Literacy

Write instructions, explanations, and factual accounts, and express and explain a point of view, in a range of authentic contexts. || Write an explanation based on the information from investigations. Organise and link ideas logically and make language choices appropriate to the audience. ||
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 * **Transactional Writing **
 * ~ Processes ||
 * **Exploring Language ** || Identify, discuss and use the conventions, structures, and language features of different texts, and discuss how they relate to the topic. ||
 * **Processing Information ** || Gather, select, record, interpret, and present coherent, structured information from a variety of sources, using different technologies and explaining the processes used ||
 * ~ Supporting Achievement Objectives ||~ Learning Outcomes ||
 * **Close Reading ** || Discuss language, meanings, and ideas in a range of texts, relating their understanding to experiences, purposes, audience, and other texts. ||
 * **Science ** ||
 * Investigate and offer explanations for investigation. || Students demonstrate their understanding of their investigation, observing and explaining. ||


 * Purpose **

<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 17.6px;">The writer's purpose is to explain how something works or state reasons for some phenomenon. Explanations answer the questions "how" or "why".

<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 17.6px;">**Types of Explanation**

<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 17.6px;">There are two basic types of explanation which focus on:


 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 17.6px;">"How" (How does a pump work? How does a computer work? How are mountains formed? How does a spider spin a web?)
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 17.6px;">"Why" (Why do some things float or sink? Why is the ozone layer getting thinner? Why does iron go rusty? Why do living things need food?)

<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 17.6px;">**Features**


 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 17.6px;">often have a logical sequence
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 17.6px;">use cause/effect relationships (then, as a consequence, so, if)
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 17.6px;">use time relationships (first, then, following, finally)
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 17.6px;">written in the 'timeless' present tense (are, turns, happens)
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 17.6px;">use of action verbs (falls, rises, changes)
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 17.6px;">use of non-human participants (the sea, the mountains, the computers, the engine)
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 17.6px;">conjunctions (when, then, first, after this so)
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 17.6px;">some passives (is saturated, are changed)
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 17.6px;">use of nouns tends to be general rather than specific (cars, boats, spiders, schools)
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 17.6px;">use of pronouns (their, they, them)


 * [|Explanation writing]**View more [|presentations] from [|Westmere School]


 * [|How to write Excellent Explanations]**View more [|presentations] from [|Jacqui Sharp]


 * [[image:pukeroom33-2011/Explanation.png caption="Explanation.png"]] ||
 * Explanation.png ||

__**Writing.**__ <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 150%;">__**Arguments**__ media type="custom" key="12181166"

media type="custom" key="12181170" __** Expositions **__. __** Lesson : Exposition Writing **__ LI: to persuade the audience to your point of view. : to use persuasive writing to express your argument/point of view. : to use examples to support your opinion

__** Paragraph 1: state your claim **__ : avoid the use of I think, I reckon, in my opinion(they are superfluous) : support your claim with 3 reasons(state reasons but do not go into detail)

Paragraph 2: Write about reason 1 and add detail. Paragraph 3: Write about reason 2 and add detail. Paragraph 4: Write about reason 3 and add detail.

__** Paragraph 5: the conclusion **__ : restate claim from paragraph 1 in different words : do not add any new information

__** Language Features: **__ -use formal vocabulary -use modal verbs-would, should, could, must -speech is only 1 side of the argument - use of Active Voice/Passive Voice

Active Voice The dog bit the boy….. The newspaper reporter said…..\ The teacher told the student that….. I think that people should not use illegal drugs.. I think that all students should wear a school uniform…

Passive Voice ( more formal/allows you to remove yourself and other people from the argument/allows you to work out if the subject does the action or something is done to the subject ) The boy was bitten by the dog... It was stated in the newspaper that……… The student was told by the teacher that….. Illegal drugs should not be used.. School uniforms should be worn..

Modal Verbs( show the possibility/probability of something happening)

If the Government had enough money, all students would have computers. If the student works hard, she should achieve well. If Rm 33 is quiet, Mrs Slee might play a game. If I had an interesting book, I would read it. ( All actions in the second part of the sentence are dependent on something else happening first)

Model: Why students should wear a school uniform Paragraph 1-opening statement/3 support statements Introductory paragraph It is important that all students wear a school uniform. When students wear a uniform, they have a sense of belonging and pride in their school.(1) Uniforms are cost effective for families.(2) When students wear uniforms they do not have to be concerned about others teasing them if they do not have ‘designer-label’ clothing.(3)

Paragraph 2 ( elaboration) Students who are visiting other schools to play sports can be easily identified when they are in uniform. They feel proud to play in their school’s colours. A uniform provides a ‘sense of family’ for a school.

Paragraph 3 (elaboration) Uniforms are cost effective for families. They are durable and can be passed down to siblings. Uniforms are reasonably priced in uniform stores however they can be bought second-hand from schools. Recycling uniforms helps to protect the environment.

Paragraph 4 (elaboration)

Uniforms can prevent students from being teased or even bullied because they do not have ‘designer label’ clothing. Students who do not like this type of clothing or whose parents cannot afford it do not have to worry about what to wear to school each day. Having uniforms means that students can concentrate on their studies and not their clothing. As well, uniforms are designed to suit a variety of shapes and sizes.

Paragraph 5 (conclusion) Uniforms are a necessary part of school life. They define a school for students, families and the community. They do not put an excessive strain on a family’s budget and they allow students to be treated fairly by their peers on who they are and not on what they wear. Should students wear a uniform? Definitely. __** Exemplars **__

Neala uses a variety of persuasive language features to strongly communicate a point of view. The reader is captured by an engaging beginning, direct appeal, emotive language, imperatives, and rhetorical questions. Neala substantiates her opinion with a wide range of carefully worded and descriptive reasons.

This is a Level 4 exemplar. Click here to see another Level 4 exemplar. Click here to see a level 5 exemplar.


 * || [[image:http://www.tki.org.nz/r/assessment/exemplars/eng/trans/img/ex_eng_circus_features_1.gif width="206" height="548" caption="Deeper feature characteristics of this exemplar"]] || [[image:http://www.tki.org.nz/r/assessment/exemplars/eng/trans/img/ex_eng_circus_work.gif width="274" height="732" caption="English exemplar of student work: Animalsin Circuses"]] ||  ||


 * [[image:http://www.tki.org.nz/r/assessment/exemplars/eng/trans/img/ex_eng_circus_features_1.gif width="206" height="548" caption="Deeper feature characteristics of this exemplar"]] || [[image:http://www.tki.org.nz/r/assessment/exemplars/eng/trans/img/ex_eng_circus_work.gif width="274" height="732" caption="English exemplar of student work: Animalsin Circuses"]] ||
 * [[image:http://www.tki.org.nz/r/assessment/exemplars/eng/trans/img/ex_eng_circus_features_1.gif width="206" height="548" caption="Deeper feature characteristics of this exemplar"]] || [[image:http://www.tki.org.nz/r/assessment/exemplars/eng/trans/img/ex_eng_circus_work.gif width="274" height="732" caption="English exemplar of student work: Animalsin Circuses"]] ||


 * = Reading and Writing Sites =

@http://www.eduplace.com/tales/ @http://www.storiestogrowby.com/choose.php @http://www.magickeys.com/books/index.html @http://www.aesopfables.com/ @http://www.storylineonline.net/ @http://www.rif.org/kids/readingplanet/bookzone/read_aloud_stories.htm @http://pbskids.org/lions/stories/ http://www.crickweb.co.uk/ks1literacy.html#aroundyourhome

- Good for all reading strategies eg. summarising, inferring, making connections, synthesising etc.
 * [|Reading Strategy Practice - Into the Book]


 * [|Summarising Practice]


 * [|Making Inferences]


 * [|Comprehension Practice] - Click on Grade 5 and above.


 * [|Inferring]

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 15.6px;">Here are a mixture of literacy sites to help improve students' reading, writing and spelling!


 * [|ICT Games - Literacy]


 * [|Stories online]


 * [|Spelling, Grammar, Reading, Writing and Vocab Skills]

//**Other sites:**//

 * [|Kidsreads.com] – A great place to find out about your favourite author, new releases, and book reviews too!
 * [|CyberGuides] – Great supplementary, standards-based, web-delivered units of instruction centered on core works of literature.
 * [|The Children’s Literature Web Guide] – Internet resources related to books for children and young adults
 * FableVision Place – A “fabulous” multimedia “place” for kids to explore!
 * [|Kids@Random] – Literature features abound on a major publisher’s Web site.
 * [|Merriam-Webster Online] – Site features on-line Dictionaries, a Thesaurus, Word Games, a Word of the Day, and lots more!
 * [|Dictionary.com]
 * [|Wordsmyth] – With a word list of over 50,000 words, an integrated thesaurus, and a clear, comprehensive style of displaying words, The Wordsmyth Dictionary/Thesaurus is a great site to bookmark!
 * [|Where do words come from?] – Find out from this BBC site!
 * [|Writers’ Window] – This site publishes student poetry, reviews, research papers, and short stories.
 * [|Listen & Write] – The British Broadcasting Corporation presents Listen & Write, an interactive site that makes creative writing fun.
 * [|Poetry Express] – Activities, tips, and techniques for new poets or experienced.
 * [|Writing With Writers] – Part of the larger Scholastic site, Writing With Writers provides an excellent resource for writing.
 * [|Dance Mat Typing] – Learn to type at this BBC website.
 * [|Children’s Storybooks Online] – A collection of online storybooks for children of all ages.
 * [|Mighty Book] – The mission of Mighty Book is to promote “Literacy, Creativity and the Power of Reading.” It offers online books, videos, music and more.
 * [|Web-Pop On-Line Books] – Web-Pop Books, created by author Stephen Cosgrov
 * [|Scholastic News for Kids]
 * [|Time for Kids]
 * [|Kids News Room]
 * [|BBC for Kids]
 * [|Yahoo! Kids]

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