Educators today know how hard it can be to find time for planning, let alone professional development (PD) to ensure you’re on top of the latest research into how children learn. Last year, a Grattan Institute report revealed that 92% of teachers say they don’t have enough time to prepare effectively for classroom teaching. With curriculum changes meaning many educators are now having to adjust their practice to meet new requirements, it makes sense to turn to a whole-class literacy program that takes the stress, and time, out of planning. The next step is deciding which program is right for your school, so teachers can get back to teaching.
InitiaLit is an evidence-based, whole-class literacy program for initial instruction in Foundation, Year 1 and Year 2, developed by a leading provider of effective literacy instruction in Australasia, MultiLit. So, why choose InitiaLit?
Proven, evidence-based best practice
MultiLit has been providing effective literacy programs for over 25 years, and currently works with over 6,000 Australian schools and trains more than 9,000 teachers each year. All our programs, including InitiaLit, are uniquely placed to be effective because they are grounded in scientific evidence-based best practice and ongoing, extensive research and expertise in the science of how children learn to read.
The MultiLit Research Unit (MRU) provides a focus for systematic scientific enquiry into the instructional needs of students, and provides a vital link between the development of MultiLit’s programs and resources, and the ongoing body of scientific research.
Through the MRU, this program has been rigorously tested and trialled in classrooms to ensure teachers see success and get results they need, while also being practical to use.
Curriculum-aligned
Recent changes to the Australian Curriculum, and to state-specific curricula such as the new NSW K–2 English Syllabus, mean that many schools need to shift their approach to teaching literacy, and must teach phonics and use decodable texts. The science of reading concepts being embraced in the new curricula have always underpinned our programs, such as InitiaLit, while our award-winning decodable InitiaLit Readers are a core resource.
Having mapped the program against the new requirements, we believe teachers of InitiaLit will be best placed to deliver Version 9 of the Australian Curriculum and its expected outcomes, through carefully planned, scripted lessons taking an explicit, phonics-based approach.
Holistic initial instruction for strong foundations
InitiaLit’s holistic approach, covering systematic synthetic phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension (The Five Big Ideas), provides all children with the essential core knowledge and strong foundations to become successful readers and writers. Designed for use within a Response to Intervention framework, InitiaLit is a Tier 1 program, meaning most students (up to 80%) will be able to learn successfully using the program.
By providing strong foundations through consistent instruction from the outset, fewer children will fall behind and require intensive intervention, which can be overwhelming for schools to support.
Easy to extend – or intervene
As InitiaLit is part of a comprehensive suite of literacy programs, it is easy to cater to the needs of students of all ability levels. While students needing Tier 2 or 3 intervention can be supported through small-group programs like MacqLit and MiniLit Sage, which aligns with the scope and sequence of InitiaLit, there is also InitiaLit Extension, catering to the needs of more capable students.
InitiaLit Extension is a suite of resources designed to provide differentiated learning activities to challenge and extend students who are easily mastering the core reading and spelling literacy skills being taught in InitiaLit. Through InitiaLit Extension, and embedded extension options in the core InitiaLit program, teachers can support students to achieve their full potential, without the need for additional time-consuming planning.
Everything you need
Saving you valuable time and energy, your InitiaLit kit comes with everything you need to deliver effective literacy instruction, including detailed lesson scripts and instructions, Sounds and Words Books or RAD Reading Books for small-group sessions, assessment procedures, flashcards, picture cards, posters, PowerPoint slides, and access to hundreds of downloadable resources.
MultiLit’s easy-to-use assessment tools are provided as a bonus with purchase of InitiaLit kits, so teachers can easily monitor students’ progress and identify those in need of intervention or extension.
Further resources which complement InitiaLit are available to purchase from MultiLit, including decodable InitiaLit Readers, Handwriting Workbooks and Home Reading Diaries. Recent additions to the suite of products include InitiaLit–1 Handwriting Workbooks in Queensland, South Australian and Victorian fonts, brand-new InitiaLit–2 Handwriting Workbooks in all state fonts, and InitiaLit–F and InitiaLit–1 Student Assessment Record Forms.
Tailored training and ongoing support
MultiLit’s highly regarded PD workshops provide the skills, knowledge and resources to ensure teachers have the confidence and capability to implement InitiaLit consistently and achieve results. Through face-to-face or videoconference workshops, you’ll discover the theoretical and research framework on which InitiaLit is based, gain an understanding of program content and implementation and assessment procedures, see practical demonstrations of lessons, and enjoy opportunities to practise lesson delivery.
InitiaLit Extension PD is delivered through convenient self-paced eLearning modules.
Schools using InitiaLit also gain the benefit of ongoing support from MultiLit’s School Partnerships Team and a growing community of InitiaLit teachers, connecting through social media.