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English / Year 3 / Language / Language variation and change

Curriculum content descriptions

Understand that languages have different written and visual communication systems, different oral traditions and different ways of constructing meaning (ACELA1475)

Elaborations
  • learning that a word or sign can carry different weight in different cultural contexts, for example that particular respect is due to some people and creatures and that stories can be passed on to teach us how to live appropriately
General capabilities
  • Literacy Literacy
  • Intercultural understanding Intercultural understanding
ScOT terms

Word meanings,  Language conventions

Online

Whose Country: exploring First Nations peoples languages map (7-13yrs)

Learning about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages can help children build their understanding of land, water and people. This activity helps to assist the identification of the language group/s on which the school, youth group or home is situated. To understand local perspectives and support these activities, ...

Interactive

Syllabus bites: Visual literacy

A resource with information, study guides and resources on visual literacy to support the English K-10 Australian Curriculum in English. It provides a series of activities, guidelines and tasks about visual texts from a variety of sources. Contains writing scaffolds, templates and proformas for responding and composing ...

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Taronga Zoo - Wild Australia: iPad app

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 ...

Online

Cats, Dogs and Us: Education pack (years 3-4)

This education pack is an International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) resource designed to build students' understanding about the special place domestic cats and dogs have in people's lives. The pack consists of a teaching guide, a student magazine and six student worksheets focusing on topics such as the physical characteristics ...

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Punctuation “Theatre”: A kinetic approach to learning punctuation

This little mini-unit is a fun way to learn or review punctuation. This unit deals with just the punctuation marks that are used between words, not within them. Punctuation marks covered in this unit include full stops, question marks, exclamation marks, commas, colons, semicolons and the dash. The punctuation marks are ...

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Punctuation – What’s the point

This practice guide offers an overview of essential punctuation for writing across primary and secondary school. While an effective combination of sentence types adds depth and variety to a piece of writing, correct punctuation is equally vital for clarity and coherence. This guide aims to provide clear examples to support ...

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Compound sentences

This guide provides clear grammatical definitions, and unpacks the features of compound sentences and how they function. It includes information about using conjunctions; coordinating conjunctions; using semicolons and common problems with compound sentences. The guide also offers, as a starting point, some strategies for ...

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Teaching Morphology to Improve Literacy: A Guide for Teachers

Morphological awareness is a powerful tool for improving many areas of literacy. Find teaching ideas for specifically teaching this skill across a range of year levels.

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The exquisite corpse: A Grammar-based Word Game

The Exquisite Corpse is similar in style to the old game of Consequences. In the game, each player adds on a new word, folds over a piece of paper to hide the word and passes the paper on. The simple formula of adjective, noun, verb, preposition, adjective, noun will produce something approximating a sentence which can ...

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Building World Knowledge: Motivating Children to Read and Enjoy Informational Texts

This webpage explores the practical instructional techniques that can be used to promote understanding and enjoyment of informational texts. The three techniques described here — Text Impression, Guiding Questions, and the Retelling Pyramid — can help children become familiar with the language and structure of non-fiction books.

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Suspense Toolkit

Give students tips about some of the key ingredients of writing a suspenseful, scary story. This tip sheet provides a range of ideas suitable for the skills and abilities of different year levels. It also includes some teaching strategies.

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Varying openings

Use this worksheet to discuss the directions in which a story might go depending on what the opening sentence is.

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Some ideas on how to teach the more tricky grammar elements

Refresh your knowledge of grammatical points prior to teaching your students with this digital presentation that covers topics such as the role of determiners, of pronouns, of prepositions, of subordinating conjunctions, of punctuation and of tense. While this is a resource developed for a UK-based audience, it is relevant ...

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Text structure Stage 2

This literacy teaching strategy supports teaching and learning for students in Years 3 and 4 across all key learning areas. It targets specific literacy skills and suggests a learning sequence to build skill development. Teachers can select individual tasks, or a sequence, and embed into their teaching and learning program ...

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Teaching Text Structure

This resource explains the five most common text structures and how to help students learn to identify and use text structures in their reading and writing. It includes templates for five types of expository writing including Describe or explain, Sequence, Cause and effect, Problem and solution and Compare and contrast. ...

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Importance of Country and Place

This learning sequence comprises two short inquiries, where students study Aboriginal identity and culture in the local area. In the first inquiry, students identify Aboriginal languages spoken and learn about the special relationship Aboriginal people have with Country. In the second inquiry, students explore Dreaming ...

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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures

This resource is a guide to using specific picture books to support the cross-curriculum priority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures, and the general capability of intercultural understanding, within the context of learning areas such as History, Geography and English.

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BBC Bitesize: use of punctuation - worksheet

This is a brief, printable worksheet where students insert the correct punctuation into gaps in sentences. The punctuation marks required include full stops, question marks and speech marks. This resource is one of a series of online resources from the BBC's Bitesize collection.

Video

Andy Griffiths' tips for writing funny stories

Watch this video and learn how to write funny stories with tips from Andy Griffiths! What does he say is a good starting point? Why don't you try writing a story about a time something embarrassing happened to you? What does Andy say is the key to getting readers to enjoy your story and have a laugh?

Video

Hannie Rayson on becoming a writer

Hannie Rayson is a playwright and screenwriter whose plays have been performed around Australia and internationally. Watch as she tells the story of how her writing career began. Try retelling the story from the point of view of her university teacher. How might he have remembered it?