Oxford Australia Blog

Sharing our love of education, language, and books

Category: English

  • Transforming student achievement with a rigorous reading program

    Transforming student achievement with a rigorous reading program

    A Read Write Inc. Case Study from Jackie Williams; Senior Leader: Intervention and Support; Coober Pedy Area School, South Australia

  • Creating enthusiastic young writers

    OUP ANZ would like thank Kayti Deham and the students at Tennant Creek Primary School for giving us the opportunity to share their story. For teachers working in challenging classroom environments engaging students might be difficult but not impossible. Tennant Creek Primary School introduced the Read Write Inc. program just over a year ago, and…

  • Announcing the Oxford Australian Children’s Word of the Year 2019

    ‘Bravery’: Oxford Australian Children’s Word of the Year 2019. The Oxford Australian Children’s Word of the Year is a result of an Australia-wide writing competition. Students from Grade Prep to Grade 6 were invited to submit a piece of free writing of up to 500 words based on a chosen word. Students were encouraged to…

  • Evidence-based practice in literacy instruction changes lives

    This article was written by Jocelyn Seamer and first published in The Professional Educator. If you drive five hours north of Alice Springs you will find yourself in the town of Tennant Creek. A brief walk around our local primary school will reveal children from a range of backgrounds and levels of achievement. Some sit…

  • Developing a love of reading

    Developing a love of reading

    A life-long reading journey commences with encouraging word-reading and comprehension skills and cultivating an enjoyment of books so reading becomes a pleasurable activity. A love of reading can set children up for education success and introduce them to people, places and ideas they may not encounter in their everyday life. Research shows that reading for…

  • Comprehension is an essential part of the literacy equation

    Comprehension is an essential part of the literacy equation

    by Annie Facchinetti, leading educator and author of OZBOX: Learning through Literacy and Oxford Literacy teaching notes. Imagine that you were lost in Turkey and the only directions you had were written in Turkish. You could probably read them out loud with reasonable accuracy, even though your phonological awareness of the language may not be perfect,…

  • 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…

  • Catering for mixed abilities in the English classroom

    Catering for mixed abilities in the English classroom

    The term ‘mixed ability class’ is one that teachers often react to with an inward groan, but it’s a reality in most Australian classrooms. When I consider my Year 8 English class, there is a gap of around three years between the highest and lowest performing students, and I’m sure that this isn’t too unusual…