CLICK TO ENLARGE THE IMAGE
WRITE A NARRATIVE ABOUT THIS PROMPT/PICTURE/IDEA You an use the other two images to help you plan what to write about. Remember, SIZZLING STARTS, SHOW DON'T TELL, DYNAMIC DIALOGUE, TIGHTENING TENSION, EXCITING ENDINGS & POWERFUL DESCRIPTIONS. Oh, don't forget simple, compound and complex sentences and proper punctuation. |
NAPLAN PRACTICE SITES
INSTRUCTIONS FOR USING THE ABOVE SITES
FOR ZIPTALES: login using the Landsdale login in your Homework and Communication Book. Select Extending Literacy 3-6, then scroll down to the Naplan Tests at the bottom, second from the right. Click this and select your test. Only put in your first name, then enter either your parents' email address (ASK THEM FIRST) or the teacher's email address. Complete the test and submit it.
FOR STUDYLADDER: Some tests have to be printed out and some can be done interactively. Select an Interactive version. You will need to enter your Studyladder user id and password from your Homework and Communication Book. Answer sheets are provided for you to check if you do this at home.
QUEENSLAND NAPLAN PRACTICE: These have to be printed out, but also have the answer sheets.
FOR ZIPTALES: login using the Landsdale login in your Homework and Communication Book. Select Extending Literacy 3-6, then scroll down to the Naplan Tests at the bottom, second from the right. Click this and select your test. Only put in your first name, then enter either your parents' email address (ASK THEM FIRST) or the teacher's email address. Complete the test and submit it.
FOR STUDYLADDER: Some tests have to be printed out and some can be done interactively. Select an Interactive version. You will need to enter your Studyladder user id and password from your Homework and Communication Book. Answer sheets are provided for you to check if you do this at home.
QUEENSLAND NAPLAN PRACTICE: These have to be printed out, but also have the answer sheets.
NAPLAN RESOURCES - INTERACTIVE ABC SPLASH - short sharp videos or games on a range of learning topics **NEW**
Please note: Year 3s will do ALL written hard copy tests this year at Landsdale PS. Students have around 45 minutes to plan, draft and edit their writing.
In class, we have been working on short, sharp WRITING sessions to help students:
- brainstorm ideas based on an image or a starting prompt (topic, idea or situation);
- choose the best idea;
- plan their story (genre, settings, characters, exciting events and a gripping finish)
- create more interesting and real characters - heroes and villains (or, as Sam pointed out) more complex characters that contain both heroic and villainous qualities; characters that change and develop during the story are also more complex and interesting;
- create settings that are so descriptive and detailed that you could paint a picture from the details provided, and also create a strong atmosphere or feeling;
- write SIZZLING STARTS, SHOW don't TELL the events/action, use DYNAMIC DIALOGUE, BAN the BORING, create TIGHTENING TENSION in events and go out with a bang with EXCITING ENDINGS (7 Steps to Writing Success program);
To help their great ideas, students have been encouraged to write POWERFUL DESCRIPTIONS by using:
- two or more adjectives with a comma to separate them;
- figurative language - alliteration - especially with adjectives; onomatopoeia, personification;
- use adjectival phrases and clauses to give more details about nouns - eg black, hungry dog with slavering jaws and sly eyes (adjectival phrase - no verb) or black, hungry dog with slavering jaws and sly eyes crept slowly, maliciously following me ... (adjectival clause - has a verb)
- use adverbial openers to start sentences (Hungrily, the black, skeletal dog with slavering jaws and sly eyes crept maliciously towards me, as I desperately scanned the desolate street for somewhere to hide);
To help students write a range of sentences, we have been teaching students to:
- write short and long sentences to help vary the level of tension and suspense;
- write a range of sentence types;
- write and correctly punctuate simple sentences (have a noun and verb at least);
- write compound sentences (use at least 3 different coordinating conjunctions - join two ideas of equal weight - use and, but/yet, for, or, so);
- write complex sentences (use at least 2 - 3 different subordinating conjunctions - join two ideas where one is less important or gives a reason for the main idea - signalled with conjunctions such as if, because, although, while, until);
- write sentences with connectives that help to keep ideas flowing and help the reader to follow the action (after a while, later that day, previously, meanwhile);
- vary the position of the subordinating conjunctions in sentences - Although I had eaten all my breakfast, I was still ravenously hungry by recess; I was still ravenously hungry at recess, although I had eaten all my breakfast.
To help students make their writing easy for the reader to follow and link ideas, we have:
- worked on trying to use the noun before using the pronoun to which it refers;
- avoid using several pronouns in a row, especially where there is more than one noun, as after a while, the reader does not know which noun the pronoun is talking about;
- use paragraphs to separate main events or ideas.
To help students prepare their work for others to read, or to publish it, we have encouraged them to:
- re-read and revise (add text, delete text, put in a noun when the pronoun is not clearly linked to the noun it is talking about, move text so all ideas are in the same paragraph;
- re-read writing to check it makes sense;
- control basic sentence punctuation - capitals for start of sentence and proper nouns, full stops, question marks and exclamations for the end of sentences
- use a range of punctuation - commas to separate two adjectives, apostrophes for contractions and possession (this is in term 2), brackets for extra information (term 2), semi-colons in place of some conjunctions and connectives (term 2);
- check and correct or identify (line underneath) spelling of words.