11 | October | 2011 | Nina Davis: Teaching & Learning in Australia

A quick post: Today my students focussed on adjectives. Adjectives are introduced as colouring in words. My students understand we colour our pictures in to make them interesting and exciting for ourselves and others.

Introducing adjectives using this explanation works for this age group. The children and I completed several examples together. The example
sentences were: I have a dog. I have a kite. These sentences definitely needed colouring in.

After completing focus examples the children had to independently complete the activity. Their sentence was, I have a cat. I’ve included a number of random examples. This activity needs to be completed many times, it’s quick, and the children enjoyed sharing one of their coloured in sentences.

I’ll be looking for the transfer of my teaching in my students work. Just because I’ve taught something doesn’t mean they’ve learnt it. So important to remember!

Cheers Nina

Using a recount exemplar to scaffold writing structure is assisting my students to develop needed control of their written text. My students have been extending their writing to include a title, sequenced detail and a personal comment. All children, at every stage of writing development are benefitting from using an explicit structure to support their writing. The examples below display the children’s use of the taught structure and features of a recount. These samples are of unassisted independent writing. The Level 1+PM Writing Exemplar book is providing extension at ‘point of need’ for students.

Before writing their journals, the children focus on the exemplars discussing the main features, punctuation, spelling strategies, title, events and
time words. When modeling a genre to my students I always use the structure outlined in the PM Writing Exemplars. This term I am using a combination of PM Exemplars for Teaching Writing Book 1 and Book 1+.

Title

Orientation: When? Who? Where?

Sequence of events: What happened?

Personal Comment

A large number of my students are now extending their writing and are excited by their ability to record events. These students are 5 & 6 year olds, and I’m amazed by what they are capable of. It’s interesting to see their use of punctuation developing in the examples below. Using commas, capital
letters, full stops, appostrophe of ownership, spaces between words and time words is evident.

The PM Writing Exemplars for Teaching Writing are large format books designed to help teachers model the conventions of written language in whole-class and small-group sessions. The books provide the initial introduction to each text type, presenting and deconstructing exemplars of the 9 text types taught across the 4 levels. The Exemplars for Teaching Writing form the start of the PM Writing suggested teaching pathways. The material presented in these books is reinforced through use of the Interactive Writing Pro Formas and Student Books. Each exemplar text is presented over three double-page spreads.’ NELSON CENGAGE Learning