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Teaching Spelling in Middle to Upper Primary School

Welcome to another PLD literacy and learning insight. Following the popular blog on Teaching Spelling in the Junior Primary, this blog outlines teaching spelling concepts in the Middle and Upper Primary and how to use the PLD spelling lists. The short 5-minute video below is designed to assist the teaching of literacy development to improve spelling.

How to slow children down to ‘sound out’ as they spell and write? Spelling is more difficult than reading. It is relatively common to find children who read well, but whose spelling is poor. In the video, Diana Rigg outlines how to teach spelling to older students more effectively.

As always, if you wish to discuss teaching spelling or any of the concepts in this video, please contact us via the PLD Facebook page or via the contact form on this website.

What is the Evidence Base for PLD?

Evidence-based teaching is now the norm within Australian schools. For our education standards to meet national and international benchmarks, schools need to invest in programs that are supported by research. This ensures schools are investing in what will produce results rather than just implementing what is a ‘fad’, visually appealing, or what has been done for years.

PLD’s Structured Synthetic Phonics (SSP) approach is based on international research and the resources are upgraded as new research becomes available. In addition, our programs are independently assessed by third-party researchers. This research has shown that when PLD programs are used, in conjunction with ongoing professional development and school-wide consistent screening and tracking, measurable differences occur. We would like to share with you three pieces of evidence-based research across three different education scenarios that show the difference that PLD can make to student outcomes.

Endorsed by the WA Department of Education

As a part of the 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 has identified PLD as an endorsed phonics program to support schools with this implementation. Schools already implementing PLD, or those who are looking at implementing PLD, will be interested in PLD’s alignment with the WA Education Department screening requirements. PLD’s implementation requires termly screening and reporting on skill development not just in Year 1, but throughout the Early Years, Foundation and Year 1. 

Australian Education Publisher of the Year

PLD has a range of almost 100 evidence-based programs and resources aimed at the Early YearsFoundationYear 1 & 2, and Year 3, 4, 5 & 6. PLD was awarded Australian Primary Publisher of the Year for four consecutive years in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 by teachers in Australia.

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