Year 5 illustrations
Literacy Learning Progressions: End of year 6
School Journal, Part 3 Number 3, 2006. Noun frequency level: 9-10
By the end of year 5, students are required to use a variety of fiction and non-fiction texts to locate, evaluate, and integrate information and ideas in order to meet the reading demands of the curriculum, drawing on the knowledge, skills, and attitudes described for the end of year 5 in the Literacy Learning Progressions. The curriculum tasks will also involve the students in generating their own questions as well as answering questions from the teacher.
The students in a year 5 class are involved in a social studies/health inquiry in which they explore the concepts of culture and identity and develop an understanding of resilience and managing change. They do this by investigating how personal experiences can impact on people and contribute to their sense of self-worth. This learning helps students build on the key competencies of managing self and relating to others.
In “Finding China”, Yani recounts her experiences of travelling alone from Dunedin, New Zealand, to attend a boarding school in Shanghai, China, when she was eleven. Yani’s recount includes comments and reflections. She draws comparisons between school life in New Zealand and China, for example, in terms of the size of the school, homework, writing, and food. The information is logically organised, and the text is well supported by subheadings, photos, explanatory notes, and a map.
The teacher chose “Finding China” because it recounts an experience the students can relate to. The text requires students to make connections with their prior knowledge and to integrate information within the text to develop an understanding of how taking up a challenge can lead to positive change.
The following example illustrates aspects of the task and text and demonstrates how a student engages with both task and text to meet the reading demands of the curriculum. A number of such examples would be used to inform the overall teacher judgment for this student.
