
varies
according
to
the
audience,
purpose,
context
and
cultural
background
Language
Language
for
social
interac3ons
How
language
used
for
different
formal
and
informal
social
interac3ons
is
influenced
by
the
purpose
and
audience
Explore
how
language
is
used
differently
at
home
and
school
depending
on
the
rela3onships
between
people
Use
language
in
combina3on
with
other
means
of
communica3on,
for
example
facial
expressions
and
gestures
to
interact
with
others
Explore
different
ways
of
asking
for
informa3on,
making
offers
and
giving
commands
/
reques3ng
Explore
how
language
varies
when
people
take
on
different
roles
in
social
and
classroom
interac3ons
e.g.
playground
/
classroom
/
home
language
Experience
successful
coopera3on
with
others,
including
turn-­‐taking
pa@erns,
and
forms
of
address
that
vary
according
to
the
degree
of
formality
in
social
situa3ons
Literacy
Listening
and
speaking
interac3ons
The
purposes
and
contexts
through
which
students
engage
in
listening
and
speaking
interac3ons
Listen
to
and
respond
to
texts
and
to
the
communica3on
of
others
in
informal
and
structured
classroom
situa3ons
Engage
in
conversa3ons
and
discussions,
using
ac3ve
listening
behaviours,
showing
interest,
and
contribu3ng
ideas,
informa3on
and
ques3ons
Listen
for
specific
purposes
and
informa3on,
including
instruc3ons,
and
extend
students’
own
and
others’
ideas
in
discussion
Listen
to
and
contribute
to
conversa3ons
and
discussions
to
share
informa3on
and
ideas
and
nego3ate
in
collabora3ve
situa3ons
Literacy
Listening
and
speaking
interac3ons
The
skills
students
use
when
engaging
in
listening
and
speaking
interac3ons
Use
interac3on
skills
including
listening
while
others
speak,
using
appropriate
skills
e.g.
voice
levels,
ar3cula3on
and
body
language,
gestures
and
eye
contact
Use
interac3on
skills
including
turn-­‐taking,
allowing
contribu3ons
of
others.
With
support,
use
appropriate
communica3on
strategies
Use
interac3on
skills
including
ini3a3ng
topics,
making
posi3ve
statements
and
voicing
disagreement
in
an
appropriate
manner.
Use
interac3on
skills,
including
ac3ve
listening
behaviours.
Communicate
in
a
clear,
coherent
manner
using
a
variety
of
everyday
and
learned
vocabulary.
Use
appropriate
tone,
pace,
pitch
and
volume.
Use
interac3on
skills
such
as
acknowledging
another’s
point
of
view
and
linking
students’
response
to
the
topic.
Use
familiar
and
new
vocabulary
and
a
range
of
vocal
effects
such
as
tone,
pace,
pitch
and
volume
to
speak
clearly
and
coherently
Use
some
interac3on
skills,
e.g.
ques3oning
and
interpre3ng
non-­‐
verbal
cues
Literacy
Oral
presenta3ons
The
formal
oral
presenta3ons
that
students
engage
in
including
presen3ng
recounts
and
informa3on,
and
presen3ng
and
arguing
a
point
of
view
Deliver
short
oral
presenta3ons
to
peers
With
support,
make
short
presenta3ons
using
some
introduced
text
structures
and
language,
for
example
opening
statements
With
support,
rehearse
and
deliver
short
presenta3ons
on
familiar
and
new
topics
With
support,
plan
and
deliver
short
presenta3ons,
providing
some
key
details
in
logical
sequence
With
support,
plan,
rehearse
and
deliver
presenta3ons
incorpora3ng
learned
content
and
taking
into
account
the
par3cular
purposes
and
audiences
With
support,
plan,
rehearse
and
deliver
presenta3ons
for
defined
audiences
and
purposes
incorpora3ng
accurate
and
sequenced
content
and
mul3modal
elements
Literacy
Edi3ng
Edi3ng
texts
for
meaning,
structure
and
gramma3cal
features
With
support,
par3cipate
in
shared
edi3ng
of
students’
own
texts
for
meaning,
spelling,
capital
le@ers
and
full
stops
With
support,
reread
student’s
own
texts
and
discuss
possible
changes
to
improve
meaning,
spelling
and
punctua3on
With
support,
reread
and
edit
text
for
spelling,
sentence-­‐boundary
punctua3on
and
text
structure
With
support,
reread
and
edit
texts
for
meaning,
appropriate
structure,
some
gramma3cal
choices
and
punctua3on

29. Learning Area - Mathematics
http://www.janefarrall.com/literacy/
guided-reading/guided-reading-focus-
on-numeracy/

30. My Little Sister Ate One Hare

32. Junior
Primary
Secondary
Animals
and
their
food
Is
it
alive?
(plants)
Who
eats
who?
(Food
chains)
My
body
and
how
I
move
Making
heat
Water
cycle
What
is
it
made
of?
Air
What’s
in
the
Ground?
Weather
Night
and
Day
Cyclones
Learning
Area
-­‐
Science

33. Year 2
Junior
Primary
Secondary
Animals
and
their
homes
Life
Cycles
Minibeasts
Animals
that
live
in
different
environments
What
makes
a
noise?
What
can
I
use
this
for?
Changes
of
state
What
can
I
do
with
this?
Hot
and
Cold
Move
it!
Look
at
the
sky
Light
and
Shadow
Light
and
Sound

34. Year 3
Junior
Primary
Secondary
Animals
and
their
babies
Animal
differences
(fur
feathers
etc)
Wild
or
tame?
Water
in
our
world
Electricity
Making
electricity
How
do
toys
move?
Transport
Earthquakes
and
Volcanoes
Cooking
Mixtures
Senses
The
Solar
System

35. Learning Area - Science
F Living things have basic needs,
including food and water
Y2 Living things grow, change and have
offspring similar to themselves
Y4 Living things have life cycles
Y6 The growth and survival of living
things are affected by the physical
conditions of their environment

36. Tar Heel Reader

37. Learning Area: Science
http://www.janefarrall.com/literacy/
guided-reading/guided-reading-
personal-learning-and-australian-
curriculum/

38. Texts to support learning around
Living Things

39. Beans by Room 8

40. Monday 21 October the beans
had roots

41. On Monday 28th October the
beans had shoots with leaves

42. On Thursday 14th November the beans had lots of
leaves

43. On Thursday 28th November the
plants had flowers.

44. On 10th December the plants
had beans growing on them!

45. History
F
What
is
my
history
and
how
do
I
know?(How
stories
of
families
and
their
past
can
be
communicated
through
pictures
books,
artefacts
and
oral
histories.
Y2
Aspects
of
the
past
we
can
see
today.
History
of
local
building,
site
or
part
of
the
local
environment
Y
3
-­‐
Who
lived
here
first
and
how
do
we
know?
The
importance
of
place
and
country
to
ATSI
people
who
belong
to
a
local
area
4
What
was
life
like
for
ATSI
people
before
the
arrival
of
Europeans?
Why
did
Europeans
se]le
in
Australia?
Y
7
iden<fy
a
range
of
ques<ons
about
the
past
to
inform
a
historical
inquiry

46. You me Our Place
Guided
Reading
Purposes
1.
Read
to
see
which
is
your
favourite
person
in
the
book
2. Read
to
see
which
ac<on
that
uncle
Tobias
does
that
you
like
best
3. Read
to
see
what
animals
there
are
in
the
story
4. Read
to
see
what
is
your
favourite
picture
in
the
story
5. Read
to
see
what
you
think
is
the
best
thing
to
do
at
the
beach
Self
selected
Reading
resources:
ebooks
and
theme
books
in
the
classroom
Wri<ng
Tasks
All
week
–
write
about
pictures
of
yourself
in
different
places
at
school
Working
with
Words:
Le]er
of
the
week:
M
Word
wall
words:
rain
sun
wind
cloud
swim
play
fish
rod
net

47. Assessment

48. Assessment
• Guides intervention
• Provides feedback on intervention
• Different assessment for emergent and
conventional students

49. Emergent Literacy Intervention
Two primary aims:
1. To promote children’s positive regard
for literacy and their understanding of
the functional, intentional use of literacy.
2. To increase children’s skills in discrete
skill areas that are critically linked to later
reading success.
Jus3ce
&
Kaderavek,
2004

50. Emergent Students
• Need to develop:
– Alphabet knowledge
– Concepts about print
– Phonological awareness
– Use of a “pencil”

51. Conventional Students
• Silent reading with comprehension
• Writing independently so their
message can be understood by their
intended audience

52. Literacy Assessment 2014
• Emergent students – Universally
Accessible Emergent Literacy Battery
• Conventional students – Basic reading
inventory

53. Emergent Students 2014
• 38 students assessed
• Concepts about Print – minimal improvement
• Letter identification – on average students
knew 6 more letters of the alphabet,
increased from 15 letters to 21 letters.
• Phonological awareness – on average
students answered 3 more questions correct,
increasing from an average of 4 to an
average of 7.
• Writing – on average students scored 0.5
higher at the end of the year.

54. Conventional Students 2014
• In T4 2013 there were 2 conventional
students in the school
• In T4 2014 there were 7 conventional
students in school

55. Using Assessment Data for Goal
Setting and Reporting
• In 2013 many students at Levels 1a and
1b
• Now have more students at Levels 1b
and 1c
• Continuing with providing a good
emergent literacy and communication
environment
• Needing to differentiate in more
classrooms as more students become
conventional

56. !
Jane Farrall, 2015
Self-Selected Reading in our Classrooms
!
The two main guiding rules are:
• It isn’t self-selected if you don’t choose it yourself
• You can’t get good at it if it is too difficult
Overall guidelines
• Do you have 20 books per student in your classroom?
• Do you have a mix of fiction and non-fiction?
• Do students have a chance to interact with books as independently as
possible?
• Do students have a chance to read a book with an adult for pleasure
and enjoyment?
• Are you doing teacher read alouds as well as having DEAR (drop
everything and read) time?
• Do you do reader’s chair and book reviews?
For emergent students
• Are you doing shared reading in this block? Remember to use AAC
and CAR (Comment, ask, respond)
• How are you giving them independent access to books?
• Do you have a mixture of the following in your classroom?
o alphabet books
o repeated line books
o photo based books
o picture books
o rhyming books
o books in their areas of interest
For conventional students
• How are you ensuring they choose from books at or below their
reading levels?
• Do you have a mixture of the following for them to choose from?
o readers
o photo based books
o picture books
o rhyming books
o books in their areas of interest

57. Communication Outcomes
• Every student now has an AAC system
• Staff model consistently throughout the
school day
• Students learning to use AAC for a
range of communicative functions

58. ACARA video
http://
www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/
StudentDiversity/Illustrations-of-
personalised-learning

59. Contact
Lorna Fenech
Deputy Principal
Adelaide West Special Education Centre
08 8248 9100
Lorna.fenech297@schools.sa.edu.au
#sc_lorna
Lfenech.edublogs.org

60. Contact
Jane Farrall
Speech Pathologist
Jane Farrall Consulting
jane@janefarrall.com
www.janefarrall.com

61. References
• ACARA. (2012) Using the Australian Curriculum to meet the learning needs of
students with disability. Sydney: Author
• Allington, R. L. (2011). What really matters for struggling readers: Designing research-
based programs (3rd ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
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