Program Overview

This short program is designed to support teams who are looking to write novel study units in the style of the Ochre Years 3 - 6 units. The program aims to identify the steps required in creating a high-quality study of complex texts, with schools having the opportunity to select a high-quality text to develop. During the program, participants will have the opportunity to gain feedback from the Ochre curriculum team on their units.

The first cohort will be a pilot program, and limited to just 25 schools. As it is a pilot, we would be seeking feedback from participants on the program and how it could be made even more useful for teachers.

What will I learn about?

How to select a text that is ambitious in scope.
The essential features of a novel studies unit.
How to select vocabulary for explicit instruction.
How to read a text in order to identify key teaching points.
Ways to scaffold student learning about the key themes, ideas and writing features of a novel.

The program will be run by Ochre Education leaders with additional support from Ochre’s education team.

Who is it for?

This program is designed for primary Literacy teams who are keen to develop their skills in unit design aligned to the science of learning. Participants can be drawn from across States and Territories and all sectors. Although this course will draw on Ochre resources to demonstrate key concepts, it is relevant for all schools, irrespective of whether they use Ochre materials or not.

How is it structured?

There are three 2 hour virtual workshops (via Zoom) (scheduled during late mornings AEST / early mornings AWST), in which school teams learn together and apply that learning in session. Alongside the webinars, schools have an opportunity to consult with curriculum experts for feedback and next-step problem-solving, conducted as a 30-minute online group coaching session assigned per school. It will require a commitment from teams of between 10 - 20 hours of work. All workshops will also be recorded for review.

When does the program run?

Workshop 1	Friday 24th October 2025	12.00 - 2.00 AEDT	Principles of an evidence-based novel study, and features of quality text choices Reading the text for vocabulary and teaching points
Workshop 2	Friday 7th November 2025	12.00 - 2.00 AEDT	Documenting and resourcing the novel study
Workshop 3	Friday 21st November	12.00-2.00 AEDT	Documenting and resourcing the novel study
Coaching Fortnight	24/11/2025- 5/12/2025		Coaching times

What is the cost?

The school course cost is $1,800 plus GST for up to 3 participants. This fee provides access to the webinars, unit feedback and access to additional resources, tools and templates. Note that all participants covered in the school fee must be from the participating school.

Extra participants from the same school can be added for an additional $99 plus GST per person.