Literacy for All: Building Blocks for Literacy Success

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Last year, I had the amazing pleasure of working regularly with the fabulous people at Willans Hill School in Wagga Wagga. We worked together to put Four Blocks in place in every classroom, for a minimum of two hours a day.  This morning I was honoured to share our journey in a keynote presentation  at the Inclusive Learning Technologies Conference on the Gold Coast.

Below is the Prezi I used in this presentation.

To download the handout that goes with this presentation please click here.

And as Chris Lennon, the wonderful principal at Willans Hill, says – “Let’s change the world”.

9 thoughts on “Literacy for All: Building Blocks for Literacy Success”

  1. Thanks for a fantastic presentation our school sounds just like Willans Hill where nothing can be done! We even have the class that does the cooking and bowling program! Now I’ve got to work on our staff! Any tips would be great and if your ever in SA please come and visit!
    Thanks again
    Carol

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  2. Hi, Jane.

    Thanks for your presentation. I have just finished sharing with my principal about the four blocks to literacy learning and sent her the link to your presentation. I am excited about the possibilities for our school.

    Meredith

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  4. Hi Jane. Loved the presentation and would love to implement four blocks at school. I would love to go over your presentation but can’t access it. Any tips?
    Kim

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    • Hi Kim, Glad you enjoyed the presentation! It doesn’t run on an iPad as it requires Flash. Are you trying to use it on a PC or an iPad? Jane

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      • That would be it. Love the iPad it’s now like nothing else exists. Will try my PC. I know how busy you are so I really appreciate you getting back to me so quickly.
        Kim

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  6. Hi Jane!
    I would love to know how you used the IWB for students to take part in making words lesssons. I have boardmaker plus and have accessed boardmaker share and found some templates however not had much success. What did you use ? Some of my students are working through the Patricia Cunningham Systematic Sequential Phonic they Use. Have you found a making words app on the ipad? I have used the word wizard app with the movable alphabet but find students are distracted by having the whole alphabet and not being able to limit it to the words in the lesson.
    Many Thanks!
    Alicia

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    • HI Alicia,

      We’re using either Clicker 6 or BM Studio for making words on IWBs. BM Studio actually has a making words template built-in – so that’s been faster and easier but if the school doesn’t has access I’ve made a whole heap of Clicker grids up for this. Some teachers have also used the SmartBoard software but that hasn’t been inclusive as it isn’t switch accessible.

      And on the iPad we’re using Abilipad for making words – let’s us design the keyboards and change cell size etc for different students. It isn’t switch accessible yet though – but it’s coming.

      And yesterday I trialled a Clicker grid set I’d made for a whole systematic sequential phonics lesson with a group – the actual design worked quite well and would mean that a less skilled person could work through the lessons with the student.

      Cheers

      Jane

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