New South Wales Curriculum

Objective A

Through responding to and composing a wide range of texts and through the close study of texts, students will develop knowledge, understanding and skills in order to communicate through speaking, listening, reading, writing, viewing and representing.

Speaking and Listening 1

Outcome: A student communicates with peers and known adults in informal and guided activities demonstrating emerging skills of group interaction

Content Description:

Related Ziptales Activities:

Students: Develop and apply contextual knowledge

understand that English is one of many languages spoken in Australia and that different languages may be spoken by family, classmates and community (ACELA1426)

Specialised English Lesson Oral Language Module: Speaking & Listening (Foundation) What Language Do You Speak?
In Wendy and the Genie, the genie says ‘Hello’ to Wendy. Brainstorm words from other languages that mean ‘hello’ (Storytime – Developing Literacy)

Understand and apply knowledge of language forms and features

replicate the rhythms and sound patterns in stories, rhymes, songs and poems from a range of cultures (ACELT1579)

Specialised English Lesson Reading Module: Studying Poetry (Foundation) Nursery Rhymes
Perform actions to the Easy Readers Is It Fun? and Play All Day while reciting them as a class (Developing Literacy)

Respond to and compose texts

use interaction skills including listening while others speak, using appropriate voice levels, articulation and body language, gestures and eye contact (ACELY1784)

Specialised English Lesson Oral Language Module: Asking Questions (Foundation) Asking Nicely
Engage in class discussion using Activity 1 for The Octopus & Activities 1 & 2 for The Pirate’s Treasure (Worksheets F-2; Puppet Plays - Developing Literacy)

listen to and respond orally to texts and to the communication of others in informal and structured classroom situations (ACELY1646)

Specialised English Lesson Oral Language Module: Working in a Group (Foundation) How to Work in a Group
Retell the story of The Sea Monster using picture cues (see Activity 1; Worksheets F-2; Puppet Plays - Developing Literacy)

deliver short oral presentations to peers (ACELY1647)

Specialised English Lesson Oral Language Module: Oral Reports (Foundation) Speaking in Front of a Group
View Wendy and the Genie. Share with others what you would wish for if you had three wishes explaining the reason for each (Storytime - Developing Literacy)

Writing and Representing 1

Outcome: A student composes simple texts to convey an idea or message

Content Description:

Related Ziptales Activities:

Students: Develop and apply contextual knowledge

drawing on their experience of language and texts, begin to understand that writing and representing can be used to convey an idea or message

Read or view the Easy Readers, Storytime stories and Puppet Plays and ask students to write about their favourite part of the story (Developing Literacy)

Understand and apply knowledge of language forms and features

know that spoken sounds and words can be written down using letters of the alphabet and how to write some high-frequency sight words and known words (ACELA1758)

Use Learn the ABC to refine knowledge of the letters of the alphabet (Developing Literacy)
Practise writing high-frequency sight words by writing sentences about the Easy Readers stories e.g. Bad Cat – Dad was mad at the cat. and completing the associated worksheets e.g. Let’s Get Wet Worksheet #2 – Write sentences to describe a picture from the story (Developing Literacy)

Respond to and compose texts

create short texts to explore, record and report ideas and events using familiar words and beginning writing knowledge (ACELY1651)

Use the Easy Readers to springboard ideas for short text creation e.g.
- Yum, Yum, Yum – Write about what you think is yummy and yucky
- I Wish – What would you wish for?
- At the Playground – What is your favourite thing to do at the playground?
- Shower Fun – Which one do you like better – a shower or a bath?
- When I Was One – What did you like to do when you were little?
- Would You Like… – Think of five more fun things you like to do.
- Follow the Rules – Where else do you need to follow the rules?

participate in shared editing of students' own texts for meaning, spelling, capital letters and full stops (ACELY1652)

Specialised English Lesson Writing Module: Editing Skills (Foundation) How to Fix up Stories
View The Pirates’ Treasure and write a recount about a time when you had fun with your family or friends. Join together with a partner and collaboratively edit each other’s texts (Puppet Plays - Developing Literacy)

Handwriting and using digital technologies

Outcome: A student produces most lower case and upper case letters and uses digital technologies to construct texts

Content Description:

Related Ziptales Activities:

Students: Develop and apply contextual knowledge

demonstrate a growing understanding that handwriting and presentation of work needs to reflect audience and purpose in order to communicate effectively

Use the Easy Readers Writing Focus worksheets to grow students’ understanding that presentation of work needs to reflect the audience and purpose. (Developing Literacy)

Understand and apply knowledge of language forms and features

begin to understand the sequence of letters through structured and guided activities

Use the Learn the ABC modules to develop understanding of the sequence of letters. (Developing Literacy)

Respond to and compose texts

produce some lower case and upper case letters using learned letter formations (ACELY1653)

View the Learn the ABC modules to reinforce knowledge of the correct formation of letters and use the associated worksheets to provide opportunities for students to practise the learned letter formations (Developing Literacy)

construct texts using software including word processing programs (ACELY1654)

Specialised English Lesson Writing Module: Digital Texts (Foundation) Using a Keyboard
Write a short description of a favourite part of an Easy Readers or Storytime story using a word processor. Print and illustrate. (Developing Literacy)

Reading and Viewing 1

Outcome: A student demonstrates developing skills and strategies to read, view and comprehend short, predictable texts on familiar topics in different media and technologies

Content Description:

Related Ziptales Activities:

Students: Develop and apply contextual knowledge

identify some familiar written symbols in context, eg logos, computer icons and commands, labels of packages, signs

Specialised English Lessons Writing Module: Text Types (Foundation) Words are Everywhere

identify and compare similar ideas, characters and settings in texts

Compare the ‘wolf’ character in Little Red Riding Hood to the one in The Three Little Pigs (Storytime – Developing Literacy)

Understand and apply knowledge of language forms and features

understand concepts about print and screen, including how books, film and simple digital texts work, and know some features of print, for example directionality (ACELA1433)

Specialised English Lesson Reading Module: Multimodal Texts (Foundation) Different Kinds of Books
Use the Easy Readers to observe how simple digital texts work and discuss the similarities and differences to print texts (Developing Literacy)

recognise the letters of the alphabet and know there are lower and upper case letters (ACELA1440)

Use Module 1 from Learn the ABC to refine knowledge of the names of the upper and lower case letters of the alphabet (Developing Literacy)

Develop and apply phonemic knowledge

recognise rhymes, syllables and sounds (phonemes) in spoken words (ACELA1439)

Specialised English Lesson Reading Module: Studying Poetry (Foundation) Nursery Rhymes
Specialised English Lesson Writing Module: Spelling/Etymology (Foundation) Word Families
Locate the rhyming words in the Easy Readers e.g. Is it Fun? pin/bin; lip/rip; sand/band; race/place; head/bed and then generate a list of other words that rhyme with these words.
Study syllabification using Easy Readers Worksheet #1 for Yum, Yum, Yum.
View Module 2 of Learn the ABC to assist with recognition of the most common sound each letter of the alphabet represents (Developing Literacy)

Develop and apply graphological, phonological, syntactic and semantic knowledge

use phonological strategies when reading, including letter–sound relationships
use knowledge of letters and sounds to decode words, including those in initial, final and medial positions
manipulate letters to assist reading, eg delete an onset to make a new word, delete a rime to say an onset

Specialised English Lesson Writing Module: Spelling/Etymology (Foundation) Word Families
Promote an understanding of how to use onset and rime to decode words using the Easy Readers e.g. Bad Cat: c-at, s-at, h-at, m-at, f-at & r-at (Developing Literacy)

Respond to, read and view texts

read predictable texts, practising phrasing and fluency, and monitor meaning using concepts about print and emerging contextual, semantic, grammatical and phonic knowledge (ACELY1649)

Specialised English Lesson Reading Module: Reading Strategies (Foundation) Learning to Read
Use predictable phrases from a Storytime story (e.g. The Three Little Pigs: ‘Let me come in…’ etc) and the Easy Readers (e.g. Bad Cat! & "Let’s get wet!" Ned and Ted said.) to practise reading aloud with fluency and intonation (Developing Literacy)

use comprehension strategies to understand and discuss texts listened to, viewed or read independently (ACELY1650)

Specialised English Lesson Reading Module: Comprehension Skills (Foundation) Understanding Stories
Formulate literal questions about the Easy Readers and Storytime stories that are answerable with a key word from the text e.g. On what day did Bob the Frog get lost in a fog? (Developing Literacy)

Spelling

Outcome: A student demonstrates developing skills in using letters, simple sound blends and some sight words to represent known words when spelling

Content Description:

Related Ziptales Activities:

Students: Develop and apply contextual knowledge

understand that initial approximations can lead to correct formal spelling

Ask students to separate the letters in the focus words for the Easy Readers short vowel stories and record them to show how approximations can lead to correct spelling e.g. Bad Cat: b-a-d, c-a-t, d-a-d.

Understand and apply knowledge of language forms and features

know how to use onset and rime to spell words (ACELA1438)

Specialised English Lesson Writing Module: Spelling/Etymology (Foundation) Word Families
Promote an understanding of how to use onset and rime to spell words using the Easy Readers e.g. Bad Cat: c-at, s-at, h-at, m-at, f-at & r-at (Developing Literacy)

Respond to and compose texts

use approximations and some conventional spelling
attempt to spell unknown words using simple strategies, eg segmenting
spell some common words accurately in their own writing

Use the Writing Focus Worksheets for the Easy Readers to provide opportunities for students to use approximations, attempt to spell unknown words and spell some common words accurately in their own writing. (Developing Literacy)

Objective B

Through responding to and composing a wide range of texts and through the close study of texts, students will develop knowledge, understanding and skills in order to use language to shape and make meaning according to purpose, audience and context

Speaking and Listening 2

Outcome: A student recognises that there are different kinds of spoken texts with specific language features and shows an emerging awareness of some purposes for spoken language

Content Description:

Related Ziptales Activities:

Students: Develop and apply contextual knowledge

explore how language is used differently at home and school depending on the relationships between people (ACELA1428)

Specialised English Lesson Oral Language Module: Asking Questions (Foundation) Asking Nicely
Study the dialogue used by the characters in The Three Little Blackbirds and The Amazing Ape to springboard discussion about how language varies according to the relationships between people (Developing Literacy - Easy Readers)

understand that language can be used to explore ways of expressing needs, likes and dislikes (ACELA1429)

Specialised English Lesson Oral Language Module: Expressing Opinions (Foundation) Likes and Dislikes
Explore how characters’ emotions are conveyed via visual representations in the Easy Readers stories e.g. Is it Fun? (Developing Literacy)

Understand and apply knowledge of language forms and features

understand the use of vocabulary in familiar contexts related to everyday experiences, personal interests and topics taught at school (ACELA1437)

Specialised English Lesson Reading Module: Vocabulary Expansion (Foundation) Word Brainstorm
Build on familiar vocabulary using the Easy Readers e.g. At the Playground – Brainstorm equipment that can be found at a playground; Discuss meanings of new vocabulary e.g. The Awful Animal Zoo – awful, gnaw & fawn (Developing Literacy)

Respond to and compose texts

use music and/or actions to enhance the enjoyment and understanding of rhymes, poems, chants and songs

Use music and/or actions to enhance the enjoyment of the Easy Readers Short Vowel stories and the nursery rhymes from the Specialised English Lesson Reading Module: Studying Poetry (Foundation) Nursery Rhymes (Developing Literacy)

Writing and Representing 2

Outcome: A student recognises some different purposes for writing and that own texts differ in various ways

Content Description:

Related Ziptales Activities:

Students: Develop and apply contextual knowledge

understand that texts can take many forms, can be very short (for example an exit sign) or quite long (for example an information book or a film) and that stories and informative texts have different purposes (ACELA1430)

Specialised English Lesson Writing Module: Text Types (Foundation) Words Are Everywhere
Identify Wendy and the Pirate as a text that ‘tells a story’ and the map in the story as a text that ‘gives information’ (Storytime - Developing Literacy)

Understand and apply knowledge of language forms and features

understand that some language in written texts is unlike everyday spoken language (ACELA1431)

Specialised English Lesson Writing Module: Organising Texts (Foundation) What’s on a Page?
View the Storytime stories identifying the words in the speech bubbles as the written form of what the characters are saying (Developing Literacy)

identify some differences between imaginative and informative texts (ACELY1648)

Specialised English Lesson Reading Module: Research Skills (Foundation) How Books can Help Us
Identify the story Bob the Frog as an imaginative text. Brainstorm five facts about frogs and compare texts that are ‘real’ and texts that are ‘imagined’ (Easy Readers - Developing Literacy )

Respond to and compose texts

compose texts using drawings and other visual media to create meaning

Use drawings to create visual story-maps of selected Easy Readers and/or Storytime stories. (Developing Literacy)

Reading and Viewing 2

Outcome: A student demonstrates emerging skills and knowledge of texts to read and view, and shows developing awareness of purpose, audience and subject matter

Content Description:

Related Ziptales Activities:

Students: Develop and apply contextual knowledge

identify some familiar texts and the contexts in which they are used (ACELY1645)

Specialised English Lesson Writing Module: Text Types (Foundation) Words Are Everywhere
Discuss how symbols can be used in texts e.g. X marks the spot on the map in Wendy and the Pirate (Developing Literacy - Storytime)

Understand and apply knowledge of language forms and features

explore the different contribution of words and images to meaning in stories and informative texts (ACELA1786)

Specialised English Lesson Reading Module: Visual Literacy (Foundation) Using Pictures in Stories
View the Storytime stories to study how print and images combine to tell the story (Developing Literacy)

identify some features of texts including events and characters and retell events from a text (ACELT1578)

Specialised English Lesson Writing Module: Language Features (Foundation) Characters in Stories
Retell events from relevant Easy Readers e.g. Bad Cat: What bad things did Max the cat do?; Let’s Get Wet – How did Ned and Ted like to get wet?; Bob the Frog: What happened to Bob the Frog to make him feel odd? (Developing Literacy)

Respond to, read and view texts

engage with shared stories and join in shared book activities on familiar and imaginary books
explore sequencing of a story, focusing on the beginning, middle and end and recognise cultural patterns of storytelling, eg 'Once upon a time', the Dreaming
select simple print, visual and/or digital texts to read independently for enjoyment and pleasure

Engage with shared stories using the Easy Readers, Storytime stories and Puppet Plays (Developing Literacy)
Explore story sequencing and the cultural patterns of storytelling e.g. ‘Once upon a time’ using the fairy tales in Storytime (Developing Literacy)
Select digital texts from the Easy Readers to read independently for enjoyment and pleasure (Developing Literacy)

Grammar, punctuation and vocabulary

Outcome: A student demonstrates developing skills and knowledge in grammar, punctuation and vocabulary when responding to and composing texts

Content Description:

Related Ziptales Activities:

Students: Develop and apply contextual knowledge

show a growing awareness of words that enrich their vocabulary

Specialised English Lesson Reading Module: Vocabulary Expansion (Foundation) Word Brainstorm

Understand and apply knowledge of language forms and features

recognise that texts are made up of words and groups of words that make meaning (ACELA1434)

Specialised English Lesson Writing Module: Organising Texts (Foundation) What’s on a Page?
Use the Easy Readers to identify the difference between the words and the images in the text (Developing Literacy)

recognise that sentences are key units for expressing ideas (ACELA1435)

Specialised English Lesson Writing Module: Grammar (Foundation) What is a Sentence?
Demonstrate that word order adds meaning to a sentence by exchanging key words in a Storytime story e.g. The Billy Goats Gruff – ‘They lived on the grass and ate the mountain’ (Developing Literacy)

understand that punctuation is a feature of written text different from letters; recognise how capital letters are used for names, and that capital letters and full stops signal the beginning and end of sentences (ACELA1432)

Specialised English Lesson Writing Module: Punctuation (Foundation) How to Write Sentences
Examine the use of capital letters and full stops in the Easy Readers and Storytime stories (Developing Literacy)

Understand and apply knowledge of vocabulary

know the meaning of commonly used words

Improve knowledge of the meaning of commonly used words using the Writing Focus worksheets for the Easy Readers stories Bob the Frog, Play All Day and The Three Little Blackbirds (Developing Literacy)

Respond to and compose texts

compose effective sentences in writing using appropriate word order
begin to use statements and questions with appropriate punctuation

Practise composing effective sentences using appropriate word order and punctuation using the Writing Focus worksheet for the Easy Readers Short Vowel story Let’s Get Wet. Extend students by asking them to compose questions about the story. (Developing Literacy)

Objective C

Through responding to and composing a wide range of texts and through the close study of texts, students will develop knowledge, understanding and skills in order to think in ways that are imaginative, creative, interpretive and critical.

Thinking imaginatively and creatively

Outcome: A student thinks imaginatively and creatively about familiar topics, simple ideas and the basic features of texts when responding to and composing texts

Content Description:

Related Ziptales Activities:

Students:Engage personally with texts

respond to texts, identifying favourite stories, authors and illustrators (ACELT1577)

Specialised English Lesson Reading Modules: Responding to Texts My Favourite Stories & Author’s Use of Language Making Reading Fun (both Foundation)
Select a favourite Easy Readers or Storytime story explaining reasons for choice (Developing Literacy)

Develop and apply contextual knowledge

engage with and appreciate the imaginative use of language through storytelling

Encourage students to engage with and appreciate the imaginative use of language in the Easy Readers, Storytime stories and Puppet Plays. (Developing Literacy)

Understand and apply knowledge of language forms and features

recognise some different types of literary texts and identify some characteristic features of literary texts, for example beginnings and endings of traditional texts and rhyme in poetry (ACELT1785)

Identify the characteristic beginning (Once upon a time) and ending (They lived happily ever after) of the traditional Storytime stories e.g. The Three Billy Goats Gruff and The Three Little Pigs (Developing Literacy)

Respond to and compose texts

retell familiar literary texts through performance, use of illustrations and images (ACELT1580)

Design story-maps and/or role-play the traditional stories from Storytime (Developing Literacy)

share feelings and thoughts about the events and characters in texts (ACELT1783)

Share thoughts and feelings about the Easy Readers, Storytime stories and Puppet Plays e.g. The Octopus What do you think about the captain’s behaviour in the story? (Developing Literacy)

Objective D

Through responding to and composing a wide range of texts and through the close study of texts, students will develop knowledge, understanding and skills in order to express themselves and their relationships with others and their world.

Expressing themselves

Outcome: A student responds to and composes simple texts about familiar aspects of the world and their own experiences

Content Description:

Related Ziptales Activities:

Students:Engage personally with texts

share responses to aspects of a text that relate to their own life
engage with a variety of simple texts and begin to understand that readers draw on their own knowledge to make meaning and enhance enjoyment

Specialised English Lesson Reading Module: Comprehension Skills (Foundation) Understanding Stories
Complete The Three Little Pigs Worksheet 3 (Storytime) and Is it Fun? Worksheet 2 (Easy Readers) to provide opportunities for students to share responses to a text that relate to their own life. (Developing Literacy)

Develop and apply contextual knowledge

recognise that texts are created by authors who tell stories and share experiences that may be similar or different to students' own experiences (ACELT1575)

Use the Easy Readers to compare own experiences to those expressed in the story e.g. At the Playground – Have you ever felt too scared to try something? The Three Little Blackbirds – Have you ever felt left out? (Developing Literacy)

Understand and apply knowledge of language forms and features

understand that language can be used to describe likes and dislikes

Specialised English Lesson Oral Language Module: Expressing Opinions (Foundation) Likes and Dislikes
Use the Easy Readers Is it Fun? to encourage students to describe their own likes and dislikes. (Developing Literacy)

Respond to and compose texts

compare and connect own experiences to those depicted in stories

Use the themes in the Easy Readers and Storytime stories to compare and connect own experiences. (Developing Literacy)

Objective E

Through responding to and composing a wide range of texts and through the close study of texts, students will develop knowledge, understanding and skills in order to learn and reflect on their learning through their study of English

Reflecting on learning

Outcome: A student demonstrates awareness of how to reflect on aspects of their own and others’ learning

Content Description:

Related Ziptales Activities:

Students:Develop and apply contextual knowledge

develop a growing understanding of how a rich text environment underpins learning

Specialised English Lesson Writing Module: Text Types (Foundation) Words are Everywhere
Specialised English Lesson Reading Module: Research Skills (Foundation) How Books can Help Us

Understand and apply knowledge of language forms and features

develop an appreciation for books, poetry and song and the importance of narrative

Assist with the development of students’ appreciation for books by viewing the Easy Reader and Storytime e-books; poetry by studying the Rhyme Time poems and the importance of narrative by using The Sea Monster Teaching Activity 1 - Worksheets K-2 - Puppet Plays. (Developing Literacy)

Respond to and compose texts

discuss what it means to be a cooperative group member

Specialised English Lesson Oral Language Module: Working in a Group (Foundation) How to Work in a Group

discuss likes and dislikes after reading texts

Specialised English Lesson Reading Module: Responding to Texts (Foundation) My Favourite Stories

Curriculum Alignment