At GIPS, we place a strong emphasis on literacy and numeracy within a student-centred approach. Our literacy program is designed so that students have lifelong skills and strategies that will take them through high school.

Reading

Our reading curriculum is rigorous and consistent. The building blocks start in the first days of Prep. Across all grades, students participate in shared reading sessions every day where teachers explicitly teach strategies and skills using texts pitched above instructional level. Students then engage in guided reading or literature circles, where students are targeted with specific feedback and support pinpointed exactly where they need it. We regularly assess our students using a variety of formal and informal assessments to track progress building lifelong readers.

Writing

In writing, teachers model writing every day, demonstrating a specific skill. Then, our students launch off to independent work where they spend dedicated time every day independently writing. Teachers provide targeted feedback one-on-one and in small groups whilst students are independently writing. At the end of every lesson, children participate in the Author’s Chair reflection and feedback sessions to receive positive feedback and next-step suggestions so that our children have the voice and opportunity to provide each other feedback. Each term, students do a Stop and Pause writing piece, taking one piece of the same genre through every stage of the writing process from brainstorming to publishing. We also administer one timed writing piece per term, again to build high school readiness. As a teaching staff, twice per year, we gather as a school to moderate writing ensuring that each child has rigorous next-step goals.