Howlong Public School

Strive for Success

Telephone02 6026 5206

Emailhowlong-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Special programs

Literacy Programs

Consistency of literacy learning  from Kindergarten to Year 6 is a priority at Howlong Public School. Students start off in Kindergarten using a program called Language, Learning and Literacy (L3).

L3 provides:

  • Knowledge and skills for teachers to develop learning plans based on ongoing data collection
  • Instruction in smaller group sizes (usually three to four students).
  • Strategically targeted activities that reflect individual learning needs.
  • More explicit and systematic teaching that focuses on high success processes.
  • Regular data collection (every five weeks) on text reading and writing to identify and chart progress and to inform teaching and learning strategies.
  • Consistent, quality professional learning and support for our teachers. 

This program is continued in Year 1.

From Year 2 onwards we continue along the same lines with a program called Focus on Reading (FOR).

Similar to the philosophy of L3, Focus on Reading involves the explicit teaching of the key aspects of reading, namely comprehension, vocabulary and reading text fluency.

The program emphasises the importance and use of:

  • Rich texts, particularly subject-based texts, multi-modal texts and the types of texts that interest and motivate learners in the middle years.
  • Rich talk of the kind that encourages them to 'show their thinking' through talk.
  • Deliberate teaching that begins with insightful assessment, involves planning for instruction based on students' needs and provides purposeful feedback and constant opporotunities for student reflection.

Numeracy Programs

'Count Me In Too' is a numeracy program operating in many NSW Department of Education and Communities schools. It is designed to assist teachers to broaden their knowledge of how children learn mathematics focusing on the strategies students use to solve arithmetic tasks. The project aims to improve educational outcomes in mathematics for all students through professional learning of teachers.