Upper Classroom
At Palmer Primary School the Upper Primary class includes students from Year 3 to Year 6. We provide a rich, highly differentiated learning environment where students experience a range of lesson styles, including large and small group work as well as individual tasks. Students are encouraged to take responsibility for their learning, to strive for their very best, and respect other learners around them, which aligns perfectly to our school ‘BEAR’ values – Being Responsible, Excellence, Always Trying and Respect.
Students are given opportunities to be creative, resilient, and persistent with their learning. We encourage a growth mindset, and teach all learners that ‘the learning pit’ is to be worked through, not avoided, giving them the skills to be lifelong powerful learners.
Curriculum
There is a strong focus on numeracy and literacy at Palmer Primary School and we believe in using proven best practice strategies grounded in reviewed and replicated research.
The first learning block of the day has a focus on literacy. We begin with a streamed Orton-Gillingham method lesson which includes the study of phonics, morphology and vocabulary using a multi-sensory approach to better facilitate long-term learning. After this we regroup as a class to focus on strengthening reading and writing skills, working on background knowledge, literacy knowledge, and grammar and punctuation across various forms of texts and genres. Students are encouraged to read aloud every day to an adult to hone fluency and comprehension.
The numeracy block after recess provides students with a range of opportunities across the week. Every lesson begins with a daily Maths Chat to review and practice previously learned content. We then move to new topic lessons. Three days a week we run explicit instruction on a new topic (which includes individual support and differentiation) and two days a week we work together in small-groups to work on our problem solving skills. We use a range of hands-on materials and technology to support all learning across all year levels, supporting a multi-sensory approach.
Parent Communication
Regular communication with parents and carers is important to Palmer Primary School. Student reports are sent home at the end of Terms 2 and 4, and Parent/Teacher meetings occur in Terms 1 and 3. The Class Dojo app is used in the Upper Primary class as a means of sharing students’ work with their parents. It also provides a means of communication between parents and teachers through direct messaging.
Please feel free to contact me if you would like any other information about the upper class.
Kind regards,
Liz Young & Lauren Quee
