NAPLAN is Australia’s National Assessment Program for Literacy and Numeracy. It is a series of four tests set over three days for children in years 3 and 5 and five tests for children in years 7 and 9. NAPLAN is not linked with the school curriculum and whilst you can not study for the tests, there are a few things you can do to help your child prepare for NAPLAN.
Many schools and tutors try to teach to the test and prepare children through rote learning or encouraging them to memorise how to structure their answers. They may also give them mock exams, to try and help them learn these methods as well as how to work to a deadline.
Quite frankly, this is not helpful. Children learn nothing from this process and it doesn’t prepare them for skills they need to succeed in life! The best way to prepare your child for NAPLAN, is to teach them the skills that they need, rather than try to teach them the material.
Leap into Literacy classes are designed to do exactly this –equip children with the skills they need to successfully navigate the NAPLAN tests.
Improving reading comprehension
Our classes help children of all abilities to not only read the words in front of them, but to understand and interpret what they are reading. Our activities focus on expanding their vocabulary and teaching them to draw meaning from what they read. This obviously helps your child for NAPLAN tests of Language Conventions, Writing and Reading, but can also have an impact on their ability to complete the Numeracy Test.
Many people don’t realise that Numeracy relies on a child’s ability not only to process a numerical question, but also their problem solving and comprehension ability. No amount of numeracy intelligence will matter if the question is interpreted incorrectly.
Writing skills
The Writing portion of the NAPLAN test examines a child’s ability to create a written text based on a prompt given to them. Whether it’s a persuasive or creative piece, the ability to plan and execute this piece of writing is important.
In our classes we practise and encourage development of characters and ideas when writing texts. Once again, problem solving and comprehension skills are also important to ensure that your child understands the question and draws on their knowledge and ability to ensure that their writing correctly answers the question.
Confidence
We all know that practise makes perfect! Our classes are designed to empower and encourage children of all abilities. A confident child will be more resilient to any outside pressures that may be placed on them when completing NAPLAN.
Please remember that NAPLAN is a snapshot of a child’s performance in a particular area on one day of the year. Your child may already be nervous or anxious about the tests from talking with friends at school. Comfort them if you feel like you need to, but refrain from putting pressure on them to perform well.