MiniLit stands for ‘Meeting Initial Needs in Literacy’ and is an early literacy intervention program. It is designed to be delivered daily, for one hour, to small groups of up to four students. 

The program is the product of ongoing research and development carried out by a specialist team of academic researchers and special educators led by Professor Kevin Wheldall from Macquarie University. It has been under development for more than five years. 

It is informed by the findings of scientific research, carried out over the past 40 years, into how reading works and how it may best be taught. MiniLit is also in accord with the recommendations of national reports into effective reading instruction that have emphasised the five key pillars of reading instruction (sometimes known as the ‘five big ideas’), namely phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. 

The MiniLit program at Glen Innes West Infants School ensures that students benefit from early, timely intervention with specially-trained staff delivering instruction that is explicit and systematic.

The focus is on phonemic awareness (learning to blend and segment words), phonics, fluency, vocabulary and text comprehension.  Assessment procedures and tools are designed to identify struggling students and to monitor their progress.

This is a fantastic program and we are really pleased with the outstanding results we are starting to see. Students love the lessons and are excited to share their successes with their peers.