By

What is a Structured Synthetic Phonics Approach? A structured synthetic phonics (SSP) approach emphasises the relationship between sounds and their written symbols as being integral to developing reading and writing skills (Jonston & Watson, 2004; Ehri et al., 2001). Three national inquiries (NELP, 2008; Rose 2006; Rowe 2005) consistently support SSP, with a strong code […]

By

The ultimate goal for any teacher is to enable their students to express themselves through authentic writing. However, achieving this level of literacy independence requires a solid foundation in reading and writing skills. Phonic dictation is an essential component in this process.  Dictation serves as a bridge to independent writing whereby students are able to […]

By

What are the RTI or MTS Models? The response to intervention (RTI) or multi-tiered system (MTS) model is an approach designed to identify and provide appropriate support to students who require more intensity or differentiated instruction to engage or progress in their learning. Core principles of RTI include multi-tiered systems of support, early intervention, data-driven […]

By

As a part of the 2023 WA Department of Education Phonics Initiative, WA schools will be required to complete an annual phonics assessment for Year 1 students from the start of 2023. The annual assessment will help teachers to identify students who require additional support to develop essential phonics skills.  The WA Department of Education […]

By

Reading is a vital skill we use multiple times a day, often with minimal effort. However, this ability to read effortlessly, to understand different texts and read with pace, expression and fluency, is not a naturally developing milestone or innate ability. It requires explicit instruction and rehearsal of many components, which are identified in educational […]

By

PLD is delighted that our evidence-based literacy programs are ranked among other high-quality and well-designed programs for teaching Structured Synthetic Phonics programs (SSP programs) in primary schools.  In the January edition of The Bulletin, the Dyslexia-SPELD Foundation compared PLD with other evidence-based SSP programs which facilitate high-quality Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 instruction. […]

By

PLD gets asked to provide support and feedback on tracking sheets regularly. This is a complimentary service that we happily provide to schools implementing PLD, but we do ask that tracking sheets are submitted in the recommended format. PLD receives hundreds of support requests each week and if the tracking sheets aren’t meeting the PLD requirements, we […]

By

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the 2021 Australian Educational Publishing Awards were held online in September. Celebrating its 28th year, the awards evening brought together publishers to acknowledge excellence and award businesses going above and beyond for the advancement of students. Organised by the Australian Publishers Association, the prestigious annual Educational Publishing Awards reward excellence and […]

By

As with any teaching resource, there are different ways sound wall displays can be introduced, displayed and utilised.  As sound walls are a fairly new instructional tool, it is important to provide information on how to use them to their full potential. Click here if you would like to read more about sound walls and SSP, […]

By

Decodable reading books are an essential component of an evidence-based SSP approach and all students, regardless of age, who are in the early stages of reading (typically PLD Stages 1 & 2) should be assigned them. Decodable reading books only contain phonic concepts and High Frequency Words (HFWs) that students have been explicitly taught. Specifically […]

By

Recently, Diana Rigg was featured in her old high school’s alumni magazine. Read a full transcript of the article below. “Past Principal of Santa Maria College, Sr Sheila Sawle used to constantly tell Santa Maria girls, “If it is to be, it is up to me.” Thousands of girls took that inspirational advise with them […]

By

The beginning of the school year is an incredibly busy time of the year. Despite the workload ahead of all of you, it is imperative that schools start their year well. With this in mind, we’ve developed the following Term 1 essential Back To School Checklist for teachers, school leaders and those new to PLD […]

By

While all children develop at different times, there is an expected sequence of developmental milestones children should be reaching. PLD has provided handy downloadable milestone guides for children aged 6 months through to 12 years.  Designed by speech pathologists, occupational therapists and educators, the comprehensive guides give an overview of the Oral Language, Literacy and […]

By

The WA Department of Education schools focus for 2020 has just been released, have you had a chance to check it out? If not, you can view or download a copy here as a PDF: https://www.education.wa.edu.au/dl/1zxeed For 2020 Western Australian schools are, among others, focusing on: Support learners to make the best start with access […]

By

With the changes in the National Curriculum, Foundation students (that is, Kindergarten NSW/ACT, Preparatory QLD/VIC/TAS, Pre-Primary WA, Reception SA and Transition NT), are required to acquire early reading and spelling and writing skills. This is new territory for educators working in the ‘Foundation’ years of literacy instruction. We have many teachers ask questions about early […]