English / Year 4 / Literacy / Texts in context

Curriculum content descriptions

Identify and explain language features of texts from earlier times and compare with the vocabulary, images, layout and content of contemporary texts (ACELY1686)

Elaborations
  • viewing documentaries and news footage from different periods, comparing the style of presentation, including costumes and iconography with contemporary texts on similar topics and tracking changing views on issues, for example war, race, gender
General capabilities
  • Literacy Literacy
  • Critical and creative thinking Critical and creative thinking
ScOT terms

Language conventions

Text

Fairy Tale

How does culture influence fairy tales from storyteller to storyteller? Students will compare and contrast culturally distinct variations of the fairy tale, Cinderella. Students will also research the cultures represented in the fairy tales and create a visual art piece.

Text

Art in Advertising

In this teaching activity, students will explore how visual artwork supports key messages in advertising and the concept of a “call to action”. They will apply elements and principles of design to create original advertisements for an audience.

Online

Primary English: different representations

These seven learning activities, which focus on 'representations' using a variety of tools (software) and devices (hardware), illustrate the ways in which content, pedagogy and technology can be successfully and effectively integrated in order to promote learning. In the activities, teachers expose students to a wide range ...

Online

Seeking different results: the Accelerated Literacy program

This is a teacher resource describing the evidence-based Accelerated Literacy strategy successfully implemented by Mayfield East Public School. The strategy improved the literacy, especially reading skills and levels, of its students and the professional competencies of its teachers. The resource is organised in eight sections: ...

Online

A whole-school approach in literacy and numeracy

This teacher resource describes the successful whole-school strategies implemented by 147 New South Wales schools to improve the literacy and numeracy of students, particularly those not achieving national minimum standards. Organised in nine sections: Summary; Target student group; Method; Results; Next steps; Lessons ...

Online

Four-dimensional coaching support for teachers of literacy and numeracy

This is a teacher resource describing a collaborative model of whole-school change to build teacher capacity and improve student outcomes in literacy and numeracy implemented in 45 Catholic primary schools (F-7) in South Australia. Organised in nine sections: Summary; Target student group; Method; Results; Next steps; Lessons ...

Online

QuickSmart: a numeracy and literacy program

This teacher resource describes the literacy and numeracy interventions that comprised the QuickSmart program for students at or below the National Minimum Standard in literacy and numeracy in years 4-8. The resource is organised in nine sections: Summary, Target student group, Method, Results, Lessons learned, Next steps, ...

Online

Enhancing reading comprehension for Koori students: a cultural focus

This teacher resource is about a project to improve reading outcomes for Aboriginal students in years 2 to 7 in the Gippsland and Mildura areas of Victoria. The Expanded Central Gippsland Koori Literacy Project (ECGKLP) involved 123 Koori students from 19 primary schools and one secondary school. It focused on helping teachers ...

Online

Literacy and numeracy improvement: a whole-school approach

This teacher resource describes how 74 public schools in metropolitan, regional and rural Western Australia used three major components of the school improvement cycle to achieve significant improvement in the literacy and numeracy learning outcomes of their students. The resource is organised in nine sections: Summary, ...

Interactive

Patrick Brennan: the legend of Ned Kelly

Play the role of a reporter in 1881. Produce a feature article for a newspaper about the life of Ned Kelly. Review a brief history. Interview his friends and enemies. Gather evidence of social and political influences that affected Ned Kelly’s life. Compile an article that explores the myth and decide whether Ned Kelly ...

Interactive

Show and tell: that cat

Watch a short cartoon about a cat chasing a bird. Select noun groups, verb groups and phrases to create sentences and build a basic factual recount. Rearrange the word groups to create the best order in the sentences. Who was involved? What did they do? When, where or how did they do it? Add adjectives and adverbs to make ...

Interactive

Ready to race: wheels, jets, tyres and gears

Go to a race track and collect information from different kinds of visual texts to make your kart the fastest on the track. First, add important kart parts and choose the style of kart you want. Then collect information about the time and place of your race. Next, go to the garage to set up your kart before doing a starting ...

Interactive

Riddle of the black panther: evidence against

Build a TV report for a current affairs program. Tell the story that there is a false rumour of a black panther roaming around a town terrorising the people. Make the viewers feel that people in the town are safe. Examine photos, sounds, witness reports and video clips. Choose footage to fit your storyline. Edit and arrange ...

Interactive

World heritage: Kakadu information display

Look at descriptions of Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory. Help a park ranger to sort facts and pictures for an information display. Use a model structure, sample text and images to build a description for visitors. Include sections on the park's location, wildlife and cultural importance.

Interactive

Wonderful words, creative stories: space

Add descriptive words to two simple sentences about a rocket and an astronaut to make the sentences more interesting. Try out different descriptive words in each sentence. Notice how your choice of words affects the animated images in each sentence. Use your two lively sentences as the start and end of an imaginative story. ...

Online

Tasmanian Department of Education literacy and numeracy strategy: Raising the bar

This teacher resource describes Raising the Bar (RTB), a coordinated literacy and numeracy strategy implemented in Tasmanian Government schools. The resource is organised in nine sections: Summary, Target student group, Method, Results, Lessons learned, Next steps, Research base, Further reading and links, and Contacts. ...

Online

Evidence Based Observations and Coaching

This teacher resource describes an extended professional learning program implemented in 38 Victorian independent schools using evidence-based observations (EBO) as the basis for in-school teacher coaching to improve students' literacy and numeracy. Organised in nine sections: Summary; Target student group; Method; Results; ...

Online

Literacy and Numeracy Pilot in low SES school communities

This teacher resource describes a pilot implemented in 76 public schools in Victoria, including primary, P-12, and secondary schools in two rural and regional and two metropolitan clusters. The pilot aimed to improve the literacy and numeracy of students in low socioeconomic status communities. This included new arrivals, ...

Online

Successful language learners: whole-school ESL language and literacy practices

This teacher resource describes the Successful Language Learners Whole-school ESL Language and Literacy (SLL) strategy implemented in 11 Sydney metropolitan public and Catholic schools. The strategy met the needs of ESL students, particularly refugee students, newly arrived students with little or no English language skills, ...

Online

Literacy coaching - reading comprehension

This teacher resource describes a successful evidence-based strategy developed by Darlington Primary School in South Australia to improve the reading comprehension of students from Reception (Foundation) to year 7. The central focus of the strategy was a literacy coach supporting teachers' explicit instruction of higher-order ...