As children enter school as five-year-olds they continue to make the steps that move them from conversations to literate language. This can be a daunting step for all involved but Developing News Telling and Narrative Skills is designed to make the journey easier. The strategies used in this book are linked to later developing narrative skills, just as pre-literacy skills are the foundation skills for spelling and reading development. It is critical that teachers and parents assist children in the development of language and narrative skills as they are a crucial component and predictor of later interpretative reading and writing success.

Developing News Telling and Narrative Skills attempts to break down news and early narrative skills into simple sequential steps for teachers and parents to follow with children. The program trains parents and teachers to identify where children need to develop and strengthen their skills and presents specific techniques and supports to do so. The program provides simple activities and visual cues that are designed to be incorporated into classroom and home environments utilising activities that occur every day.

The program provides:

• assessment and monitoring procedures
• planning and programming supports
• visual supports and activity ideas
• techniques and strategies to develop and accelerate language skills.

News telling is a challenge for students and teachers, however, practice is the key and the more students are exposed to the language associated with telling news the more their expressive language will improve.

The programs within the range include:

Early Years Programs:

• Picture Book Retelling – Step 1
• Developing News Telling and Narrative Skills for 4 Year Olds

Foundation Programs:

• Picture Book Retelling – Step 2
• Developing News Telling and Narrative Skills for 5 Year Olds

Year 1 & 2 Program:

• Connecting Oral and Written Language – Step 1

Year 3, 4, 5 & 6 Program

• Connecting Oral and Written Language – Step 2

This resource is mentioned in the Foundation Teaching Sequence Manual on page 13.