•  On Apr, 29, 2018
•  Mary Keating

We have known for a long time that Prep and Grade 1 children use the word ‘because’ but can’t spell it correctly. I still believe that this 7-letter word should not be on Prep and Grade 1 spelling lists.

•  On Nov, 07, 2017
•  Mary Keating

Excessive homework is often at the insistence of parents. But his is about taking control. It is about applying good homework tasks that are based on sound research findings. 

•  On Sep, 17, 2017
•  Mary Keating

100  Sight Words  Often called high frequency words The First 100 Sight Words for Prep and Grade 1 is the quick route to reading. It does not change the importance of phonics in early literacy. The purpose of Sight Word Lists for early primary (elementary) school is for quick recognition. These words are frequently occurring […]

•  On Jun, 25, 2017
•  Mary Keating

Whole Language Theory Whole Language Theory dominated literacy teaching. In the 1960’s the movement towards the whole language approach to teaching literacy in schools gathered strength. There is a legacy of Whole Language Theory in schools in Australia. Easy to pick! Children are taught to learn words only within the context of a story or […]

•  On Jun, 18, 2017
•  Mary Keating

Cursive Script – Debate Cursive Script – Debate, yes the debate is in earnest. Writing in script is considered a waste of teaching time in some education circles. Associate Professor Dr Misty Adoniou said in early 2015 in The Conversation, available online “The research doesn’t find any benefits for cursive writing.” https://theconversation.com/profiles/misty-adoniou-107235 She added the […]

•  On Jun, 13, 2017
•  Mary Keating

Handwriting – An Intellectual Activity Why Handwriting is important.  More areas of our brain are used to hand-print than to type on a keyboard. And more areas of the brain are used to write in script than to hand-print. There have always been children with poor handwriting but the quality of teaching over the last […]