Curriculum
Curriculum at Coomera State School is organised with a greater focus on Literacy and Numeracy through the key learning areas of English and Mathematics. All classroom teachers are required to teach, assess and report on English and Maths. Our Year 1-6 teachers also teach, assess and report on HASS and our Year 5-6 teachers are responsible for teaching the subjects of Science and Health.
We are fortunate to offer specialist teaching in Science for Year P-4, Health for Year P-4, Japanese for Years 5 and 6, Media Arts for Years P-2, Physical Education, Technologies (Design and Digital) and Music and Visual Arts for Years P to 6. Dance, Drama and Media Arts are offered as part of a band approach, ensuring each student experiences these subjects, within a two-year cycle.
The students complete timely assessments in all of these areas, and their work and achievements are compared within and across cohorts, using a moderation approach that ensures fairness and comparability.
Early Years – Prep to Year 2
Prep - The focus for Prep Year is immersion in language with a particular focus on Oral Language, Pre-Reading and Pre-spelling skills, segmenting and blending, word reading and language comprehension using both decodable texts and authentic texts, dialogic discussion of texts, sentence writing, repeated reading to develop fluency, dictation and handwriting development. Learning also focuses on genre development in writing, early Mathematical concepts, gross and fine motor development; socialisation, routines and establishing good work habits. Prep students' progress is monitored through formal and informal assessments in English, Mathematics and HPE. Other subjects are 'experienced' by our Prep students but not formally assessed until Year 1.
Year 1 and 2 - Early reading and writing and mathematical skills build the foundations of literacy and numeracy. In Year 1 and 2, we build upon the routines and learnings established in Prep. Students move systematically through the phonics code, using increasingly complex decodable texts with the aim of mastering the entire code in readiness for engaging independently with authentic texts. Students continue practising word reading and language comprehension of decodable texts, dialogic discussion of authentic texts, genre study, sentence writing, repeated reading to develop fluency, dictation and handwriting development. Mathematics learning includes explicit teaching and practice of concepts through the use of explicit teaching, hands-on materials or on-line learning. Students are encouraged to develop understanding, fluency, reasoning and problem-solving skills. Student progress is continually monitored using summative, formative and diagnostic assessments in English, Mathematics, Science, HASS, HPE, Technologies and the Arts.
Year 3 to 6
As students become more independent in their learning, the curriculum becomes more challenging and more demanding, building on the foundations laid in Years Prep to 2. Our Year 3 to 6 students partake of the school's BYOD (bring your own device) program, enabling the use of information technologies to enhance learning opportunities.
Students experience National Testing, and begin to explore such concepts as critical thinking, mental calculations, problem solving and negotiated research. Student progress is continually monitored using summative, formative and diagnostic assessments in in English, Mathematics, Science, HASS, HPE, Technologies and the Arts.
As students mature in their reading, they begin to engage more with authentic texts and the emphasis shifts to vocabulary development, fluency, comprehension and critical thinking. Word Reading, Language Comprehension, Genre Study, Sentence Level Work and Dictation are still a key focus in these Year Levels. Years 3 and 4 maintain a focus on legible and fluent handwriting.
Mathematics focus is centred on the four pillars of Mathematics – Understanding, Fluency, Reasoning and Problem Solving. Our students are encouraged from Year 2 to develop fluency in Addition, Subtraction then later Multiplication and Division tables.
An added focus for these students is leadership, independence and self-esteem. This phase of learning requires the students to become disciplined learners, responsible for their own learning, exhibiting initiative, an inquisitive mind and good organisational skills. Expectations are high and students must face the challenge of an ever-increasing complexity of curriculum and greater workload. They are called upon to be critical thinkers, independent researchers, innovative and creative and excellent communicators.