Which Exercises Can You Use to Help Your Students Prepare for NAPLAN?

NAPLAN: YEAR 3

Which exercises can you use to help your students prepare for NAPLAN?

1. LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS

1a. The Literacy Planet menu in each year level has Spelling exercises with a variety of games providing the learner with practise in spelling a large variety of words.

You can choose words already entered into the program or create your own custom spelling list, then simply apply words to the following spelling programs

For a full list of available spelling exercises click here

1b. Grammar and Punctuation exercises are found under each year level and these exercises provide the student with practise in applying the rules of grammar and punctuation in the English language.

For a full list of available grammar and punctuation exercises click here

1. READING COMPREHENSION

2a. The Literacy Planet menu in each year level has Reading Comprehension exercises with a variety of texts providing the learner with practise in applying reading comprehension strategies.

2b. Reading fluency exercises are found under Reading in each year level and these exercises provide the student with practise at reading at a fluent rate with a variety of texts.

2c. For those readers that need to develop their accuracy skills through phonics instruction, there is a comprehensive Phonics program available in the Prep- Year 3 level menus.

For a full list of available READING COMPREHENSION exercises click here

How do these exercises help my students?

The language conventions tests assess spelling, grammar and punctuation. Literacy knowledge and skills are essential to effective communication across all learning areas. However, the tools of language, including language conventions, are explicitly developed in the English learning of each state and territory curriculum, and the language conventions tests are underpinned by theStatements of learning for English(MCEECDYA 2005). National minimum standards describe some of the skills and understandings students are generally expected to demonstrate at their particular year of schooling. There are two sets of minimum standards for language conventions –minimum standards for spelling, andminimum standards for grammar and punctuation. This is because it is not possible to establish a single assessment scale for all these areas. The standards are intended to be a snapshot of typical achievement and do not describe the full range of what students are taught or what they may achieve.

The NAPLAN reading tests measure literacy proficiency across the English learning area in line with theStatements of learning for English(MCEECDYA 2005).

In the Reading tests, students are provided with a magazine containing a range of texts that illustrate different writing styles. Students read the texts provided then answer related questions in a separate booklet.

The skills demonstrated in reading are dependent on the complexity and accessibility of the text. Typically students engage with more complex texts as their reading comprehension skills improve. There is a very wide range of reading ability levels at each school year level so the tests start with simple, short texts and get increasingly longer and harder.

Types of skills and understandings that students are generally expected to demonstrate at their particular year of schooling are described in theminimum standards for reading.

Why LiteracyPlanet Spelling Exercises are (games) so effective?

Similarly to other effective spelling programs like Words Their Way, we know at Literacy Planet that learning to spell is developmental. Our approach to spelling incorporates the development of phonological knowledge; morphemic knowledge and etymological knowledge about words. Our exercises provide students with practise in applying all of the essential skills that they require to become effective spellers. These include segmenting and blending letters phonemically as well as identifying the visual graphic patterns in words for easy recall. (Exercise descriptions below)

Our spelling lists have been compiled together beginning with words with similar phonetic principles in the early years. Lists are then compiled to group together words with similar semantic connections including prefixes, suffixes, meaning patterns, homophones and compound words for the middle years. Finally, the lists in the upper levels are grouped together based on their derivations. Therefore, the lists of words compliment the development of spelling (see attached overview). Our program is aligned to the Australian curriculum and specifically correlates to the national minimum standards assessed in NAPLAN.

We know that all learners develop at different rates. We understand that providing differentiated learning for students is a complex and demanding task for teachers. By using our teaching matrix, teachers can assign spelling tasks to their students that match their levels of spelling development.

However, this is where we can provide schools with benefits that other programs can’t. We provide a paperless, engaging platform for your students to work in. We provide immediate feedback to students and we collate data for you to easily assess and track the progress of your students.

Why are the LiteracyPlanet Reading Comprehension Exercises so effective?

LiteracyPlanet’s comprehension section is organised into levels from Foundation to Level 9. The overlap in the levels will provide for a wide range of abilities within each year level.

Every comprehension exercise available in Foundation and Level One comes with audio support.

The content in each level has been graded as closely as possible to Reading Recovery levels, PM Levels, Fountas/Pinnell Levels, DRA levels, Rigby Literacy levels, Lexile and Wings Reading levels.

The twelve comprehension strategies covered in the exercises can be categorised into three main areas of reading:

READING THE TEXT / READING BETWEEN THE LINES / READING BEYOND THE TEXT
Main Idea
Facts and Details
Sequencing
Cause and Effect / Comparing and Contrasting
Predicting
Words in Context
Conclusions and Inferences / Comparing and Contrasting
Predicting
Word in Context
Conclusions and Inferences

How do LiteracyPlanet exercises for NAPLAN link to The Australian Curriculum?

The following tables outline the National minimum standards for Spelling and Grammar and Punctuation that are assessed in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 in NAPLAN. You can use this table to match the individual learner needs to the year level that that are operating at, and then choose the appropriate exercises to develop their skills in these areas.

Matching LiteracyPlanet SPELLING Exercises to National Minimum Standards
NAPLAN
Year Level / National Minimum Standards / Australian Curriculum Content Descriptors and how to use Literacy Planet Exercises to personalise learning and match learner needs.
Year 3 / In spelling, Year 3 students at the minimum standard generally identify and correct errors in frequently used one-syllable words and some frequently used two-syllable words with double letters
Students can correct identified errors in:

• frequently used one-syllable words
• Frequently used two-syllable words with regular spelling patterns.

/ Develop SPELLING ABILITY - Match learner needs to year level. Is the learner working below, above or at year level?
Preparatory: The Beginner Reader and Writer
Learn to spell simple CVC words using onset and rime.
ACELA1438
Year 1: The Early Reader & Writer
Lean to spell CCVC and CVCC words
ACELA1778
Year 2: The Transition Reader & Writer
Understand how to use digraphs, long vowels, and blends to spell words. Recognise common prefixes and suffixes.
ACELA1471
ACELA1472
Year 3: The Fluent Reader & Writer
Learn to spell words using their knowledge of word families and various letter combinations to spell words. Recognise homophones and their correct spelling.
ACELA1779
ACELA1780
Matching LiteracyPlanet GRAMMAR Exercises to National Minimum Standards
NAPLAN
Year Level / National Minimum Standards / Australian Curriculum Content Descriptors and how to use Literacy Planet Exercises to personalise learning and match learner needs.
Year 3 / In grammar and punctuation, Year 3 students at theminimum standardgenerally identify features of a simple sentence. They identify some common grammatical conventions such as the correct use of past and present tense and the use of pronouns to replace nouns in sentences. They typically recognise the correct use of punctuation in written English, such as capitalisation for sentence beginnings and proper nouns.
In grammar students can:

• identify the correct preposition required to complete a sentence
• identify the correct pronoun required to completea sentence
• identify the correct adverb of time required to complete a sentence
• identify the correct form of a participle required to complete a sentence.

In punctuation students can:

• identify the correct location of a full stop
• identify proper nouns that require capitalisation.

/ Develop GRAMMAR & PUNCTUATION ABILITIES - Match learner needs to year level. Is the learner working below, above or at year level?
Preparatory: The Beginner Reader and Writer
Learn to use full stops, capital letters, question marks and exclamation marks.
ACELA1432
Year 1: The Early Reader & Writer
Learn to use full stops, capital letters, question marks, exclamation marks and apostrophes. Learn about verbs, adjectives.
Learn about simple and compound sentences.
ACELA1449
ACELA1451
ACELA1452
Year 2: The Transition Reader & Writer
Learn about apostrophes, exclamation marks and full stops. Learn about abbreviations.
Learn about nouns, verbs and adverbs.
Learn about statements and questions.
ACELA1465
ACELA1468
Year 3: The Fluent Reader & Writer
Learn about exclamation marks, complex sentences, subjects, collective nouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, pronouns, commands, statements and questions.
ACELA1482, ACELA1484

The following table outlines the National minimum standards for reading that are assessed in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 in NAPLAN. You can use this table to match the individual learner needs to the year level that that are operating at, and then choose the appropriate exercises to develop their reading comprehension skills and reading accuracy skills.

Matching LiteracyPlanet READING Exercises to National Minimum Standards
Year Level / National Minimum Standards / How to use Literacy Planet Exercises to personalise learning and match learner needs
Match learner needs to year level. Is the learner working below, above or at year level? / Develop reading comprehension skills / Develop reading accuracy skills
(for readers struggling with reading fluency)
3 / When reading simple imaginative and informative texts, students can:

• find directly stated information
• connect ideas across sentences and paragraphs
• interpret ideas, including some expressed in complex sentences
• identify a sequence of events
• infer the writer’s feelings.
• connect an illustration with ideas in the text
• locate a detail in the text
• identify the meaning of a word in context
• connect ideas within a sentence and across the text
• identify the purpose of the text
• identify conventions such as lists and those conventions used in a letter.

/ Comprehension Exercises / Reading Fluency
Reading Exercises and E-books / Phonics Exercises / Phonological Awareness Exercises
Prep/
Foundation
The Beginning Reader & Writer / Read simple texts such as nursery rhymes, stories, riddles and information reports and answer questions with a focus on the comprehension strategies; main idea; facts and details; sequencing; predicting.
ACELY1650
ACELY1651 / Understand the concept that print and books carry a message. The learner will listen to a model of fluent reading of simple texts repeatedly and try to join in matching the spoken word to the written word. Learn to recognise high frequency words by sight.
ACELA1434
ACELA1786
ACELY1650
ACELA1448 / Revise the phonemes that the letters in the alphabet make.
Learn the beginning, middle and ending phonemes in simple CVC words.
Learn to blend consonants together to make phonemes.
ACELA1439 / Recognise rhymes and phonemes in spoken words. Match spoken words that have matching beginning and ending phonemes.
Identify the position of the phonemes in simple CVC words.
ACELA1439
Year 1
The Early Reader & Writer / Read texts such as stories and information reports and answer questions with a focus on the comprehension strategies; main idea; facts and details; sequencing; predicting and summarising.
ACELY1660 / The learner will listen to a model of fluent reading of texts repeatedly and then re-read the texts independently increasing their reading rate. Learn to recognise high frequency words by sight.
ACELA1447;ACELA1448
ACELA1659; ACELA1778 / Learn the phonemes made by the various consonant blends and vowel and consonant digraphs in the English language.
ACELA1457
ACELA1458
ACELA1459 / Consolidate the ability to hear and identify position of the phonemes in simple CVC words.
ACELA1458
Year 2
The Transitional Reader & Writer / Read texts such as stories, information reports and biographies. Answer questions with a focus on the comprehension strategies; main idea; facts and details; sequencing; cause and effect; comparing and contrasting; inferring and drawing conclusions.
ACELA1460 ; ACELA1463; ACELY1670 / The learner will listen to a model of fluent reading of texts repeatedly and then re-read the texts independently using text-processing strategies to increase their reading rate. Learn to recognise high frequency words by sight.
ACELY1669
ACELY1679
ACELA1486 / Phonics Exercises
Learn the phonemes made by the various consonant blends and vowel and consonant digraphs in the English language.
ACELA1471
ACELA1474
ACELA1485
Year 3
The Fluent
Reader & Writer / Read texts such as short stories, information and scientific reports biographies, myths & legends, folk tales, magazine articles, persuasive texts, instructions. Answer questions with a focus on the comprehension strategies; main idea; facts and details; sequencing; cause and effect; comparing and contrasting; inferring and drawing conclusions.
ACELA1475 ; ACELY1675; ACELY1679; ACELY1680

Spelling Exercises – Appendix 1

Spelling Exercise / Literacy knowledge and skill focus / Exercise description
Alphabetical Word Monster / reading / decoding / graphic / categorising / Select the words in the correct alphabetical order
Word Order / reading / decoding / graphic / categorising / Select thewords in the correct alphabetical order
Static Words / reading / decoding / graphic / word recognition / Game -Identify the written word that matches the spoken word.
Word Snap / reading / decoding / graphic / word recognition / Game -Identify the pairs of written words
Floating Words / reading / decoding / graphic / word recognition / Game -Identify the written word that matches the spoken word
Word Finder / reading / decoding / graphic / word recognition / Game -Identify the written words in a word find puzzle
Sentence Jumble / reading / decoding / graphic / word recognition / Game -Listen to the spoken words and organise the corresponding written words into the correct word order.
Word Builder 1 / writing / encoding / graphic / blending / Build the correct word by choosing the correct grapheme and position to spell words
Word Builder 2 / writing / encoding / phonemic / blending / Build the correct word by choosing the grapheme from the keyboard and typing it to spell words.
Spell This Word / writing / encoding / phonemic / segmenting / Listen to the spoken word, segment the phonemes and choose the correct graphemes from the keyboard to spell the words
Dictation / writing / encoding / phonemic / segmenting / Listen to the spoken word, segment the words and choose the correct graphemes from the keyboard to spell the words and reproduce the spoken sentences
Flash Card / writing / encoding / word recognition / Practise spelling the words from visual memory using the Look, cover, write, check strategy
Memory Game / reading / fluency / graphic / word recognition / Game- identify the pairs of written words from memory
Jigsaw / writing / encoding / phonemic / blending / Build the correct word by choosing the correct pairs of grapheme to spell words

Grammar and Punctuation Exercises – Appendix 2

Grammar/Punctuation Exercise / Literacy knowledge and skill focus / Exercise Description
Students working below expected YEAR 3 level should attempt the following exercises:
Year 2 / grammar / Colours / Using colours in sentences / Identifying Colours / reading / vocabulary / tier 1 words / categorising / Colours / Select the correct word to complete the sentence - colour names
Year 2 / grammar / Colours / Using colours in sentences / Identifying Colours / reading / vocabulary / tier 1 words / categorising / Colours / Select the correct word to complete the sentence - colour names
Year 2 / grammar / Calendar / Converting full dates to numeric dates - 1 / Converting full dates to numeric dates – 1 / writing / encoding / style / abbreviations / Dates / Covert the full dates to numeric dates
Year 2 / grammar / Calendar / Converting full dates to numeric dates - 2 / Converting full dates to numeric dates – 2 / writing / encoding / style / abbreviations / Dates / Covert the full dates to numeric dates
Year 2 / grammar / Calendar / Converting full dates to numeric dates - 3 / Converting full dates to numeric dates – 3 / writing / encoding / style / abbreviations / Dates / Covert the full dates to numeric dates
Year 2 / grammar / Calendar / Convert the numeric dates to the full dates -1 / Converting numeric dates to full dates - 1 / writing / encoding / style / abbreviations / Dates / Convert the numeric dates to the full dates
Year 2 / grammar / Calendar / Convert the numeric dates to the full dates -2 / Converting numeric dates to full dates - 2 / writing / encoding / style / abbreviations / Dates / Convert the numeric dates to the full dates
Year 2 / grammar / Calendar / Convert the numeric dates to the full dates -3 / Converting numeric dates to full dates - 3 / writing / encoding / style / abbreviations / Dates / Convert the numeric dates to the full dates
Year 2 / grammar / Rhyming words / Matching words that rhyme / Matching Words That Rhyme - 3 / reading / decoding / phonological / segmenting / rhyming / Match the written words name that rhyme
Year 2 / grammar / Rhyming words / Matching words that rhyme / Matching Words That Rhyme - 4 / reading / decoding / phonological / segmenting / rhyming / Match the written words name that rhyme
Year 2 / grammar / Rhyming words / Matching words that rhyme / Matching Words That Rhyme - 5 / reading / decoding / phonological / segmenting / rhyming / Match the written words name that rhyme