Term 3 / Week 5 - 6: Write a short report

It's time to practice writing a short report of an event that occurred recently or something that you viewed on TV. You can view it several times to collect the details that are important to the report.
Use this template for writing a News Report to write notes about:

• the background to the event
• when and where the event took place
• who was involved
• what the result was

Then organise your ideas by writing the information in sentences in the three paragraphs below.

Here is a short video news report which we can write up as a report. And here is a humpback whale.

Humpback whale from wikipedia

You might also need to use the following words: 'yacht' and 'Moreton Bay'.

Here is a possible News report (answer sheet) about the experience with the Humpback whale.

Dictation: New citizens will vote for the first time

This dictation is a little different to others we have done this year. Listen to the sentences and try to write as much as you remember. But this time, you don't have to write exactly what you hear as long as the meaning is similar. The main thing is that your sentences are grammatically correct and they make sense - the reader can understand the meaning.

Did you miss.... in Week 5 and 6? 

• Here is the News item we read last Friday: Small town a new horizon for 19 citizens. The last two pages have some possible answers - you can write different sentences - just check spelling, grammar and punctuation are correct. Thanks to Jane Lucas for adapting the text and developing the reading tasks.
• Practice writing notes for work - the first page of this worksheet has space for you to summarise the notes using dot points - the second page has the ANSWERS. Thanks to Sophie for her answers.
• The second news report is: Man impaled through head on Sydney construction site from Yahoo CH 7 news service. You can use the above Write a News Report template to help you plan, organise and write your report.
• Here is the worksheet: Reported statements with a change of tense for you to print and complete. When you are finished you can check your answers - on pages 3 and 4.

Election '13 - Counting your vote video and quiz

This is what kids do in school! This video introduces the different voting systems, including preferential voting. Listen and test yourself with the quiz afterwards.

Term 2 / Week 10: Discussion - Tunnel or Train - putting it all together

As promised last Friday, here is a Dictation to help prepare your ideas for your Discussion text.



Note: - effect (n): The effects of climate change will be felt everywhere.
          - affect (v): Climate change affects the plants and animals living everywhere on planet Earth.

Listen to the text three times. Pause the recording to think and write. Check your writing and listen for full stops and paragraph breaks. When you can't improve your writing any more, you can check your work by looking at the Transcript here.

New resources

• Trains not Toll Roads Campaign - City of Yarra hub for the campaign
• Trains not Toll roads: Council opposes government - gives a good summary of both sides of the argument

Term 2 / week 6 - Dictation and some Practice with Prepositions

Write a Discussion on the topic of Graffiti

You can choose one of the following topics:

1. Graffiti should be legalised.
2. Graffitists should be put in jail.
3. Local councils are losing the battle to prevent graffiti.

Your introduction must include your opinion and some supporting sentences, based on experience or facts. This should be interesting enough to invite the reader to read more!

Use the Discussion Plan to start writing more arguments to support your view. Don't forget to discuss the Arguments AGAINST your view and what you think of them.

State law regarding Graffiti

The Victorian Graffiti Prevention Act 2007 recognises graffiti as a crime and acknowledges its potential severity through tough penalties. The offence of marking graffiti attracts maximum fines of more than $29,000 and up to two years imprisonment.

Under this Act, it is illegal in Victoria to:

• mark publicly visible graffiti on property without the owner’s consent
• sell spray paint to someone under the age of 18 unless they have proven it is needed for employment purposes
• possess a graffiti implement with the intention of marking unlawful graffiti
• possess, without lawful excuse, a spray paint can while on or adjacent to public transport property, or when trespassing
• advertise spray paint cans for sale, if the advertisement is likely and intended to incite or promote unlawful graffiti.

The Act outlines what councils can do to remove graffiti from private property and what police can do to investigate alleged graffiti offences.

 

Strategies to prevent graffiti

Which graffiti prevention strategy has been used in the construction of this tram stop shelter on the corner of Johnston Street and Nicholson Street?

Dictation: Graffiti or Street Art?

Here's a dictation to review our vocabulary and prepare to write a Discussion about Graffiti.


Listen to the text three times and check your writing. When you can't improve your writing any more, you can check your work by looking at the Transcript here.

Practice with Prepositions

Here's a review of work we did last term: maybe you have removed these Grammar worksheets from your folder to make space for new work. So, here is a slideshow for you to revise which preposition to use with particular verbs or adjectives.

You will need to click the Next button to check your answer and then go to the Next Slide.

Practice with prepositions from Jill Koppel

Term 2 / week 3: Fat, fatter, obese

This week we are spending more time reading and writing persuasive texts. Let's review some language that we read in the text Australia needs a Michelle Obama.

Dictation: The two Michelles

Listen and pause the dictation where you need to. Don't forget your punctuation. When you're finished, you can check your work by clicking the link to the transcript of the text here.

Some Links to Michelle Bridges web pages

• Listen to Michelle's Tips here.

• Go to Michelle's BMI Calculator here to work out if you are overweight or obese. You'll need to know your height and your weight. 

• Lastly, grab some healthy recipes here.  

Term 2 / week 1: Junk food - should it be banned at school?

Yum! Jelly doughnut

What do you think about this idea?

Here at Munch for Kids blog is one mother's view of an ideal world.

Which sentences are opinions, experience or facts?

Reading strategies

Here is our List of Reading Strategies from last year. How many of them did you use when reading the text?

What are the pros and cons of banning junk food at the school canteen?

Think about:

• if you agree or disagree or if you can see both sides of the topic
• how you will start writing about this topic?
• a conclusion - a summary of your main points and a final sentence to persuade your reader that you are right

Remember to:

• use the plan to write supporting arguments for each idea
• write in sentences and stay on the topic
• use words from the Persuasive writing Checklist to build your argument
• start a new paragraph for each new idea

Writing process

Think => Plan => Draft => Correct => Rewrite

OR sometimes

Think => Discuss => Plan => Draft => Correct => Rewrite

Revision: Did you watch the video about Australia's First Afghani Lifesaver?

Here's a dictation on the topic of water safety. Press Pause after each sentence.



Here is the text for the dictation - but don't look until you're absolutely sure you can't do any more!

Week 2 - 3: Arguments FOR and AGAINST

Dictation: should we ban mobiles from class?

Listen to the recording three times. You can pause it at any time to write as much as you can of what you hear. Leave a space for any word that you don't understand and try to spell words as well as you can.

Here is the text for the dictation - but don't look until you're absolutely sure you can't do any more!

Issue: should mobile phones be banned from the classroom?

• Use the WORKSHEET to list the arguments FOR and AGAINST young people taking mobile phones to class?
• Write sentences about each argument or point using the Plan your Discussion WORKSHEET.

Issue: should parents STOP driving their kids to school?

Have you noticed how much quieter the roads are during the school holidays?

Watch the video below and think about the arguments for and against driving you kids to school.

Steps in Planning your Discussion text

• Use the WORKSHEET to list the arguments FOR driving the kids and AGAINST driving the kids.
• Answer the QUESTION ITEMS about the video.
• Write sentences about each argument or point using the Plan your Discussion WORKSHEET.

Week 1: Holidays and prepositions

This week we used a lot of nouns describing camping equipment, plants, animals and land features. Did you write these things in your notebook?

We listened to Jill's narrative of her holiday and viewed her photos.

Dictation: Jill's camping trip to East Gippsland

Here is the dictation we did to recycle the camping holiday words. It features some prepositions. Listen to the recording three times. You can pause it at any time to write as much as you can of what you hear. Leave a space for any word that you don't understand and try to spell words as well as you can.



Here is the text for the dictation - but don't look until you're absolutely sure you can't do any more!

Grammar corner - extend yourself

Using 'would' for the habitual past  

We practised using 'would' to describe things that you did regularly in the past. It does the same job as 'used to'. Here are some activities to practise using 'would' for habitual past. You can test yourself with the Quiz after watching the video. 

Video: English Grammar – “Would” in the past · engVid

Prepositions: choosing the correct one

At English Current there are five groups of exercises to practise choosing the correct preposition to fill the gaps in the following sentences. 


Would you like to print out the sentences and write your prepositions instead? Here is the document.

 

Are you bored or boring?

Here at 5 Minute English is a really easy-to-understand explanation.