At Karrendi Primary School, we are committed to providing our students with the highest quality of education through an evidence-based approach to instruction. Our approach is grounded in the Science of Learning, ensuring that our teaching methods are supported by research and proven to be effective.

Daily Review

A Daily Review is a brief, fast-paced routine at the start of a lesson where teachers prompt students to actively retrieve facts, skills, and concepts taught previously to build long-term memory and consolidate understanding. All teachers at Karrendi begin their English, Maths and Specialist Subjects lessons with a Daily Review.

Explicit Instruction

Explicit Instruction is a structured, teacher-led teaching method where the teacher clearly explains, demonstrates, and models skills or concepts in small, manageable steps, ensuring students understand the learning goals and how to achieve them. It involves breaking down complex tasks into simpler parts, providing ample practice and feedback, and gradually shifting support until students can perform the task independently.

Karrendi teachers implement Explicit Instruction in their classrooms. Our pedagogical approach is based on the work of Dr Anita Archer and Charles Hughes, and their book Explicit Instruction: Effective and Efficient Teaching.

Karrendi teachers use practices known as Archerisms in their classrooms. These include:

Everyone does everything. Teachers do not ask for volunteers to answer questions - everyone answers, everyone writes, everyone responds.

Learning is not a spectator sport. Teachers provide a high number of opportunities for students to respond during their lessons. Opportunities to respond include choral reading, writing answers on mini-whiteboards and talking to a partner about the learning.

I do - We do - You do. Teachers model the new skill (I do), guide the students during practice (we do) and then students have a go independently (you do).

Teach the stuff and cut the fluff. Teachers are direct and specific with what they teach.

Structured Literacy Block

All classroom teachers implement a daily, structured Literacy Block which is informed by the Science of Reading. This includes explicit teaching of the Big 6 of Reading: Oral Language, Phonological Awareness, Phonics, Vocabulary, Fluency and Comprehension.

Foundation, Year 1 and Year 2 teachers deliver the Initialit program daily in their classrooms. This program, combined with the use of effective teaching practices, provides a solid foundation in Reading and Writing skills.

Middle Primary and Upper Primary teachers deliver the Spell-Ex program in their classrooms, which builds on knowledge and skills developed in Initialit. The Spell Ex program focuses on developing explicit knowledge of the English spelling system by teaching phonology, orthography, and morphology.

Number Fact Fluency

Developing Number Fact Fluency is crucial because it frees up working memory for more complex tasks and provides a foundation for higher-level mathematics and problem-solving.

All teachers at Karrendi implement daily, evidence-based protocols to support students’ Number Fact Fluency development.

To support your child with their number fact fluency development at home, all students have access to the Numbots and Times Tables Rockstars programs. Please contact your child’s teacher if you require their login details.