Week Eight Discussion

Chapter twenty ‘Assessment of Writing’ looks at assessment, evaluation and reporting practices, and how they gauge the success of both students and teachers. Assessment is a general term to describe any activities used to judge a students performance. It involves data collection, analysis, and the recording of information about a student’s progress. Good assessment informs teachers of the abilities students have and their relative strengths and weaknesses. Winch (2010) puts forward that both informal and formal assessments are needed in the classroom.

Assessment of writing involves familiarity with the content and structure of different genres as well as control over language features. A student’s ‘writing ability’ may alter, depending on the task and skills needed to construct a text. Validity and reliability are important and complementary aspects of assessment that determine how appropriate, meaningful and useful different assessment practices are. Therefore, different measures of assessment should be used over time. For example: journals, essays and writing tasks, portfolios and mind maps or concept maps.

Week 9 Reading Summary

Happy Birthday Pumpkin and Beanpole written by Anita McEwen

This week I read a children’s flap book called Happy Birthday Pumpkin and Beanpole. It is a story about two witches who leave surprise birthday presents for one another to guess. They attempt to trick each other by wrapping their presents in the shape of common objects. For example: wrapping a hot water bottle and socks in the shape of a teddy bear.

Happy Birthday Pumpkin and Beanpole is an interactive book which encourages readers to use their imagination. The quirky watercolour illustrations and the rhyming phrases help to engage the reader. In addition, an owl appears on most pages in the book. He poses questions to the reader to promote higher order thinking, and sets challenges to extend the link between the text and illustrations. This book would be suitable for lower primary students as the text is minimal and the language used is predictable and repetitive.

Week 8 Reading Summary

Tomorrow, When the War Began written by John Marsden

 

This week I read an adolescent fiction novel called Tomorrow, When the War Began. It tells the story of seven teenagers from a small country town who go on a camping trip to ‘Hell’ during their school holidays. When they are away, they see military aircraft fly overhead. They do not suspect that these planes signify the start of a war, nor do they question their presence. When they return home they find their world’s turned upside down. With no training or advice, they instinctively learn how to escape, survive and fight back against the enemy.

Tomorrow, When the War Began is about how seven ordinary teenagers respond to war. The story is narrated by Ellie, the main character. It is told in first person which prompts heaps of action, adventure, verve, pace and suspense. The characters in this novel could be anyone of us, any group of young people in any country town. They are people you can relate to. This engages the reader in the text as it persuades them to question what they would do in a similar situation. The settings in the book are based on real places in Australia. Therefore, some of the language within the text reflects common Australian slang and jargon. I believe that Tomorrow, When the War Began has a very broad target audience. It appeals to most and is written in a style which is accessible to the younger reader without talking down to the older.

Week 7 Reading Summary

We’re Going on a Bear Hunt written by Michael Rosen and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury

This week I read a children’s picture book called We’re Going on a Bear Hunt. It follows an adventurous family on their journey through the wilderness to search for a bear. On each page, the family comes across different obstacles in nature and must find their way through to continue their hunt. The family meets and describes each location using sensory descriptions such as: long, wavy grass, a deep, cold river, thick, oozy mud, a big, dark forest, a swirling, whirling snowstorm, and a narrow, gloomy cave. When the family reaches their final destination, they see “One shiny wet nose, two big furry ears and two big googly eyes!” But the bear is a lot scarier than what they had first thought, so they run all the way back home.

We’re Going on a Bear Hunt has the perfect elements to be read aloud to young children. It involves repetition (both words and rhythm), plenty of interesting sounds and a sudden change in tempo which keeps the audience engaged and excited. The pencil and watercolour illustrations by Helen Oxenbury alternate between colour and black and white. These double page pictures compliment the text by bringing to life the family’s day out. We’re Going on a Bear Hunt is highly suitable for lower primary students as it is rhythmic and adventurous. They will love interacting with the story by repeating the noise the family makes as they stumble through each setting.

Week 6 Reading Summary

Where the Wild Things Are written by Maurice Sendak

This week I read a children’s literature book called Where the Wild Things Are. It offers a tale of suspense, action, adventure, imagination and fun. The story is about a young boy named Max who is sent to bed without any dinner after making mischief. That night his bedroom transforms into a forest inhabited by creatures known as ‘Wild Things’. After taming the creatures, Max is crowned king of all wild things. He enjoys his time with his new friends, but realises that he wants to be where someone loved him best of all. So he travels back to his bedroom, where he discovers a hot supper waiting for him.

Where the Wild Things Are was first published in 1963 and has been named one of the true classics of children’s literature. The text and the artwork compliment one another, moving the story along seamlessly. The coloured pen and ink illustrations in muted colours are both humorous and sometimes a little scary, reflecting both Max’s imagination and anger. The theme, conflict and characters are ones with which readers of all ages can identify and enjoy. I believe Where the Wild Things Are would be most suited to lower primary students as they can make connections with Max’s emotions, thoughts and imagination. However, the simplicity of the language is deceptive at times and therefore lower primary students may find the text somewhat challenging to read.

Week 5 Reading Summary

The Moment written by Sean Doherty

This week I read a picture book called The Moment. It captures some of surfing’s most renowned and beautiful happenings through the lenses of the world’s finest contemporary surf photographers. Sean Doherty, one of Australia’s best surf journalists, has gathered a series of compelling surfing images and the true stories behind them. He describes The Moment as a book “where the great surfing photo and the classic surf story meet”.

The stories behind each of the incredible surf images are exciting, real and have you re-living ‘the moment’ as told by the surfers and photographers involved. These short stories explain what happened before the photo was taken, what happened after that split second, what was going through the surfers mind, etc. The Moment would appeal to adolescent and adult readers who are interested in surfing. Each story is only a few paragraphs long, however the writing is small and the language used is more suited to mature readers.

'Possum Magic' by Mem Fox

Possum Magic is an award-winning picture book by Australian author Mem Fox. The two main characters are Grandma Poss and Hush. Hush has been made invisible by Grandma to protect her from Australian bush dangers. The story details the duo's adventures as they tour Australia searching for the secret to Hush's visibility. It is a rhythmical story of Australia's varied landscapes and the animals in them.

Many cultural markers are included in this enchanting picture book. Young readers will enjoy the literary and visual references to Australia and the bush culture. Fox consciously uses language to evoke the essence of the country. The author’s description of Grandma Poss’ bush magic, which turns “wombats blue and kookaburras pink,” refers to a practice that is distinctly Australian. Her inclusion of native Australian animals places the reader firmly in this unique territory. The possums’ search for “people food” sends them on a culinary tour of Australia and readers discover cultural treats like anzac biscuits and minties.. The ‘Possum Magic’, the illustrations complement and extend the text to create a memorable literary and visual experience.