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Deadly Reads for Deadly Readers

Literacy processing theory (Clay, 2005a), socio-cultural and socio-linguistic principles underpin the Deadly Reads for Deadly Readers series of books. Consistent with these perspectives, each child’s reading development is considered to be unique and does not follow a step-by-step linear process or sequence of skills.  Rather, the individual’s reading development is influenced by the social, cultural and linguistic ‘funds of knowledge’ (Gonzalez, Moll & Amanti, 2005) they bring to the print and the connections they make and are supported to make by others with these funds, the print and the authors’ messages.  Each book in the Deadly Reads for Deadly Readers series has been carefully designed with increases in complexity of language, layout and content.

• Language: vocabulary, high frequency words, sentence structure, repetition, direct / indirect speech, support of Illustrations.
• Layout: size of print, spacing on page, amount of print per page, length of text.
• Content:  story and character development, sequence of ideas; concepts

As each child reads, they direct their attention to the visual symbols on the page, including illustrations.  They anticipate the author’s messages as they match these symbols to spoken words that reflect their current understandings. To support each reader’s accurate, meaningful and enjoyable reading experiences, the Deadly Reads for Deadly Readers series of books were designed with:

• Accurate and culturally appropriate subject matter
• Meaningful events that relate to a child’s conceptual knowledge
• Supportive illustrations, created by local Indigenous artists
• Engaging experiences that encourage a desire to read.These design elements were included in these beautiful books as appropriate ‘language’; ‘ layout’ and ‘content’ are critical if books are to be the ‘tangible scaffolds’ (Bremner, 2009) and engaging reading experiences that can support a child’s reading, writing, language and cognitive development.  It is recommended that parents and other supportive adults use home language/s and English to discuss stories when interacting with children and the Deadly Reads.
  

   Deadly Reads for Deadly Readers & the Australian Curriculum. 

  Deadly Reads for Deadly Readers support the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cross-curriculum priorities within the Australian Curriculum (ACARA 2012) with links also to History, Science, Mathematics and English curriculum areas.  While Deadly Reads have been designed for children in pre-school and Foundation level their use can also support children in other year levels.  For example, the artwork of the Saltwater series could be used by Year 4 children to explore –  “Historical Knowledge and Understanding” and the ways Aboriginal peoples are connected to Country and Place (land, sea, waterways and skies) and the implications for their daily lives.

  {http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Year4?a=H&layout=1 accessed 10 Nov 2012}

  Ways that Deadly Reads can be used to support cross-curriculum priority areas of the Australian curriculum relate to:

  Country / Place:

  * Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities maintain a special connection to and responsibility for Country/Place throughout all of Australia.

  * Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ ways of life are uniquely expressed through ways of being, knowing, thinking and doing.

  People

  * Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have sophisticated family and kinship structures.

  (http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/CrossCurriculumPriorities/Aboriginal-and-Torres-Strait-Islander-histories-and-cultures accessed 13 Sept 2012)

   Foundation Year Level Descriptions in the Australian Curriculum: English 

  The Australian Curriculum: English Foundation (to Year 10) is organised into three interrelated strands that support students’ growing understanding and use of Standard Australian English (English). Together the three strands focus on developing students’ knowledge, understanding and skills in listening, reading, viewing, speaking and writing. The three strands are:

  •         Language: knowing about the English language
  •         Literature: understanding, appreciating, responding to, analysing and creating literature
  •        Literacy: expanding the repertoire of English usage

  Australian Curriculum – English Strands and sub-strands

  Content descriptions in each strand are grouped into sub-strands that, across the year levels, present a sequence of development of knowledge, understanding and skills. The sub-strands are:

  language	literature	literacy
  Language variation and change	Literature and context	Texts in context
  Language for interaction	Responding to literature	Interacting with others
  Text structure and organisation	Examining literature	Interpreting, analysing and evaluating
  Expressing and developing ideas	Creating literature	Creating texts
  Sound and letter knowledge

  The English achievement standard for Foundation Year students are available at: http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Search?q=foundation (accessed Nov 10, 2012)

  The English achievement standards for Foundation Year students in the receptive modes of listening, reading and viewing indicate that:

  Children use predicting and questioning strategies to make meaning from texts. They recall one or two events from texts with familiar topics. They understand that there are different types of texts and that these can have similar characteristics. They identify connections between texts and their personal experience.

  They read short, predictable texts with familiar vocabulary and supportive images, drawing on their developing knowledge of concepts about print and sound and letters. They identify the letters of the English alphabet and use the sounds represented by most letters. They listen to and use appropriate language features to respond to others in a familiar environment. They listen for rhyme, letter patterns and sounds in words.

  The English achievement standards for Foundation Year students in the productive modes of speaking, writing and creating indicate that children:

  Understand that their texts can reflect their own experiences. They identify and describe likes and dislikes about familiar texts, objects, characters and events.

  Communicate clearly in informal group and whole group settings. They retell events and experiences with peers and known adults. They identify and use rhyme, letter patterns and sounds in words.

  Understand that English is one of the many languages spoken in Australia and that different languages may be spoken by family, classmates and the community.

  Learn that different languages exist; discussing the various languages encountered in the community and at school; acknowledging the home languages of students who speak another language, and valuing the ability to speak more than one language.

  Learn that Standard Australian English in written texts is read from left to right and from top to bottom of the page and that direction of print may differ in other cultures, for example Japanese texts.

  Other Australian curriculum areas that can be linked to the Deadly Reads for Foundation Level students include:

  Learn that written text in Standard Australian English has conventions about words, spaces between words, layout on the page and consistent spelling because it has to communicate when the speaker/writer is not present

  Measurement and Geometry – Compare and order the duration of events using the everyday language of time.

  Earth and space sciences – Daily and seasonal changes in our environment, including the weather, affect everyday life

  Science Inquiry Skills – Questioning and predicting and respond to questions about familiar objects and events

  Historical Knowledge and Understanding – How the stories of families and the past can be communicated, for example through photographs, artefacts, books, oral histories, digital media, and museums

  Historical Skills – Chronology, terms and concepts – Sequence familiar objects and events

  Distinguish between the past, present and future