it’s the write thing to do teacher pack...teacher checklist 15 letter template 17 letter writing...
TRANSCRIPT
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TEACHER PACK
LITERACY BUDDIES®
IT’S THE WRITE THING TO DO
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ABOUT ARDOCH 3
LITERACY BUDDIES LEARNING OUTCOMES 4
CHILD SAFETY 7
PROGRAM OVERVIEW 9
KEY ELEMENTS 10
THE CURRICULUM IN LETTERS 11
GETTING STARTED 12
THE LITTLE BUDDY LETTER JOURNEY 13
CALENDAR 14
TEACHER CHECKLIST 15
LETTER TEMPLATE 17
LETTER WRITING 18
LETTER WRITING GUIDELINES 19
CONVERSATION STARTERS 20
LETTER TOPICS 21
LETTER WRITING TOPICS 24
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 25
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We seek to understand the needs of the communities in which our education partners are located and how our programs might support them to build their students’ aspirations and engagement and enhance their learning outcomes.
One in three children in Australia’s most disadvantages communities start school developmentally vulnerable.
WHY WE EXIST The evidence in Australia is clear. There is a significant link between the socio-economic experiences of students and their educational outcomes. It is unacceptable that one in three children in Australia’s most disadvantaged communities start school developmentally vulnerable and continue to fall behind as they progress through school.
WHO WE SUPPORT We know that any child, from any community, can experience struggles during their education, but we also know that from the available data that it is children in disadvantaged communities who are most at risk of poor educational outcomes due to the varied obstacles they face. It is the children and young people living in these communities who are the focus of Ardoch’s work.
HOW WE WORKOur model for working with schools and early years centres is one of partnership. We seek to understand the needs of the communities in which our education partners are located and how our programs might support them to build their students’ aspirations and engagement and enhance their learning outcomes. We establish partnership agreements that outline each partner’s commitments to ensuring that programs can be delivered for the best possible results and which help to build long-term relationships that offer children and young people access to a broader range of opportunities and experiences than might otherwise be available. The insights that we gain from our school and early years partnership about the barriers and challenges that their students face and the knowledge of the educational settings in which our programs are delivered, together with the data we collect, significantly inform our ongoing program development.
ABOUT ARDOCH
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CONFIDENCE Students can identify what they like most in a different person’s piece of writing.
ACADEMIC Students demonstrate improved writing, reading and communication skills
ASPIRATION Students connect that what they learn in school will benefit their future.
SOCIAL SKILLS AND WELLBEING Students can ask and answer questions of adults
ENGAGEMENTStudents ask for help when needed, listen attentively, follow step-by-step instructions during letter-writing lessons
Literacy Buddies aims to support students with a positive adult, working role model so that students can develop their writing skills and relationships by communicating in writing during the year.
Ardoch delivers Literacy Buddies in Victoria, News South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia. We ensure the program supports learning outcomes in the Ardoch Outcomes Framework:
LITERACY BUDDIES LEARNING OUTCOMES
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The Literacy Buddies Program also supports the curriculum in each State in the following learning areas:
ENGLISHWriting: Literacy Creating texts Handwrite using clearly-formed joined letters, and
develop increased fluency and automaticity (VCELY301)
ENGLISHWriting: Literacy Creating texts
Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive print and multimodal texts, choosing text structures, language features, images and sound appropriate to purpose and audience (VCELY329)
CRITICAL AND CREATIVE THINKING
Questions and Possibilities
N/A Construct and use open and closed questions for different purposes (VCCCTQ010)
PERSONAL AND SOCIAL CAPABILITY
Social Awareness and Management
Relationships and diversity
Practise skills to establish and manage relationships (VCHPEP109)
ENGLISH
A communicate through speaking, listening, reading, writing, viewing and representing
Understand that successful cooperation with others depends on shared use of social conventions, including turn-taking patterns, and forms of address that vary according to the degree of formality in social situations(ACELA1476) / EN2-1A
ENGLISH Writing and RepresentingDevelop a handwriting style that is legible, fluent and automatic and varies according to audience and purpose (ACELY1706, ACELY1716)
ENGLISHUnderstand and apply knowledge of language forms and features
Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts, choosing and experimenting with text structures, language features, images and digital resources appropriate to purpose and audience (ACELY1704, ACELY1714)
ENGLISH Writing and RepresentingInvestigate how complex sentences can be used in a variety of ways to elaborate, extend and explain ideas (ACELA1522)
VICTORIA
NEW SOUTH WALES
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ENGLISH Language Language and interaction
Understand differences between the language of opinion and feeling and the language of factual reporting or recording (ACELA1489)
ENGLISH Literacy Interacting with Others
Clarify understanding of content as it unfolds in formal and informal situations, connecting ideas to students’ own experiences and present and justify a point of view (ACELY1699)
ENGLISH Literacy Creating texts Develop a handwriting style that is becoming legible, fluent and automatic (ACELY1706)
CAPABILITIESPersonal and Social Capability
Social awarenessIn developing and acting with personal and social capability, students appreciate diverse perspectives, contribute to civil society, understand relationships.
CAPABILITIESCritical and Creative Thinking
Inquiring - identifyig, exploring and organising information and texts
In developing and acting with critical and creative thinking, students: pose questions, identify and clarify information and ideas, organise and process information.
QUEENSLAND
ENGILSH Language Understand how texts vary in purpose, structure and topic as well as the degree of formality (ACELA1504)
ENGILSH LiteratureExperiment with text structures and language features and their effects in creating literary texts, for example, using imagery, sentence variation, metaphor and word choice (ACELT1800)
ENGILSH Literacy
Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts, choosing and experimenting with textstructures, language features, images and digital resources appropriate to purpose and audience (ACELY1714)
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
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CHILD SAFETY
WORKING WITH CHILDREN CHECKSVolunteers working with children are legally required to have a Working with Children Check/Blue Card prior to commencing their volunteer work. All Big Buddies are required to have a WWCC to participate in the program.
SCREENING PROCESSEvery letter exchanged between Big and Little Buddies is sent via our head office where they are individually screened and approved by Ardoch staff.
We will provide a cover letter with each set of letters for you to fill out and enclose with the replies. The cover letter is used to communicate things such as a Little Buddy who is facing a particular challenge like reoccuring absenteeism or anxiety. We can then pass this information on to the Big Buddy so that they are best positioned to support their Little Buddy.
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1. LETTER CONTENT - PERSONAL INFORMATION
3. MENTION OF OR ALLUSION TO SEXUAL ABUSE
2. LETTER CONTENT - PHOTOS
A Little Buddy receives a letter that doesn’t follow the writing rules eg: personal details such as social media handles or a surname have been included.
Ardoch or a Big Buddy has reasonable belief that a Little Buddy has experienced sexual abuse.
A Little Buddy receives a letter that includes a photo of their Big Buddy or their Big Buddy’s family members.
ACTION FOR EXAMPLES 1 AND 2Contact the Ardoch Program Coordinator by email and then by phone. Ardoch will contact the workplace, conduct an internal report and advise the teacher of the outcome.
Ardoch may request that you remove/redact the personal details/photo.
ACTION FOR SEXUAL ABUSEUnder Victorian and New South Wales law, failure to report child sexual abuse to the police is now a criminal offence. It is a requirement that any adult holds a reasonable belief that a sexual offence has been committed against a child in Victoria must report that belief to the police, unless they have a reasonable excuse (defined in the Act) for not reporting. The offence attracts a maximum term of three years’ imprisonment. Ardoch commits to following this procedure in other States where Ardoch programs are delivered, even if this is not enshrined in the law of other States. Volunteers must also report suspicions to their Workplace Coordinator and the Ardoch Program Coordinator.
STEPS TO TAKEArdoch screens all correspondence from both Big and Little Buddies so any sensitive content that has been observed should be mentioned in the cover letter that is provided with the letters. However, if at any point you are concerned please follow the steps below.
IF YOU’RE EVER IN DOUBT DO NOT HESITATE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH US. WE’RE HERE TO SUPPORT YOU.
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Literacy Buddies® is a letter exchange program that connects students with working adult role models so that they can develop their writing and relationship skills. Over the course of the year the Little Buddies will write and receive six letters (roughly one per month). There are also two visits - one to the school and one to the workplace. Through this ongoing connection Little Buddies are able to practice their writing skills with a mentor that is invested in them. By sharing personal and working experiences, Big Buddies foster a relationship with their Little Buddy and give them an insight into careers and working lives that they might not otherwise encounter.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Giving our students an opportunity to connect with adults outside their ‘world’, which helps to broaden their general knowledge as well as enhancing their social and emotional connections. The literacy related benefits are awesome too!
The students’ letters developed as a result.Teacher, Spring Parks Primary School
“ “External research found that Literacy Buddies® programs that exchanged six or more letters had a higher impact on students’ development. With each exchange of letters Little Buddies and Big Buddies learn more about each other and build a genuine connection.
Ardoch manages all the communication so you’ll be supported by two Ardoch program coordinators throughout the year, They will act as a conduit between the school and the workplace and help to organise the visits. We recognise that every classroom is different so if you’re experiencing any challenges, or if something is working really well, we’d love to hear from you!
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KEY ELEMENTS
LETTERS• The Little Buddies will write six letters over the course of the year and receive six responses from
the Big Buddies.
• Letters should be handwritten but exceptions can be made for students with academic challenges so that they are able to participate in the program too.
• You have a two-week turnaround from when you receive the letters to respond and send them back to Ardoch. We provide a pre-paid envelope.
• We understand that the letters might be late every now and then - just let us know so that we can communicate this to the workplace.
VISITS• The first visit happens in May/June. The Big Buddies will visit the school for 90 minutes.
• We will provide you with an agenda that includes an ice-breaker and ‘getting to know you’ activities.
• The school provides a simple morning tea. Ardoch will support you with this.
• The second visit happens in October/November. The Little Buddies visit the workplace for 2 hours.
• The school will need to book a bus for the excursion. Ardoch will reimburse you for this cost.
• The workplace provides a morning tea - we’ll ask you for and Little Buddy dietary requirements prior to the visit!
EVALUATION• One of Ardoch’s core values is to collect and analyse data to ensure that our work and decisions
are informed by robust evidence. It’s also important that we capture the student voice. As part of the program, we will send the student and the teacher surveys towards the end of the year.
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It’s your choice whether to integrate the program into your current lesson plan or run it in addition. Either way, you’ll set the letter themes and activities throughout the year that assist with learning. Some suggestions have been provided over the next few pages that align with the curriculum. Linking Literacy Buddies® with the curriculum ensures that the letters have a purpose.
THE CURRICULUM IN LETTERS
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GETTING STARTED
Fill out the teacher registration form (you’ll find this on the Online Resources page).
Send through your class list on the spreadsheet provided.
Complete the All About Me profiles, scan and email to Ardoch.
Complete the Content Permission forms, scan and email to Ardoch.
Print the Writing Rules, Conversation Starters and colourful A4 Letter Paper templates.
When the letters arrive you have a two-week turnaround to send them back to Ardoch.
Please ensure that you use a yellow Express postbox or take it to a post office so that we receive the letters the next day.
Let us know if you can’t meet the deadline so we can let your workplace partner know. A quick email or phone call is fine.
LETTERS
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THE LITTLE BUDDY LETTER JOURNEY
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3
7
2
6
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The Big Buddy letters arrive and the Little Buddies handwrite response within the two-week turnaround.
Complete the cover letter explaining any missing letters so that we can update the Big Buddies.
Pop the cover letter and Little Buddy letters into the Ardoch addressed post bag provided.
Post in a YELLOW postbox to make sure we receive them the next day.
Ardoch staff screen every Little Buddy letter for appropriate content.
Screened letters are sent to the workplace.
The Big Buddies receive their handwritten letters and write one back!
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JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH
APRIL
All About Me Profiles completed by Little Buddies
All About Me Profiles completed by Little Buddies
MAY
Little Buddy Letter 1
Big Buddy Letter 1
JUNE
School Visit
Little Buddy Letter 2
Big Buddy Letter 2
JULY
Little Buddy Letter 3
Big Buddy Letter 3
AUGUST
Little Buddy Letter 4
Big Buddy Letter 4
SEPTEMBER
Little Buddy Letter 5
Big Buddy Letter 5
OCTOBER
Little Buddy Letter 6
Big Buddy Letter 6
NOVEMBER
Workplace Visit
DECEMBER
Program concludes!
CALENDAR
School sign up: class lists submitted; Content permission forms signs
Work place sign up: Big Buddy recruitment and child safety compliance complete
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TEACHER CHECKLIST
Complete the online Teacher Registration Form.
Complete and send through your class list.
Little Buddy All About Me profiles.
Ardoch Content Permission forms.
Complete six Little Buddy letter rounds over the course of the year:
1 2 3 4 5 6
Host the Big Buddies at the school visit and provide morning tea (May/Jun).
Visit the Big Buddies at their workplace and book the bus for the excursion (Oct/Nov)
Complete evaluation via student and teacher surveys at the end of the program.
Teacher write cover letter
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LETTER TEMPLATECO
NFID
ENCE GREETING
Big Buddies have been provided a similar letter template to assist with best practice. If Little Buddies are unfamiliar with letter writing encourage them to use their Big Buddy’s name.
ACAD
EMIC
SCHOOL LIFE What are Little Buddies studying at the moment and could it be incorporated into the letters? Inquiry, Literacy Measurement, Where am I from, Grammar, Poetry, Book Report etc.What are the upcoming school events? School camp, sports carnival, swimming lessons, school festival. Invite the Big Buddies into the Little Buddy’s learning experience. Big Buddies will be encouraged and guided to respond in-kind by offering insight and support.If you are focusing on a specific subject for the term let us know.
SOCI
AL ANSWER QUESTIONSRemind Little Buddies to answer any questions their Big Buddy posed to them in the previous exchange. Encourage students to keep their Big Buddy letters at school. It will help when trying to answer questions a Big Buddy poses.
ENGA
GEM
ENT BROADEN HORIZONS
Encourage Little Buddies to talk about activities they love, such as holidays, family outings or weekly sports games. Big Buddies will be responding similarly and talking about their experience at their workplace: what’s it like to work? Where do you work? What did you study? Is it interesting? What do you do?
SOCI
AL
ASK QUESTIONSBig Buddies have been guided to ask open-ended questions as it allows Little Buddies to be creative and develop positive relationships by engaging in meaningful conversations. Guide Little Buddies to ask their own questions. The All About Me profiles can help provide a starting point.
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LETTER WRITINGCHILD SAFETY RULES
Ardoch is committed to providing a child safe environment where children and young people are safe and feel safe. Every person involved in Ardoch has a responsibility to understand the important and specific role he/she plays individually and collectively to ensure that the wellbeing and safety of all children and young people is at the forefront of all they do and every decision they make.
Ardoch’s letter writing rules help ensure we are all aware of how we can support child safety. With this in mind:
PLEASE ENSURE STUDENTS DO:3. Think about if films or music they write about, are child-friendly/age appropriate.
4. Use neutral language to sign off letters, such as “best wishes” rather than “hugs”, “with love” or “xoxo”.
PLEASE ENSURE STUDENTS DO NOT:1. Use your surname, date of birth, social media handle, email address,
home address or phone number anywhere in a letter.
2. Include photos of people, including themselves or family.
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LETTER WRITING GUIDELINES
1 Students should hand write letters A key aim of the program is to give students the opportunity to practise their handwriting at school, and the opportunity read someone else’s handwriting! Handwriting also supports the creation of a connection between people.
2 Write on an A4 pageDecorate with stickers and bits and pieces as much as the students desire! But please ensure there is no origami or over-sized letter being sent to us, as this complicates and slows down the process of screening and sending letter packages to the Big Buddies.
3 Please send us your letter packages on timeThis supports the flow of the program and helps us ensure we can deliver the best possible program, in partnership you.
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CONVERSATION STARTERS
1What do you do for fun? I love riding my bike whenever I can and I also play indoor soccer with my mates once a week.
5 Did you know that elephants are the only animals that can’t jump? And, bats always turn left when leaving a cave.
2 What was the last thing that made you laugh?
3 Q: What do you call a pig that does karate?A: A pork chop!
4 I always loved gardening and watching things grow. Plus, soon my tomatoes will be ready to eat. Yum!
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LETTER TOPICSSETTING UP LITERACY BUDDIES® IN YOUR CLASSROOM
Choose a language modeReading and Viewing: Language
Choose a content descriptionUnderstand how different types of
text vary in use of language choices, depending on their purpose, audience and context, including tense and types
of sentences. (VCELA246)
Set a task for the Little BuddiesLittle Buddies use grammatical forms such as verbs and adverbs to evoke
an emotional response from Big Buddies of an adventure story.
OR
Little Buddies write a report to their Big Buddies
Ardoch guides Big BuddiesBig Buddies continue the
adventure story using the selected grammatical forms.
Big Buddies write a book report in response using the Little Buddies
report as a template.
STEP 1
STEP 3
STEP 2
STEP 4
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Choose a language modeWriting: Literacy
Choose a content descriptionHandwrite clearly-formed joined letters, and develop increased fluency and automaticity
(VCELY301).
Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative & persuasive print and multimodal texts,
choosing text structures, language features, images and sound appropriate to purpose and
audience (VCELY329).
Set a task for the Little BuddiesA4; Handwritten; on lined paper;
one page in length.
Have Little Buddies describe a favourite comic, video, song, poem, map to their Big Buddy.
Ask Little Buddies to describe a favourite comic, video, song, poem, map to their Big Buddy.
Ardoch guides Big BuddiesA4; Handwritten; on lined paper; one
page in length.
Big Buddies respond by asking questions, providing positive feedback and engaging in descriptions of their
own favourite text.
Big Buddies reciprocate and draw a self-portrait.
STEP 1
STEP 3
STEP 2
STEP 4
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Choose a capabilityCritical and Creative Thinking Questions
& Possibilities
Choose a content descriptionConstruct & use open & closed questions for
different purposes (VCCCT010).
Set a task for the Little BuddiesLittle Buddies create a find-a-word
where they ask questions.
Include an inquiry component, examples include history, where we come from & Little Buddy’s cultural
background.
Ardoch guides Big BuddiesBig Buddies answer the questions
in the find-a-word.
Big Buddies write about their cultural backgrounds, interesting
places they’ve been and the things they’ve learnt.
STEP 1
STEP 3
STEP 2
STEP 4
Choose a curriculum areaPersonal, social and community health:
Communicating and interacting for health and wellbeing
Choose a content descriptionPractice skills to establish and manage
relationships (VCHPEP109).
Set a task for the Little BuddiesHave Little Buddies explore reasons why relationships may change, such as starting a new school, changing
priorities or interests, or joining a new sports team.
Ardoch guides Big BuddiesBig Buddies provide advice and
support about managing work, family relationships, new schools/year levels.
STEP 1
STEP 3
STEP 2
STEP 4
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LETTER WRITING TOPICS
The ‘Letter Topics Curriculum’ pages previous are only suggestions; letter themes and activities can be whatever you need them to be for your classroom! There are no limits or restrictions.
Purposeful letter writing helps to ensure that the Literacy Buddies® program is a success. The themes/ activities can be large or small!
Small may look like a Little Buddy demonstrating to their Big Buddy they learnt a new word or tasking Little Buddies to write in detail about what they’ve learnt n class this week. Large may look like a narrative piece.
Different languages in the world/ or in your class
Little Buddies describe their favourite TV shoes, sharing ideas, characters and opinions
Little Buddies include a picture and describe what they see and feel
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WHAT ARE THE ALL ABOUT ME PROFILES? All About Me profiles are completed by Big and Little Buddies and provide a snapshot of interests. Ardoch, where possible, matches the Little and Big Buddies based on gender and common interests. The profiles are then exchanged between the matched Buddies which marks the beginning of the program!
A LITTLE BUDDY DOESN’T WANT TO WRITE A LETTER, WHAT CAN I DO?We appreciate that sometimes a Little Buddy might not want to write a letter. We ask that you make a note of the ‘reluctant writer’ on the cover letter. That way, when their Big Buddy next writes they’ll be aware and can focus on encouraging and engaging their Little Buddy to write next time.
WHAT’S THE LETTER CHECKLIST FOR? DO I HAVE TO COMPLETE THIS? Every batch of Big Buddy letters comes with two documents:
• A cover letter with a table of matches that captures whether the Big Buddy has written or not (is a Big Buddy is away, a colleague or Ardoch staff member will write on their behalf).
• A checklist for the next round of Little Buddy letters.
Before sending the Little Buddy letters to Ardoch, please use the checklist to note any Little Buddies who couldn’t write with clarifying information where possible - we will pass this information onto your partner workplace. Big Buddies will then have a reason for not receiving a letter, which in turn encourages them to reply despite not receiving anything.
SEVERAL LITTLE BUDDIES ARE ABSENT. SHOULD I WAIT UNTIL THEY’RE BACK TO SEND THE LETTERS? If you have most of the Little Buddy letters (say, if only 1-2 are missing), please send us these letters by the deadline provided. This means they can be screened and sent to the Big Buddies as soon as possible ensuring that the letter exchange remains momentum.
WHAT IF I CAN’T MAKE THE DEADLINE?We understand that there may be school activities or excursions that affect your ability to meet certain deadlines. That’s OK! However, in order to maintain a positive and engaged relationship with your workplace partner we need to be able to communicate realistic timelines. A quick email or phone call will suffice.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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A LITTLE BUDDY HAS RECEIVED A LETTER FROM AND ARDOCH STAFF MEMBER INSTEAD OF THEIR BIG BUDDY - WHY IS THIS? SHOULD THEY WRITE BACK TO THEIR BIG BUDDY OR THE ARDOCH STAFF MEMBER? Sometimes the Workplace Volunteers are unable to write and as a result, Ardoch staff members or volunteers will write on their behalf so that every Little Buddy receives a letter every round. In the Little Buddy response, where possible, we ask that they:
• Thank the Ardoch staff member in their greeting.
• Answer any of their questions.
• Comment on not receiving a letter from their big buddy
While we do everything to ensure that Workplace Volunteers are connected to the program it is inevitable that, for a variety of reasons, some may be less engaged, If the Little Buddy openly references not receiving a letter their Big Buddy could gain a better understanding of the impact that missing a letter has on their Little Buddy and lead to better engagement in the future.
OUR SCHOOL ALREADY SENDS CONTENT PERMISSION FORMS OUT TO PARENTS, WHY DO YOU WANT US TO SEND THEM ANOTHER?Firstly, we want to acknowledge that getting forms back is a challenge that most schools face and thank you in advance for follow-ups you’ll be making on our behalf! The reason that we’re not covered by your school form is because the Ardoch form relates specifically to how Ardoch uses content and images related to our programs. We take our commitment to child safety seriously and our form gives parents the opportunity to opt-in or out of their child’s image or letters being used on the internet social media or various media publications in relation to Ardoch or the Literacy Buddies® program. This also extends to any photos taken by teachers at the visits. All images with children participating in an Ardoch program must follow our photo permissions process:
• All children, including those in the background, must be identified by the teacher.
• We then check our records to ensure that we have a content permission for the child before granting approval for use of the image.
HOW DOES ARDOCH PAY FOR MORNING TEA OR BUS FOR THE VISITS? Ardoch will reimburse your school for the morning tea you’ve provided when hosting the Big Buddies at your school and for the bus you take to and from the workplace visit. For the morning tea we require a school invoice with the associated costs (up to $150). Please note that we are unable to accept receipts from the supermarket! We can only reimburse an invoice that has been issued by the school. For the workplace visit, we’ll provide the address and ask that you make the booking with your regular bus provider and CC us in on the email. We can then confirm with the bus company that we’ll be paying and provide them with our invoicing details. We will send you the detailed instructions closer to the time.
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DO I NEED TO CATER FOR BIG BUDDY DIETARY REQUIREMENTS FOR THE SCHOOL VISITS?We don’t expect you to cater for the Big Buddies dietary requirements! It’s always helpful to have a fruit or gluten free item but we make sure the Big Buddies know that if they have specific dietary requirements they are welcome to bring their own snacks.
DO I NEED TO PROVIDE ARDOCH WITH DIETARY REQUIREMENTS FOR THE WORKPLACE VISITS? Yes, please! Prior to the workplace visit we will contact you to confirm the number of Little Buddies and adults attending along with any dietary requirements which we’ll pass onto the workplace so that they can organise catering.
