All You Need to Teach - Info Literacy 10+

Sixth Year at School
concept of register, and of formal and informal
language.
Have students give examples of different types of
written texts, such as emails, newspaper reports,
advertisements, birthday cards and textbooks.
Group them according to the formality of the
language used.
Do you speak to the principal in the same way
you speak to your friends?
Do you think you should be allowed to use SMSstyle
language and spelling in your assignments?
Text types
Have partners select a text type from this list:
• information report
• recount
• explanation
• procedure
• narrative
• description
• response
• exposition
• discussion
Ask students to examine the text type to identify
its essential elements. They might then use that
information to create a poster which:
• describes the purpose of the chosen text type
• lists its essential elements
• provides an example of it.
Learning the language
Have students design and construct a survey to
identify the different languages spoken within the
school community.
How many students are learning English as their
second language?
Share poems that focus on the absurdities of English
spelling and discuss why English is such a difficult
language to learn. Construct a chart that shows all
the different spellings of English phonemes. Give
examples, such as the ones below.
Long ‘i’ sound
I
my
buy
dye
high
eye
Explain that there have been many attempts to
simplify English spelling to make it easier to learn.
Discuss why these have failed. Explain—and
illustrate with examples—how different spellings of
some English words are used in different countries.
Picking patterns
Have students compile translations of common
phrases, days of the week, numbers and colours
using online resources. Ensure they include
examples from any other languages spoken within
the school community. Discuss the results.
Speaking ‘Strine’
Brainstorm words and phrases used by Australians but
which a visitor to the country might not understand.
Compile a class dictionary and allow students to add
to it during the term as they discover interesting
new phrases or words. Other entries might be
included which show regional variation in words and
expressions throughout Australia. See the Macquarie
Dictionary/ABC word map joint project for examples.
Making meaning
Review with students the purpose and arrangement
of a glossary. Have each construct a glossary to
show the definition and use of the following terms:
• alliteration • antonym • synonym
• homonym • homophone • homograph
• simile • metaphor • affix
• mnemonic • abbreviation • personification
• onomatopoeia • cliché • colloquialism
• idiom • euphemism • irony
• oxymoron • paradox
Later additions to the glossary could explore
punctuation or parts of speech.
Playing with poems
Investigate forms of poetry such as the sonnet,
cinquain and haiku. Share some examples of
each with students and discuss and explain their
distinguishing features. Have students write a poem
following the rules of their chosen form and then
decorate the page. Display the poems.
Alphabet books
Examine the format of alphabet books. Alphabet
books which follow a theme or which use
alliteration are best for this activity. Have the class
decide on a theme and brainstorm to produce
at least one idea to illustrate each letter. Record
these on slips of paper and place them in a paper
bag. Have students draw a word and create an
alliterative sentence and illustration for it. The
finished pages can be compiled into a book.
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