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TA R G E T I N G

E N G L I S HE N G L I S HASSESSMENT

MIDDLE PRIMARY

HelenRICHARDS

LynneSUNG

OVER

70BLACKLI NEMASTERS

Front Cover Middle 12/12/2001 11:29 PM

TA R G E T I N G

E N G L I S HE N G L I S HASSESSMENT

MIDDLEPRIMARY

�

Lynne SUNG and Helen RICHARDS

En g l i sh As sessme nt made easy !

© Blake Publishing 2002

ISBN 1 86509 764 0

Targeting English Assessment Middle Primary

Blake PublishingPO Box 250

Glebe NSW 2037

www.askblake.com.au

Publisher: Sharon Dalgleish

Managing Editor:Tricia Dearborn

Edited by Michelle Patane

Designed by Trish Hayes and Stephen King

Illustrated by Stephen King

Printed by McPherson’s Printing Group

Extract on pages 8 and 9 from English–A Curriculum Profile for Australian Schools.Permission has been given by the publisher Curriculum Corporation, PO Box

177, Carlton South,Victoria 3053.Web address: www.curriculum.edu.auemail: [email protected] ph: (03) 9207 9600 fax: (03) 9639 1616.

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All efforts have been made to gain permission for the copyright materialreproduced in this book but we have not been successful in contacting allcopyright holders.The publisher welcomes any information that will enable

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978 1 86509 764 0

C o n t e n t s

Introduct ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4What is Assessment, and How Can This Book Help You Do It? . . . . 4

The Structure of this Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

General Assessment Strategies for English . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Whole Class Recording Sheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Outcomes Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Resource Sheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Speaking and L istening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Texts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Contextual Understanding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Linguistic Structures and Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Student Self-Assessment Sheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Reading and Viewing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61Texts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Contextual Understanding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Linguistic Structures and Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Student Self-Assessment Sheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Writing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99Texts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

Contextual Understanding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Linguistic Structures and Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

Student Self-Assessment Sheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132

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© Blake Education 978 1 86509 764 0 Targeting English Assessment - Middle Primary

What is assessment, and how can this book help you do it?Is it possible to make assessment, that crucial element in the teaching and learning process, easy,

and an indivisible part of the classroom routine? Targeting English Assessment has been designed toachieve just that: to make assessment a painless and integrated process, and to help you useclassroom assessment to your own and your students’ greatest advantage.

Assessment involves the on-going gathering and interpreting of information about students’learning, then using this information to plan for further learning and teaching.These books containactivities linked to every Outcome in the National English Syllabus, in addition to teaching notes,suggestions for future teaching directions depending on whether or not a student has achieved anOutcome, and sheets that can be used to record individual and whole class progress.

This book will help you create portfolios; observe and monitor specific skills and behaviours; makejudgements about student performance; reflect on student journals; encourage self-assessment;discuss student progress with parents; and generally make assessment an integral part of yourworking day.

The structure of this bookTargeting English Assessment covers all areas of English—Speaking and Listening, Reading and

Viewing, and Writing. Each book in the series contains a set of activities which addresses everyOutcome of the National Profiles and Outcomes for Australian Schools in English.

Targeting English Assessment Middle Primary addresses Level 3 Outcomes.Teachers who areuncertain of a particular student’s achievement level may wish to use activities from the other booksin this series designed for Lower and Upper primary students.These will provide a guide for theconstruction of further activities to meet the student’s needs.

BLMs to address each OutcomeThere are four activity BLMs to address each Outcome.The table on pages 8 and 9 shows the

correspondence between the BLMs, Outcomes and the focus for each lesson.Before beginning any activity, it is recommended that you check both the ‘Activity’ notes on the

teacher’s page and the instructions on the BLM to gauge how much instruction is needed.

4

I n t r o d u c t i o n


Teaching notes for each BLMOn the page facing each activity BLM, there are detailed teaching notes.These notes include:

� descriptive tags that allow you to quickly identify which Outcomes are being assessed

� the skills and prior experiences students will need to have as a starting point

� instructions for preparation and suggestions for presenting the activity

� ideas for future directions for students experiencing difficulties, and for students who haveachieved the Outcome

� ideas for reporting to parents

� suggestions for, and spaces to record, observations

� indication of the National Outcome with links to NSW and Victorian syllabus documents.

The student record section of the teaching notes page can be used in any way that works for yourclassroom.We have listed some observations as a starting point, and suggest that you cross out anythat do not suit your purposes and add your own as appropriate.The ‘Where to next?’ section allowsyou to plan future activities and assessments for each student.

Self-Assessment BLMsFor each set of activities addressing an Outcome, there is also a

student self-assessment sheet. Be sure that students understandwhat is expected of them when filling these out, and that theyunderstand all instructions.

Resource pagesThe book also includes resource pages containing texts for use in

different activities. Some texts have been directly referred to in theteaching notes, but it is also possible to relate the activities to othertexts which may be relevant, for example, to a current class theme.

Record-keepingA whole class recording sheet (BLM 1) has been included to help

make assessment record-keeping more manageable.The whole classrecording sheet allows the recording of the whole class’s achievementsmeasured against a particular Outcome.

The teaching notes page for each activity also includes a sectionthat you can use to record individual student observations, andthese pages can also be kept on file.

General assessment strategies for EnglishPortfolios

A portfolio should contain evidence of student work gathered over a period of time, purposefullylinked to syllabus Outcomes.The collection in the portfolio may contain such things as samples ofstudent writing, work sheets, or artwork related to a narrative text read or heard; photographs froman excursion accompanied by a recount text; and student self-assessments and journal records.

5© Blake Education 978 1 86509 764 0 Targeting English Assessment - Middle Primary

You may wish to focus on specific Outcomes for a particular area of study. For example, whenundertaking a short unit of work on a topic, you might select only student work samples whichreflect research skills related to extraction of information from diagrams and pictures.

Over time you will need to collect enough samples of each student’s work to be able to make aconsidered judgement on their progress and achievements.The activities in this book will form agood starting point for such a portfolio.

Everyday observationObserve students as they go about everyday activities in the classroom. Note how they perform

in specific tasks such as preparing speeches and participating in group interactions, which can berecorded against specific Outcomes. Home-prepared projects should also be considered.

Listening to readingTimetable opportunities to listen to students read.There is a variety of systems for recording

information about students’ reading.There are software programs which allow teachers to systematicallyrecord student attainment, while several planned reading programs provide ideas for keeping runningrecords and an ongoing overview of student progress.Additionally, teachers who have set up a regularhome-reading program, or who use parents in their class-reading program, could plan discussions withthese parents, and use the information gained to assist in tracking and recording achievement.

Student journalsAsk students to record in their journals information about a particular subject area, and their view

of what they have learned. Encourage them to use their journals on a regular basis. Student journalscan include opportunities for self-assessment. Nearly all material that students include in their journalscan have brief comment sheets attached on which students remark on the strengths of their work, orareas they believe need improvement.At set periods (for example, once a term) students could beasked to select an example of good writing from their journal, and to give reasons for their choice.

Student self-assessment Self-assessment helps students to understand their own strengths and

weaknesses. It encourages them to set goals and take responsibility for theirown learning. Specific opportunities for self-assessment have been included inthis book.These are linked to the activities, and to the Outcomes these address.

Parent-teacher conferencesMany schools have adopted an assessment process which involves students, teachers and parents

in a three-way conference about students’ work.The activities in this book could form the basis forsuch a discussion.To assist you with this process, a section entitled ‘Reporting to parents’ has beenincluded on each page.This section describes achievements of students in language free of jargon.

Whole school approachAssessment should always be viewed as a whole school process in which teachers can compare

and evaluate the effectiveness of class programs.This allows a school to determine how effective itsteaching programs are, and whether there is any need for adjustment.


7© Blake Publishing —Targeting English Assessment, Middle Primary.This page may be reproduced by the original purchaser for non-commercial classroom use.

BLM 1

Whole Class Recording Sheet�

Outcome

Name Not Apparent Emerging Achieved Working Beyond


Contextual Understanding

Nat 3.2 Recognises that certain types of spoken texts are associated withparticular contexts and purposes.

NSW 2.3Vic 3.2Other

Preparing and presenting a BLM 16 role-played conversationPreparing and conducting an interview BLM 17Matching idioms and meanings BLM 18 Presenting a telephone conversation BLM 19 Self-assessment BLM 29

Nat 3.6 Identifies simple symbolicmeanings and stereotypes in texts anddiscusses their purpose and meaning.

NSW 2.7Vic 3.6Other

Identifying fact and opinion BLM 36 Making judgements about characters BLM 37 Identifying the effect of visual images BLM 38 Evaluating stereotypes in text BLM 39 and imagesSelf-assessment BLM 49

Nat 3.10 Recognises that certain texttypes and features are associated withparticular purposes and audiences.

NSW 2.13Vic 3.10Other

Creating an advertisement using BLM 56 text and imagesCreating a text for a specific purpose BLM 57 Writing an argument BLM 58 Writing formal and informal English BLM 59 Self-assessment BLM 69

Texts

Nat 3.1 Interacts for specific purposeswith people in the classroom and schoolcommunity using a small range of texttypes.

NSW 2.1Vic 3.1Other

Empathising with a well-known BLM 12fictional characterListening and taking notes from BLM 13 a speechDiscussing in a group BLM 14 Listening to and following instructions BLM 15 Self-assessment BLM 28

Nat 3.5 Interprets and discusses somerelationships between ideas, informationand events in:- written texts with familiar content and a small range of unfamiliar words andlinguistic structures and features- visual texts designed for general viewing.NSW 2.5Vic 3.5Other

Comprehending text and identifying BLM 32 word meaningsInterpreting written instructions BLM 33 Interpreting fictional characters BLM 34 Understanding sequence of events in BLM 35 a storySelf-assessment BLM 48

Nat 3.9 Experiments with inter-relatingideas and information when writing aboutfamiliar topics within a small range of texttypes.

NSW 2.9Vic 3.9Other

Writing a description of a person BLM 52 Selecting important information for BLM 53 a textWriting a letter BLM 54 Writing an information report BLM 55 Self-assessment BLM 68

8

Speaking & Listening

Reading & Viewing

Writing

Outcome Overview�


Strategies

Nat 3.4 Reflects on own approach tocommunication and the ways in which othersinteract.

NSW 2.2Vic 3.4Other

Preparing and presenting a spoken BLM 24information reportTaking notes from a video documentary BLM 25Evaluating spoken presentations BLM 26Expressing opinions and listening to others BLM 27 Self-assessment BLM 31

Nat 3.8a Integrates a variety of strategies forinterpreting printed and visual texts.

Nat 3.8b With teacher guidance, uses severalstrategies for identifying resources and findinginformation in texts.

NSW 2.6Vic 3.8Other

Identifying texts to be used in research BLM 44 Understanding structure and language BLM 45 of an information reportInterpreting a diagram BLM 46 Reading for fluency and understanding BLM 47 Self-assessment BLM 51

Nat 3.12a Experiments with strategies for planning,reviewing and proofreading own writing.

Nat 3.12b Consistently makes informed attemptsat spelling.

NSW 2.10 2.11Vic 3.12Other

Editing and proofreading own narrative BLM 64 Converting informal to formal English BLM 65 Editing and proofreading own description BLM 66 Drafting and editing an explanation BLM 67 Self-assessment BLM 71

Linguistic Structures & Features

Nat 3.3 Usually uses linguistic structures andfeatures of spoken language appropriately forexpressing and interpreting ideas and information.

NSW 2.4Vic 3.3Other

Giving spoken instructions BLM 20 Presenting a spoken book review BLM 21 Planning and presenting a spoken procedure BLM 22 Preparing spoken instructions for an BLM 23 invented gameSelf-assessment BLM 30

Nat 3.7 Identifies and uses the linguistic structuresand features characteristic of a range of text typesto construct meaning.

NSW 2.8Vic 3.7Other

Interpreting an explanation BLM 40 Understanding structure and features BLM 41 of an information reportIdentifying structure and features of a recount BLM 42 Understanding the language of advertising BLM 43 Self-assessment BLM 50

Nat 3.11 Controls most basic features of writtenlanguage and experiments with some organisationaland linguistic features of different text types.

NSW 2.10 2.14Vic 3.11Other

Planning and writing an information report BLM 60 Writing a television news script BLM 61 Writing a recipe BLM 62 Completing a narrative given a beginning BLM 63 Self-assessment BLM 70


11

�R E S O U R C ER E S O U R C ES H E E T SS H E E T S


12 © Blake Publishing —Targeting English Assessment, Middle Primary.This page may be reproduced by the original purchaser for non-commercial classroom use.

A disaster is a major accidentwhich affects everyone in acommunity.

Bushfires, floods, earthquakes,tsunamis, cyclones and droughtsare called ‘natural’ disasters.Problems caused by humanbeings, such as chemical spills,gas leaks, train smashes,aeroplane crashes—and wars—are called ‘man-made’ disasters.

Some natural disasters areunknown in some countries. Forexample there are no activevolcanoes in Australia.

Tsunami (say ‘tsoo-nar-me’) aregiant ocean waves caused byunderwater earthquakes. Someplaces are protected fromtsunami by reefs and islandsaround the land.

It is possible to predict somenatural disasters such ascyclones, floods, bushfires anddroughts. This means thatauthorities, and the localpopulation, can be preparedwhen these disasters strike.

‘Man-made’ disasters, however,are harder to predict. Mostdisasters happen without muchwarning, so we need to be readyto deal with them quickly.That’s why many countries haveEmergency Services who arealways ready to act.

Adapted from Disaster! by Steven Gard, publishedby HBJ, 1989. Reproduced with permission.

BLM 2Resource Sheet (for use with BLMs 14 & 60)�

What is a d i s a s t e r ?d i s a st e r ?

A tsunami can be as tall as a skyscraper.

Floods are natural disasters.



(From TV N

ews–An Interview

with G

eraldine Doogue,by Elizabeth H

alley,illustrations by Hand G

raphics,published by HBJ,1990.

Reproduced w

ith permission.)

BLM 3Resource Sheet (for use with BLMs 16 & 61)



S o c c e rS o c c e rThe modern game of soccer began in England where it was givenits name and the first official rules were written. Soccer wasfirstly played in small back lanes, in country fields and inplaygrounds, and was later introduced to English private schools.By 1820, many official soccer clubs were firmly established.

At first, each club or school played soccer with its own set ofrules which were adjusted to suit their circumstances. However,when students went to university and wanted to form teams,they all had different ideas about how to play the game. To solvethis problem, representatives from various schools anduniversities met at Cambridge to decide upon a code of rules.

In 1863 The Football Association was formed, and an official codeof rules was decided upon. One strict rule was that the ball shouldnot be touched by the hands but only moved by using the feet.

The word soccer is thought to be a slang word taken from theword ‘association’. From its small beginning in England, soccer hasgrown into a popular game played throughout the world.

(Adapted from Sport in the making—A history of popular sport in Australia by Shane Power, publishedby HBJ, 1990. Reproduced with permission.)




Fact or opinion?Fact or opinion?

I couldn’ t believe my eyes when I saw it take

off. It was so beautiful. The ballon balloon was

all different colours. I ’m not sure how they

know when to let the ropes go. But the balloonwas full of hot air and I think it has somthing

something to do with how much pressure is on

the ropes. This was one of the most beautifulthings I have ever seen.

BLM 5Resource Sheet (for use with BLM 36)�

Today in the SnowyMountains the searchcont inues for foursnowboarders who havebeen missing since lastThursday.

The young men setout in poor conditions

on Wednesday and whenthey did not return,fr iends and familyinformed EmergencyServices.

Police and volunteershave spent two dayssearching the region and

will broaden the searchtomorrow.

SNOWY MOUNTAINS

The Nile crocodile lays its eggsin the warm sand or mud wellaway from the river. When thetime for hatching arrives, themother listens for the soundsof the young crocodile withinthe shells. She then uncoversthe eggs and waits for heryoung to hatch. When theyoung have broken out of their

shells she carries them in hermouth down to the river wherethey learn to swim and lookafter themselves.

Beautiful Balloon

The Nile Crocodile



Book characBook characttersersPicture 1

Picture 2




Precipitation—why rain falls

Rainfall is part of the water cycle.

The sun draws water from the ocean by evaporation.

As the water rises it collects into small droplets which form clouds.

The wind moves the clouds through the air. Air currents causethe cloud to rise and become colder and more dense.

Eventually the cloud becomes so dense that it releases waterdrops that we call rain. The rain falls to the earth and runs intocreeks, streams and rivers and then into the ocean.

This water cycle is repeated again and again all over the world.




Dragon Boat festival Dragon Boat festival The Dragon Boat festival traditionally happens onthe fifth day of the fifth month in the Chineselunar calendar (around June).

The story behind this Chinese festival goesback hundreds of years. There was a poet namedQu Yuan, who was angry with the behaviour ofChina’s government at that time. In protest, QuYuan threw himself into the Mi Lo River.

The local fishermen were so moved by his actionthat they raced in their boats to recover hisbody. They beat the water with their paddles toscare the fish away from the body. People threwrice dumplings wrapped in silk into the river, tohelp the poet’s spirit to go to heaven.

It soon became a tradition to remember theevent with boat races. Boats were often designed tolook like dragons, to please the spirit of the waters.

Nowadays dragon boat races are held in manycountries around the world. They are noisy andcolourful occasions. Teams compete for a place inthe international races, which are held in HongKong and Singapore in June.

(Extract from Celebrations by Ida Chionh, published by HBJ, 1989. Reproduced with permission.)




Name Date

Dog on a diet—reading passage‘There is no doubt about it’, said Mr James. ‘That dog will have to go on a diet.’

‘But Dad—Strider’s not fat, he’s thin.’

‘Only because he runs around so much. Otherwise he’d be the size of a house, with the amount

he eats. He’ll just have to slow down.’

Zzzzzzz…zzzzzzzz…zzzzzzzzz…

Simon looked under the table. His large, lanky red setter filled most of the space between the

family’s feet. He was snoring gently. It had been a long time since the last titbit. Simon nudged him

with his toe. Strider licked the boy’s bare foot. Simon giggled.

‘This is no laughing matter!’ snapped his father. ‘Strider may be thin, but so is my wallet. Everything

has gone up, except my wages.We’ll all have to give up something.’

‘I’ll give up carrots, Dad’, offered Simon.

‘And I’ll give up spinach’, said his sister Jodie.

‘Oh no, you won’t’, said their mother. ‘If you give up anything it will be icecream and biscuits.’

‘Mu—um!’ cried Simon and Jodie together.

Skills:uses word identification skillsself-correctsslows down to find meaningre-reads to self-correctsub-vocalisesmakes substitution or omission to maintain meaningpauses or repeats word

Content questions:

� Why does Dad want Strider to go on a diet?

� What did Simon say he would give up to help save money?

� Does his mother agree? How do you know?

(From Dog on a Diet by Joan Dalgleish, published by HBJ, 1989. Reproduced with permission.)




Local residents ofBlack Street werepleased to hear thenews that BraddonCouncil has approvedthe construction of abike track in ReesePark.

Children in the areahave held a letterwriting and petitioncampaign over thelast few months in an

attempt to convinceCouncil that the biketrack will be apositive feature forthe local park.

Some residents arestill fearful that abike track will bringoutsiders to the area causing trafficproblems in thealready congestedstreets. Local kids

have gone some way to solving theproblem by offeringcheap car washes forthose who bringmore than one childto the park.

A major landscapingproject is alsoplanned for the park.Work will commenceon 12 June.


BIKE TRACK SET TO GO AHEAD



Story starterStory starter‘You’ll be all right if I drop you here?’ said Jake’s mum,

stopping the ute beside the farm gate. ‘Yeah, thanks Mrs Jenkins,’ said Pete. He said goodbye to Jake,

and hopped out.Pete had spent the night at Jake’s place. When he got up to the

house, he was surprised to see the back door standing open. He’dexpected everyone to be home, but the house appeared to beempty. Pete noticed there were still dishes on the kitchen table.

He went to see if his Dad was in the woodshed. As he walkedinto the shed, Pete felt something soft brush against his knees. He jumped and then kicked at the thing, which meowed loudly and scuttled off into the darkness. It was only Ginger. He mustgive her a good pat and some cream later to make up for that kick.

Walking back to the house, Pete began to worry. He knew Dadhadn’t been feeling well lately. Had they had to leave suddenly?That might explain the uncleared dishes and the unclosed door.

Or maybe Mum and Dad had decided to go visit Em and Bert.They’d been talking about it for weeks. But surely they’d haveleft a note. And where was Kelly? She would never have gonewith them. She said their uncle Bert stank of stale cigarettesand Em told her the same stories five times running withoutstopping for breath. Though Kelly might be over at Annie’s house.

Pete jumped again as the telephone shrilled . . .



23

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Student name Date

� presents a plausible character interpretation

� speaks with confidence and use language appropriate to the character

� empathises with the character and attempts to present aspects of personality

�

�

�

Where to next?

Focus: Empathising with a well-known fictional character

Not Apparent ❏ Emerging ❏ Achieved ❏ Working Beyond ❏ Nat 3.1 NSW 2.1 Vic 3.1

Prior teachingStudents need to be confident performing infront of a group in order to complete this activity.

PreparationPhotocopy the BLM so that each student has acopy. Select a story, or stories, that the studentsare very familiar with and write these on thechalkboard.

ActivityDistribute the BLM and explain that eachstudent will be taking on the role of a characterin a story. Help students to choose an event inthe story which involves the character they haveselected. Have each student prepare theirpresentation using the BLM supplied. Rememberto bring students out of role when they havecompleted their presentation.

Where to next?Student is experiencing problemsThis student will need further practice atperforming in front of a group. Begin with smallgroup activities, such as joke telling, film ortelevision reviews, in which the student can gainconfidence before working in front of a largergroup.

Student has achieved the OutcomeEncourage this student to take on morecomplex performing roles which require keenunderstanding of character development. Forexample, activities in which the student takes onthe role of a character and is asked questions bythe rest of the class.

Reporting to parentsThis activity shows that the student has/has notbeen able to empathise with a character from awell-known story.

Strand: Texts Teaching Notes BLM 12Focus: Empathising with a well-known fictional character

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© Blake Publishing —Targeting English Assessment, Middle Primary.This page may be reproduced by the original purchaser for non-commercial classroom use.

25

Name Date BLM 12

Point of view★ Imagine you are a character

in a well-known story. Write your character’s name here:Write down what you know about the personality of your character.

Think about one important event in the story. Write the event here.

Imagine how your character might have felt during this event.Circle words in the box below that describe his or her feelings.

angry disappointed unhappy relievedanxious joyful scared excited

Now add some words of your own that describe how yourcharacter felt.

Now think about how you will describe the event to your class.Write some notes that will help you when giving your presentationto the class.


26

Student name Date

� listens attentively and identifies key ideas

� chooses key words appropriately

� records ideas suitably

�

�

�

Where to next?

Focus: Listening and taking notes from a speech


Prior teachingStudents need to have had practice in organisinginformation before presenting it to others.

PreparationChoose a research topic that the students havealready worked on in class and have studentswork in groups to prepare a presentation on thetopic. Photocopy the BLM so that each studenthas enough space to record one group’spresentation.

ActivityDivide the class into groups of four. Explain thatthe purpose of the task is to listen to othergroups’ presentations about a topic that hasbeen researched. Each member of the group willtalk about an aspect of the topic. Before thepresentations begin, indicate which students willbe taking notes on which groups, so that eachstudent only takes notes on one group’spresentation. Students should use the BLM totake notes. Allow time for note taking betweeneach speaker’s presentation.

Where to next?Student is experiencing problemsThis student needs to understand that whenlistening for information only brief notes or keywords and ideas need to be taken. Play Hot Seator Twenty Questions and other listening gamesthat require filtering of information and ensurethat this student participates.

Student has achieved the OutcomeThis student will need to be challenged withactivities that involve more complexinterpretation of verbal messages. Otheractivities which address this Outcome includelistening to and giving presentations in situationssuch as school assemblies, making notes whilelistening to audio-taped discussions andreporting results of group activities to the class.

Reporting to parentsThis work sample shows that the studenthas/has not been able to select relevantinformation during a spoken presentation.

Strand: Texts Teaching Notes BLM 13Focus: Listening and taking notes from a speech

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Name Date BLM 13

TTopic topic talkalk★ Listen to the presentation from a group

and make notes as you listen.

Speaker 1

Topic

Main idea

Key words

Speaker 2

Topic

Main idea

Key words

Speaker 3

Topic

Main idea

Key words

Speaker 4

Topic

Main idea

Key words


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Student name Date

� listens and responds during discussions

� shows appropriate level of consideration for the opinions of others

� puts forward supporting reasons for ideas presented

�

�

�

Where to next?

Focus: Discussing in a group


Prior teachingStudents need to have had practice working ingroups and should be aware of the rules ofinteraction in group situations.

PreparationPrepare copies of the text ‘What is a disaster?’(BLM 2) and BLM 14 for each student.

ActivityThe purpose of this activity is to allow studentsto exhibit their group-interaction skills. Dividethe class into small groups and allow time forstudents to read the text ‘What is a disaster?’.You may have to assist some students.Then askthe students to spend time discussing what theyknow of disasters. The questions on the worksheet will help guide their discussion. Tell thestudents that you will be looking to see how wellthey interact with others, and whether they arecourteous and considerate in a group situation.

Where to next?Student is experiencing problems This student will need to understand that thereare appropriate group-discussion skills such astalking in turns, offering relevant information andlistening to others.You will need to point theseout to the student in other group situations andstress the need to practice these skills.You mightlike to introduce the ‘speaking stick’ or ‘speakingball’ where a student is only permitted to speakif they are holding the object. If the student is shy,always ensure that they have a friend to workwith in their group.

Student has achieved the OutcomeEncourage this student to participate in moreformal group activities such as debates. Otheractivities which address this Outcome wouldinclude playing group games in whichconsideration for group members and theirunderstanding of rules is necessary, for exampleCharades.

Reporting to parentsThis activity shows that the student has/has notbeen able to take turns, contribute appropriateideas and show courtesy in a group situation.

Strand: Texts Teaching Notes BLM 14Focus: Discussing in a group

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Name Date BLM 14

What is a disaster?Read the text ‘What is a disaster?’ and then discuss the following points with your group.

Who helps when a disaster occurs?

What disasters have you heard about recently?

Where did the disaster occur?

Do you know anyone who has experienced a disaster?

What did they tell you about it?

Have one person act as a scribe and make a list of all thedisasters that your group can remember.


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Student name Date

� listens attentively and responds by following instructions correctly

� listens for information relevant to a task

� follows instructions in sequence

�

�

�

Where to next?

Focus: Listening to and following instructions


Prior teachingStudents will need to have participated in spokenprocedures such as explaining how to wash upor clean teeth.

PreparationSelect an appropriate set of instructions whichyou can give to the class orally. For example howto make a simple folded paper animal, orproviding directions using a map. Photocopy theBLM so that each student has a copy.

ActivitySupply the students with any items they mayneed to follow your instructions (paper, scissors,glue, maps). Then give the instructions one stepat a time while the students follow. Observestudents as you give instructions, noting thosewho need help and those who ask others forhelp. Give assistance as required, keeping in mindthe kind of assistance students request. Thisactivity will identify students who are havingtrouble listening for information.

Where to next?Student is experiencing problems

This student needs more practice at receivingclear verbal messages. Involve this student inactivities such as listening to instructions forsetting out equipment or listening to a message inorder to pass it onto a third person. Studentsshould also be encouraged to lead group activitieswhich require explanation. Students whose firstlanguage is not English will have specific problemsdealing with verbal instructions. Make sure youencourage the student to look directly at thespeaker when listening, and where possible,encourage vocabulary expansion.

Student has achieved the Outcome

This student will need to be challenged withactivities that involve more complex interpretationof verbal messages.This might include such thingsas listening to a description of a complicatedobject in order to draw it.

Reporting to parentsThis work sample shows that the studenthas/has not been able to listen to and followinstructions given by another person.

Strand: Texts Teaching Notes BLM 15Focus: Listening to and following instructions

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Name Date BLM 15

Spoken procedure★ Write an answer on the lines underneath

1. Were the instructions easy to follow? State why or why not.

2. Instructions are usually organised in steps. Write down thefirst and last step in the instructions you just followed.

Step 1

Last step

3. If you were asked to give instructions to someone, how wouldyou do it? Think about how you would speak to the listener, whatwords you would use and how you could make it easy for thelistener to understand. Write some points here.


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Student name Date

� identifies the purpose and audience for speech

� understands that conversation is formal or informal depending on the situation

� uses language appropriate to the purpose

�

�

�

Where to next?

Focus: Preparing and presenting a role-played conversation


Prior TeachingStudents should be familiar with identifyingwords and phrases that convey particular ideasand meanings to different people.They should beable to appreciate the way a speaker is able touse words to present a point of view.

PreparationPrepare sufficient copies of BLM 3 and BLM 16.Use BLM 16 as a planning page.

ActivityDivide the class into pairs.Talk about the eventsthat seem to be occurring in the pictures onBLM 3. Have the students choose one of theconversations from the pictures presented. Forexample, the journalist on the phone, the twopeople watching the helicopter, observers at thefire or the people in the hospital. Have pairs ofstudents prepare a conversation that might betaking place between the characters in onescene. Have some students play out theconversation and discuss their presentation withthe whole class.

Where to next?Student is experiencing problemsThis student should be given opportunities tolisten to conversations between people andobserve the language that is used for specificpurposes and in different situations. Examples offormal and informal language use should bebrought to the student’s attention, some usefulexamples include the formal language used whena visitor is being welcomed to the school, or theinformal use of language on the sports field.

Student has achieved the OutcomeEncourage this student to look at the use offormal and informal or colloquial language and theeffect it might have on different verbal exchanges.This might involve making comparisons betweenlanguage used in the home or playground.

Reporting to parentsThis work sample shows that the studentdoes/does not understand that speakers choosewords and phrases according to the situation.

Strand: Contextual Understanding Teaching Notes BLM 16Focus: Preparing and presenting a role-played conversation

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Name Date BLM 16

News talkChoose one of the pictures from BLM 3 in which a conversation is taking place.

Think about:

★ who the people in the picture might be

★ whether they know each other well

★ what they might be saying to one another.

Now write down some notes about the kinds of things they might say.

Character 1

Character 2

Character 1

Character 2


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Student name Date

� identifies the stages of an interview

� identifies the characteristics of interview questions

� recognises the need for some level of formality in an interview

�

�

�

Where to next?

Focus: Preparing and conducting an interview


Prior Teaching Students should have had experience atobserving interviews on television or listening toradio interviews.

PreparationPhotocopy the BLM so that each student has a copy.

ActivityMake certain that students have a clear purposefor conducting an interview.The interview couldrelate to an area of study being investigated bythe class. For example when preparing a schoolhistory project students might interview anolder person in the school community, or theymay interview other students and teachers whensurveying the use of different modes of transportto and from school.

Have student use the BLM to prepare thequestions that they would like to ask.Talk aboutthe need for specific, well-considered questions.When students are prepared, have them conductthe interview and record the answers. Studentscould do this using a tape recorder.


This student will need to be exposed to moreinterviews for a variety of purposes as modelsfor their own work. Provide audio-tapedinterviews with people of interest such as sportspersonalities or popular musicians.


This student needs to be exposed to morechallenging tasks such as interviewing people inthe community for a local history project orinterviewing older people about the servicesavailable to them when exploring the role oflocal government.

Reporting to parentsThis activity shows that the student has/has notunderstood the need for well-thought out, clearand precise questions in an interview situation.

Strand: Contextual Understanding Teaching Notes BLM 17Focus: Preparing and conducting an interview

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Name Date BLM 17

InterviewInterviewUse this page to prepare the questions you will ask yourinterviewee.

The purpose of my interview is to

Name of person to be interviewed: What kind of language will you use? (Formal, informal, colloquial?)

How will you begin? (You might need to explain what you aredoing, and why, to the person you are interviewing.)

What will you ask first?

What might you ask next?

What other information do you want to know about?

How will you end the interview?


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Student name Date

� recognises language of speech

� understands that idiom often relies on creating visual images

� talks about the uses of common idioms

�

�

�

Where to next?

Focus: Matching idioms and meanings


Prior TeachingStudents should be exposed to a variety ofidioms used in everyday speech.


ActivityHave students look at the pictures on the BLMand match-up the common idioms with theirmeanings. Discuss how idioms create a picture inthe mind of the listener, which helps to relaymeaning.


This student needs to listen to everyday speechto identify common idioms used.They could talkwith family members or carers about thelanguage they use and make a written collectionof common idioms and their meanings.


This student should be exposed to and examinemore sophisticated uses of language such ascartoons and verbal advertising which relies onword play. They could also collect commonidioms and draw their own set of pictures toaccompany them.

Reporting to parentsThis activity shows that the student has/has notgrasped the language of idioms commonly usedin everyday speech.

Strand: Contextual Understanding Teaching Notes BLM 18Focus: Matching idioms and meanings

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Name Date BLM 18

I d i o mRead through the idioms below. Match the idioms with theirmeanings by drawing a line from each idiom to the meaning thatbelongs to it.

Idioms

It’s raining cats and dogs

Bark up the wrong tree

Cat got your tongue?

Needle in a haystack

Curiosity killed the cat

Hold your horses

Bull in a china shop

Cry wolf

Meanings

Choose the wrong course of action

Be patient, wait

Can’t speak because of shyness

The rain is very heavy

Something very hard to find

Someone who upsets everything

Being too nosy might get you into trouble

Give a false alarm


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Student name Date

� takes the audience into account when presenting information

� is aware of the context for the speech

� is aware that the purpose of a text influences the language choices

�

�

�

Where to next?

Focus: Presenting a telephone conversation


Prior teachingStudents need to have had practice in using thetelephone and should have listened to othersusing it.

PreparationPhotocopy the BLM for each pair of students inthe class.

ActivityDivide the class into pairs and have each pairimagine they are one of the characters in one ofthe scenarios. Have the students discuss thesituation and then prepare a role play of thetelephone conversation which they will thenpresent to the class. During each pair’sperformance have students observe andcomment on the success or otherwise of thetelephone conversation. Each student shouldtake notes on one pair’s presentation using theBLM provided.


This student needs more practice in listening toand observing speakers in different contexts andsituations. Students could look at pictures frommagazines which show interaction, then try towork out what is being said, or take part in roleplays of familiar home situations such as thearrival of a visiting tradesman or proceduresfollowed at meal times.


This student needs to be exposed to morechallenging tasks involving spoken language, suchas listening to one speaker in a telephoneconversation and identifying the nature of theconversation or discussing television or radionews.

Reporting to parentsThis activity shows that the student has/has notbeen able to take the context of a conversationinto account when deciding on language choice.

Strand: Contextual Understanding Teaching Notes BLM 19Focus: Presenting a telephone conversation

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Name Date BLM 19

On the telephone

When watching the role play presentations, think about these things:

★ Did the caller say everything they needed to say in order to getwhat they wanted?

★ How would you improve what the caller had to say?

★ Did the person receiving the call understand what the callerwanted?

★ What questions might they ask to get a better understanding?

Ordering a pizza

Ringing a friend to see if theyare free to play on Saturday

Ringing a plumber to fix a tap

Ringing your sport coach to tellthem you can’t make trainingthis week


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Student name Date

� adjusts speaking to suit purpose and audience

� recognises that instructions need to be organised in a logical sequence

� listens and responds appropriately

�

�

�

Where to next?

Focus: Giving spoken instructions


Prior teachingStudents need to understand and haveexperience in giving and receiving clear, explicitinstructions.


ActivityDivide the class in to groups of four or fivestudents. Have students choose a character fromthose listed on the BLM and then give directionsto the rest of the group for how to get fromtheir character’s house to the school. Studentsshould not give the character’s name. Others inthe group try to guess which character theperson has chosen. Observe each group’sresponse to this activity.

Where to next?Student is experiencing problemsThis student will need practice giving spokeninstructions. This may require that the studentplans what they will say by using a step-by-stepapproach. Start with simple processes such ascleaning teeth and preparing a sandwich.

Student has achieved the OutcomeDevelop and present more complex sets ofinstructions in which this student can explorelanguage use, for example how to cook pancakesor replace bearings in a skateboard wheel.

Reporting to parentsThis activity shows that the student has/has notbeen able to give step-by-step spoken directions.

Strand: Linguistic Structures and Features Teaching Notes BLM 20Focus: Giving spoken instructions

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Name Date BLM 20

FFrroomm hheerree ttoo tthheerreeCharacters

Map

Harriet ClancyTri

JosephJaiJo

Mary St

Black St

Blay

ney

St

Path

way

Hospital

ChildCare

CentreKit Lane

SmashRepairs

Jailiveshere

Harrietliveshere

Joliveshere

Triliveshere

Clancyliveshere

car park

PetrolStation

PoliceStation

Josephliveshere

Park

Park

School

Supermarket

The

Bou

leva

rde

Playground

Stephen Lane

Tenniscourts

Harris St

Jone

s S

t


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Student name Date

� understands the structure of a book report and knows how to use this to present

information clearly

� uses pace, volume, enunciation and stress to enhance meaning

� recognises the need for, and uses, body movement and facial expression to enhance meaning

�

�

Where to next?

Focus: Presenting a spoken book review


Prior teachingThe students should have previously discussedthe nature of book reviews including the sorts ofinformation provided, and language used. Itwould be beneficial if students had examined anumber of book reviews from magazines ornewspapers.


ActivityHave each student select a book they would liketo review.They may choose a book that has beenread in class recently, or one they have read bythemselves. Hand out the BLM and ask thestudents to write answers to the questionslisted. The information on the BLM will helpstudents prepare their spoken book review.Before the students present their reviews to theclass, discuss the importance of voice whenspeaking to an audience. Highlight pace, volume,enunciation and stress and encourage thestudents to make use of these strategies. Spreadthe presentations over time.

Where to next?Student is experiencing problemsThis student may need to be involved in roundtable discussions of books. Have the studentwork in a group with students who havedeveloped skills in verbalising what they thinkabout the books they read. Refer this student toreviews in magazines and publisher’s brochuresas examples.

Student has achieved the OutcomeThis student will benefit from activities whichfocus on different kinds of books such as factualtexts. Planning reviews of this kind of materialcan be a little more challenging than reviewingfiction.

Reporting to parentsThis activity shows that the student has/has notmastered the skills of presenting ideas andinformation to an audience in a clear andsuccinct manner.

Strand: Linguistic Structures and Features Teaching Notes BLM 21Focus: Presenting a spoken book review

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Name Date BLM 21

Book review★ Title

★ Author

★ Who are the main characters?

★ Which character did you like the best and why?

★ What was the book’s most exciting event?

★ What are the main ideas in the book?

★ Would you recommend this book to another reader?Give your reasons.


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Student name Date

� uses the structure appropriate for a spoken procedure

� uses pace, volume and stress to enhance meaning

� plans ideas for spoken presentation

�

�

�

Where to next?

Focus: Planning and presenting a spoken procedure


Prior teachingStudents need to be familiar with procedure as atext type. They should also be aware of theimportance of pace and clarity when deliveringinstructions to a group.

PreparationPhotocopy the BLM so that each student has one.

ActivityHave each student prepare a verbal procedureon something they are familiar with, such as howto make a bed, or how to wash the dog.The BLMshould be used to guide students through theplanning stage. They can also use the BLM astheir notes when presenting their procedure tothe class.


This student will need more practice at planningand organising information into logical steps.Thisstudent may benefit from sub-headings such as‘Before you begin’, ‘Beginning’, ‘During’ and‘Ending’. Have them practise writing instructionsfor tasks that are familiar to them, such as gettingready for school. This student should alsopractise presenting other text types verbally,such as recounts or reports, and should beencouraged to take part in class discussions.


This student will need to be exposed to morecomplex tasks of presenting information.This maybe in the form of speeches to other classes ordebating an issue in class groups.They could alsopresent talks during visits to the school by adults.

Reporting to parentsThis activity shows that the student has/has notbeen able to plan an effective verbal presentationof a procedure. The student has/has notdemonstrated an understanding of sequencewhen giving instructions.

Strand: Linguistic Structures and Features Teaching Notes BLM 22Focus: Planning and presenting a spoken procedure

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Name Date BLM 22

How to . . .★ Use this page to plan what you will say.

Write your topic here

Introduction

First,

Next,

Then,

Conclusion


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Student name Date

� uses facial expressions and body movements to convey meaning

� uses pace, volume and stress to enhance meaning

� presents steps in a logical order

�

�

�

Where to next?

Focus: Preparing spoken instructions for an invented game


Prior teachingStudents should be exposed to a number ofdifferent games in order to understand that rulesfor games take a similar format.

PreparationPhotocopy the BLM so that each student has acopy. Collect a number of items that might beused for an invented game, such as paddle popsticks, buttons, string, rubber bands, marbles andso on.

ActivitySpend time talking with the students aboutdifferent types of games. Explain that their task isto invent a simple game that can be played bytwo or more people.They can use the materialsthat you have collected, or other things that theycollect themselves. Divide the class into pairs toundertake the task.When they have invented thegame it is their job to prepare instructions andrules and teach another pair how the gameshould be played. Then students can play eachother’s games.

Where to next?Student is experiencing problemsThis student may need more practice at speakingto peers and others in the school for a specificpurpose.This might be to explain how somethingworks, give instructions or relate a story ormessage.

Student has achieved the OutcomeThis student will benefit from participation inmore complex speaking tasks. Explaining schoolrules to newcomers or how to play team gameswill be more challenging tasks.

Reporting to parentsThis activity shows that the student has/has notmastered the skills of planning and presenting aspoken procedure. The student does/does notunderstand how to put ideas into logical orderand use terms related to games such as ‘aim’,‘players’, ‘to win’ to help the listener understand.

Strand: Linguistic Structures and Features Teaching Notes BLM 23Focus: Preparing spoken instructions for an invented game

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© Blake Publishing —Targeting English Assessment, Middle Primary.This page may be reproduced by the original purchaser for non-commercial classroom use. 47

Name Date BLM 23

How to play a gameHow to play a game

� What is your game called?

� What is the aim of your game?

� How many people can play?� What objects do you need to play the game?

� How do you begin?

� What are the rules?


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Student name Date

� uses language appropriate to the purpose and audience

� organises information in logical order

� introduces and concludes the talk so that purpose is clear

� uses intonation, stress and pace to effect

�

�

Where to next?

Focus: Preparing and presenting a spoken information report


Prior teachingStudents should be familiar with informationreports in both written and spoken form. Theymay also need practice in preparing notes andpalm cards to assist their presentation.

PreparationPhotocopy the BLM so that each student has acopy. Prepare some blank palm cards.

ActivityHave students work in small groups to researchand present a topic.This can be part of a unit ofwork under study in your classroom. Studentsuse the BLM as a guide when preparing theirpalm cards. The palm cards will assist you inreviewing each student’s contribution to thegroup talk and may also become a work sampleto use in a parent interview.

Where to next?Student is experiencing problemsThis student will need to revise the structure ofan information report in written form and mayneed assistance to convert written format to aspoken presentation.Work individually with thisstudent to assist in making well-planned, usefulpalm cards.

Student has achieved the OutcomeThis student needs to be challenged with moredemanding tasks such as the preparation ofsimple arguments for and against an issue andverbal presentation of these arguments in theirown class, or to other classes in the school.

Reporting to parentsThis activity shows that the student has/has notmastered the presentation of information inverbal form. The palm cards were/were notorganised in a logical form and did/did notinclude relevant information.

Strand: Strategies Teaching Notes BLM 24Focus: Preparing and presenting a spoken information report

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Name Date BLM 24

Group presentationPrepare an information report about a topic you havebeen studying. Each person in your group will presentone section to the class. You will need to preparepalm cards that will help you present your speech.

Think and make notes about the following points.How will we organise the information?

How will we introduce the subject?

How will we conclude?

Do we need props, pictures or diagrams? If so, what do we need andwho will bring them into class?

How long should each person speak for?

Palm cards help you to remember what you are going to say inyour speech. Write out some palm cards once you have answeredthe questions above. Hand your palm cards to your teacher afteryour presentation.


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Student name Date

� listens to a spoken presentation and chooses the relevant points

� takes notes from a spoken presentation

� listens to verbal cues to select key words

�

�

�

Where to next?

Focus:Taking notes from a video documentary


Prior teachingStudents should have spent time viewing factualtelevision programs or videos that presentinformation, such as documentaries.Give studentspractice at listening for information and takingnotes.The students should be familiar with waysof taking notes quickly.

PreparationPhotocopy the BLM so that each student has acopy. Select a video that gives information aboutan animal, for example David Attenboroughnature series. View the video to identifyappropriate points to pause and allow studentsto make notes. Check to make sure that thequestions on the BLM are relevant to the videoyou are showing.You may wish to add or changeone or two of the questions.

ActivityExplain to students that they are to take notesas they watch the video, and that you will stopat certain points to help them with this. Showthe video, stopping where necessary to allowslow writers time to select and recordappropriate ideas.

Where to next?Student is experiencing problemsSome students may not be used to making notesduring a viewing activity.Teach students to listenfor verbal cues which introduce importantinformation. This is a demanding task and willneed practice. It might be appropriate to drawattention to verbal cues when other studentspresent information to the class.

Student has achieved the OutcomeFor a student who is clearly able to carry outthis task, present a video that contains morecomplex information and have students decidefor themselves when they would stop the videoand take notes.

Reporting to parentsThis activity shows that the student has/has notbeen able to make notes while viewing.

Strand: Strategies Teaching Notes BLM 25Focus: Taking notes from a video documentary

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Name Date BLM 25

Video viewingListen carefully and write down the most importantpoints made in the video. When your teacher stops thevideo, write notes to remind you of what was said.These questions will help you take useful notes.★ What is the main topic of the video?

★ What information did you find out about the animal?Appearance

Habitat

Food

Breeding habits

★ What else would you like to know about the subject?

★ Where might you find the information you need?


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Student name Date

� understands the need to plan before speaking

� understands that in order to present a message a speaker needs to keep the speech

interesting, using changes of voice and intonation

� asks relevant questions when listening

�

�

Where to next?

Focus: Evaluating spoken presentations


Prior teachingStudents need to have had practice in listeningfor information in a variety of contexts. Forexample listening to pre-recorded science ornews programs from radio or television.


ActivityHave several students prepare a short talk on atopic of interest. You will need to plan severalsessions to hear each student’s talk and allowtime for preparation.Allocate a speaker to eachstudent, so that each student in the class takesnotes on one speaker. As each speaker finishes,allow time for students to complete assessmentdetails and, if necessary, ask questions. Theassessment of each speaker could be completedas a small group activity where the group refersto the notes they have taken to identify theirspeaker’s strengths and weaknesses as acommunicator.

Where to next?Student is experiencing problemsThis student will need opportunities to listen toother speakers and evaluate the techniques thatthe speaker uses to convey their message to theiraudience. Propose simple problems such as a bigpuddle in the road and have this student identifythe different attitudes that a motorist, pedestrianand a cyclist may have towards the problem.

Student has achieved the OutcomeThis student will need to be exposed to morechallenging listening activities. Have the studentsummarise radio news reports and relate detailsof what they hear to the class.

Reporting to parentsThis activity shows that the student has/has notbeen able listen to a speaker and recognisetechniques used by the speaker to convey his orher message to an audience.

Strand: Strategies Teaching Notes BLM 26Focus: Evaluating spoken presentations

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Name Date BLM 26

Listen to a talk given by one of your classmates. Watch, listenand make notes on the points in the table as the person speaks.

Speaker’s name:

Comment Yes NoStanding straight

Speaking clearly

Looking at the audience

Introduced the subject

Used language that suited the subject

Presented information in a logical way

Ended the speech appropriately

What was the best thing about the speaker’s presentation?

How could this presentation have been improved?

LL ii ss tt ee nn ii nn gg


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Student name Date

� asks questions to clarify understanding

� justifies choices and reasons for ideas

� conducts a conversation with others in appropriate ways

�

�

�

Where to next?

Focus: Expressing opinions and listening to others


Prior teachingStudents need to have practise in working inpairs to complete a task.

PreparationPhotocopy the BLM so that each pair of studentshas a copy.

ActivityDivide the class into pairs or small groups. Explainthat the task involves identifying and discussingthe group’s favourite television programs. Havestudents discuss what they like and don’t likeabout the shows they come up with.Ask them totalk about characters in each show, and whattheir personalities are like.While they talk, moveabout the class listening to the conversations andobserving interactions. Note the way studentsparticipate, ask questions and build on what issaid. In another session, share the questions thatstudents devise for each character and discusswhy they would ask these questions. Draw someconclusions about which programs are of mostinterest to students and why. To conclude thisactivity, you may like to draw up a class list orgraph of favourite programs.

Where to next?Student is experiencing problemsThis student will need to spend time in organisedspeaking situations. You will need to constructopportunities for this student to work withcompetent speakers so that they can be guidedby the models available to them. Make certainthat this student uses the opportunity to speakrather than allow others to speak for him or her.

Student has achieved the OutcomeThis student will benefit from involvement in moreformal speaking tasks such as reporting classactivities to other classes,or discussion and debatein the school’s student representative group.

Reporting to parentsThis activity shows that the student has/has notbeen able convey their opinion and point of viewto others.The student has/has not been able tolisten to and consider the views of others whenformulating ideas.

Strand: Strategies Teaching Notes BLM 27Focus: Expressing opinions and listening to others

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Name Date BLM 27

Favourite television show

Think of some of the television programs that you watch. Choose thegroup’s three favourite television shows and write their titles here:

�

�

�

Now talk about:★ what you like and do not like about each program ★ what you like and dislike about the characters in each program.

Choose two characters from one of your programs. Write down five questions you would like to ask each of thecharacters.

You will use these questions later in a discussion with the whole class.



Name Date

BLM 28

SSpeaking and Lispeaking and Listtening Sening Self-Aelf-Assessment Sheessessment SheettHow I listen and how I speakCircle the response that best describes you as a speaker.★ I enjoy discussions and always

have something to say.★ I prepare my work well when

giving presentations.★ I can tell others ideas I

have heard or read.★ I can make a story interesting

for others.

Circle the response that best describes you as a listener.★ I listen carefully to

others speaking.★ I like to give my opinion

when people talk.★ I can understand the main points

when someone gives a report. ★ I can follow a series

of instructions.

Write a few sentences that describe:� what you think about yourself as a speaker.

� what you think about yourself as a listener.

Texts�

never sometimes always










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Name Date

BLM 29

SSpeaking and Lispeaking and Listtening Sening Self-Aelf-Assessment Sheessessment SheettHow I speak and when I listenTick the box if the statement is true

When speaking:

I think about who will be listening.

I arrange my talk so that it is easy to understand.

I know when to use formal language.

I am aware of the different cultures and backgrounds of my audience.

When listening:

I am aware of the cultural background of the speaker andunderstand the possible difficulties that a speaker might have.

I can judge when someone is using unsuitable language.

I am aware that there are differences in the way somepeople address others.

Write a few sentences about the ways different people you knowspeak and listen.

Contextual Understanding�


What I need to do

Plan and organisematerial for a talk.

Use body movementand facial expressionto help get mymessage across.

Use the right kind ofwords to introduce anidea and show that I have an opinion (eg I think . . . I feel . . . ).

Know that there aredifferent kinds ofspeech for differentsituations.

Know how to use pace,volume andpronunciation to makemy speech moreinteresting.

When I havepractised this How well did I do it?


Name Date

BLM 30

SSpeaking and Lispeaking and Listtening Sening Self-Aelf-Assessment Sheessessment SheettMy speaking skillsComplete the table below, thinking about your own speaking skills.

Linguistic Structures and Features�



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Name Date

BLM 31

SSpeaking and Lispeaking and Listtening Sening Self-Aelf-Assessment Sheessessment SheettSpeaking and listening in groupsCircle the response that best describes you in group discussions.

★ I listen to others carefully and respond to what they say.

★ I ask others to give their own ideas.

★ I listen to the ideas of others.★ I know when speakers are trying

to convince me of something. ★ I can make notes when someone

is speaking.★ I use a tape recorder for

reviewing spoken information.

Describe how you have helped others in group discussions.Perhaps you found a word your group needed, or asked them toexplain more, or reminded others to listen properly.

Strategies�



never sometimes alwaysnever sometimes always




61

�R E A D I N GR E A D I N Gand

V I E W I N GV I E W I N G


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Student name Date

� interprets and responds to a text and justifies an interpretation

� researches unfamiliar words in a suitable reference text

� attempts to use a dictionary when needed

�

�

�

Where to next?

Focus: Comprehending text and identifying word meanings


Prior teachingStudents should have read, interpreted anddiscussed a range of information texts. Theyshould have had opportunities to suggest wordmeanings from context.

PreparationPrepare sufficient copies of the text ‘Soccer’(BLM 4) as well as a copy of BLM 32 for eachstudent. Ensure each pair of students has accessto a dictionary.

ActivityRead the text out loud to students and allowtime for them to re-read it for themselves beforecompleting the BLM.Then have students answerthe questions on the BLM.When questions havebeen completed, students should form pairs anddiscuss what they think the listed words mean.Finally, ask students to look up the words in adictionary to check their meaning and studentunderstanding.

Where to next?Student is experiencing problemsThe student will need more practice with textspitched at their reading level and with subjectmatter that appeals to them. Follow-up withactivities that maintain the student’s interest andhave an immediate purpose. Practise using thedictionary to find words on a topic of interest.

Student has achieved the OutcomeThe student now needs to read widely and forpleasure across a range of novels, poems andbooks written in series where they can followthrough on interest. Opportunities should begiven for the student to discuss their attitudestowards, and interpretations of, such texts.

Reporting to parentsThis work sample shows that the student isable/not able to interpret the author’s meaning,and to explain the words used.

Strand: Texts Teaching Notes BLM 32Focus: Comprehending text and identifying word meanings

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Name Date BLM 32

Soccer

★ Read the text once or twice by yourself, then answer the following questions.

1. Where did soccer originate?

2. Where was soccer first played?

3. What is one strict rule of soccer?

4. What is another name for soccer?

Word meanings

Word What I think Dictionary it means meaning

official

circumstances

adjusted


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Student name Date

� interprets and follows short, printed instructions

� interprets and explains text and graphic instructions

� creates graphics to illustrate instructions

�

�

�

Where to next?

Focus: Interpreting written instructions


Prior teachingMake certain that all students are familiar withthe idea of magic tricks and that the purpose of amagic trick is to entertain.You could demonstratea trick or two first.

PreparationPhotocopy BLM 33 so that each student has acopy. You may wish to have some packs of cardsfor students to try out the trick in their sparetime.

ActivityDivide the class into pairs. Have the studentswork together to interpret the instructions forthe magic trick. Once they have done this, askthem to draw a set of pictures that show eachstep of the trick. Encourage students to pick outthe command words in each step in order tofocus on the action required.The first picture hasbeen done as a model for students. If you havesome packs of cards, let the students practicethe trick so that they can do it at home.


If the student is experiencing problems he or shewill need further practice at interpretinginstructional texts. Expose these students tosimple recipes and instructions to make simpleconstructions such as planting a garden or amaking a toy. Also write instructions for thesestudents rather than giving verbal instructionsfor some class or individual activities.


If the student has achieved the Outcome he orshe will need to be challenged with tasks thatinvolve more complex sets of instructions.Thesemight include such things as instructions formodel making.

Reporting to parentsThis work sample shows the student is able/notable to interpret written instructions.

Strand: Texts Teaching Notes BLM 33Focus: Interpreting written instructions

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Name Date BLM 33

Fun with cardsProps: Two identical packs of playing cards.Preparation★ Remove the four Kings from one pack of cards.

Place them in the back pocket of your jeans ortrousers. Put the rest of the pack away—you won’tneed it for the trick.

Performance★ Give the second, full pack to your volunteer to

shuffle. When he or she has finished, take thepack and hold it in one hand behind your back.

★ With your other hand, produce the Kings one byone from your back pocket, as though you weretaking them from the pack.

Draw a set of pictures that will show another person what to do.

(Adapted from How to be a Magician, by Rachel Collinson, illustrated by Mary Fuller, published by HBJ,1990. Reproduced with permission.)

1 2 3

4 5 6


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Student name Date

� makes some inferences about ideas implicit in a narrative text

� identifies and interprets ideas in a text

� discusses how written text can reflect character

�

�

�

Where to next?

Focus: Interpreting fictional characters


Prior teachingStudents should be familiar with using contextualclues to interpret and explain character traits inwhat they read and see. Students should also beexposed to a wide range of narratives.

PreparationPhotocopy the BLM so that each student has acopy. Students will need a spare piece of paper,coloured pencils and scissors to complete theirposters.

ActivityEach student should think about a characterfrom a book they have read recently and onewhich will be familiar to other students in theclass. Ask students to prepare a ‘Who am I?’poster on which they draw the character and listwords that describe the character. Use the BLMto help students plan what information will go ontheir poster. Number the finished posters anddisplay them around the room.You can then holda guessing competition by having students writeposter numbers and character names on aseparate piece of paper.You might like to rewardthe student with the most correct guesses.

Where to next?Student is experiencing problemsGive this student plenty of opportunities toconsider characters—their particular traits, theirsimilarities and differences. Have the studentassume a character’s part and consider how sucha character would react in different situations.This allows the student to empathise with thecharacter to gain deeper insight into particularcharacter traits. Build sets of character profilesfrom well-known stories such as Robin Hood,Goldilocks or Babe.

Student has achieved the OutcomeHave students consider characters in moredepth as they read and view more widely acrossstories, novels and plays. Look at relationshipsbetween characters and the way these influenceplot. Discuss recurring themes and stereotypesthat appear in a variety of texts.

Reporting to parentsThis work sample shows the student is/is notable to interpret ideas about characters in astory or novel and convey those ideas to others.

Strand: Texts Teaching Notes BLM 34Focus: Interpreting fictional characters

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Name Date BLM 34

Know your characterChoose a favourite character from a book you have read recently.Use the outline below to describe the character. On a separatepiece of paper make a drawing of your character. Do not writethe character’s name on your poster.

Character: Eyes:

Nose: Hair:

Height: Clothes:

Distinguishing features:

Personality:

These words might help you to describe the character’s personality.

outgoing friendly shy unhappy cheekyfunny strange strong helpful sporty


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Student name Date

� retells a story using pictures

� makes inferences about the ideas in a text

� understands the development of ideas in sequence

�

�

�

Where to next?

Focus: Understanding sequence of events in a story


Prior teachingStudents will need practice at listening to andresponding to stories using pictures andunderstand the concept of a story map.

PreparationPhotocopy the BLM and make certain thatstudents have a copy of a suitable text—thismight be a short story or a chapter from alonger novel that discusses events in a specificplace. Select texts that suit the reading level ofeach of the students in your class.

ActivityHave students read the text and then create astory map to show what happened.Ask them tolabel places that they think are important, and beprepared to explain their story map to anotherperson.

Where to next?Student is experiencing problemsThis student will need to be exposed to a varietyof narrative texts. You may wish to use picturebooks as a starting point, using the pictures topoint out the main events. Photocopy thepictures and shuffle them so that students haveto re-arrange them to show the story sequence.They could then write a short caption for each.

Student has achieved the OutcomeThis student will need experience with morecomplex narrative texts. Suggest that this studentconstruct picture books for readers youngerthan themselves using knowledge of the text andstory structure to prepare appropriate pictures.

Reporting to parentsThis work sample shows that the student is/is notable to translate ideas they have read into visualimages while maintaining the story’s sequence.

Strand: Texts Teaching Notes BLM 35Focus: Understanding sequence of events in a story

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Name Date BLM 35

★ Read the story that your teacher has given you. Now use thispage to draw a story map to show what happened.

★ Label the places on the map where important things took place.★ Write a caption or title to show what your map is about.

Caption:


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Student name Date

� makes inferences and expresses opinions about the content

� recognises that language is used to signal text type

� recognises that interpretation of text is related to purpose

�

�

�

Where to next?

Focus: Identifying fact and opinion


Prior teachingStudents need to be exposed to a number oftexts which offer factual information, and texts inwhich the opinion of the writer is obvious.

PreparationPhotocopy ‘Fact or opinion?’ (BLM 5) and BLM 36 so that each student has a copy.

ActivityTalk through this exercise with the class beforestudents begin. Explain that each student will needto read through the texts on BLM 5 and thenanswer the questions on BLM 36. Have studentscomplete the text and BLM on their own.

Where to next?Student is experiencing problemsEncourage the student to be aware that thelanguage in the text will give clues to whetherthe text is someone’s opinion or a simplepresentation of facts. Point out the use of suchthings as personal pronoun ‘I’ signalling opinion.Present further texts such as clear opinionpieces for examination.

Student has achieved the OutcomeAsk the student to note the way texts arewritten to appeal to particular people, forexample the use of scientific language orreferences to specific pieces of equipment. Havethe student discuss how a class or school articlemight contain ideas or references that havemeaning to particular students or teachers.

Reporting to parentsThis work sample shows the student is/is notable to distinguish between factual texts andtexts that offer opinion.

Strand: Contextual Understanding Teaching Notes BLM 36Focus: Identifying fact and opinion

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Name Date BLM 36

Fact or opinion?Fact or opinion?1. Read ‘Snowy Mountains’. Does this text present someone’sideas (opinion) or are the facts simply stated? Underline wordsin the text that make you think this.

2. Write down the text’s main idea in your own words

. 3. Where do you think you would find a text like this?

4. Read ‘Beautiful Balloon’. Does this text present someone’sideas (opinion) or are the facts simply stated? Underline wordsthat make you think this.

5. Write down the text’s main idea in your own words.

6. Where do you think you would find a text like this?

7. Read ‘The Nile Crocodile’ Does this text present someone’sideas (opinion) or are the facts simply stated? Underline wordsthat make you think this.

8. Write down the text’s main idea in your own words.

9. Where do you think you would find a text like this?


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Student name Date

� makes inferences and expresses opinions about characters

� understands that television programs often use stereotypes to make a point

� identifies particular types of characters

�

�

�

Where to next?

Focus: Making judgements about characters


Prior teachingStudents need practice at identifying charactertraits and making generalisations about the kindsof characters they find in books and televisionshows.


ActivityDiscuss the shows students watch on television.You could list the most popular shows and showthe viewing habits of the students as a graph.Then have them choose one program to look atin more detail. Have students fill the table on theBLM referring to the program of their choice.Students may wish to add some other attributesand characters. Later, have students discuss theiropinions in small groups. Circulate and listen tostudents’ opinions.

Where to next?Student is experiencing problemsThis student may need more experience atidentifying character types before being able tomake generalisations about the types ofcharacters found in books and in televisionshows. Conduct small group discussions aboutbooks and television with the students that whohave problems with this activity. Focus onobvious character types.

Student has achieved the OutcomeEncourage the student to read widely across arange of text types and to identify how authorsbuild up ideas about characters. Introduce‘stereotype’ and help this student notice howheroes and villains are portrayed.

Reporting to parentsThis work sample shows the student can/cannotuse clues from the text to build up ideas aboutcharacters and the ways characters might act.

Strand: Contextual Understanding Teaching Notes BLM 37Focus: Making judgements about characters

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Name Date BLM 37

Televisi on characters

Think about the programs that you watch regularly.Choose one program and write the names of the show’scharacters in the table below. Tick the words that best describe the character. In the last columnwrite down why you think this character has these attributes.Name of program:

Character Friendly Shy Funny Strange Naughty Why I think so


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Student name Date

� recognises visual images such as logos have a purpose

� understands that colour and shape are related to our impressions of a product

� recognises the link between product name and logo

�

�

�

Where to next?

Focus: Identifying the effect of visual images


Prior teachingStudents need to be familiar with discussingaspects of how advertisers rely on logos to get amessage across to consumers.

PreparationPhotocopy enough copies of the BLM to giveone to each student. Students will need colouredpencils to complete their logos.

ActivityHave students consider each product on the BLMin turn, and think about the logo that they usuallyassociate with the product.This will point out theeffect visual images have on students. Havestudents choose one logo to draw then decidewhether they think it is effective, stating why orwhy not.Discuss its colour, shape and where suchlogos appear.You may wish to follow this activitywith further exploration of the effect of visualimages, especially in relation to advertising.

Where to next?Student is experiencing problemsThis student needs to be made aware thatreading is not confined to words, but thatpowerful messages can be contained in visuals.Encourage this student to identify visual imageson signs and posters, such as warning signs at thebeach, or instructions at the train station.Discuss the messages that these visuals give.

Student has achieved the OutcomeAllow this student to undertake more in depthstudy of the effects of visual images in theirsurroundings. Students could focus on genderissues by examining advertisements whichassociate product logo with specificcharacteristics. For example toys are oftendivided into toys for boys, which are associatedwith action, and toys for girls which areassociated with passive pursuits.

Reporting to parentsThis work sample shows the student does/doesnot understand the effect of visual images, inparticular logos, in their environment.

Strand: Contextual Understanding Teaching Notes BLM 38Focus: Identifying the effect of visual images

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Name Date BLM 38

LL ooggooProducers use logos to help shoppers recognise their product easily.Look at the pictures below. Draw and colour the logo that youusually think of when you see each product.Choose one of these logos and explain why you think it is effective.

PPrroodduucctt

LLooggoo


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Student name Date

� recognises recurring types of characters

� discusses ways that different groups of people are represented in text

� identifies stereotypes in text

�

�

�

Where to next?

Focus: Evaluating stereotypes in text and images


Prior TeachingStudents need experience in discussing visualtexts, especially book illustrations.

PreparationPhotocopy ‘Book characters’ (BLM 6) andBLM 39 so that each student has a copy of each.

ActivityHave students look carefully at the pictures onBLM 6 and ask them to identify the differences.Have students complete BLM 39 and thendiscuss their ideas about the characters. Talkabout the characters and books that thestudents know that contain characters likethese. Discuss the fact that the charactersportray exaggerated traits of some people in reallife.Ask students to suggest why this might be.

Where to next?Student is experiencing problemsThis student will need to be exposed to a widevariety of visual texts. Draw their attention tothe stereotypes created for different purposes,for example features of book characters areoften exaggerated to create humour. Exposethem to advertising material such as junk mailcatalogues that are aimed at a particular marketand present stereotypes. These might includecatalogues for toys depicting girls playing withdolls and boys with cars and trucks.

Student has achieved the OutcomeAsk this student to examine more complexvisual texts in which messages may not beinstantly obvious. This might include picturesfrom newspapers about current events that havea particular point of view or bias.

Reporting to parentsThis work sample shows that the studentdoes/does not understand that pictures carrymessages and that all texts need to beconsidered in context.

Strand: Contextual Understanding Teaching Notes BLM 39Focus: Evaluating stereotypes in text and images

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Name Date BLM 39

Book characBook characttersersLook at the two pictures on BLM 6 and write what you think about each character in the space below.

Picture 1This character might be called

I think she likes

She might be interested in

Picture 2This character might be called

I think she likes

She might be interested in

★ How are these characters like people in real life?

★ How are they different?


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Student name Date

� recognises the purpose of the main organisational elements of an explanation

� identifies the structure of the text type

� considers how the text involves introduction, paragraphs with information and a summing

up paragraph

�

�

Where to next?

Focus: Interpreting an explanation


Prior teachingStudents will need to have knowledge ofexplanations as a text type and what they involvein terms of language and structure.

PreparationPhotocopy the text ‘Precipitation—why rain falls’(BLM 7) and BLM 40 so that each student hasa copy.

ActivityAsk students to read the text on BLM 7, andlook at the illustration on BLM 40.Their task isto fill in the boxes on BLM 40, which shouldexplain how rain forms.The students will need towrite the explanation in the boxes in short,succinct sentences.

Where to next?Student is experiencing problemsThis student will need further exposure tosimple explanations of common phenomena,such as why snails like the damp and/or simplelife cycles. It may be useful to begin with visualrepresentations of an explanation and move onto the written text.

Student has achieved the OutcomeThis student needs opportunities to considermore complex texts that explain commonphenomena. These explanations might includesome technical language and more complexsentence structures. Science texts, such asexplaining how electrical energy works, or whybirds migrate, would be useful.

Reporting to parentsThis work sample shows the student is/is notable to understand an explanation and recogniseits structure and language.

Strand: Linguistic Structures and Features Teaching Notes BLM 40Focus: Interpreting an explanation

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Name Date BLM 40

Why rain falls★ Read the text and look carefully at the illustration. Use the

illustration to explain how rain falls. ★ Add short sentences in the boxes marked 1 to 5.

5

432

1


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Student name Date

� recognises the purpose of the main organisational elements of an information report

� identifies the structure of the text type

� considers how the text involves introduction, paragraphs with information and a summing

up paragraph

�

�

Where to next?

Focus: Understanding structure and features of an information report


Prior teachingDuring a prior reading session students will needto read and discuss the passage ‘Dragon Boatfestival’ (BLM 8). Students should also haveknowledge of information reports.

PreparationPhotocopy BLM 41 so that each student has a copy.

ActivityExplain to the students that they have alreadyread this text.Their job is to use their knowledgeof information reports to work out what themissing words should be. Have students workindependently on this activity.

Where to next?Student is experiencing problemsThis student will need further exposure to textswhich present information. They will need todiscuss the structure that a reader should expectwhen reading texts of this type. It may benecessary to revise basic constructs such asevery sentence needing a verb, verb tenses andsubject-verb agreement. Encourage this studentto identify unknown words and use a dictionaryto find their meanings.

Student has achieved the OutcomeThis student needs opportunities to considerthe special features of the texts they read,whether narrative, report, recount, visual orwritten. The student should be applying thisknowledge to planning and constructing originaltexts and be encouraged to read morechallenging texts and vocabulary.

Reporting to parentsThis work sample shows the student can/cannotread and understand a text by recognising itsform and structure.

Strand: Linguistic Structures and Features Teaching Notes BLM 41Focus: Understanding structure and features of an information report

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Name Date BLM 41

CC ll oo zz eeFill in the missing words in the text below.

Dragon Boat festival

The Dragon Boat festival traditionally happens on the fifth dayof the fifth month in the Chinese lunar calendar (around June).

The story behind this Chinese festival goes back hundreds ofyears. There was a poet named Qu Yuan, angrywith the behaviour of China’s government at that time. In protest,Qu Yuan himself into the Mi Lo River.

The local fishermen were so moved by his action that they racedin their boats to recover his body. They beat the water withtheir to scare the fish away from the body. People

rice dumplings wrapped in silk into the river, to helpthe poet’s spirit to go to heaven.

It soon became a tradition to remember the event with boatraces. were often designed to look like dragons, toplease the spirit of the waters.

Nowadays dragon boat races are held in many countries aroundthe world. They are noisy and colourful occasions. Teams competefor a place in the international races, are held in HongKong and Singapore in June.

(Extract from Celebrations by Ida Chionh, published by HBJ, 1989. Reproduced with permission.)


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Student name Date

� recognises the purpose of organisational elements in a recount

� identifies words that signal a sequence of events

� recognises the use of past tense in a recount

�

�

�

Where to next?

Focus: Identifying structure and features of a recount


Prior teachingStudents should understand the structure ofrecounts and should have discussed the linguisticfeatures they expect to find in a recount.


ActivityAsk the students to read the text through carefullybefore beginning the BLM.You may wish to remindthe students of other recounts they have studiedbefore asking them to complete the BLM.

Where to next?Student is experiencing problemsThis student will need wider exposure to, andopportunities for, discussion of specific texttypes such as explanation, discussion, recount orinformation report. This can be done inconjunction with a simple writing exercise basedon a known topic, for example a class trip to the zoo.

Student has achieved the OutcomeDevelop this student’s skills in analysing factualtexts, looking for organisational elements andevidence of fact or opinion. Have the studentlook for texts of similar content and note anysimilarities or differences in the way theinformation is presented.

Reporting to parentsThis work sample shows the student does/doesnot understand the structure of a recount. Thestudent is/is not able to identify the verbs andshow how some words signal time sequence in a recount.

Strand: Linguistic Structures and Features Teaching Notes BLM 42Focus: Identifying structure and features of a recount

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Name Date BLM 42

Dear Diary,

Yesterday was a very busy day for me. It started

when Mum came in and got me out of bed for

breakfast. There was no cereal so I had to go to the

shop. Mum made me get milk and some other stuff

so the bag was real ly heavy.

When I had packed my lunch I remembered that I had

to take my art book to school. I had to unpack

everything in my bag so I could fit it in. After I got

to school , Jake reminded me that we were supposed tobring some leaves for a science activity. I spent my

whole lunchtime trying to find some leaves in

the playground.

After school Jesse (my sister) had to go and get a

hair cut, she started whingeing because she liked her

hair long. It took ages to get out of the shops. Then

when I finally got home I was so tired I couldn ’t do myhomework so I had to do it this morning before school.

DD ee ar diaryar diary

1. What kind of text is this? Circle the text type.Narrative Explanation Recount Information Report2. Circle all the verbs in the recount. What tense are theseverbs?3. Find words that show the events happened in order. Circlethose words with a coloured pencil.4. On the back of this sheet, draw a picture to show one part ofthe recount.


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Student name Date

� recognises the effect of specific language in advertising texts

� understands the organisational structure of a jingle

� justifies inferences about ideas and information implied in visual and written texts

�

�

�

Where to next?

Focus: Understanding the language of advertising


Prior teachingStudents would need to have had an opportunityto study and discuss advertising slogans and jingles.


ActivityAsk the students to imagine that they work forthe advertising agency that was commissioned toproduce this jingle. Explain that there are lots ofjingles being judged by the company and this isjust one. Students need to be able to explain whythey think the jingle is suitable for the productbeing advertised.

Where to next?Student is experiencing problemsUse examples from newspapers, magazines andtelevision to analyse the structure of texts.Thisstudent will need to participate in discussionsabout the choice and use of words in such texts.

Student has achieved the OutcomeGive experience in comparing and discussingsimilar visual and written factual texts. Look forideas, words and phrases which confirm andexpress the writer’s point of view. Giveopportunities to create similar texts, such aswriting text and pictures for a brochure ordesigning a label for a food product.

Reporting to parentsThis work sample shows that the student is/isnot able to identify how an advertising jingle usesideas and words to appeal to its audience. Thestudent can/cannot identify words and phraseswhich affect the intended meaning of text.

Strand: Linguistic Structures and Features Teaching Notes BLM 43Focus: Understanding the language of advertising

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Name Date BLM 43

JingleJingleSoapy, shiny, sudsy bubbles

Keep those dishes clean

Grease just disappears so quickly

Make those dishes gleam.

Sudsy, bubbly, sudsy—keep those dishes clean

Sudsy, bubbly, sudsy—make those dishes gleam!

★ Consider the advertising jingle above.★ The writer has chosen particular words with lots of ‘s’ sounds.

Why do you think she did this?

★ Do you think the jingle is a good one? Why/why not?

★ Draw a picture to help advertise the product on the back ofthis sheet.

★ Make up a tune for the jingle.


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Student name Date

� clusters and categorises ideas as preparation for searching

� predicts where information can be found

� participates in brainstorming to begin concept map

�

�

�

Where to next?

Focus: Identifying texts to be used in research


Prior teachingStudents need to understand how to search forspecific information in the library. Students needa knowledge of concept maps as a way ofrecording, organising and brainstorming ideas.


ActivityRead the text ‘Soccer’ (BLM 4) to the studentsand begin a discussion of games and sports.Thenhave students select a game or sport that theywould like to know more about. Explain to thestudents that the concept map is a way of puttingdown ideas about where they might find theinformation that they need. Help the studentsbegin their concept maps by brainstorming someof the things that they might explore. Forexample, they might like to look at the game’shistory, rules, places where the game is playedand so on. Suggest some headings that mightappear on the spokes of the map and then let thestudents continue their planning.

Where to next?Student is experiencing problemsStudents experiencing problems may needfurther practice at using concept maps. Includework with concept maps in their everydayactivities. This student may also need activitieswhich assist them to understand the differentsections of books, for example index andcontents.They may also need to be shown wherein the library they might find what they need.

Student has achieved the OutcomeEncourage the student to explore other sourcesof information such as the Internet. Alsoencourage them to look in depth at issues thatsurround a topic and use articles and othersources to enhance knowledge.

Reporting to parentsThis work sample shows the student is able/notable to plan and begin a search for informationusing the sources available to them.

Strand: Strategies Teaching Notes BLM 44Focus: Identifying texts to be used in research

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Name Date BLM 44

Research a gameFill in the concept map to help you begin your information search.

1. Where will you begin your search for information?

2. Why is this a good place to begin?

3. Who else might you ask or where else might you look?


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Student name Date

� understands how an information report is structured and uses this knowledge to find

specific information

� identifies present tense in verbs

� uses key words to identify information

�

�

Where to next?

Focus: Understanding structure and language of an information report


Prior teachingMake certain that the students have worked withinformation reports before completing thisactivity.

PreparationPhotocopy the text ‘Dragon Boat festival’ (BLM 8)and BLM 45 so that each student has a copy.

ActivityHave students read the text ‘Dragon Boatfestival’ and answer the comprehensionquestions on BLM 45. When they havecompleted the comprehension questions, writethe following statements on the chalkboard:‘Thispart sums up and adds a comment about theraces’, ‘This part gives information about howthe race came about’,‘This part gives informationabout the boats’ and ‘General statementintroduces the subject’. Have the students writeeach statement next to the appropriateparagraph on BLM 8.

Where to next?Student is experiencing problemsThis student will need to carefully study thestructure of an information report and apply theknowledge to texts at his or her reading level.Work individually with the student to directtheir attention to different parts of the text.Choose simple texts to allow the student tounderstand structural features.

Student has achieved the OutcomeThe student will need to be given morechallenging texts. Look for books using headingsand sub-headings as pointers to content.Encourage this student to use search engines tofind specific information on the Internet and tolist key words for topic research.

Reporting to parentsThis student does/does not understand thestructure of an information report andcan/cannot identify a verb in a sentence.

Strand: Strategies Teaching Notes BLM 45Focus: Understanding structure and language of an information report

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Name Date BLM 45

Dragon Boat festival

Read the text ‘Dragon Boat festival’ and answer the questions below.

1. Why did the poet jump into the river? In which paragraph didyou find the answer to this question?

2. What did the fishermen do?

3. Why were the boats designed to look like dragons? In whichparagraph did you find this information?

4. Where are the international races held? In which paragraphdid you find this information?

5. Now underline all the verbs in the present tense.


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Student name Date

� recognises that a factual text has particular content

� understands that information can be shown in different forms

� uses specific strategies to interpret written and visual text

�

�

�

Where to next?

Focus: Interpreting a diagram


Prior teachingStudents will need experience in findinginformation in diagrammatic form.

PreparationPhotocopy the BLM and make certain eachstudent has one.

ActivityHave students look carefully at the diagram andthen use the information to construct a shortwritten description of the grasshopper. Have thestudents suggest what sort of book this picturemay have come from and a title for the sectionthat this diagram might appear in.

Where to next?Student is experiencing problemsIf the student is experiencing problems he or shewill need more practice at extracting informationfrom pictures, diagrams and flow charts. Practicein these areas could be incorporated into studiesin Science, or SOSE/HSIE, since this skill is just asimportant as reading text for information. Usegames such as Memory or Concentration whichinvolve labelling, sorting and categorising.

Student has achieved the OutcomeThis student can be challenged with morecomplex diagrams and other visual texts such asinstructions for origami paper folding or stringpatterning games. Studying simple flow chartsand converting the information to text will alsobe useful.

Reporting to parentsThis work sample shows that the studentwas/was not able to translate information from adiagram into text.

Strand: Strategies Teaching Notes BLM 46Focus: Interpreting a diagram

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Name Date BLM 46

DiagramDiagramThe Grasshopper

First look carefully at the diagram. 1. Write a paragraph describing the grasshopper, using theinformation from the diagram.

2. What kind of a book would contain this kind of information?

3. Suggest a possible title for such a book.

4. Suggest some chapter headings that you might find in a booklike this.

ABDOMEN

Eye

Antenna

3 Pairs of jointed legs

Mouth

THORAXHEAD


92

Student name Date

� uses a range of automatic monitoring and self-correction methods when reading

� uses word identification strategies

� uses a comprehensive range of skills and strategies appropriate to the text being read

�

�

�

Where to next?

Focus: Reading for fluency and understanding


Prior teachingStudents need to be aware that reading requiresparticular self-monitoring and word-attack skillsand they should have had opportunities topractise them.

PreparationPrepare a copy of BLM 47 for students to readfrom and class copies of ‘Dog on a diet—readingpassage’ (BLM 9) to use as individual recordsheets. If the given text is not of sufficientinterest to all students, have other texts ofsimilar length ready for the class to read andprepare content questions for these texts.

ActivityChoose times when each student can read aloudto you. As students read to you, record theirresults on BLM 9.You may wish to vary the textand its questions depending on the student’sinterest level. Make notes as each student readsand keep the page for assessment recordpurposes.Add any extra comments on the backof the sheet. Once the student has completedtheir reading, ask the content questions.

Where to next?Student is experiencing problemsIdentify the particular needs of the student—forexample whether there is a need for wordidentification skills, contextual clues or simplere-reading, and provide practice for theparticular area. Give plenty opportunities for thestudent to read texts which contain new wordsand concepts.

Student has achieved the OutcomeThe student should be given a range of readingexperiences to gain practise in constructingmeaning from different text types with morechallenging text structures and features such asstories, plays, factual records and factual texts.

Reporting to parentsThis work sample shows that the studentuses/does not use strategies such as re-reading,reading on, sub-vocalising and identifying parts ofwords to make meaning from an unknown text.

Strand: Strategies Teaching Notes BLM 47Focus: Reading for fluency and understanding

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Name Date BLM 47

Read it!

‘There is no doubt about it’, said Mr James. ‘That dog will have to go on a diet.’

‘But Dad—Strider’s not fat, he’s thin.’

‘Only because he runs around so much. Otherwise he’d be thesize of a house, with the amount he eats. He’ll just have to slowdown.’

Zzzzzzz…zzzzzzzz…zzzzzzzzz…

Simon looked under the table. His large, lanky red setter filledmost of the space between the family’s feet. He was snoringgently. It had been a long time since the last titbit. Simonnudged him with his toe. Strider licked the boy’s bare foot.Simon giggled.

‘This is no laughing matter!’ snapped his father. ‘Strider may bethin, but so is my wallet. Everything has gone up, except mywages. We’ll all have to give up something.’

‘I’ll give up carrots, Dad’, offered Simon.

‘And I’ll give up spinach’, said his sister Jodie.

‘Oh no, you won’t’, said their mother. ‘If you give up anything itwill be icecream and biscuits.’

‘Mu—um!’ cried Simon and Jodie together.

(From Dog on a Diet by Joan Dalgleish, published by HBJ, 1989. Reproduced withpermission.)



Name Date

BLM 48

RReading and Vieeading and Viewing Swing Self-Aelf-Assessment Sheessessment SheettMy reading habits★ Circle all of the reading habits that apply to you.I like to read:lots of different kinds of books. books about one subject.I like to read at home.I only read at school. I go to the library regularly.I prefer to read magazines.I like to read aloud.

The best fiction book I read recently was

I liked it becauseThe best factual book I read recently was

I liked it because it was I think I could improve my reading by

★ Me as a readerWrite a few sentences about yourself and your reading habits inthe box below.

Texts�



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Name Date

BLM 49

RReading and Vieeading and Viewing Swing Self-Aelf-Assessment Sheessessment SheettReading skills ✓ Tick the following statements if they are true.When people read they interpret what they read by:

knowing something about the kind of text.knowing something about who wrote the text.thinking about their own experiences and how they relate to the text.using the details of the text to explain their own ideas.trying to imagine what it might be like to be a particular character.

Using the list above as a starting point, describe in a fewsentences what you do as a reader.




Name Date

BLM 50

RReading and Vieeading and Viewing Swing Self-Aelf-Assessment Sheessessment SheettWhat writers do to help readers read★ A writer can help the reader understand their text by writing

in a particular way. Circle the ways you know. They can do this by:✎ starting a narrative by setting the scene.

✎ using steps in a procedure.

✎ using words that let the reader know that they are giving anopinion, such as ‘I think’.

✎ using words like ‘then’, ‘soon’ and ‘after that’ which let thereader know that there is a logical order to what is happening.

I can recognise:a narrative that tells a story.

an information report about something that interests me.

a play.

a poem.

a procedure on how to do something.

a recount of something that happened.

an explanation of why something happens.

a description of a person or thing.




97

Name Date

BLM 51

RReading and Vieeading and Viewing Swing Self-Aelf-Assessment Sheessessment SheettHow I read

✓ Tick the statement if it is correct.When reading I:

make sure I understand what the text is about by doing things like reading on, or reading the words again.

break words up into small parts to try to work them out.

like to predict what is going to happen.

can scan quickly for particular words or information.

I can:make notes.

read an index.

read a contents page.

use a glossary.

interpret diagrams and illustrations.

predict where to find information.

work with others for research.

When I have problems with reading or understanding I

Strategies�


99

�W R I T I N GW R I T I N G


100

Student name Date

� writes a description of a character, selecting words and phrases which develop an overall picture

� plans writing by making notes, lists or talking with others

� uses notes to help expand original idea

�

�

�

Where to next?

Focus: Writing a description of a person


Prior teachingStudents need to be familiar with the text typedescription and understand the use of noungroups, adjectives and verbs in this form. Thisactivity links in with, and would precede BLM 66.


ActivityHave students think about their favouritetelevision or sport personalities. Using the BLM,have the students write out a brief characterprofile of their chosen personality. When theprofiles are complete ask the students todescribe their favourite personality to the class.

Where to next?Student is experiencing problemsThis student could practise making verbaldescriptions from a set of headings beforewriting, make up a list of synonyms andantonyms, create noun groups and find verbs tosuit them.

Student has achieved the OutcomeEncourage this student to be creative in the useof descriptive words and phrases. Look fordescriptive passages in factual and literary textsand discuss how each is constructed. Studentscould use written descriptions as the basis forartwork.

Reporting to parentsThis work sample shows the student has/has notmastered the format of a written description andhas/has not used words and phrases to enhancetheir writing.

Strand: Texts Teaching Notes BLM 52Focus: Writing a description of a person

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101

Name Date BLM 52

Descri pti on

Draw a picture of your character, or find a picture of him or herand paste it in the box above.

Name of person: For what is this person well-known?

Think of suitable adjectives to help you describe the followingfeatures. List the adjectives under the feature.

Hair Eyes Skin Nose Mouth

Now write a short description of the person.


102

Student name Date

� writes a text to include relevant information in logical sequence

� adds detail that enhances the message

� expands writing from simple notes or headings

�

�

�

Where to next?

Focus: Selecting important information for a text


Prior teachingStudents should be familiar with the format ofinvitations and how they can vary depending onthe event. They should have discussed thesimilarities and differences found in each.


ActivityTell the students that the information on theBLM is all the things that Lee thought of whenshe was getting ready for her party. Shebrainstormed some ideas and wrote them onthis page. Tell the students to read through theinformation on the BLM and decide what needsto be included on Lee’s party invitation. Thepeople coming to the party will need to know:where the party is to be held; when (date/time);what they should bring and what kind of a partyit is.Then have students write the invitation thatLee might send out to her friends.

Where to next?Student is experiencing problemsThis student may not be familiar with theconventions and language of party invitations. Ifthis is not a cultural issue, then have themexamine a range of invitations which conform toconventions and study these for detail. If thestudent is unfamiliar with invitations, have themselect an activity from their culture that wouldrequire planning and organisation.

Student has achieved the OutcomeEncourage this student to write morechallenging texts from notes made by themselvesor others.This might include writing informationabout school or class events or writing fromnotes after a family holiday.

Reporting to parentsThis sample shows that the student is/is not ableto select appropriate information for a particularpurpose, in this case the writing of a partyinvitation.

Strand: Texts Teaching Notes BLM 53Focus: Selecting important information for a text

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103

Name Date BLM 53

drinks

cakes

DJmusic

Saturday 2.00 p.m. 1.00 p.m. to 5.00 p.m.

11th March

my house

22 Jones St, Pottersville

Mum wil l take you home

disco party

decorations


104

Student name Date

� understands letter format and uses a variety of drafting techniques

� constructs the letter in a logical sequence

� relates information in the form of a letter

�

�

�

Where to next?

Focus:Writing a letter


Prior teachingStudents will need to read the article ‘Bike TrackSet to go Ahead’ (BLM 10) and understand thecontent before attempting to write.They shouldbe familiar with the format and conventions ofletter writing.

PreparationPhotocopy ‘Bike Track Set to go Ahead’ (BLM 10)and BLM 54 so that each student has a copy.

ActivityThe article focuses on the construction of a biketrack which has been approved by the localcouncil. The local newspaper has picked up thestory and featured one or two of the local kids,Dean and Jesse. Dean is away on holiday whenthe article appears and Jesse writes to him to tellhim the news. Have students imagine that theyare Jesse and are writing the letter to Dean.

Where to next?Student is experiencing problemsThis student may not fully understand thestructure and purpose of the letter, so will needmore assistance with scaffolding. Encourage thisstudent to read the work of peers and to learnfrom the approach they take, noting conventionalformat and common phrasing.

Student has achieved the OutcomeThis student should look for and explore newfields for writing. Encourage the student to takeon more complex writing tasks such as writingtheir own version of a newspaper article that hasappeared in the local paper.

Reporting to parentsThis activity shows the student is/is not able totranslate information contained in one text typeinto a letter to a friend using a style of writingand language suited to a friendly letter.

Strand: Texts Teaching Notes BLM 54Focus: Writing a letter

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105

Name Date BLM 54

Draft a letterUse this page to draft your letter.

Plan your work before you begin writing. Think about the following points.

� What will your friend want to know?

� How will you begin your letter?

� How will you end the letter?

Don’t forget your address and the date.


106

Student name Date

� writes a detailed information report in logical sequence

� incorporates some detailed description into the report

� uses a variety of action verbs

�

�

�

Where to next?

Focus:Writing an information report


Prior teachingStudents should understand the structure of aninformation report and be able to apply thestructure to a specific subject matter.


ActivityHold a class discussion about popular groups orclubs in the school or community. Have studentsdiscuss the clubs and why people belong. Discussthe sort of information someone would need toknow if they were thinking of joining a particulargroup or club.You may wish to list some of thesepoints on the chalkboard to give the studentssome guidance before they start their work.

Where to next?Student is experiencing problemsThis student may need more support in planningwriting. This could be achieved by providingmore detailed scaffolding, giving the studentmore practice in identifying the kind ofinformation a reader might need and by usingheadings to define parts of the text.

Student has achieved the OutcomeHave this student become involved in morechallenging writing tasks such as making a schoolor local-area historical record which may involvesome research, note taking, categorising andselecting appropriate information before writing.

Reporting to parentsThis work sample shows the student is/is notable to write an information report that islogically organised and makes use of headingsand sub-headings to guide the reader.

Strand: Texts Teaching Notes BLM 55Focus: Writing an information report

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107

Name Date BLM 55

Join the clubWrite about a club that you belong to or know about. Use theformat below to plan what you would tell other people aboutthe club.

TitleOpening sentence

Background information

Who can belong?

When the club meetsContact with other similar groups

Conclusion


108

Student name Date

� understands that texts are created for a purpose

� knows that the purpose of a text influences its language and structure

� identifies the structure of a particular text type, in this case an advertisement

�

�

�

Where to next?

Focus: Creating an advertisement using text and images


Prior teachingStudents should have had discussions aboutadvertising and understand how the words usedin advertising aim to persuade the audience.

PreparationTalk about the range of advertising material thatwe see everyday, noting the points made by thestudents.You may wish to have some examplesavailable to show the students. Photocopy theBLM so that each student has a copy.

ActivityAsk the students to imagine that they work foran advertising agency and have been asked towrite the text for an advertisement which willappear in a magazine aimed at children abouttheir age.They can choose the product they willbe advertising.

Where to next?Student is experiencing problemsThis student will need more practice at readingand writing for different purposes. Draw thisstudent’s attention to a variety of different formsof writing for different purposes, for examplenotes to a friend, lists for supermarket shopping,letters to friends. Draw the student’s attentionto texts in the classroom such as fiction to readfor enjoyment, factual texts for information andso on. Ensure that they understand that each ofthese texts has a purpose.

Student has achieved the OutcomeEncourage this student to evaluate and interpretwritten material from a wide range of sourcesand to write in different styles for differentpurposes. For example, make a travel brochureto encourage someone to visit their home town.

Reporting to parentsThis sample shows that the student is/is not ableto take purpose into account when writing.

Strand: Contextual Understanding Teaching Notes BLM 56Focus: Creating an advertisement using text and images

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Name Date BLM 56

Advertisement

Product Some words I might use to describe it:

Some colours I might use in my advertisement:

My advertisement


110

Student name Date

� understands that texts are created for a purpose

� knows that a text’s purpose influences its language and structure

� identifies the structure of a particular text type, in this case a poster

�

�

�

Where to next?

Focus: Creating a text for a specific purpose


Prior teachingStudents should be exposed to the languageused in a variety of posters, pamphlets andadvertising material.

PreparationPhotocopy the BLM so that each student has a copy. Students will also need coloured pencilsand a clean sheet of paper.

ActivityDiscuss an event which may involve all students.This might be a school fair, an art show or anevent such as the school’s sport day. Have thestudents design and write a poster to let othersknow about the event. Talk about the essentialinformation that will need to appear on theposter and then discuss any additionalinformation that should be included. Havestudents use the BLM to plan what they willwrite and what features they will include in theirdesign. Once they have completed their plan,have the students publish their posters on aseparate piece of paper.

Where to next?Student is experiencing problemsThis student will need more exposure to textsthat attract attention and will need tounderstand the specific purpose for each.Reading of advertising material with the specificaim of expanding their knowledge of these texttypes will help. This student may also needassistance in understanding the language specificto advertising.

Student has achieved the OutcomeThe student now needs to read more challengingtexts which present other constructs such asnewspaper and magazine advertisements.Students could identify the likely audience forthem and be able to reproduce similaradvertising texts for real or imaginary items.

Reporting to parentsThis work sample shows that the studentdoes/does not understand that texts areconstructed to suit a specific purpose andhas/has not been able to make use of expectedorder and construction.

Strand: Contextual Understanding Teaching Notes BLM 57Focus: Creating a text for a specific purpose

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111

Name Date BLM 57

PosterPoster

� Think about an event that is happening at your school. Use thispage to plan a poster to tell people about the event.

What’s happening?

When?Where?What will happen on the day?

Who will read your poster?

How will you make your poster attractive?

Where might it be put so that lots of people see it?

How will people who cannot read very well be able to get someideas about the event?


112

Student name Date

� examines models of an argument and can identify some features

� understands the purpose of an argument

� writes an argument using a model text

�

�

�

Where to next?

Focus:Writing an argument


Prior TeachingStudents should be exposed to texts thatpresent arguments relating to a particular issue.

PreparationPrepare sufficient copies of the BLM for eachstudent.

ActivityExplain that the text is an argument andsupports a particular view about theenvironment. It is part of a letter that a studentwrote to a local newspaper. Have students readthe argument text and annotate its structure (forexample, opening statement, arguments andclosing statement) and features (for example,action verbs, thinking verbs, emotive languageand value judgements). Next, have students writetheir own exposition supporting the argumentthat students should be responsible for keepingtheir classroom clean and tidy. This could takethe form of a poster that will encourage othersin the school to be clean and tidy.

Where to next?Student is experiencing problemsThis student will need further practice at readingtexts of this type, and in identifying the text’spurpose and main arguments. This studentshould also compose simple argument textsbased on models that deal with issues that areimportant to them.

Student has achieved the OutcomeThis student should be expected to write morecomplex arguments supporting issues that arerelevant to the wider school community. Thesemight include letters to authorities supportingsuch things as the provision of recreationfacilities for children, or ways to solve a localenvironmental issue.

Reporting to parentsThis work sample shows that the studentdoes/does not understand the structure andpurpose of texts that argue a particular point of view.

Strand: Contextual Understanding Teaching Notes BLM 58Focus: Writing an argument

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113

Name Date BLM 58

Clean up

Our park is a very important part of our suburb. Many people usethe park for a variety of reasons. It is important for everyone inthe suburb to do their part in keeping our local park clean.

Parents with young children make use of the swings and picnicarea during the week and on weekends. Older children like ourpark because they can play soccer and ride their bikes there. If the places where young children play are dirty and full ofrubbish, the children might play with the rubbish and get sick.Older children might accidentally fall into the rubbish and couldcut themselves on loose metal or glass.

I also think that it is important for old people to have a placewhere they can walk and relax. If the park is polluted they willnot enjoy going there. They may have nowhere else to go to enjoythe outdoors and so will be confined to their homes.

Our park also provides places for birds and other animals to breedand live. Pollution might endanger the wild life. Imagine if ourrubbish made it difficult for birds and animals to live in our parks.

It is important that everyone who enjoys and uses the park takesresponsibility for keeping it a clean and healthy place.


114

Student name Date

� recognises situations where informal language is inappropriate and adjusts writing style accordingly

� understands that some forms of abbreviation and colloquial language are acceptable in

some situations

� chooses a range of vocabulary to suit a particular task

�

�

Where to next?

Focus:Writing formal and informal English


Prior teachingStudents should understand the correct formatfor a letter, and have had experience inconstructing email messages.


ActivityDiscuss with students the kinds of messages thatmay be sent via email or other Internet servicessuch as chat lines.Talk about the level of formalityused in this context. Have students read the firsttwo messages on the sheet and compare andcontrast the two different styles of writing.Thenhave students read the letter from Nick to Simand convert the information into an email in amanner similar to the first example. Have thestudents write their own letters then give themto a classmate to convert into an email.

Where to next?Student is experiencing problemsEncourage this student to think about the differentpurposes of writing and context. Look moreclosely at email messages and notice the lack offormality. Have students begin sending emailmessages to one another and compare these withother forms such as personal diary entries,postcards and other less-formal forms of writing.

Student has achieved the OutcomeThis student should move on to developingmore complex messages and conveyinginformation in a number of different contexts,for example constructing a note that givesdirections or gives precise information aboutmeeting friends for shopping.

Reporting to parentsThis work sample shows that the student is/isnot able to recognise that the formality and styleof writing changes according to the demands andconventions of the text.

Strand: Contextual Understanding Teaching Notes BLM 59Focus: Writing formal and informal English

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115

Name Date BLM 59

LLeetttters and emailers and emailDear Cindy,

I really want to come to your party early on Saturday, but Dad says I haveto clean my room. He says I can go to your house at 2.30, though, and that Ican take my bike just as we planned. I’ll bring some drinks for the park too.I’m really looking forward to it. Thanks for inviting me.

Your friend

Jen

Hi Cindy,Can’t go to party early Sat. Got to clean my room UGH! Be outside yourplace 2.30 with bikeByeJen

Hi Sim

We arrived at the beach nearly two weeks ago now and it’s been great fun.Christmas was really good. I got a scooter from my Dad, and CDs from Lani.I have been down to the beach every day, but unfortunately I haven’t beenable to ride my boogie board because it’s too light for the waves. I havebeen body surfing though, which has been fun.

I can’t wait to get back to show you my new scooter. Now we both haveone, we’ll be able to have races down our street. By the way, I saw PJyesterday and he said to say hi.

See you soon.

Nick

Now rewrite the second letter as an email from Sim to Nick. Usethe back of this sheet.


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Student name Date

� adopts organisational conventions when given a structured format for writing an

information report

� recognises meaningful divisions between sections of text and sets them out as paragraphs

� uses appropriate verbs and adjectives

� uses correct punctuation when publishing

�

Where to next?

Focus: Planning and writing an information report

Not Apparent ❏ Emerging ❏ Achieved ❏ Working Beyond ❏ Nat 3.11 NSW 2.10, 2.14 Vic 3.11

Prior teachingStudents should understand the structure andfeatures of information reports.

PreparationThis activity could well fit in with work that theclass is covering in SOSE/HSIE or Science. Reviewthese areas to consider whether an informationreport is appropriate. If not, you may wish to plansome topics which the students could researchprior to writing this report. Allow time fordiscussion and note making before the activitybegins. Students should have all the necessaryinformation about their topic before they beginthis exercise. Photocopy ‘What is a disaster?’(BLM 2) and BLM 60 for each student.

ActivityUsing BLM 2 have students identify the parts ofan information report.Then have students makenotes on BLM 60 saying what they would put ineach segment of an information report on asubject the class is studying, or on a topic of theirown. Allow students time to complete andpublish their information report.

Where to next?Student is experiencing problemsThis student may need more assistance with thecollection and sorting of information beforewriting. Assist this student in choosing suitablesource material. In the editing stage, encouragethis student to look for words and phrases toimprove the finished product.

Student has achieved the OutcomeExpect a greater level of research from thisstudent and encourage the use of sub-headingsfor longer reports and the addition of maps anddiagrams in completed work. During research,this student should compile more detailed notesand begin to compile a bibliography to add towritten material.

Reporting to parentsThis work sample shows that the studentdoes/does not understand that when presentinginformation in written form a conventionalstructure assists the reader to gain meaning.Thestudent has/has not used language appropriate tothe subject matter and divided the text in alogical way.

Strand: Linguistic Structures and Features Teaching Notes BLM 60Focus: Planning and writing an information report

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117

Name Date BLM 60

Information report

★ Prepare an information report about a topic that you knowwell. Before you begin, think about how an information report is set out.

★ Decide how you will begin. Decide what important facts you willinclude and how you will end your report.

★ Write down some interesting words you could use in your report.★ Now begin your draft here.

Title Introduction

Paragraph 1

Paragraph 2

Paragraph 3

Conclusion


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Student name Date

� understands how texts are structured to entertain and engage the reader’s interest

� adopts organisational conventions when given a structured format for writing

� uses common punctuation marks correctly

� discusses with peers how particular features of grammar are characteristic of a text type

� uses a range of verbs, adjectives and conjunctions effectively

�

Where to next?

Focus:Writing a television news script


Prior teachingStudents should have considered the waytelevision news items are presented, with a clearstatement of introduction and a brief logicalrecount of events in the past tense, using avariety of verbs and noun groups. Make certainthat students are exposed to a number oftelevision news items before doing this activity.

PreparationPhotocopy BLM 3 and BLM 61 for each studentin the class.

ActivityHave the students look at the pictures on BLM 3carefully and note the events.You might wish tospend some time on each picture and talk abouthow it relates to what the newsreader will bereporting in the news.Have students relate eventsin which they have been involved such as familyoutings or school excursions. They could drawpictures before writing. Once the students have agood grasp of how they will approach the script,have them use BLM 61 to write down what thenewsreader might say.

Where to next?Student is experiencing problemsThis student may need more assistance in theplanning stages of writing, using simple scaffoldsfor a particular text type, or organising thoughtsby using illustrations may assist in their planningand writing.

Student has achieved the OutcomeExpect this student to write at greater length onany given topic, with a clear understanding of thecharacteristics of a range of different text types,consistent use of appropriate punctuation and acareful selection of vocabulary for precisemeaning.

Reporting to parentsThis sample shows that the student has/has notunderstood the structure and features of arecount in a news format including the use of thepast tense for verbs, logical development ofrecount, choice of interesting vocabulary, and theuse of appropriate connecting words withcorrect punctuation.

Strand: Linguistic Structures and Features Teaching Notes BLM 61Focus: Writing a television news script

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119

Name Date BLM 61

NeNewws scrips scriptt

The pictures show the events that led to a news item. Lookcarefully at the pictures and then write the script for thenewsreader. The script has been started and finished for you.

ScriptEarly today our news team was called to the scene of ……….

There will be a further update in our late-news edition at 10o’clock tonight.


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Student name Date

� adopts organisational conventions when given a structured format for writing

� uses common punctuation marks correctly

� selects vocabulary for precise meaning

� uses a range of conjunctions to connect ideas in writing

� considers the audience’s knowledge level

�

Where to next?

Focus:Writing a recipe


Prior teachingStudents should be familiar with the format ofsimple recipes.


ActivityStudents are asked to write a recipe using anaccepted format. If necessary, have them firstread several recipes before writing. Make certainthat students choose simple recipes such as no-cook biscuits and slices which could be preparedby younger students.You may wish to specify arange of simple foods for students to choosefrom. Remind students to think through theactivity carefully, so that all steps are included.

Where to next?Student is experiencing problemsWhen planning for writing, assist this student bydeveloping a specific framework for the text typeinvolved. More support may also be needed inselecting a variety of verbs and noun groups, andin the use of appropriate punctuation and verbtense, for example past tense for a recount.

Student has achieved the OutcomeThis student should experience writing textswhich include more complex procedures, andrequire sustained arguments and the use ofcarefully selected, precise vocabulary.

Reporting to parentsThis work sample shows that the studentdoes/does not understand the structure andfeatures of a recipe, including the use of a title, alist of requirements and a set of logical steps inpresent tense.

Strand: Linguistic Structures and Features Teaching Notes BLM 62Focus: Writing a recipe

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Food fun


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Name Date BLM 62

Food funUse this page to write a recipe that you know well. Before you begin think about:★ what ingredients and cooking utensils the cook will need.★ what steps the cook will need to take when preparing the food.Don’t forget to give your recipe a title.

Title What ingredients will the cook need?

Method1.

2.

3.

4.


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Student name Date

� makes some inferences about ideas implicit in a text

� discusses the interpretation of text by referring to key events and characters in a narrative

� understands the structure of a narrative and uses this knowledge to write their own story

�

�

�

Where to next?

Focus: Completing a narrative given a beginning


Prior teachingStudents should be familiar with format of anarrative text.They need to be able to recognisethat the beginning of the story sets the scene forthe action and that the complication needs to beresolved.

PreparationPhotocopy ‘Story starter’ (BLM 11) and BLM 63so that each student has a copy.You may wish tofollow this activity with BLM 64.

ActivityBefore you hand out the work sheet, read thestory beginning to the class.Ask them to tell youwhere in the story this text may have appeared.Hand out BLM 11 and talk about storystructure. Ask students to identify what othercomponents are needed in a story to make itcomplete. Have students offer some suggestionsfor possible ways the story might progressbefore asking them to complete BLM 63. Youmay ask students to write a version of the storyto publish at a later date for the assessment ofpublishing skills.

Where to next?Student is experiencing problemsGive this student plenty of opportunities to readand listen to narratives. They should talk withothers about the books they read and offer andjustify opinions about what they read. Analysewell-known stories, such as fairy tales, to focuson the elements of the narrative structure.

Student has achieved the OutcomeHave students extend their knowledge ofnarrative by reading more widely and beingexposed to texts that will be more challengingfor them to work through.These students couldkeep a reading journal and share this withothers.

Reporting to parentsThis work sample shows the student is/is notable to use knowledge of narrative to completea story.

Strand: Linguistic Structures and Features Teaching Notes BLM 63Focus: Completing a narrative given a beginning

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Name Date BLM 63

Story starterStory starterRead ‘Story starter’ again to yourself. Use the outline below to make notes about what you think could happen in the story. How will you resolve the problem in the story?

Orientation(This has already been done for you in the story starter.)

Compl i cati onWhat is the problem? What might happen?

Resol utionHow will the story develop? How will the problem be solved?

Coda or endingHow will you end your story?


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Student name Date

� recognises most misspelt words and attempts corrections through an understanding of

word usage

� plans writing by making notes

� uses a variety of drafting and editing procedures

� uses resources to help find correct spelling and meaning

�

Where to next?

Focus: Editing and proofreading own narrative


Prior teachingStudents should be familiar with the planning,drafting, editing and proofreading process. Thisactivity can link in with, and would follow,BLM 63.

PreparationPhotocopy the BLM that each student has a copy.

ActivityIf students have used BLM 63 to write a story,have them use that story as the basis for thisactivity. Students should look at their ownwriting and make improvements in structure,spelling, vocabulary and punctuation. Once this iscompleted, have students read their story to apartner in order to get feedback on theircomposition. Students should use BLM 64 toassist them when editing their writing.

Where to next?Student is experiencing problemsIf this student’s writing shows lack of structurethey may need more support in the planningstage of writing. Encourage this student to makenotes when planning their work. In the editingstage, this student might need to use a check listfor the editing process. If spelling is a problem,encourage this student to check with adictionary or another person for unknownwords. Ensure that this student has sufficientword-recognition skills to assist with spelling.

Student has achieved the OutcomeAsk this student to plan more than one draft fora story, approach it from more than one point ofview. Once they have done this they shouldselect the idea they prefer and write that storyat greater depth with well-developed characters.This student should be meticulous in editing andproofreading.

Reporting to parentsThis work sample shows the student is/is notable to plan, draft and edit a their own writing.

Strand: Strategies Teaching Notes BLM 64Focus: Editing and proofreading own narrative

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Name Date BLM 64

Read through your story again and make corrections. Use thecheck list below to help you edit your work.

� Have I used paragraphs? Do I need to add more paragraphs tomake my story better?

� Do all the sentences begin with a capital letter?

� Do all of the sentences end with a full stop?

� Is the punctuation correct?

� Are all of the commas in the right place in each sentence?

� Do all of my sentences have a verb?

� Do all of my sentences run on from one another?

� Mark any words that you think might need to be changed orspelled differently.

� Are there some interesting words that I could use to make mystory more interesting for the reader?

� When you are satisfied with your story, read it to yourpartner. Discuss any improvements that could be made to yourstory. Make further changes and then publish your work.


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Student name Date

� uses visual strategies such as knowledge of letter patterns and critical features of words,

to attempt to spell words

� recognises abbreviated language typical of email messages

� identifies the structure and features of an email text

�

�

Where to next?

Focus: Converting informal to formal English


Prior teachingStudents need to have had experience withreading and writing emails.

PreparationPhotocopy the BLM so that each student has acopy. Students will need a coloured marker.

ActivityThe BLM shows a typical email message page.Students are asked to identify and mark the mainstructural features of the email. Once they havedone this they should write the email messageout in full using complete sentences andtranslating the shorthand into full words.

Where to next?Student is experiencing problemsThis student may need more exposure toelectronic messages. You may need to explainhow email messages are abbreviated versions offull messages. Set up an email club for students tosend messages to one another, sometimes usingemail language and other times using full versionsof the message.

Student has achieved the OutcomeThis student should begin to self-edit mostwritten work and take each through topublication. Encourage this student to developwriting skills across a range of different texttypes looking for ways to improve language use,vocabulary skills and presentation.

Reporting to parentsIn this sample the student has/has notdemonstrated his/her knowledge of email andability to expand messages based on abbreviatedlanguage. The student has/has not consideredspelling, language use, audience and purposewhen writing.

Strand: Strategies Teaching Notes BLM 65Focus: Converting informal to formal English

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Name Date BLM 65

EmaEmail screenil screenThis page shows a screen from an email program. Read themessage and complete the following activities.✉ Circle the name of the sender.✉ Underline their email address.✉ Circle the word that will allow you to reply to the message.

Now write the message in full sentences in the space below.

From: Andrew Jones <[email protected]>Date: 28 AugustTo: Chris PhillipsCC: Subject: hols

Hi Chris,Holiday great f/chips every nite for din. Good motel 3 pools 1 slide. Going water world Fri, home Sun.

C ya,Droob


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Student name Date

� drafts writing with others, using a variety of techniques

� responds to other’s writing with specific and constructive comments

� recognises most misspelt words and attempts to correct

� decides when help is needed from a dictionary or thesaurus, teacher or friend

�

�

Where to next?

Focus: Editing and proofreading own description


Prior teachingStudents should be familiar with planning anddrafting a writing task without assistance. Thisactivity links with, and could follow, BLM 52.

PreparationPhotocopy the BLM so that each student in theclass has a copy.

ActivityStudents can use the description they created ofa favourite television or sports personality whencompleting BLM 52. Alternatively, have thestudents write a description of their house, theschool, a friend or their family.Once students havecompleted their description, have them work inpairs to make improvements to their writing.Students can then publish their finished work.

Where to next?Student is experiencing problemsThis student may need to return to somefundamental skills. This might include revision ofsound/letter patterns and spelling generalisations.This student might also need vocabularyextension work. Give this student practice atproviding alternative nouns, verbs, adjectives andadverbs in their own written work.

Student has achieved the OutcomeAsk this student to plan alternative drafts forwell-known children’s stories, approaching themfrom more than one point of view, then selectingthe idea which is preferred. Encourage thisstudent to write across a variety of text typesand for different audiences. This student shouldbe meticulous in editing and proofreading.

Reporting to parentsThis work sample shows the student is/is notable to make improvements to their own draft inorder to publish their writing.

Strand: Strategies Teaching Notes BLM 66Focus: Editing and proofreading own description

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Name Date BLM 66

My descripMy descriptiontion★ Talk with your partner about your description.

What improvements can you make?★ Use different coloured pencils to show what changes you and

your partner will make. ★ Mark and correct any spelling mistakes you find. Publish your

description on this page.


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Student name Date

� plans and drafts writing with others, using a variety of techniques

� responds to other’s writing with specific and constructive comments

� recognises most misspelt words and attempts to correct

� decides when help is needed from a dictionary or thesaurus, teacher or friend

�

�

Where to next?

Focus: Drafting and editing an explanation


Prior teachingStudents need to have experience with simpleexplanations.

PreparationPhotocopy the BLM so that each student hasone. This activity will be useful when you areinvestigating common phenomena in Sciencesuch as why the bathtub overflows when thereare too many children in the bath, or why a kettlewhistles. You may wish to use the text‘Precipitation—why rain falls’ (BLM 7) as a model.

ActivityThink of a number of phenomena that you wouldlike students to explore. Divide the class intogroups and assign each group a phenomenon toexplain. Have the students explore the idea ingroups and record their findings in note form.Then have each student use the BLM page towrite their own explanation of what hasoccurred.

The emphasis in the activity is on writingstrategies rather than on the structure of theexplanation, although this will have some bearingon your assessment of the student’s work.

Where to next?Student is experiencing problemsTry to identify whether this student generallyrelies on visual, phonemic or phonetic skillswhen writing. Give practice in the weaker areasaccording to the problem identified. Encourage awider use of a dictionary and give this studentfrequent vocabulary and spelling tasks such aswriting lunch orders, class messages or recordingschool events.

Student has achieved the OutcomeEncourage this student to research word originsand root words and to proofread writingcarefully to eliminate as many mistakes aspossible. This student should also regularlysearch for new, optional words to replace thoseused in writing exercises. Encourage the use of athesaurus.

Reporting to parentsThis work sample shows that the student is/isnot able to plan, draft and edit a piece of writing.

Strand: Strategies Teaching Notes BLM 67Focus: Drafting and editing an explanation

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Name Date BLM 67

★ Discuss some of the ideas that your group will put in theexplanation. Write some notes here from your groupdiscussion.

★ Now draft your explanation. Edit and proofread your explanation.



Name Date

BLM 68

WWririting Sting Self-Aelf-Assessment Sheessessment SheettMy writing★ Writing can be used for a lot of different purposes. Circle the

things below that you have used writing for:

To construct a story.

To develop a point of view.

To discuss an issue.

To construct an information report.

To write a description.

To write a short play.

To create a poem.

To set out some instructions.

To entertain people.

★ The kind of writing I do best is

★ I could improve my writing by

★ Write a few sentences about yourself as a writer.

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Name Date

BLM 69

WWririting Sting Self-Aelf-Assessment Sheessessment SheettWhen I writeCircle the answer that best suits you.When I write I:

★ think about different points of view.

★ know I need to research a topic first.

★ think about ways to make my writinginteresting.

★ understand that sometimes I have to use formal language.

★ think about who is going to read my work.

Write about yourself as a writer









Name Date

BLM 70

WWririting Sting Self-Aelf-Assessment Sheessessment SheettWriting for othersCircle the answer that best suits you.

When I write a text I help the reader understand by writing in a particular way. ★ I organise my writing in a way that suits the type

of text (for example narrative, explanation).never sometimes always

★ I use words that suit the sort of text I am writing.never sometimes always

★ I remember to use the right punctuation.never sometimes always

★ I think about using paragraphs.never sometimes always

★ I use different printing styles when I publish.never sometimes always

Circle the kinds of text you can write.

Narrative

Argument

Explanation

Recount

Description

Information Report




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Name Date

BLM 71Strategies�

WWririting Sting Self-Aelf-Assessment Sheessessment SheettPlanning and drafting my writingTick the following statements if they are correct for your writing.

When writing I:

plan my writing in different ways.

find information before I begin.

get help when I need it.

use a check list for editing and proofing.

help others with their writing.

To help me spell I:

break words into parts.

use a dictionary or thesaurus.

use compound words.

listen to the sound of the words.

try to see a word in my head.

think about spelling rules.

When I have problems with writing and spelling I


Targeting English AssessmentTargeting English Assessment has beendesigned to make ongoing English assessment easy.The books contain activities linked to everyOutcome, in addition to teaching notes, suggestionsfor future teaching directions depending on whetheror not a student has achieved an Outcome, andsheets that can be used to record individual andwhole class progress.

This book will help you create portfolios; observeand monitor specific skills and behaviours; makejudgements about student performance; reflect onstudent journals; encourage self-assessment; discussstudent progress with parents; and generally makeassessment an integral part of your working day.

On the page facing each activity blackline master,there are detailed teaching notes.These notes include:

� the skills and experiences students will need to have as a starting point

� instructions for preparation and suggestions for presenting the activity

� ideas for future directions for students experiencing difficulties,and for students who have achieved the Outcome

� ideas for reporting to parents

� suggestions for, and spaces to record, observations.

TA R G E T I N GE N G L I S HE N G L I S HASSESSMENT

Targeting English Assessment

Lower PrimaryTargeting English Assessment

Upper Primary

Targeting English Assessment

Lower PrimaryTargeting English Assessment

Upper Primary

ISBN 1-86509-764-0

9

781865 097640

BACK Cover middle to print 12/12/2001 11:31 PM Page 1

english - blake.com.au · targeting english assessment has been designed to achieve just that:to...

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