| Effective Term: | 2025/05 |
| Institute / School : | Institute of Education, Arts & Community |
| Unit Title: | Literacy, Language and Literature 1 |
| Unit ID: | EDMAS6054 |
| Credit Points: | 15.00 |
| Prerequisite(s): | Nil |
| Co-requisite(s): | Nil |
| Exclusion(s): | Nil |
| ASCED: | 070301 |
| Other Change: | |
| Brief description of the Unit |
This unit aims to develop a comprehensive understanding of literacy, language, and literature in the early years of primary education. It focuses on research-based explicit teaching, modelling, and scaffolding practices, alongside systematic reading instruction in key areas such as phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and oral language. The unit integrates theory with current curriculum frameworks and emphasises the impact of explicit instruction on reading and writing across the curriculum. It also explores core teaching and assessment strategies while encouraging reflective practice in literacy education. |
| Grade Scheme: | Graded (HD, D, C, P, MF, F, XF) |
| Work Experience Indicator: |
| No work experience |
| Placement Component: | |
| Supplementary Assessment:Yes |
| Where supplementary assessment is available a student must have failed overall in the Unit but gained a final mark of 45 per cent or above, has completed all major assessment tasks (including all sub-components where a task has multiple parts) as specified in the Unit Description and is not eligible for any other form of supplementary assessment |
| Course Level: |
| Level of Unit in Course | AQF Level(s) of Course | | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | | Introductory | | | | |  | | | Intermediate | | | | | | | | Advanced | | | | | | |
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| Learning Outcomes: |
| Knowledge: |
| K1. | Investigate the role of literacy, language and literature in primary education with a specific focus on the early primary years and understand research into how explicit teaching, modelling, and scaffolding support literacy learning. |
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| K2. | Examine how phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension and oral language underpin the development of reading and writing. |
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| K3. | Investigate effective assessment practices and tools for measuring and supporting student literacy development. |
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| K4. | Understand current curriculum, teaching, learning and assessment frameworks for strategic literacy planning. |
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| K5. | Understand the role of critically reflecting on personal beliefs and current research to enhance and align teaching practices with evidence-based literacy instruction. |
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| Skills: |
| S1. | Critically analyze and apply research findings to inform and improve classroom literacy instruction, ensuring that teaching practices are grounded in proven methodologies |
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| S2. | Implement explicit teaching and learning strategies for the teaching of reading, writing, spelling, grammar, oral language and visual literacies in the early primary years. |
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| S3. | Use assessment data to inform literacy teaching planning and practices by identifying student strengths and areas for improvement. |
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| S4. | Critically evaluate personal beliefs about literacy instruction in relation to current research, allowing for the refinement of teaching practices and alignment with evidence-based strategies. |
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| Application of knowledge and skills: |
| A1. | Critically analyse and reflect on classroom literacy instruction in alignment with contemporary literacy research. |
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| A2. | Analyse a writing sample against the curriculum framework, using effective assessment tools to design a targeted learning sequence that incorporates explicit teaching strategies to develop key literacy skills and advance the learner to the next level. |
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| Unit Content: |
Topics may include:
1. The nature and scope of language and literacy pedagogies in the early primary school context
2. The process involved in translating current theories and current curriculum frameworks into classroom practice
3. The design of appropriate practices to incorporate multimodal texts, multiliteracies and other digital technology into a range of classroom contexts
4. Effective and explicit teaching strategies to teach reading, writing, spelling, grammar, oral language and visual literacies to meet the learning needs of students across the full range of abilities
5. The diverse range of assessment strategies utilised in primary classrooms
6. Use curriculum, assessment and reporting knowledge to design learning sequences and lesson plans.
7. The recognition and planning for literacy experiences in literacy, language and literature across all areas of the curriculum
8. The inclusion of children's literature in the planning, teaching and learning processes
9. The development of effective teaching and learning strategies for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students; students for whom English is not their first language; and students experiencing difficulties with their literacy development
10. The recognition of literacy as a social practice |
| Graduate Attributes: |
| Federation University recognises that students require key transferable employability skills to prepare them for their future workplace and society. FEDTASKS (Transferable Attributes Skills and Knowledge) provide a targeted focus on five key transferable Attributes, Skills, and Knowledge that are be embedded within curriculum, developed gradually towards successful measures and interlinked with cross-discipline and Co-operative Learning opportunities. One or more FEDTASK, transferable Attributes, Skills or Knowledge must be evident in the specified learning outcomes and assessment for each FedUni Unit, and all must be directly assessed in each Course.
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| FED TASK and descriptor | Development and acquisition of FEDTASKS in the Unit | | Level | FEDTASK 1
Interpersonal | Students at this level will demonstrate an advanced ability in a range of contexts to effectively communicate, interact and work with others both individually and in groups. Students will be required to display high level skills in-person and/or online in: • Using and demonstrating a high level of verbal and non-verbal communication • Demonstrating a mastery of listening for meaning and influencing via active listening • Demonstrating and showing empathy for others • High order skills in negotiating and conflict resolution skills\\ • Demonstrating mastery of working respectfully in cross-cultural and diverse teams. | 1 - Yes | FEDTASK 2
Leadership | Students at this level will demonstrate a mastery in professional skills and behaviours in leading others. • Creating and sustaining a collegial environment • Demonstrating a high level of self -awareness and the ability to self-reflect and justify decisions • Inspiring and initiating opportunities to lead others • Making informed professional decisions • Demonstrating initiative in new professional situations. | 3 - N/A | FEDTASK 3
Critical Thinking and Creativity | Students at this level will demonstrate high level skills in working in complexity and ambiguity using the imagination to create new ideas. Students will be required to display skills in: • Reflecting critically to generate and consider complex ideas and concepts at an abstract level • Analysing complex and abstract ideas, concepts and information • Communicate alternative perspectives to justify complex ideas • Demonstrate a mastery of challenging conventional thinking to clarify complex concepts • Forming creative solutions in problem solving to new situations for further learning. | 1 - Yes | FEDTASK 4
Digital Literacy | Students at this level will demonstrate the ability to work competently across a wide range of tools, platforms and applications to achieve a range of tasks. Students will be required to display skills in: • Mastering, exploring, evaluating, managing, curating, organising and sharing digital information professionally • Collating, managing complex data, accessing and using digital data securely • Receiving and responding professionally to messages in a range of professional digital media • Contributing competently and professionally to digital teams and working groups • Participating at a high level in digital learning opportunities. | 1 - Yes | FEDTASK 5
sustainable and Ethical Mindset | Students at this level will demonstrate a mastery of considering and assessing the consequences and impact of ideas and actions in enacting professional ethical and sustainable decisions. Students will be required to display skills in: • Demonstrate informed judgment making that considers the impact of devising complex solutions in ambiguous global economic environmental and societal contexts • Professionally committing to the promulgation of social responsibility • Demonstrate the ability to evaluate ethical, socially responsible and/or sustainable challenges and generating and articulating responses • Communicating lifelong, life-wide and life-deep learning to be open to the diverse professional others • Generating, leading and implementing required actions to foster sustainability in their professional and personal life | 1 - Yes |
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| | Learning Outcomes Assessed | Assessment Tasks | Assessment Type | Weighting | | 1. | K1, K2, K3, K4, S1, A1 | Conduct an Interview with an experienced early years primary teacher to investigate how literacy, language, and literature are taught in the early primary years. The interview will focus on the teacher’s use of explicit teaching, modelling, and scaffolding practices to support literacy learning, followed by an analysis and reflection on the findings. | Interview and Analysis | 40-60% | | 2. | K1, K2, K3, K4, K5, S1, S2, S3, S4, A1, A2 | Analyse a writing sample from a specific year level (F-2) against the current curriculum framework and other relevant tools. Use the analysis to design a targeted learning sequence with explicit strategies to support the learner's progression to the next stage of development. | Extended analytical response and learning sequence | 40-60% | | 3. | K1, K5, S4 | Create a personal literacy philosophy, that documents personal beliefs and values. Explore current research and evaluate how this personal literacy philosophy fits with current theories and practices. | Reflection & Evaluation | S/U |
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