Oxford Australia Blog

Sharing our love of education, language, and books

Category: Literacy

  • The Lighter Side of the Oxford Children’s Word of the Year

    The Lighter Side of the Oxford Children’s Word of the Year

    Primary school students wrote about some serious topics in the 2018 Oxford Australian Children’s Word of the Year writing competition, from bullying to depression, fear and loneliness. However, there was also a lighter side to many of the stories. In the competition, students from Foundation to Grade 6 were asked to nominate and write about…

  • The Oxford Australian Children’s Word of the Year is Creativity

    The Oxford Australian Children’s Word of the Year is Creativity

    ‘Creativity’ has been named the 2018 Australian Children’s Word of the Year. Bravery, pollution, technology and environment were all strong contenders for the 2018 Oxford Australian Children’s Word of the Year but it was creativity that was today named this year’s winner. More than 500 entries were submitted by primary school and home-schooled children across…

  • The Spookier Side of the Oxford Australian Children’s Word of the Year

    The Spookier Side of the Oxford Australian Children’s Word of the Year

    Children have vivid imaginations, and this was nowhere more apparent than in the Oxford Children’s Word of the Year writing competition. Students from primary schools across Australia were invited to submit a piece of writing about a topic of their choice. While there were fairies and unicorns, there was also a darker side to the…

  • Teaching systematic synthetic phonics is a ‘success for all’ approach

    Teaching systematic synthetic phonics is a ‘success for all’ approach

    A Read, Write Inc. Case Study by Sophie Rasic from Mr Brendon Madden, Principal, Toowong State School, Queensland “Be prepared to see fast improvements” Age group: Prep–Year 6 | Students on roll: 284 School context: Toowong State School is a well-established Brisbane inner-city school, based in its current location since 1910. The suburb is predominately a residential area. The…

  • Systematic synthetic phonics helps all students achieve reading growth

    Systematic synthetic phonics helps all students achieve reading growth

    A Read, Write Inc. Case Study from Jocelyn Seamer, Principal, Dundee Beach School, Northern Territory Every child has benefited.” Age group: Preschool–Year 6 | Students on roll: 23 School context: Dundee Beach is a remote school 2 hours outside of Darwin. Mains electricity connection came to the area in 2006. The community has only recently had the road to…

  • What are Australian children talking about in 2018?

    What are Australian children talking about in 2018?

    Are primary school aged children interested in technology or treehouses? Are they concerned about the contents of their lunch box or the nightly news report? Oxford University Press is on the hunt to discover what interests Australian primary school students with the launch of the 2018 Children’s Word of the Year. Primary school students from…

  • There are many reasons to love libraries

    There are many reasons to love libraries

    Modern libraries can take the form of a local book exchange to a huge community centre, complete with roof gardens and cafes. The reasons why Australians love them are just as diverse. From the smell of books to the friendly librarian, there are plenty of reasons to visit, and to love, our libraries. To mark…

  • Building Independent and Successful Readers

    Independent and successful readers are developed as a result of educators implementing a well balanced literacy program. A combination of diagnosing reading abilities and providing shared, guided and one-on-one instruction allows students to develop the right skills and strategies to be able to read independently. See how a coordinated program can make children love reading!…