What is my child

learning in English?

1

Why learn English1? These are some of the texts and contexts your child learns about in English: Literature and media • classic and contemporary novels, short stories, picture books and puzzle books • popular literature, including series fiction, magazines, song lyrics and jokes • Aboriginal Dreaming stories • myths, legends, fables and fairy tales • plays, poetry and song lyrics, riddles and humorous verse • students’ own poems, stories and plays • films and television programs, including feature films, documentaries, television serials, drama, promotional videos, photojournalism and video clips • different kinds and ways of reporting (crime, sport, scientific and social reporting in newspapers, television and on radio) • reviews (of art, drama, films, concerts and books in various media) • advertisements in print and electronic media • personal viewpoints (in newspapers, current affairs programs, talk-back radio and chat rooms) • electronic communications (e-mail, Internet, websites) and multimedia texts (e-zines).

In the English Learning Area, students learn to understand and describe the world through language. They learn how language works and how people communicate and that communication is not just what people say or write, but also how they say or write it.

Everyday and business texts • arguments, discussions and debates • information texts, reports, surveys, checklists, procedures and instruction manuals • notes, summaries and essays • recounts, descriptions and explanations • diaries and journals • postcards, greeting cards, invitations, apologies and complaints • personal letters and telephone conversations • student behaviour management policies (school and class rules) • daily bulletins/notices, newsletters and school magazines • assemblies • work communications, such as memoranda, faxes, e-mail, minutes of meetings, agendas, contracts, agreements and work experience reports • formal letters, reports, job applications (curriculum vitae and résumé), interviews and questions • instructions, labels and guarantees/ warranties • messages, questionnaires and forms • advertising, speeches and public addresses.

Students learn English through communicating: they listen for pleasure and to find things out; they talk to others to share their ideas. They learn about themselves and others through books, magazines, films and the internet and they learn that writing and pictures can be used to tell stories, explore ideas and to explain what they have found out.

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In English, students learn that there are different reasons why we write and speak. This makes a difference to the way we put things and the words and pictures we use. Through English, students learn that language is a powerful tool and that understanding it and being able to use it well is important.

‘English’ means the English Learning Area, not learning English as a language. 1

2

What are the English strands? In South Australia, children learn English through three related strands: Texts and contexts ‘Texts’ are all the many different places where language is used, for example, books, magazines, films, radio programs, songs, web sites and many, many more. The ‘context’ of a text includes why it has been made, for whom it has been made, when it was made, what it is about and where you might find it. Students learn, for example, why a personal letter is very different from a TV documentary. Language The language strand is about learning how language works in the different texts and contexts and how this affects the words and ‘rules’ we use. Students learn the workings of language so that they can understand others and be understood by them. Strategies In ‘Strategies’ students learn about the different ways in which language is used. They learn ways to note key phrases when listening and reading to help them to research. They learn ways to present talks and writing, such as structuring the beginning, middle and end, to make talks and writing easier to understand and more convincing. They learn how to recognise and correct their mistakes.

What are the SACSA Framework Standards? In our curriculum, the South Australian Curriculum, Standards and Accountability (SACSA) Framework, Standards give teachers, parents and students an idea of what they are expected to know and do at particular points in their schooling. Standards describe the way each child’s learning improves over time, building on what they already know. Each Standard is roughly equivalent to two school years, as shown in the table below:

How can this book help you? On the following pages you can read about the Standards for English to see what is expected of your child.

Children learn the English strands (Texts and contexts, Language and Strategies) through three different ‘modes’: • listening and speaking • reading and viewing • writing. You can choose to read this book by reading all three modes at each Standard to see how they all work together in teaching children English. You can also choose to follow one mode through the book and see how it becomes more complex as each Standard builds upon the skills learnt in the previous Standard. In this book each of the modes is in a different colour:

Standard 1 Towards the end of year 2

Listening and speaking

Standard 2 Towards the end of year 4

Reading and viewing

Standard 3 Towards the end of year 6

Writing

Standard 4 Towards the end of year 8 Standard 5 Towards the end of year 10

A range of texts and contexts your child learns about in English is listed in the front of this book.

3

Standard 1 towards the end of year 2

Listening and speaking

Reading and viewing

Writing English

Children listen to find out things, such as instructions on how to tidy up after art or how to use the telephone. They listen for pleasure to stories, myths and poetry and to find out about people and places. They start to understand that people choose different words and ways of saying things, depending on where they are and who they are with. They learn, for example, to recognise that people use language differently when they are telling you to do something or when they ask you a question. They recognise also that the situation and the people you are with may change the way language is used, for example, children talk differently in the playground to the way they talk in class. Children talk confidently to the class about things they know, such as what they did at the weekend or over the holidays. They keep to the topic and start to include a beginning, a middle and an end in their talks. They understand that there are rules for speaking, such as taking turns and listening to others.

Children read books for fun, like picture books, rhyming books and joke books. They also find things out from junior reference books, web sites and children’s TV programs. They sound out letters and letter combinations, and use pictures or other clues to work out meanings of words they don’t understand. For example, they may choose a book by looking at the front cover and the pictures to work out what it is about. They can tell you what they’ve read and viewed, whether they liked it and why. They start to understand that there are different types of writing and TV programs for different purposes. For example, some give you instructions which help you to make something, while others are stories which show you how people feel when something happens to them.

Children are beginning to write short stories of about half a page which are about things that have happened to them, like what they did on a class trip. They might write short letters, emails or posters about things they have found out. Their writing makes sense, although it might only include a few ideas written in short, simple sentences. They use titles and headings, and they organise their writing with a simple beginning, middle and end. They use joining words, like ‘and’, ‘but’, ‘because’, and put in information about where and when something happened, like ‘in the park’ or ‘after tea’. They spell common words correctly, like ‘thick’ or ‘crown’, and have a go at less common words, like ‘jungil’ instead of ‘jungle’. They use capital letters and full stops and begin to use other punctuation. They make rough copies and correct their spelling for their neat copies, which they print legibly or type on the computer.

South Australian Curriculum, Standards and Accountability (SACSA) Framework

4

Standard 2 towards the end of year 4

Listening and speaking

Reading and viewing

Writing English

Students listen to talks and stories and take part in class discussions. They need to listen more carefully because the talks are about less familiar topics. For example, they may listen to a talk about how to look after a bike or a junior novel which has a twist in the ending. They notice how people use language differently when speaking, such as in advertisements, making an appointment or asking for help. They understand the difference between ‘should’, ‘ought’ and ‘have to’. They ask questions to get more information and listen to other people’s ideas. In groups they talk about what they have heard and how the speaker has said it. Students give more complicated short talks to their class or to a wider group, such as at assembly or to a group of parents. For example, they might give a more detailed talk about a holiday or trip and bring photos to show the class. They plan and rehearse their talks and are prepared to answer questions. They begin to change their language to suit the audience, and use body language and humour to make their talks more interesting.

Students read more widely, choosing books by their favourite authors or on a favourite theme or series. Often they read simple chapter books and magazines. When they want to find something out, they may look at junior dictionaries, web sites or view a documentary. They may look at the index or read the comments on a book cover to find out more before choosing books. They can tell you what type of book it is by the words and pictures used and who would find it useful or enjoyable. They recognise the connection between pictures or diagrams and the written text. They look at films and TV programs and talk about how the director has used music, for example, to make you feel a certain way towards a character. When they judge a book or film, they often compare it to their own experiences. They learn many new words from their reading and recognise that there are many different ways to tell stories and information.

Students write longer and more complicated pieces, including stories and poetry. For example, they may look at a picture and write a simple story about the setting and characters. They also write about things they have found out and give their opinions on issues. For example, they may write a piece about whether children should be given money and how they should learn to spend it wisely. Their writing usually includes several ideas and uses paragraphs and a wider variety of words. It is organised into a more detailed beginning, middle and end. They write a rough copy and they get most common words right, such as verbs like ‘saw’ instead of ‘seen’. They hand up their ‘good copy’ in neat joined up handwriting or typed on the computer.

South Australian Curriculum, Standards and Accountability (SACSA) Framework

5

Standard 3 towards the end of year 6

Listening and speaking

Reading and viewing

Writing English

Students listen to different stories and talks, often about less familiar topics. For example, they may listen to a play about an Aboriginal Dreaming story. They work out the main issues and points of view of each of the characters. They work out how you can tell what the characters are like by the way that they speak. They also think about who the story is suitable for and why. For example, would it be suitable for younger children? Would it interest adults? Students give talks to the class or at assembly, sometimes on their own and sometimes as part of a group. They may make overheads and charts to create a more informative or entertaining talk. They carefully choose their words and how they use them, depending on who they are talking to and why. They use body language and humour to add interest. For example, they talk differently if they are asking students in assembly not to litter or if they are showing the Reception class how to make something.

Students read more difficult books, including junior novels, magazines, newspapers and websites. They confidently explain what happened in a story, describe the characters and talk about the main ideas. They may look at the way a film is made and what the director could have done differently. They can understand complex sentences and some technical words about subjects they are interested in. They use their reading and viewing to find out information and keep track by noting key ideas. They may read silently for long periods, read class novels, keep reading logbooks or borrow from libraries.

Students write information reports, instructions and letters. For example, they may write a letter to the local council arguing for a skate park in the area. They need to organise their thoughts clearly and write in a way which convinces other readers, some of whom may not want a skate park. They also write stories and poetry and think about who they are writing for. For example, they may take a fairy story and make a book for the Reception class. To do this, they need to work out the main ideas and key words and develop the characters and structure. They ask for feedback from their school friends and the teacher about their rough copy so that they can improve their work. Their final copy is either published on the computer or handwritten and they have now developed their own handwriting style. They use headings, paragraphs and more complex words correctly, including some technical words, like ‘conclusion’ and ‘experiment’.

South Australian Curriculum, Standards and Accountability (SACSA) Framework

6

Standard 4 towards the end of year 8

Listening and speaking

Reading and viewing

Writing English

Students listen to a much wider range of texts and discuss them in groups. For example, they may listen to debates and work out the main points each speaker made. They think about how convincing the speakers were in the words that they used and the way that they spoke. They may think about other ways that they could have spoken about the same topic. Students give talks on topics which they have researched. They give informal and formal talks and they select from a wider range of words and ways to use them. For example, they may formally introduce a visitor to the class by giving some details of the visitor’s background. They may also be part of a school committee, like SRC, where they have to less formally argue for something they believe in, like improving the school facilities. They get feedback from their school friends and teachers, which they use to improve talks they give in the future.

Students read more challenging literature, such as novels, short stories, classics and play scripts. They view films, TV dramas, soap operas and advertising. They think about the different ways that people see the world, depending on their culture or when they lived. They look at how complex the writing is, the sorts of words used and the way people write things to be convincing or make you feel a certain way, such as the way in which adverts are made to convince you to buy a product. They look at technical effects, such as how editing a film into very short segments and using fast music can appear as if the story has been speeded up. They read and recognise the different features of biographies and autobiographies, journals, newspapers, web pages and view chat shows. They compare how information is presented differently in newspapers and web pages, and they respond to what they have read and viewed.

Students write about many different topics and issues, trying out a number of writing styles. They research information for reports, and they write short stories and letters from someone else’s point of view. For example, they may write a school newspaper. This means they need to look at the sort of things included in newspapers, how they are written and who they are written for. They may prepare an argument taking opposing sides around an issue. For example, they may discuss the food sold in the canteen and look at the arguments for stocking healthy food as opposed to more fast food. They understand differences in styles of writing and how to make their writing more convincing. They include more detail in their writing, work on the planning, share it in groups to get other people’s opinions, and revise their work before making a final copy. Their writing is more complex and they use more technical words and grammar. They select appropriate strategies for spelling and punctuation, which is correct most of the time.

South Australian Curriculum, Standards and Accountability (SACSA) Framework

7

Standard 5 towards the end of year 10

Listening and speaking

Reading and viewing

Writing English

Students listen to and compare different talks on complex themes. For example, they may listen to a documentary on the United Nations and what it is doing about poverty. They think about the main issues from each of the speakers and the way you could tell the speakers’ values from the way they made their points. They discuss in detail which speakers were most convincing and why. They may, for example, think about why some issues, such as economics or politics, were included and why other issues, such as education, were ignored. They demonstrate a good understanding of how language is used to entertain, inform or convince people of a certain point of view. Students give talks about issues which might be current or historical or about the future. For example, they may talk about genetically modified foods, or take part in a debate on the Stolen Generation or give a presentation on the effects of pollution on the ozone layer. They often choose an area they would like to research and try to convince others of their point of view. They may present similar topics to different groups of people. They know, for example, that some people may understand technical words, but they may have to find other ways to explain things to people who do not know these words. Students demonstrate a good understanding of how to prepare and research a talk, the most persuasive order in which to present information and the sorts of words to use in different situations.

Students read many different types of texts, including novels, short stories, poetry and journal articles with challenging ideas. They view films and TV dramas with complex themes. They learn that what one gets out of a piece of writing or a film depends on who one is, where one comes from and what sort of experiences one has had. They recognise that people write about the same thing from many different points of view. For example, they might read two books and watch a film, all of which are about a similar topic or theme, such as racism. They might look at the way the characters and settings are used to explain an issue or convince people to feel a certain way. They may read to research the background to a novel or film so that they can get another understanding of the issue and see the world through ‘someone else’s eyes’. They use reading journals and write essays to show their understandings, for example, whether the way the characters behaved was convincing or not. They are now confident readers and viewers who can understand the many ways in which writers and directors work to engage their audiences.

Students write complex responses, arguments, stories and letters about different issues and topics. They include detailed information which they have researched. They plan their writing carefully and check it to make sure the writing style works for the audience and that they have used the correct style for the type of writing. For example, responses begin with a summary which outlines their point of view and the evidence they will present to support their point of view. They may explore a number of texts about an issue, such as racism, and compare and contrast their treatment of the issue. They may write a film or play script which points out how unfair such a system is on many groups of people. They are capable and confident writers who know different ways of writing to convince and inform a range of audiences.

South Australian Curriculum, Standards and Accountability (SACSA) Framework

This booklet is written for parents and caregivers to explain the English curriculum in all South Australian Department of Education and Children’s Services (DECS) schools. The booklet explains and describes the standards children and students can expect to achieve in English, as described in the South Australian Curriculum, Standards and Accountability (SACSA) Framework. Additional copies are available from local schools or by phoning Curriculum at 8226 4393. Copies can also be downloaded from the SACSA website at http://www.sacsa.sa.edu.au under ‘About SACSA’ or the DECS website http://www.decs.sa.gov.au under ‘parents & community’.

Cataloguing-in-publication data What is my child learning in English? [Adelaide]: Department of Education and Children’s Services, 2004 16pp ISBN 0 7308 7756 6

© Crown in right of South Australia (Department of Education and Children’s Services), 2004 Written by Susanne Koen, Infoquest Pty Ltd Designed by Michelle Koen, MKgd Printed by Digital Documents, South Australia