English

Year Level Description

The students use their understanding of a range of text types to write increasingly complex texts. These texts include ideas and information about familiar topics. When planning, composing, revising and publishing texts, they adapt their writing to suit the audience and purpose. They understand how language can be used to express feelings and opinions on topics. They demonstrate an understanding of grammar and choose vocabulary and punctuation appropriate to the purpose and context of their writing. They use knowledge of sounds and make plausible attempts at spelling new and more difficult words. High frequency words are spelt accurately and they edit their work for meaning. They write using joined letters that are accurately formed and consistent in size.

They read texts that contain varied sentence structures, a range of punctuation conventions and images that provide additional information. They identify literal and implied meaning connecting ideas in different parts of a text. They select information, ideas and events in texts that relate to their own lives and to other texts. They read more critically and reflect on how values, attitudes and beliefs are represented or ignored.

They use and respond to a range of types of spoken texts in formal and informal situations in the classroom and school. Students are capable of adapting their speaking and listening to suit their audience and purpose. They learn to express an opinion and to consider the viewpoints of others. They listen to others’ views and respond appropriately.

Achievement Standard

Reading

• Reads year level texts independently.
• Reads and responds to a variety of texts that reveal comprehension at a literal level.
• Reads and responds to a variety of texts that reveal comprehension at an inferential level.
• Begins to evaluate texts by drawing on a growing knowledge of context, text structures and language features.
• Uses a range of text processing strategies e.g. monitoring, predicting, confirming, rereading, reading on or self‑correcting.
• Summarises a text at intervals during the reading of a longer text.

Speaking and Listening

• Uses active listening behaviours and responds appropriately.
• Follows directions and responds appropriately.
• Contributes to whole class and small group discussions, sharing relevant ideas.
• Uses appropriate tone, volume, pitch and pace for the purpose of setting and audience.

Writing                                            

• Uses quotation marks to indicate direct speech.
• Uses apostrophe in contractions to signal missing letters.
• Uses paragraphs with greater accuracy to organise thoughts or arguments logically.
• Uses some descriptive language to describe the traits of characters, their actions and motivations.
• Uses some descriptive language to establish setting and atmosphere.
• Uses basic contractions (e.g. contractions to negate ‑ isn’t, aren’t).
• Accurately spells level appropriate high frequency words in their own writing.
• Independently rereads and edits writing to improve spelling.
• Synonyms and adjectives are added or sentences reworded for effect during the editing stage.
• Begins to correctly form many letters with correct joins on dotted thirds showing consistent size, slope and spacing on dotted thirds.