English / Year 4 / Literacy / Creating texts

• TLF-IDM017702

This iPad app is designed for Stage 2 students to use while on excursion in the Wild Australia area in Taronga Zoo Sydney and at the Taronga Western Plains Zoo, Dubbo. Students create a field report from observations and can email and review their editable summary poster for further study back at school. The app has intuitive ...

• TLF-IDM017869

This is a unit of work integrating aspects of the mathematics, English and science curriculums around planning a school breakfast. The unit was written for year 3 and is intended to take about 12 hours. It consists of 11 student activities supported by teacher notes on curriculum, pedagogy and assessment. Student activities ...

• TLF-IDM020663

How can drawings of characters give readers clues about who they are? What are some of the clues Leigh Hobbs gives us about Old Tom's character through his drawings of him? Do you have a character in your head that you've been thinking about for a while? As you draw or write about your character, remember what Leigh says ...

• TLF-IDM020463

Watch this clip to learn how Andy Griffiths turns his ideas into stories. In particular, listen to the way Andy describes how his collaboration with illustrator Terry Denton works. Now team up with a friend or family member and take on the roles of author and illustrator. What ideas can you come up with by working together? ...

• TLF-IDM021316

This is a series of eight short videos for students on opinion writing. The series covers what is opinion writing; choosing a topic; making a plan; writing a draft: introduction, reasons and examples, conclusion; revising and editing.

• TLF-IDL8203

Read signs around a neighbourhood to gather information that will help you answer a question about pets. Analyse the information in each sign to work out the implied meaning, and to determine the opinions, feelings and ideas about pets in the neighbourhood. Record your opinion of what each sign means. Review the information ...

• TLF-IDL8741

Add descriptive words to two simple sentences about a boy and a girl at the beach 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 ending of an imaginative ...

• TLF-IDM015478

Discover the history of a local community garden and find out about some of its new sustainable features. View this clip called 'Sustainability in Edinburgh', created by young reporters from North Fitzroy Primary School, Victoria. The clip was developed as part of the ABC Splash Live 'Making the news!' project, which featured ...

• TLF-IDM020462

Get some tips from Andy Griffiths on what to think about when you start to write a story. What does he say about plot? Why not take Andy's advice and start a story by thinking about something that has happened to you and then exaggerate it somehow. Concentrate on writing a short, dramatic moment by using lots of detail ...

• TLF-IDM020277

Watch this clip to hear Andy Griffiths explain why it's good to have villains in stories. How can the "big bad wolf" character help to move the story along? Think about some of the stories you've read lately. Which characters were the "big bad wolf" characters and what did they add to the stories?