One of the first tasks that presents itself in Literacy for Personal Use in the VCE VM and Pathways courses is to teach a wide range of text types. Students need to explore and learn from texts that cover different genres, such as:
Narratives
Poetry
Biographies
Procedural writing
Diaries
Visual texts
Posters
Multi-modal texts
Audio and visual texts
Advertisements
Articles
Working with a wide range of texts helps young people discover that writing is constructed in different ways and that it varies with the purpose, audience and intent of the author.
Accessible texts
Students undertaking the VCE VM and Pathways may prefer texts which are highly accessible as part of a scaffolded approach to literacy success. Make sure your reading collection has texts at a range of reading levels, so students who are reading at a lower level than their peers are able to find rich, meaningful and age appropriate texts that are suited to their skills. Consider the font and formatting of texts, and engage your students in conversations about what works best for them. Whilst some students with specific learning needs may prefer specific fonts such as Open Dyslexie or like a particular coloured background on paper to support their reading needs, this is not the case for all readers so be sure to ask and find out what is the best option for your students.
Accessible text use does not mean using texts which are designed for lower age readers, but rather finding texts that have been developed specifically with the needs of older students who are reading at lower levels. Although it can be tempting to use primary aged texts for less capable readers, it is not appropriate to do so with senior high school students. Instead, look for texts which are designed with the needs and interests of older readers in mind. These may be included in library ESL / EAL collections, be part of an Adult Literacy set or be part of a tailor made literacy resource. Real world texts such as signs in the community, job advertisements, posters and flyers are all great as text examples for less confident readers.
Student led approach
Autonomy and independence is important once students reach their senior high school years. They are at a stage where they should be able to make their own choices about what, when and how they read and select the options that help them build skills and capture their interest and attention. You can do this by providing choices within a set structure so you are confident they have experienced and worked with a range of texts, whilst also supporting their ability to self select reading materials.
Analysing texts
VCE VM and Pathways students may prefer an approach for text analysis that reduces the amount of writing required and maximises tools that assist with understanding and focuses on task completion. Using symbols, pre-made response sheets and reduced space for answers can make the task of analysing a text much easier. Use discussion notes, audio recording of information, symbol based information printables and clear, simple instructions to support students in achieving success with text analysis.
Reading journal
Encourage students to use a reading journal or reflection tool that helps them record their thoughts, feelings and ideas in response to each text they read. Journals can be a simple exercise book where they record drawings, comments, annotations or answers to questions. They can also be an online tool such as a blog post, or a more formal presentation style format such as a slideshow presentation or written report.
As you begin the new school year with your VCE VM and Pathways Literacy students, remember that literacy for personal use needs to take into account the preferences, skills and interests of each individual. Provide a wide range of text types for personal literacy so students are able to read, comprehend, analyse and reflect on the texts as part of an age appropriate, success focused learning pathway.
Literacy for Personal Use for VCE VM and Pathways Tools
Are you looking for some ready made resources to support your students with literacy Unit 1 within the VCE VM and Pathways program this year? The complete Literacy for Personal Use VCE VM and Pathways Tools resource contains downloadable and print ready content that covers a wide range of text types, with accessible activities related to school, workplace, community and personal writing types. The content is designed to meet the needs and interests of Australian students in senior high school who prefer an easy reading style with strong visual cues to ensure literacy success.
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