23 April 2013

News Headlines at VILC: listen, order and type the list

Here is a great activity to access VILC for online learning and type a Word list using bullet points.

A. Do the VILC Task


Open VILC using our Username (500vilcst) and our latest Password (this changes every year and it is secure - see the whiteboard in the Computer room and write in your notebook).

Listen to the latest News Headlines for Elementary level and drag the items into the correct order (without checking your answers). When you have finished, show your answers to the teacher and then check your answers.

Then click the Book icon to view the transcript of the Headlines.

B. Type the News Headlines text 


Open Word and start a new document called VILC Easy News Headlines for .....[date]....

Type the text for the Easynews Headlines. To see the text, switch between your Internet browser and your Word document using the Taskbar at the bottom of the screen.

C. Format your Word document

  1. Format the heading using Heading 1 Style.
  2. Make all the body text Verdana font, size 12.
  3. Change the body text to purple.
  4. Change all the text spacing to 1.15 Spacing.
  5. Select the dot points and format them using bullet points.
  6. Type your name and the date at the bottom of the text.
  7. Save your doc to your folder, with your name in the Title and Save As into the Teacher's Folder too.
  8. Find a photo for one of the stories using 'Google Search' and then 'Images', and insert the photo in the document under the text.
  9. Type 4 new words and find their meanings using the Cambridge online Learners' dictionary.


18 April 2013

Term 2 / week 1: Junk food - should it be banned at school?

Yum! Jelly doughnut

What do you think about this idea?

Here at Munch for Kids blog is one mother's view of an ideal world.

Which sentences are opinions, experience or facts?

Reading strategies


Here is our List of Reading Strategies from last year. How many of them did you use when reading the text?


What are the pros and cons of banning junk food at the school canteen?


Think about:
  • if you agree or disagree or if you can see both sides of the topic
  • how you will start writing about this topic?
  • a conclusion - a summary of your main points and a final sentence to persuade your reader that you are right
Remember to:
  • use the plan to write supporting arguments for each idea
  • write in sentences and stay on the topic
  • use words from the Persuasive writing Checklist to build your argument
  • start a new paragraph for each new idea

Writing process

Think => Plan => Draft => Correct => Rewrite

OR sometimes

Think => Discuss => Plan => Draft => Correct => Rewrite

    Revision: Did you watch the video about Australia's First Afghani Lifesaver?

    Here's a dictation on the topic of water safety. Press Pause after each sentence.



    Here is the text for the dictation - but don't look until you're absolutely sure you can't do any more!