Literacy Professional Learning Resource – Key Concepts

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Key concepts: VELS 1 & 2 | VELS 3 | VELS 4 | VELS 5 & 6

VELS level 1 & 2

• Early language development - before school (Wells, Snow et al) – includes information on how children learn and begin to understand language. It includes links to resources for teachers including a video transcript for professional learning.
• Victorian Essential Learning Standards - Stages of Learning: Laying the foundations – includes information on the key characteristics of students as they progress through the particular stages of learning.
• Victorian Essential Learning Standards English domain – includes introduction to the English domain, learning focus statements and standards at Levels 1 and 2 in the dimensions of Speaking and listening, Reading and Writing.
• Zone of Proximal Development & Scaffolding (Vygotsky, Bruner, Rogoff) – describes in detail the theories of scaffolding from Vygotsky, Bruner and Rogoff and includes a professional learning activity.
• Teacher scaffolding in the classroom – identifies two types of scaffolding: ‘designed in’ and ‘point of need’, their benefits and how to use them effectively.
• Language and learning (Halliday) – includes research from Halliday about the relationship between language and thinking/knowing and learning,
• Developing literate language (Christie, Clay, Wells) – uses the recount of six-year old Suzy to illustrate the differences between written and spoken-like language in developing literate language.
• Repertoires of language (Gee, Halliday, Snow) – explores the repertoires of language - the knowledge of a language required to attain literacy and includes a professional learning activity.
• Oral language and schooling - Speaking and listening (Wells) – examines the theory of Gordon Wells that oral language is a crucial resource in student learning and literacy development. These concepts are explored through two teacher activities.
• Learning to read (Clay, Luke and Freebody, Munro) – examines key theories about reading from the theorists: Marie Clay, Luke and Freebody and John Munro and includes a professional learning activity.
• Comprehension (Brown, Palincsar, Pinnell, Pressley) – includes a definition of comprehension and related foundational skills and processes. It also explores how vocabulary, world knowledge and purposes for reading affect comprehension.
• Systematic teaching of phonics (Wray) – examines Wray’s theory on the teaching of phonics and the recommendations from the National Inquiry into the Teaching of Literacy 2005 on the teaching of phonics and includes a professional learning activity.
• Oral reading fluency (Chall, Kuhn, Rasinski, Stahl) – defines the term ‘fluency’, looks at the theory behind it and provides links to additional reading material on the subject.
• Selecting appropriate texts to support literacy learning (Anderson, Freebody) – deals with the process of selecting appropriate texts for Levels 1 and 2, the characteristics of the texts, text and genre structure and the factors which influence text selection and includes a professional learning activity.
• Learning to write (Clay, Munro) – examines the complex process of writing with consideration of audience and purpose and includes a professional learning activity.
• Reciprocal relationship of language (Clay) – outlines the reciprocal relationship between oral language, reading and writing which underpins effective literacy learning and teaching and includes a professional learning activity.
• Literacy demands within the Victorian Essential Learning Standards – highlights the literacy demands within the following domains:
• • Health and Physical Education
  • Interpersonal Development
  • The Arts
  • Mathematics
  • Information and Communications Technology ICT (Level 2 only)