Question 1

There is so much confusion surrounding sight words. Do you have any tips?

Accepted Answer

Sight words are a special high frequency category of words that students are instructed to recognise automatically. The term ‘sight word’ can mean several different things: high frequency words; phonetically irregular words; or familiar words that require no effort to recall (orthographic lexicon or sight vocabulary). When educators refer to sight words they are usually referring to high frequency words, some of which may be phonetically irregular. When learning high frequency words, instant recognition is important due to the frequency at which these ‘sight words’ occur. While the end goal is that most words become automatic and firmly embedded in a child’s orthographic lexicon, how this ability is developed and how sight words are instructed are often a cause of confusion.

How does combining phonics and sight word instruction benefit our beginning readers?

It is well established that students require simultaneous instruction of phonics and sight words. Both sets of skills have been shown to assist beginning readers develop a better understanding of the text. Research tells us that the process by which words become a part of the orthographic lexicon is through orthographic mapping which builds on the skills of phonemic segmentation (sounding out) and letter-sound knowledge. Automatic recognition of the words by ‘sight’ is the end product that is achieved through systematic and explicit teaching.

A complication with sight word instruction is that a proportion of th

Question 2

PLD Screening tools? Which tests do I use?

Accepted Answer

The PLD screening and tracking tools have been comprehensively updated in 2020 to include Screening & Tracking Manuals which outline:

What to screen?
When to screen?
How to screen?
How to report on the data collected?

The most recent screening tools are available here: https://pld-literacy.org/screening-tools/

Question 3

How do I register for an online course using a coupon code?

Accepted Answer

Go to https://courses.pld-literacy.org and select the course for which you would like to register.
Click "Buy" (ignore the price as you'll be using a promo code to reduce the price).
Enter your details to create an account.
On the next screen, underneath the total price you will see "Have a coupon?". Click this and enter the coupon code provided.
The price will update with the discount as per the provided coupon code and you can complete your registration and login to access the course using the account you just setup.

Detailed instructions with screenshots can be found here

${youtube}Registering for an online course using a coupon code.

Question 4

Can I request the 2020 PLD excel tracking sheets, to enhance the school’s implementation of PLD by tracking student performance each term?

Accepted Answer

|| For a comprehensive guide to using the PLD Screens and Tracking Sheets as well as demonstration videos presented by Diana Rigg see our page Establishing a Consistent Screening and Tracking Process.

Time efficient tracking student development is central to the PLD process. The PLD tracking delivered each term, should assist teachers to determine the range in ability evident within the classroom. PLD advocates tracking from the Early Years until Year 6. To assist this process, PLD supplies excel (and Google) sheets which have been prepared.

Tab 1 and 2 provide two options for tracking skill development in the Early Years.
Tab 3, 4 and 5 provide options for tracking skill development within the Foundation school year.
Tab 6 and 7 provide two options for Year 1 classes. Tab 7 is particularly relevant for Year 1 classes which have a significant proportion of students who are unable to read, spell and write.
Following this are a range of Year 2-6 tracking sheets.
Towards the end is a sheet that can be adapted to the remote sector (which typically have the added challenge of students who are unable to read, spell and write in regular classrooms).
The final two spread sheets relate to individual profiling of skills; ideal for Education Suppo

Question 5

How well should students be reading at the end of the Foundation school year?

Accepted Answer

Below you will find a general skill acquisition sequence. Do note that the reading assessment (now openly available to download on the PLD website) is what schools should be utilizing to plan the class reading program and the decodable reading books required. Not all students acquire reading skills at the same pace. Those who have had a history of ear infections, speech and/or language delays or family members who have experienced difficulties with literacy, will often require repeated practice and more time to master the levels.

Be aware that junior primary students require repeated opportunities to practice and consolidate their skills. Only progress to higher levels of reading ability when there is a high level of accuracy and automaticity is being observed.

Make sure your scope and sequence for the year is realistic but also that it is being utilised in conjunction with the screening. It is not recommended to push students through a scope and sequence, without providing opportunities for repeated practice and consolidation, only to find that skills are lost over the Christmas holiday period.

READING:

Term 1 pre-reading skills: Alphabet sound knowledge and blending of three phonemes. Once students are demonstrating an adequate level of alphabet knowledge and have acquired the ability to blend three phonemes, they are ready to start decoding. To track readiness for decoding page 1 of the following screening tool is appropriate: [https://pld-literacy.org/produ

Question 6

Which standardised assessment does PLD recommend?

Accepted Answer

When investigating the options to assess single word reading and spelling skills there are many testing options available. The list provides below provides some of the basic tools available to schools that are relatively easy to access, are cost effective and relatively time efficient to administer.

| Single word reading tests:

Burt Word Reading Test (1981) Alison Gilmore, Cedric Croft and Neil Reid The Burt Word Reading Test provides a measure of an aspect of a student’s word reading skills, i.e. word recognition. The test card consists of 110 words printed in decreasing size of type and graded in approximate order of difficulty. The quick test will enable teachers to form a broad estimate of a child's reading achievement to aid decisions about appropriate teaching and reading materials. (Cost: Approximately $30).

The Castles and Coltheart Test 2 (CC2) assesses the functioning of the key processes in single word reading: sounding-out ability and whole word recognition ability. The full test consists of 40 regular words, 40 irregular words and 40 nonwords, which are presented one-at-a-time, in mixed order, and with gradually increasing difficulty. A stopping rule is applied separately for each item type, with presentation discontinuing after five consecutive items are read incorrectly. The test has been normed on over 1000 Australian children aged from 6 years 0 months to

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