Outline

Overview

In this unit of study we will discuss the social construction of literacy, with a focus on teaching grammar in the context of factual texts in the primary school and in the middle years. The focus is using factual texts as the context in which grammar is taught to support meaning. Knowledge about grammar is only useful if students use it to read and write, and recognize how authors, including themselves, can use language to make meaning. Therefore in each session a variety of factual texts will be used as will some practical strategies for developing knowledge about grammar and language. There will also be opportunities to analyse and discuss texts and to experience strategies which can be used in the classroom to develop both reading and writing in the subject area.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Education
Credit points	2
Prerequisites ?	48 Credit points including EDMT5502
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Kathleen Rushton, kathy.rushton@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Presentation	Oral presentation - modelled reading lesson n/a	0%	Week 04	500 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Guided writing lesson plan and sequence of lessons n/a	0%	Week 06	1000 words
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

Oral presentation - modelled reading lesson: This assignment assists you in developing an understanding of the implications of using a factual text for developing subject area knowledge and literacy. You will be giving a presentation to a small group in your seminar about your chosen text.
Guided writing lesson plan and sequence of lessons: Provide a lesson plan, with a clear grammatical focus, for a guided writing lesson which is a response to the same text used in the modelled reading lesson.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

Criterion Referenced Grading

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	1. Review: grammatical intricacy and lexical density; 2. Verbal groups, noun groups, adverbials; 3. Theme: sentence structure and nominalisation	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 02	Recounting: modelled texts & strategies for reading (processes/verbal groups & sentence structure)	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 03	Describing: linking talking and listening to reading (the noun group)	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 04	Instructing: joint construction and strategies for writing (adverbials & theme)	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 05	Explaining: grammatical intricacy and lexical density (theme and nominalization)	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 06	Persuading: building the field - technical vocabulary (appraisal)	Seminar (2 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: The Sydney School of Education and Social Work requires attendance of at least 90 percent of all seminars, workshops or lectures. Where a student is unable to attend at the required rate evidence of illness or misadventure may be required and the student may be required to undertake extra work. Students should discuss the circumstances of their absence(s) with the co-ordinator of the unit of study. Further details are provided in the School canvas site: https://canvas.sydney.edu.au/courses/13426

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 2 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 40-50 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

All readings for this unit can be accessed on the Library eReserve link available on Canvas.

Required textbook: Rossbridge, J. & Rushton, K. (2011) Conversations about text 2: Teaching grammar using factual texts. Newtown: PETAA

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. discuss the social construction of literacy
LO2. understand the oral language bases for literacy development
LO3. implement effective teaching and learning principles and practices in literacy in the classroom
LO4. demonstrate knowledge of a range of genres/text types suitable for primary classrooms, their schematic structure and grammatical features, and some wider understandings of teaching writing to children.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (Graduate Level – UG and MTeach) -

Competency code	Taught, Practiced or Assessed	Competency standard
1.1.1		(Graduate) Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students and how these may affect learning.
1.2.1		(Graduate) Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of research into how students learn and the implications for teaching.
1.3.1		(Graduate) Demonstrate knowledge of teaching strategies that are responsive to the learning strengths and needs of students from diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socio-economic backgrounds.
1.4.1		(Graduate) Demonstrate broad knowledge and understanding of the impact of culture, cultural identity and linguistic background on the education of students from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds.
2.1.1		(Graduate) Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the concepts, substance and structure of the content and teaching strategies of the teaching area.
2.3.1		(Graduate) Use curriculum, assessment and reporting knowledge to design learning sequences and lesson plans.
2.6.1		(Graduate) Implement teaching strategies for using ICT to expand curriculum learning opportunities for students.
3.1.1		(Graduate) Set learning goals that provide achievable challenges for students of varying abilities and characteristics.
3.4.1		(Graduate) Demonstrate knowledge of a range of resources, including ICT, that engage students in their learning.
6.3.1		(Graduate) Seek and apply constructive feedback from supervisors and teachers to improve teaching practices.

National Standard of Competency for Architects -

Competency code	Taught, Practiced or Assessed	Competency standard
1.1		Preparation & endorsement of an agreement between client and Architect. This agreement will clearly communicate terms, services to be provided, and fees appropriate for the scale and type of project.
1.2		Establishment, analysis and evaluation of client project requirements and objectives.
1.3		Assessment of project budget and timeframe against project requirements and objectives.
2.1		Identification, analysis and integration of information relevant to siting of project.

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

No changes

Additional information

Site visit guidelines

If you are undertaking professional experience/field education placement as part of your enrolment in this unit of study, please assess your specific needs and requirements for the safe and successful completion of an external placement within a host organisation. You will be given the opportunity to disclose any health issues that have a work health and safety significance before arranging a placement so that your safety, and the safety of others, can be properly assessed. The Professional Experience Coordinator/Field Education Manager will work to ensure that the workplace assignment to you is appropriate for your needs and requirements. If you are experiencing disability, and require reasonable adjustments to be arranged, please contact Disability Services as early as possible prior to commencing the internship. Please note, in all cases, and for the purpose of organising reasonable adjustments, only the impact and not the nature, of your disability will be disclosed to the host organisation.

Disclaimer

Important: the University of Sydney regularly reviews units of study and reserves the right to change the units of study available annually. To stay up to date on available study options, including unit of study details and availability, refer to the relevant handbook.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Site visit guidelines

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

EDMT6007: Conversations about Factual Texts

Semester 1, 2020 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Site visit guidelines

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links