The main purpose of this update is to create a Code of Cooperation with your class. As this is a familiar tool used at the school, students will know how to positively frame the content and include the school values.

School values:

- Honesty

- Tolerance

- Responsibility

- Respect

Start with the students sitting in a circle. Using a soft ball, give it to one students and tell them we are playing a ball game. Prompt students to "play". The activity intentionally lacks structure to allow student reflection on the importance of structure and shared understandings. Allow the game to become chaotic enough for students to experience a lack of success within the game.

Students then reflect in a circle time. Pose questions to the students, such as:

- Did this game work? Why? Why not?

- What was missing here (structure, guidance, game rules etc)

- Who was included in the game, who was not? ( concept of exclusion)

- How could we make the game more successful? 

Create a Code of Cooperation with the class.

Refer to page 32 of "Tool Time for Education", Langford International, Inc. 201.

Make sure a structured brainstorming approach is used to generate the code. 

Fig. 1a: Australian Curriculum Capabilities

Create a separate update in the community for students to repond to the following:

Why do we have a Code of Cooperation? How will it help you this year? 

Alternatively, students can do this in their workbooks, or using a cooeprative learning structure.

Teaching Tip

You can differentiate the teaching by allowing multimodality in students representing their thinking. They can type reflections in Scholar (see above- creating a separate update), write reflections in learning journals or workbooks, discuss their thoughts and feelings with peers and by using cooperative learning structures in class.

Australian Curriculum

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) General Capabilities:

Typically by the end of Year 4, students:

• Collaborate, share and exchange
• Use appropriate ICT tools safely to share and exchange information with appropriate known audiences
• Understand computer mediated communications
• Understand that computer mediated communications are directed to an audience for a purpose

Personal and Social Capability

Typically by the end of Year 4, students:

• Appreciate diverse perspectives
• Discuss the value of diverse perspectives and describe a point of view that is different from their own
• Contribute to civil society
• Identify the various communities to which they belong and what they can do to make a difference
• Understand relationships
• Describe factors that contribute to positive relationships, including with people at school and in their community

The focus text is: Fly Free by Roseanne Thong, Illustrated by Eujin Kim Neilan (Boyd Mills, 2010).

When you do a good deed, it will come back to you. Mai loves feeding the caged birds near the temple but dreams that one day she'll see them fly free. Then she meets Thu and shares the joy of feeding the birds with her. This sets a chain of good deeds in motion that radiates throughout her village and beyond. Set in Vietnam, Roseanne Thong's inspiring story, an Asian-Pacific American Librarians Association Honor Book, is elegantly illustrated with watercolor on wood by Eujin Kim Neilan. Read More plus see Roseanne Thong's website. It is also available on Amazon.

Activity 1, Images of Vietnam, builds students' background knowledge of the text and values their prior knowledge. It also aims to engage students in the topic and the text, by drawing connections between personal experiences and the worlds of texts, sharing responses and expressing a point of view.

Use a Think-Pair-Share to engage students in and scaffold the discussion of what they know, think and understand. As you introduce the images, use some of the language in the text, Fly Free, to foreground it and build the language of the students. Images include: Buddhas, Temples, Banyan Trees, Vietnamese clothing, buildings, housing, and landscapes.

Australian Curriculum

Literature

Responding to literature

Year 3: Draw connections between personal experiences and the worlds of texts, and share responses with others (ACELT1596)

Year 4: Discuss literary experiences with others, sharing responses and expressing a point of view (ACELT1603)

Literacy

Interacting with others

Year 3: Listen to and contribute to conversations and discussions to share information and ideas and negotiate in collaborative situations (ACELY1676)

Year 4: Use interaction skills such as acknowledging another’s point of view and linking students’ response to the topic, using familiar and new vocabulary and a range of vocal effects such as tone, pace, pitch and volume to speak clearly and coherently (ACELY1688)

CCSS Focus

SL.4.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

SL.4.1c: Pose and respond to specific questions to clarify or follow upon information, and make comments that contribute to the discussion and link to the remarks of others.

The purpose of this activity is to engage students in the text by valuing their background knowledge and to practice the prediction strategy.

Emphasise that predicting is what good readers do, and allow the students time to think about and draw conclusions of what they think the text Fly Free may be about.

Encourage them to think about the images they saw in the Powerpoint to help them predict too.

To encourage students to think independently about their prediction, they could write their prediction in the Comment box and then post their comments at exactly the same time. They can then read through and comment on each other's predictions. This will engage students, especially when they refresh the page and see so many predictions. They will be engaged furtherwhen they check to see if any student has given them feedback on their prediction; plus they will be doing quite a bit of reading!

Australian Curriculum

Literature

Responding to literature

Year 3: Draw connections between personal experiences and the worlds of texts, and share responses with others (ACELT1596)

Year 4: Discuss literary experiences with others, sharing responses and expressing a point of view (ACELT1603)

Literacy

Interacting with others

Year 3: Listen to and contribute to conversations and discussions to share information and ideas and negotiate in collaborative situations (ACELY1676)

Year 4: Use interaction skills such as acknowledging another’s point of view and linking students’ response to the topic, using familiar and new vocabulary and a range of vocal effects such as tone, pace, pitch and volume to speak clearly and coherently (ACELY1688)

Interpreting, analysing, evaluating

Year 3: Use comprehension strategies to build literal and inferred meaning and begin to evaluate texts by drawing on a growing knowledge of context, text structures and language features (ACELY1680)

Year 4: Use comprehension strategies to build literal and inferred meaning to expand content knowledge, integrating and linking ideas and analysing and evaluating texts (ACELY1692)

CCSS Focus

SL.4.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

SL.4.1c: Pose and respond to specific questions to clarify or follow upon information, and make comments that contribute to the discussion and link to the remarks of others.

Two words a day is an ongoing daily activity that focuses on building and expanding student vocabulary.

There are many opportunities for vocabulary or word study in the text Fly Free; risen, parasol, cast, glow, pagoda, familiar, temple, twittered, comical, vendor, release, deed, spare, eased, nearby, belonged, custom, temple, outstretched, whispered, softly, noticed, roadside, cradling, wound, disbelief, pomegranites, uncrushed, chores, drawing, shouldered, slished and sloshed, approached, parched, awaited, midday, hobble, balancing, atop, delicious, savoured, flavour, whistled, cheerful, business, brisk, returned, lone, rushed, steaming, streaming, robe, drifted, touched, acupuncture, chanted, completely, recovered, temple, tenderly, familiar, kindness, existed, countryside, origin, hesitating.

Students should focus on developing semantic(meaning), syntactic(grammar) and graphophonic(letter-sound) knowledge for new words.  Some things to focus on:

• meaning and multiple meanings
• compound words
• word building (prefixes, suffixes)
• synonyms, antonyms
• hyponymy (types of) meronymy (parts of) 
• Greek and Latin roots
• homophones, homographs
• onomatopoeia
• letter patterns
• grammatical function

Word Study Activity

Word building example - ease

Teaching Tips

There is a strong relationship between reading comprehension and vocabulary knowledge.  As Jennifer Miller says 'the more words that you know the more you can read, and the more you read the more words you learn' (2015, Learning Vocabulary in Context, Primary English Teaching Association Australia). Typically in junior primary schools the focus is on building high frequency word knowledge.  In middle primary the focus should broaden and develop vocabulary to include extended vocabulary and some technical terminology. Students will need frequent exposure to new vocabulary (in a text, on the word wall, orally, on the board, in a new context, as part of homework). 

Australian Curriculum

Year 3

• Learn extended and technical vocabulary and ways of expressing opinion including modal verbs and adverbs (ACELA1484)
• Know how to use common prefixes and suffixes, and generalisations for adding a suffix to a base word (ACELA1827)

Year 4

• Incorporate new vocabulary from a range of sources into students’ own texts including vocabulary encountered in research (ACELA1498)
• Understand how to use knowledge of letter patterns including double letters, spelling generalisations, morphemic word families, common prefixes and suffixes and word origins to spell more complex words(ACELA1779)

The purpose of this activity is to engage students further in the text and comprehend the text through thinking and discussion. In doing so, students will use comprehension strategies to build literal and inferred meaning.

Orientate the students to the text, Fly Free. Flick through the text, familiarizing students with the story by talking about what is happening in the pictures. Use some of the vocabulary from the text, especially words and phrases that might be new to the students or that may hinder the students' understanding of the story. For example:

parasol

pagoda eaves

vendor

Buddhist

deed

pomegranates

velvet

ox cart

Banyan Tree

parched

monk

acupuncture

Students participate in a vocabulary match activity where they match the words listed above to the appropriate picture to demonstrate meanings. For differentiation, more able students could also be asked to provide a definition for some of the words.

Vocabulary Match Activity

Once orientation is complete, read the text to the students. Then using the reading strategy of Self-Questioning, students complete Clouds of Wonder on any questions they may have related to the text Fly Free.

Continue to re-read the book in following lessons as students will continue to see more in it, and become very familiar with its language.

World Map:

Students locate Vietnam on a world map. Use this as an opportunity for formative assessment of how capable students are using ICT such as their ability to log on, use search tools, locate an image, identify the country and post in the Community space in Scholar. This will support you in future groupings of students and scaffolding understanding in other activities as part of the learning module. 

Australian Curriculum

Literature and context

Year 3: Discuss texts in which characters, events and settings are portrayed in different ways, and speculate on the authors’ reasons (ACELT1594)

Responding to literature

Year 3: Draw connections between personal experiences and the worlds of texts, and share responses with others (ACELT1596)

Year 4: Discuss literary experiences with others, sharing responses and expressing a point of view (ACELT1603)

Literacy

Interacting with others

Year 3: Listen to and contribute to conversations and discussions to share information and ideas and negotiate in collaborative situations (ACELY1676)

Year 4: Use interaction skills such as acknowledging another’s point of view and linking students’ response to the topic, using familiar and new vocabulary and a range of vocal effects such as tone, pace, pitch and volume to speak clearly and coherently (ACELY1688)

Interpreting, analysing, evaluating

Year 3: Read an increasing range of different types of texts by combining contextual, semantic, grammatical and phonic knowledge, using text processing strategies, for example monitoring, predicting, confirming, rereading, reading on and self-correcting (ACELY1679)

Year 3: Use comprehension strategies to build literal and inferred meaning and begin to evaluate texts by drawing on a growing knowledge of context, text structures and language features (ACELY1680)

Year 4: Use comprehension strategies to build literal and inferred meaning to expand content knowledge, integrating and linking ideas and analysing and evaluating texts (ACELY1692)

Read an increasing range of different types of texts by combining contextual, semantic, grammatical and phonic knowledge, using text processing strategies, for example monitoring, predicting, confirming, rereading, reading on and self-correcting (ACELY1679)

CCSS Focus

RL.4.1: Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

L.4.4: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 4 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.

L.4.6: Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal precise actions, emotions, or states of being (e.g., quizzed, whined, stammered) and that are basic to a particular topic (e.g., wildlife, conservation, and endangered when discussing animal preservation).

The main purpose of this activity is for students to come to an understanding of 'giving' by illustrating the events of the story and identifying acts of giving. In doing so, they will be using comprehension strategies to make literal and inferred meaning. They will also be developing their understanding of the concept of setting something free, how it is elaborated through the plot of a narrative, and how it relates to 'giving'.

Use the template of the story wheel to capture the events of the story. Once students have completed these, they can be displayed around the room.

In defining giving, differentiate between giving objects or things, and acts of giving - doing something for someone else.

Australian Curriculum

Literacy

Interacting with others

Year 3: Listen to and contribute to conversations and discussions to share information and ideas and negotiate in collaborative situations (ACELY1676)

Year 4: Use interaction skills such as acknowledging another’s point of view and linking students’ response to the topic, using familiar and new vocabulary and a range of vocal effects such as tone, pace, pitch and volume to speak clearly and coherently (ACELY1688)

CCSS Focus

RL.4.1: Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

RL.4.2: Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text.

RL.4.7: Make connections between the text of a story or drama and a visual or oral presentation of the text, identifying where each version reflects specific descriptions and directions in the text.

Australian Curriculum

English

Expressing and developing ideas

Year 3: Understand that a clause is a unit of grammar usually containing a subject and a verb and that these need to be in agreement (ACELA1481)

Year 4: Understand that the meaning of sentences can be enriched through the use of noun groups/phrases and verb groups/phrases and prepositional phrases (ACELA1493)

The purpose of this lesson is to have students develop their understanding of the importance of clause, subject and verb agreement.

Students will complete sentence transformations with a range of sentences from the text to develop this understanding.

Students may be paired (like ability) to identify subject, characters and verbs and discuss their significance.

Differentiation: Allocate only characters or verbs (for example) to some pairs.

Australian Curriculum

English

Expressing and developing ideas

Year 3: Understand that verbs represent different processes, for example doing, thinking, saying, and relating and that these processes are anchored in time through tense (ACELA1482)

Year 4: Understand how adverb groups/phrases and prepositional phrases work in different ways to provide circumstantial details about an activity(ACELA1495)

The purpose of this activity is for students to develop understanding of how important verbs are, what purposes they serve. Students will develop their understanding of why authors carefully choose verbs and the impact they have on the sentence and the wider context of the story.

Students will complete a similar activity to that of the Noun Group activity, articulating how the verb savoured is highly effective in achieving the purpose of creating an image in the reader's mind.

Students will then complete an activity where they eat an M and M (at a normal pace). They then eat it again, slowly, savouring it.

Students:

-eat this M and M

-now you can have this one (another one), but you can only look at it, smell it and touch it, but cannot eat it.

-now place it in your mouth but do not move it around.

-now you can use your tongue to move it around, but you cannot chew it.

-now you can bit it once, but you must leave it in your mouth and not chew it any more. Close your eyes and concentrate on the taste.

-now you can push it all around in your mouth to really taste it, but do not chew or swallow it.

-now you can chew it and swallow it.

You have just savoured the taste of the second M and M. How was this different to the first one? Explain the concept of savouring something to students.

The purpose of this activity is to develop students' empathy and deepen their understanding of giving through discussion and drama activities, culminating in role plays of scenarios that might occur in their own lives. The activities reinforce the Code of Cooperation and allow students to demonstrate giving and empathy.

Symbols

The discussion of symbols links this Update to Update 6. Symbols are also a link to meaning making through the gestural mode.

Gestures

If there are enough books for the students to work in pairs,  then the students can look at the images in Fly Free in order to analyse the gestures. Alternatively, show the relevant pages from the book, or perhaps scan some of them and  show them on the SmartBoard.

Empathy

Contextualise this activity by referring to the emotions of fear, sadness, joy etc as shown in "Inside Out". For example, "What if you had a character called empathy?

The reflections are important for students to understand the purpose of the activities and to address key concepts in the Australian Curriculum: Drama. 

Role Plays

Create a Readers Theatre type activity for the model role play, assigning roles to 3 students to read the script. This could be repeated a number of times with different studnets taking the roles.

Dialogue Script

In the role plays that students develop, use similar situations as the story - giving objects or doing something for someone else. They are not required to write the script, just plan it and act it out.

As students are planning their role plays, go around and support them, giving them ideas for what they can give and what they can say when they perform. Prompt them to use a third character to create tension and to resolve their conflict at the end.

Use a circle for the students to perform their role plays, and then debrief and reflect more on giving.This will promote thinking and reflection, and will scaffold their comments.

Australian Curriculum

Literacy

Interacting with others

Year 3: Listen to and contribute to conversations and discussions to share information and ideas and negotiate in collaborative situations (ACELY1676)

Year 4: Use interaction skills such as acknowledging another’s point of view and linking students’ response to the topic, using familiar and new vocabulary and a range of vocal effects such as tone, pace, pitch and volume to speak clearly and coherently (ACELY1688)

Drama

Years 3 and 4 

Explore ideas and narrative structures through roles and situations and use empathy in their own improvisations and devised drama (ACADRM031)

Use voice, body, movement and language to sustain role and relationships and create dramatic action with a sense of time and place (ACADRM032)

CCSS Focus

RL.4.2: Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text.

RL.4.7: Make connections between the text of a story or drama and a visual or oral presentation of the text, identifying where each version reflects specific descriptions and directions in the text.

The purpose of this activity is to understand who gains and who loses through giving. The Inner-Outer Circle reinforces the circle symbol. It might be useful as a warm up activity to discuss sharing a time when students received or gave a gift - birthdays and Christmas should prompt most students.

Australian Curriculum

Literacy

Interacting with others

Year 3: Listen to and contribute to conversations and discussions to share information and ideas and negotiate in collaborative situations (ACELY1676)

Year 4: Use interaction skills such as acknowledging another’s point of view and linking students’ response to the topic, using familiar and new vocabulary and a range of vocal effects such as tone, pace, pitch and volume to speak clearly and coherently (ACELY1688)

Drama

Years 3 and 4 Content Descriptions

Explore ideas and narrative structures through roles and situations and use empathy in their own improvisations and devised drama (ACADRM031)

Use voice, body, movement and language to sustain role and relationships and create dramatic action with a sense of time and place (ACADRM032)

Shape and perform dramatic action using narrative structures and tension in devised and scripted drama, including exploration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander drama (ACADRM033)

CCSS Focus

RL.4.2: Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text.

This Update provides students with tools to write dialogue with correct punctuation. It will support them to recognize how quotation marks are used in texts to signal dialogue, titles and reported speech.

This can be done as a whole class or students can be assigned the worksheet. In this case, model the initial activities and then students can complete them. Work in pairs or small groups to encourage discussion.

Punctuation Worksheet

Use the text to draw out the punctuation rules so the students see them in context and can refer to the text as a model when writing their own dialogue in their Giving Literacy Projects (Update 13).

Looking at punctuation provides a great opportunity to look at the difference between a statement and question and build more understanding of what makes a sentence and a paragraph.

Word Cline: Display the word cline as a graph with the strongest words at the top on the Y axis and the weakest words at the bottom of the Y axis. Display in the classroom for the students to refer to when writing their dialogues.

Australian Curriculum

Language

Text structure and organisation

Year 4: Recognise how quotation marks are used in texts to signal dialogue, titles and quoted (direct) speech (ACELA1492)

CCSS Focus

L.4.2: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

a. Use correct capitalization.

b. Use commas and quotation marks to mark direct speech and quotations from a text.

d. Spell grade-appropriate words correctly, consulting references as needed.

L.4.3: Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

a. Choose words and phrases to convey ideas precisely.

b. Choose punctuation for effect.

L.4.6: Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal precise actions, emotions, or states of being (e.g., quizzed, whined, stammered) and that are basic to a particular topic (e.g., wildlife, conservation, and endangered when discussing animal preservation).

This activity focuses on visual grammar so students can dentify the effect on audiences of techniques, for example, shot size. This will support them to create drawings in which they make deliberate choices about colour to create mood, and shot types to complement the written narrative through providing information about characterization, action and setting.

Color: For the visual literacy activities, photocopy the image of Ong Hai and the old woman in the cart in black and white. The students can then color over this with bright colors. Give them bright red, green, blue and yellow colours only so there is a very distinct difference between their pictures and those in the book.

In the discussion draw out the mood - calming, inner feelings of peace etc from the pastel colours while the bright colours suggest excitement and action. Both make you feel happy.

Shot type: Students can go through the images in the story and tally the number of each shot type.

Australian Curriculum

Expressing and Developing Ideas

Year 3: Identify the effect on audiences of techniques, for example shot size, vertical camera angle and layout in picture books, advertisements and film segments (ACELA1483)

Year 4; Explore the effect of choices when framing an image, placement of elements in the image, and salience on composition of still and moving images in a range of types of texts(ACELA1496)

Creating literature

Create imaginative texts based on characters, settings and events from students’ own and other cultures using visual features, for example perspective, distance and angle (ACELT1601)

CCSS Focus

RL.4.7: Make connections between the text of a story or drama and a visual or oral presentation of the text, identifying where each version reflects specific descriptions and directions in the text.

SL.4.5: Add audio recordings and visual displays to presentations when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or themes.

In this activity students demonstrate their understanding of giving, use of colour, and punctuation through writing a short dialogue and illustrating it, making deliberate choices about colour.

This activity can be differentiated by running three concurrent writers workshops:

1. For those students who need most scaffolding:

• orally rehearse a dialogue
• model how to plan and draft (and punctuate) the dialogue
• use shared writing to jointly plan and construct a new dialogue
• use guided writing for students to individually plan and draft a simple new dialogue (this could be a text innovation based on the dialogue in activity 11)
• repeat the structure for adding their supporting illustration

      2. For those students who need some scaffolding:

• model how to plan and draft (and punctuate) a dialogue
• use guided writing for students to individually plan and draft a new dialogue (this could be a text innovation based on the dialogue in activity 11)
• repeat the structure for adding their supporting illustration

      3. For those students needing less scaffolding:

• undertake the writing task using Scholar.  Scaffold the dialogue by using the model of a dialogue in activity 11. Some students could innovate on this text while others can write their own dialogue independently.

Rubric

Australian Curriculum

Literature

Creating literature

Year 3: Create imaginative texts based on characters, settings and events from students’ own and other cultures using visual features, for example perspective, distance and angle (ACELT1601)

Literacy

Creating texts

Year 3: Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts demonstrating increasing control over textstructures and language features and selecting print,and multimodal elements appropriate to the audience and purpose (ACELY1682)

Year 4: Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts containing key information and supporting details for a widening range of audiences, demonstrating increasing control over text structures and language features (ACELY1694)

Year 3: Re-read and edit texts for meaning, appropriate structure, grammatical choices and punctuation (ACELY1683)

Year 4: Re-read and edit for meaning by adding, deleting or moving words or word groups to improve content and structure (ACELY1695)

Year 3: Use software including word processing programs with growing speed and efficiency to construct and edit texts featuring visual, print and audio elements (ACELY1685)

Year 4: Use a range of software including wordprocessing programs to construct, edit and publish written text, and select, edit and place visual, print and audio elements (ACELY1697)

CCSS Focus

RL.4.7: Make connections between the text of a story or drama and a visual or oral presentation of the text, identifying where each version reflects specific descriptions and directions in the text.

W.4.3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events, using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.

W.4.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose and audience.

W.4.6: With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others.

SL.4.5: Add audio recordings and visual displays to presentations when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or themes.

This update covers two stages of the writing process in Scholar: Review and Revision.

Students will continue working in one of three workshop groups for feedback and revision:

1. Students in this group will read their dialogue piece to a partner and receive feedback from peers and teacher in a circle-time structure.
2. Students in this group will use the Author's Chair  (page 23 First Steps Reading Resource Book) model in small groups to share their writing with their peers. The audience members will provide feedback using the Scholar rubric.
3. The following Overt Instruction Updates from the Writer's Toolkit may be useful to add to Community. They may be used with first time users or it may be appropriate to introduce them in a second writing project so students learn about the features of Scholar over time.

• Constructive Feedback: Annotations - this guides students in how to provide specific feedback through Annotations.
• Constructive Feedback: Reviews - this describes types of feedback such as critical, cheerleader and constructive feedback.
• Revision Phase - this focuses on how to use the feedback students receive to improve their writing, and includes writing a self review.

Australian Curriculum

Literacy

Creating texts

Year 3: Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts demonstrating increasing control over textstructures and language features and selecting print,and multimodal elements appropriate to the audience and purpose (ACELY1682)

Year 4: Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts containing key information and supporting details for a widening range of audiences, demonstrating increasing control over text structures and language features (ACELY1694)

Year 3: Re-read and edit texts for meaning, appropriate structure, grammatical choices and punctuation (ACELY1683)

Year 4: Re-read and edit for meaning by adding, deleting or moving words or word groups to improve content and structure (ACELY1695)

Year 3: Use software including word processing programs with growing speed and efficiency to construct and edit texts featuring visual, print and audio elements (ACELY1685)

Year 4: Use a range of software including wordprocessing programs to construct, edit and publish written text, and select, edit and place visual, print and audio elements (ACELY1697)

CCSS Focus

W.4.5: With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing.

W.4.6: With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others.

L.4.1: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

L.4.2: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

This Update focuses on the publication and reflection phases of a writing project.

Students work in one of two groups to share their writing and reflect on the writing process;

1. Display work in the classroom, participate in a Gallery Walk and give positive feedback to others. Focus students on this activity as an act of giving and model the process. It may be necessary to randomly allocate students to review others' works so that all students give and receive feedback.
2. In Scholar - this reflection activity promotes student metacognition about what makes quality writing by reading and reflecting on other students’ writing. Ask students to look over other people’s published works - have them read at least two or three works. Ask them to comment on something interesting they learned from reading other students’ work. Refer to the Dashboard to monitor how students are progressing with writing and their reviews.

Resources:

Sticky notes

Australian Curriculum

Literacy

Creating texts

Year 3: Use software including word processing programs with growing speed and efficiency to construct and edit texts featuring visual, print and audio elements (ACELY1685)

Year 4: Use a range of software including wordprocessing programs to construct, edit and publish written text, and select, edit and place visual, print and audio elements (ACELY1697)

CCSS Focus

W.4.6: With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others.

Through this activity students show evidence of true learner transformation by applying their learning inside and outside of school.

Use the template of the circular wheel to scaffold this activity. It would be a good idea to let parents know that students are being asked to practice acts of giving and reflect on them.

Sharing the illustrations can be through displaying them around the room, or by scanning them and posting them as "Shares" in the Community. In both cases, promote reflection by looking at the completed wheels and discussing them. Students could also create their own Updates to share their images and to receive feedback through other students' comments.

Australian Curriculum

Literacy

Interacting with others

Year 3: Listen to and contribute to conversations and discussions to share information and ideas and negotiate in collaborative situations (ACELY1676)

Year 4: Use interaction skills such as acknowledging another’s point of view and linking students’ response to the topic, using familiar and new vocabulary and a range of vocal effects such as tone, pace, pitch and volume to speak clearly and coherently (ACELY1688)

CCSS Focus

SL.4.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

SL.4.5: Add audio recordings and visual displays to presentations when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or themes.