Structured Literacy at St Kilda Park Primary School
Our Literacy program
At St Kilda Park Primary School, students participate in a daily 100-minute ‘Structured Literacy’ Block, where we implement evidence-based, research-backed methods that align with the Science of Reading. Our explicit teaching practices are designed to provide a strong foundation in reading, writing, spelling and comprehension, enabling students to become confident, capable readers and writers.
PhOrMeS: Our Whole-School Reading and Spelling Curriculum
We implement the PhOrMeS curriculum—standing for Phonology, Orthography, Morphology, Etymology, and Semantics—as our comprehensive, evidence-informed program for teaching reading and spelling across all year levels. Developed at Brandon Park Primary School in Victoria, PhOrMeS integrates key components of the Science of Reading and the Science of Learning to provide a cohesive framework for literacy instruction .
PhOrMeS encompasses:
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Phonemic Awareness and Phonics: Systematic instruction in sound-letter relationships, progressing from simple to complex patterns.
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Orthography: Teaching spelling rules and patterns alongside reading instruction.
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Morphology and Etymology: Exploring word structures, prefixes, suffixes, and word origins to enhance vocabulary and comprehension.
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Semantics: Building word meaning and usage through explicit vocabulary instruction.
This curriculum ensures that students develop decoding skills, spelling proficiency, and a deep understanding of word meanings, supporting their overall literacy development.
A rich literature approach
Integrating The Writing Revolution
In addition to PhOrMeS, our literacy teaching is based around ‘novel studies’ featuring a diverse range of authors. These texts serve as the foundation for learning in reading, vocabulary building, fluency, and knowledge development. They also support our writing instruction, which follows the principles of The Writing Revolution (TWR). TWR is an evidence-based approach that emphasises explicit, sequenced instruction in writing, starting at the sentence level and progressing to more complex compositions.
Key aspects of our writing program include:
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Sentence Construction: Teaching students to craft clear and grammatically correct sentences.
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Paragraph Development: Guiding students in organizing sentences into coherent paragraphs.
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Content Integration: Embedding writing instruction within content areas to reinforce subject knowledge.
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Skill Progression: Building writing skills systematically to enhance students’ ability to express ideas effectively.
By integrating TWR strategies into our literacy program, we equip students with the tools to become confident and proficient writers.
Core Components of Our Structured Literacy Block
In addition to our whole-school PhOrMeS curriculum and rich-literature approach, our structured literacy block also includes daily handwriting and fluency practice—both vital for developing confident, capable readers and writers.
Daily Handwriting Instruction
Handwriting is explicitly taught every day at SKiPPS, supporting students in developing fine motor skills, letter formation, and written expression. Research shows that fluent, legible handwriting is closely linked to literacy development. When students can write efficiently, they free up cognitive resources for higher-order tasks like spelling, sentence construction, and idea generation. Strong handwriting skills also support reading development by reinforcing letter recognition and orthographic knowledge.
Daily Fluency Practice
Fluency—the ability to read with speed, accuracy, and appropriate expression—is a key pillar of reading success. At SKiPPS, students engage in daily fluency practice, working in carefully paired groups. These structured sessions provide students with repeated reading opportunities, targeted feedback, and positive peer interaction. For emerging readers, fluency practice builds decoding automaticity and confidence, allowing them to shift their focus from word recognition to understanding the meaning of text. This essential bridge between phonics and comprehension is deliberately reinforced across all year levels.