S00136506 Joniyeh Dawood

Assignment cover sheet

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Student ID Number/s:

Student Surname/s:

Given name/s:

S00136506

Dawood

Joniyeh

Course: BACHELOR OF ECT AND PRIMARY

Unit code: EDLA204/264

School: AUSTRALIAN CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY

Unit title: LITERACY EDUCATION 1

Due date: 01/05/2014

Date submitted: 12/05/2014

Lecturer-in-Charge: TRISH WEEKES

Tutorial Group/Tutor: TRISH WEEKES

Assignment Title and/or number: ASSIGNMENT 2

DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY
By submitting this assignment for assessment, I acknowledge and agree that:
1. this assignment is submitted in accordance with the Universitys Academic Regulations, Assessment Policy and
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3. no part of this assignment has been written by any other person, except to the extent of collaboration and/or
group work as defined in the unit outline.
4. this assignment has not been recycled, using work substantially the same as work I have completed previously
and which has been counted towards satisfactory completion of another unit of study or credited towards
another qualification, unless the Lecturer in Charge has granted prior written consent to do so.
5. a copy of the original assignment is retained by me and that I may be required to submit the original assignment
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6.1. reproduce this assignment;
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Signature of student(s):

Joniyeh Dawood

Date: 12/05/2014

S00136506 Joniyeh Dawood

Student name: Joniyeh Dawood

Criteria and
weighting

High distinction/
distinction

Student number: S00136506

Overall grade:

Credit

Pass

Fail

In-depth and highly

Accurate analysis of
accurate analysis of
text features across
text features across
various levels
various levels of the
(major weighting)
text.

Accurate analysis of
text features across
various levels of the
text.

Some accurate
analysis of language
features across at
least some levels of
text.

Analysis is inaccurate or
shows little or no
understanding of text
features across levels.

Reading strategies are

Clear and specific explained and justified
strategies to
clearly. Activities to
develop reading
teach reading are
and build
explicit and clearly
knowledge, as
explained, with strong
linked to the
links to curriculum
features of two texts knowledge and to the
(major weighting)
features of the two
chosen texts.

Reading strategies are

explained clearly.
Activities to teach
reading are explicit and
mostly clearly
explained, with links to
curriculum knowledge
and to the features of
the two chosen texts.

Reading strategies may

Reading strategies are
not be explicit or specific
explained to some
or clearly explained.
extent. Activities to
Links to curriculum
teach reading are
knowledge may be
presented with some
unclear or not present.
links to curriculum
Links to language
knowledge and to the
features of chosen texts
features of the two
may be unclear or
chosen texts.
missing.

Most ideas are

accurately linked to the
theory of reading and
literacy development,
including course
readings, with correct
referencing.

Some ideas are

accurately linked to
the theory of reading
and literacy
development,
including course
readings, with
adequate referencing.

Discussion linked to
the theory of
reading and literacy
development, with
correct referencing
using APA style
(minor weighting)

All ideas are strongly,

accurately and
consistently linked to
the theory of reading
and literacy
development with
correct referencing in
APA style.

High level of
English proficiency
Very high level of
used within the
proficiency in academic
discussion:
English used within the
accurate sentencing
discussion, including
and logical
clear and logical
development of
development of ideas.
ideas (minor
weighting)

Ideas may not be linked

to the theory of reading
and literacy, or links may
be inaccurate, misplaced
or confused. There may
be no or few links to
course readings.
Referencing may be
incorrect or inadequate.

Limited or inadequate
proficiency in academic
Acceptable academic
High level of
English used in the
English proficiency
proficiency in academic
discussion. There may
used within the
English used within the
be many errors and
discussion with
discussion, including
inaccurate sentence
adequate organisation
logical development of
construction.
and development of
ideas.
Development of ideas
ideas.
may be unclear or poorly
organised.

Comment
Marker _______________________________

S00136506 Joniyeh Dawood

Assessment 2
In one sentence, state the unit of work you have chosen and the two texts you have
selected.
I have chosen the Science and Technology unit of work, Whats that sound?, and the
following two texts:
Zoo Sleepover by Douglas Holgate
Shut the Duck Up by Mandy Foot
Provide a very brief outline of the nature of each text and how it relates to the unit of
work, that is, what knowledge it contributes to the unit (approx. 100 - 200 words per text).
Zoo Sleepover is a picture book about a family that is going to the zoo not just for a visit, for a
sleepover. The book is a Narrative text type, as its purpose is to use a range of process types,
reflecting the complexity of the familys experience (Derewianka, 2011). This book is made to
entertain individuals by telling a story about an experience which is shown throughout the pictures
in the book. This book relates to the topic of Whats that sound? as the family partake a journey to
the zoo where they are faced with all sorts of animals which some whom are cheeky, some are
noisy, some are cuddly and some who are following them. In this way, studying the book will help
to build the field of sound in an entertaining and engaging way and to explore how the family set
off to the zoo on an adventure they never thought that they would expect. These outcomes are
related to the overall purpose of whats that sound? unit which is to describe how sounds are all
around us and affect our lives in many different ways. This unit of work also enables students to
describe a range of places and spaces in the local environment and how their purposes influence
their design (Board of Studies, 2014). Zoo Sleepover helps to build knowledge about the topic of
sound as it explores many sorts of animals throughout the book that make different sounds.
Shut the Duck Up is a picture book about a duck who dreams of being able to fly but as an Indian
Runner Duck, he can t. Up late to practice his flying technique, he spots a fox and raises the
alarm. No one believes him at first, but eventually Indie sets a trap that catches the fox and makes

S00136506 Joniyeh Dawood

himself a hero. This book is a narrative text type, as its purpose is to use a range of process types,
which describe the actions of the Duck and the farm animals. This text relates to the unit of work
whats that sound? as it enables students to use skills in Working Scientifically and Working
Technologically to develop ideas about the properties of sound and materials (Board of Studies,
2009). This text highly relates to the unit of work as it brings out all different sounds from a
farmyard whether the sound is coming from an animal or a person. During this unit of work
students will learn to communicate by representing and communicating observations and ideas
using oral and written language, drawing and role-play (Board of Studies, 2014).

3. Describe the main language features of each text at the levels of:
o Whole Text
o Paragraph
o Sentence
o Word
Explain how these features might be challenging (or not) for a typical group
of students in the Early Years.
ZOO SLEEPOVER
Zoo sleepover by Douglas Holgate explores a series of events that the family face on their trip to
the zoo. The children are asked by their mother to pack their bags as they are going to the zoo for
a sleepover; the children are overwhelmed from excitement and begin to pack. They catch a ferry
to the zoo and finally arrive at the zoo where they are faced with all sorts of animals (Holgate,
2013). In literary narrative texts like Zoo Sleepover the storyteller both visually and verbally
introducers readers to a dynamic story world of characters and phenomena which is classified as
participants, and activities which are the processes (grammar and meaning). This book often
displays one or two clauses, which include descriptive words of what is happening. The characters
gestures are displayed in this book by colorful and vibrant images that allow the viewers to have a
clear and concise image of what the storyteller is trying to convey.
The language that is used in Zoo Sleepover is quite difficult for some students to read unassisted.
For example, it includes vocabulary such as gurgled and nocturnal which would not be familiar to
some students in Year 1. When we view this book at clause level, process types are mostly action
verbs which (e.g. pack, going, catch, snoring). This text also contains action verbs that relate to
the topic of Whats that sound unit (e.g. roar, trumpet, stomp, boom, gurgle, swoop, hoot, growl).
Action verbs are particularly found in texts such as narratives, procedures and recounts.
Sensing verbs are used in this text to help the reader to understand how the characters describe
what they think, feel, desire and perceive (e.g. wish, think, favorite, love, see, like). Existing verbs

S00136506 Joniyeh Dawood

are also used in this text type (e.g. The Elephants were my favorite where there is no action or
relationship being described, simply a state of mind (Derewianka, 2011).
The participants in this text are mostly non-human nouns, which refer to animals (e.g. Lion, Tiger,
Monkey, Elephant, Koala, Owl). Human nouns are also used in this text (e.g. Mum, Dad, Mia)
which refer to the main characters names in this book.
This book will allow children in the early years to learn different sounds, whether it comes from the
animals, humans or the natural environment. This unit of work will allow children to learn about
different sounds that are around us and where they come from. Using this text in a classroom will
highly encourage students to participate and ask questions about the characters and images.
SHUT THE DUCK UP
The text Shut the Duck Up by Mandy Foot follows three stages of a narrative: orientation which
sets the scene, creating a visual picture of the setting, atmosphere and time of the story,
complication where a problem occurs that affects the setting, time or characters and resolution
which is where the problem is resolved (Derewianka, 2011). This text is about a noisy duck and a
sneaky fox that create farmyard chaos every night. Indie dreams of being able to fly but as an
Indian Runner Duck, he cant. Up late to practice his flying technique, he spots a fox that distracts
him every night while practicing to fly. No one believes him at first, but eventually Indie sets a trap
that catches the fox and makes himself a hero (Foot, 2013).
This text type by Mandy Foot consists of a number of clauses joined together e.g. Shut the Duck
up shouts the farmer with might. What a mess in the yard, but no fox in sight (Foot, 2013, p.10).
It is vital that students comprehend how to combine different clauses to make sentences and how
to create different types of relationships between clauses in a sentence. This text will provide
students of how clauses are joined together to make sentences that express a message
(Derewianka, 2011, p.11).
The language used in Shut the Duck Up is quite difficult for some children in the early years to
comprehend; it contains vocabulary such as technique, pricked, poise, and capture. In this case it
is vital for teachers to explain these words to students so that they are aware of their meanings. At
the clause level, process types are mostly action verbs (e.g. fly, leaps, creeps, running, race)
There are also saying verbs in this text (e.g. shouts, shouting, shut, laughing, cheer) that explore
how the text gives information about what the characters do and say (Derewianka, 2011).

S00136506 Joniyeh Dawood

This text also contains action verbs that relate to sound (e.g. shout, splat, quack, moo, jumps,
creeps, bang, thud, cheer). Sounds are all around us and affect our lives in many different ways. In
Science and Technology, Year 1 students can investigate sound by the teacher reading books
such as this text that uses different sounds and noises to express what is happening in the text
(Board of Studies, 2014).
Thinking verbs are used to express processes of cognition and can feature in texts (e.g.
wondering, thought) that reflect upon characters ideas and opinions (Derewianka, 2011). Adverbs
are also used in this text (e.g. nearly, sneakily, quickly) that describe the movement of the
characters speed. Participants in this text are mostly non-human nouns, which refer to farm
animals (e.g. fox, duck, cows, pups). There is only one example used in this text as a human noun
(e.g. farmer) which is the owner of the farm. Conjunctions are used strongly in two compound
sentences to show the obstacles the duck faces in revealing to everyone that the fox is causing all
the chaos around the farm.
What a mess in the yard, but no fox in sight.
Indie jumps from the shed, but that duck has no poise.
Coordinating conjunctions are used to join two parts of a sentence that are grammatically equal.
The conjunction but is a co-ordinating conjunction that is regularly used to join two independent
clauses in a compound sentence (Derewianka 2009, p90). This text will allow children in stage 1 to
learn about different sounds of the environment and how sounds are used in different situations.

Select and identify one or two of these language features that you will teach using each
text. Outline the strategies you will use in teaching using this text and why. This should not
be a lesson plan, but a rationale for your choice of strategies. You need to show that you
understand how particular strategies build language and literacy. Refer to the readings in
your answer. (approx. 500 words per text)
Zoo Sleepover
The language features that will be the focus of teaching in Zoo Sleepover are processes, and in
particular, action verbs. When students talk and write about the topic Whats that sound, they
need to use many action verbs in their writing as it describes the sounds that the characters are
making. Action verbs are used in this text to describe the use of sounds by the animals e.g. roar,

S00136506 Joniyeh Dawood

trumpet, stomp, boom, gurgle, swoop, hoot, growl. Outcome ST1-6PW describes some sources of
light and sound that they sense in their daily lives (Board of Studies, 2009). This outcome can be
achieved by children when they are asked to describe a certain sound whether it comes from a
animal, environment, person or object.
The strategy for teaching action verbs in Zoo Sleepover will be shared reading. During shared
reading and writing sessions, teachers work collaboratively with their students to read or write an
enlarged text together. During shared reading, teachers invite their students to join them in using
specific reading strategies, to gain meaning from the text (Wild, 2009). Zoo Sleepover would be a
great text to use for shared reading as it is a large text which has pictures and writing that are
clear for students read and view.
The materials needed for this activity is a brown paper bag marked verbs at the front of it. I will
then place several small cards in the bag that are action verbs from the book Zoo Sleepover.
Students will come up one by one and choose a verb card from the bag and has to act out the
verb in front of the class and the students need to guess what that verb is called. For example a
student picks a card from the bag which spells roar that student will then have to act like a tiger
so that the students can guess what animal they are or what sound they are making. Each student
will have a turn at this activity and the students sitting down will be listening and watching carefully
to see what verb the student is rein acting. Once the students have finished this activity, students
will go back to their desks. Teacher will place a bag on each table that contains words and
pictures. Students will then need to match the verb with the picture it belongs with. For example a
student picks a card that says hoot they will need to match that card with a picture that represents
an owl. Students will highly benefit from this activity, as it will encourage them to work as a group
to identify which verb belongs with what image. Students will also be learning about sound with
this activity, as the action verbs will represent all sorts of sounds that come from the zoo. By the
end of this activity students will be able to produce different sounds from familiar words from the
text Zoo Sleepover using actions, e.g. hoot, roar, gurgle, stomp etc (Board of Studies, 2014).
Shut the Duck Up
The language features that will be the focus of teaching Shut the Duck Up are Participants, and
in particular, nouns. The reading strategy that will be used to introduce this book to the class is
modelled reading. Through reading the book Shut the Duck Up to the children in the classroom,
dialogic reading can be implemented. This reading strategy is based on encouraging children to
be active learners during the reading process. Modelled reading enables the teacher to challenge
the childs knowledge and skills by raising the complexity of the conversation to a level just above

S00136506 Joniyeh Dawood

their current abilities; this method is also supported by Vygotskys Zone of Proximal Development
theory (De Temple & Snow, 2003). Through reading Shut the Duck Up on a whole class level, the
teacher can encourage students to recall information about specific details from the story e.g.
What are the main characters names? Distancing prompts may also be used when reading this
book which prompts the children to relate to different names or places that they have been to.
Through modelled reading students will be able to work cooperatively and individually when
participating in different types of guided investigations to explore and answer questions, such as
manipulating materials, testing ideas, and accessing information sources (Board of Studies, 2014).
While the teacher is reading this book to the class, teacher will ask students to listen carefully to
the main characters names and the places that they see in this book. When the teacher has
finished reading this book. The students will go back to their desks and teacher will ask the
students to discuss the main characters that they saw in the book. Once the students have
finished discussing with their peers they will come back and sit down on the carpet. The teacher
will write in the middle of the board Nouns. Teacher will discuss with the students what a noun is
A noun is a word that refers to a person, place, thing or event (Derewianka, 2009). Once the
students understand what is a noun. The teacher will begin the activity; teacher will ask the
students Put your hand up if you can tell me the main characters in the book. Once the students
have identified the main characters in the book, the teacher will write the names on the board so
that the students have a clear idea of nouns. Once the teacher has finished this activity the
students will be put in groups of 5 and asked to sit down at a table. Students will be then given
short sentences from the book Shut the Duck Up that include nouns. Students will be asked to
highlight the nouns in the sentence. For example students will be given this sentence from the text
Shut the Duck Up shouts the farmer with might. What a mess in the yard, but no fox in sight
(Foot, 2013). Using a highlighter, students will highlight the nouns that they can identify in the
sentence.
As Vygotsky states, although children may use the same words with adults, they may not hold the
same meaning for those words. The acquisition of word meaning takes much longer than the
acquisition of the spoken form of the words, and children use words in their speech long before
they have a full understanding of them (Cameron, 2001). Noun activities are an essential basis to
any childs education because it gives them the ability to form proper sentences at a young age.
While as a stage 1 student, students can probably name people, places and things, yet they do
not understand the importance of their placement in a sentence. Understanding the importance of
nouns will benefit students education and allowing them to engage in noun activities will lay the
proper foundation for sold grammar.

S00136506 Joniyeh Dawood

Reference list
Board of Studies. (2014). Science and Technology sample unit: Whats that sound?. Retrieved
May 8, 2014, from http://syllabus.bos.nsw.edu.au/assets/global/files/scitech_s1_sampleu1.pdf
Cameron, L. (2001). Teaching Languages to Young Learners. Cambridge University Press.
Derewianka, B. (2011). A New Grammar Companion for Teachers (2nd ed.). Sydney, Australia:
Author.
De Temple, J., & Snow, C.E. (2003). Learning words from books. In A. van Kleeck, S.A. Stahl, &
E.B. Bauer (Eds.), On reading books to children: Parents and teachers (pp. 1636). Mahwah, NJ:
Erlbaum.
Foot, M. (2013). Shut the Duck Up. Sydney, Australia: Hachette Australia.
Holgate, D. (2013). Zoo Sleepover. Sydney, Australia: Hachette Australia.
Humphrey, S., Droga, L., & Feez, S. (2012). Language for Expressing ideas. In R. Gnanadickam
(Ed.), Grammar and Meaning. Sydney, Australia: Author.
Snowball, D. (2009). Teaching and learning experiences in an effective reading program. Australia:
PETAA.
Wild, R. (2009). How am l going to teach my students to be confident readers and writers?. In R.
Gnanadickam (Ed.), Where do l start? Stimulating ideas for literacy rich primary classrooms (pp.
12). Sydney , Australia: Author.