Season 6 | Episode 22 | Upper Years Literacy with Kirby McDonald

In this episode, we speak with Kirby McDonald, a primary educator, numeracy leader and instructional coach from New South Wales, about what effective literacy instruction looks like in Years 5 and 6. Kirby unpacks the key elements of strong upper primary literacy blocks, including vocabulary, comprehension, background knowledge, explicit writing instruction and the impact of the Science of Reading. With a practical and research-informed lens, she shares how teachers and schools can make high-quality literacy teaching clear, consistent and achievable in real classrooms.