[T4R] Let’s Build a Boat Reading/Design Unit for Year 1/2

• using turn-taking in group and pair work
• building a conversation by staying on topic, supporting other speakers, eliciting responses, listening supportively and attentively, asking relevant questions, providing useful feedback and prompting
• participating in informal and structured class, group and pair discussions about content area topics, ideas and information
• interacting appropriately with peers, teachers and visitors
• formulating different types of questions to ask a speaker, such as open and closed questions and “when”, “why” and “how” questions

• identifying information and details from spoken informative texts
• building topic knowledge and learning new vocabulary before and during reading
• making predictions from the cover, from illustrations and at points in the text before reading on, and confirming and adjusting understanding after reading
• drawing inferences and explaining inferences using clues from the text
• making connections with existing knowledge and personal experiences

• exploring ways to comment on what others say, including using sentence starters such as “I like the way you …”, “I agree that …”, “I have a different thought …”, “I’d like to say something different …”
• demonstrating appropriate listening behaviours, responding to and paraphrasing a partner’s contribution to a discussion; for example, in think pair share activities
• asking relevant questions and making connections with personal experiences and the contributions of others
• understanding how to disagree or respectfully offer an alternative

• listening for specific information and providing key facts or points from an informative or persuasive text
• listening and responding to detailed instructions
• integrating information from print, images and prior knowledge to make supportable inferences
• identifying the main idea of a text
• predicting vocabulary that is likely to be in a text, based on the topic and the purpose of the text; for example, predicting that “station” and “arrive” would be in a text recounting a train journey
• using prior knowledge to make and confirm predictions when reading a text
• using graphic organisers to represent the connections between characters, order of events or sequence of information

• exploring how First Nations Australians have long understood their dependence on living systems to meet their local and community needs, for example exploring the material culture of the Ngarrindjeri Peoples who sustainably make woven items from a grass-like sedge
• exploring how particular services meet different needs of people in the community, for example describing why doctors provide medical care to people in many ways including by phone, video conference, plane, car or outdoor clinic
• asking questions about the design of a range of shelters provided for the public and how they meet the needs of people in the community, for example the structures of a school or local sportsground or how to improve accessibility
• exploring how local products are designed, for example brainstorming the materials and processes needed to create a costume for a school or community event including using recycled clothing or components to minimise waste
• exploring how people come up with new ideas or modify existing designs, for example preventing water wastage when caring for plants

• comparing images from texts where images of the same subject are represented differently; for example, a cartoon image of an animal, a photograph of an animal and a digital image of an animal in an advertisement
• understanding how authors and illustrators build up meaning across a sequence of images
• understanding that some images convey meaning that is not included in the accompanying written text; for example, a diagram shows information about how parts of a plant are connected, which is not explained in the print text
• exploring images in stories and cultural accounts by First Nations Australian authors and discussing the impact this may have

• using turn-taking in group and pair work
• building a conversation by staying on topic, supporting other speakers, eliciting responses, listening supportively and attentively, asking relevant questions, providing useful feedback and prompting
• participating in informal and structured class, group and pair discussions about content area topics, ideas and information
• interacting appropriately with peers, teachers and visitors
• formulating different types of questions to ask a speaker, such as open and closed questions and “when”, “why” and “how” questions

• identifying information and details from spoken informative texts
• building topic knowledge and learning new vocabulary before and during reading
• making predictions from the cover, from illustrations and at points in the text before reading on, and confirming and adjusting understanding after reading
• drawing inferences and explaining inferences using clues from the text
• making connections with existing knowledge and personal experiences

• identifying images and graphics in a text that add ideas or information not included in the written text; for example, a map or table in a factual text or an illustration in a story, which gives clues about the setting
• identifying visual representations of characters’ actions, reactions, speech and thought processes in narratives, and considering how these images add to or multiply the meaning of accompanying words

• exploring ways to comment on what others say, including using sentence starters such as “I like the way you …”, “I agree that …”, “I have a different thought …”, “I’d like to say something different …”
• demonstrating appropriate listening behaviours, responding to and paraphrasing a partner’s contribution to a discussion; for example, in think pair share activities
• asking relevant questions and making connections with personal experiences and the contributions of others
• understanding how to disagree or respectfully offer an alternative

• listening for specific information and providing key facts or points from an informative or persuasive text
• listening and responding to detailed instructions
• integrating information from print, images and prior knowledge to make supportable inferences
• identifying the main idea of a text
• predicting vocabulary that is likely to be in a text, based on the topic and the purpose of the text; for example, predicting that “station” and “arrive” would be in a text recounting a train journey
• using prior knowledge to make and confirm predictions when reading a text
• using graphic organisers to represent the connections between characters, order of events or sequence of information

• exploring how First Nations Australians have long understood their dependence on living systems to meet their local and community needs, for example exploring the material culture of the Ngarrindjeri Peoples who sustainably make woven items from a grass-like sedge
• exploring how particular services meet different needs of people in the community, for example describing why doctors provide medical care to people in many ways including by phone, video conference, plane, car or outdoor clinic
• asking questions about the design of a range of shelters provided for the public and how they meet the needs of people in the community, for example the structures of a school or local sportsground or how to improve accessibility
• exploring how local products are designed, for example brainstorming the materials and processes needed to create a costume for a school or community event including using recycled clothing or components to minimise waste
• exploring how people come up with new ideas or modify existing designs, for example preventing water wastage when caring for plants

• writing character descriptions
• imitating a characteristic piece of speech or dialogue, or the attitudes or expressions of favourite characters in texts
• retelling key events in stories using oral language, visual arts, digital tools or performance

• identifying information and details from spoken informative texts
• building topic knowledge and learning new vocabulary before and during reading
• making predictions from the cover, from illustrations and at points in the text before reading on, and confirming and adjusting understanding after reading
• drawing inferences and explaining inferences using clues from the text
• making connections with existing knowledge and personal experiences

• inventing some speech, dialogue or behaviour for a favourite character, which may include the use of video and audio tools, for an alternative event or outcome in the original text
• reviewing and developing sentences; for example, adding prepositional phrases such as “with a long tail” to improve descriptions

• listening for specific information and providing key facts or points from an informative or persuasive text
• listening and responding to detailed instructions
• integrating information from print, images and prior knowledge to make supportable inferences
• identifying the main idea of a text
• predicting vocabulary that is likely to be in a text, based on the topic and the purpose of the text; for example, predicting that “station” and “arrive” would be in a text recounting a train journey
• using prior knowledge to make and confirm predictions when reading a text
• using graphic organisers to represent the connections between characters, order of events or sequence of information

• identifying information and details from spoken informative texts
• building topic knowledge and learning new vocabulary before and during reading
• making predictions from the cover, from illustrations and at points in the text before reading on, and confirming and adjusting understanding after reading
• drawing inferences and explaining inferences using clues from the text
• making connections with existing knowledge and personal experiences

• listening for specific information and providing key facts or points from an informative or persuasive text
• listening and responding to detailed instructions
• integrating information from print, images and prior knowledge to make supportable inferences
• identifying the main idea of a text
• predicting vocabulary that is likely to be in a text, based on the topic and the purpose of the text; for example, predicting that “station” and “arrive” would be in a text recounting a train journey
• using prior knowledge to make and confirm predictions when reading a text
• using graphic organisers to represent the connections between characters, order of events or sequence of information

• reflecting on and recording a judgement about design ideas, for example describing how design ideas meet the needs of those who will use the solution using audio-recording or video-recording software
• sharing design strengths and weaknesses, for example explaining how the equipment in a playground might be unsuitable for some children to use and suggesting areas for design improvement
• reflecting on the environmental impacts of the production of a solution and considering alternative approaches that would minimise future negative impacts, for example identifying the negative environmental impacts of different food packaging and how these could be minimised
• reflecting on the environmental impacts of the production of a solution and considering alternative approaches that would minimise future negative impacts, for example identifying the negative environmental impacts of different food packaging and how these could be minimised

• using words including “because” to introduce reasons for likes, dislikes and preferences
• exploring comparative words (adjectives) to express the degree of preference; for example, “better”, “faster”

• comparing images from texts where images of the same subject are represented differently; for example, a cartoon image of an animal, a photograph of an animal and a digital image of an animal in an advertisement
• understanding how authors and illustrators build up meaning across a sequence of images
• understanding that some images convey meaning that is not included in the accompanying written text; for example, a diagram shows information about how parts of a plant are connected, which is not explained in the print text
• exploring images in stories and cultural accounts by First Nations Australian authors and discussing the impact this may have

• generating questions about characters, settings and events from books and sharing responses
• discussing different texts and offering opinions about how they reflect their own experiences
• expressing responses to characters and events in stories using drawing and role-play
• identifying who is telling the story in different texts

• identifying information and details from spoken informative texts
• building topic knowledge and learning new vocabulary before and during reading
• making predictions from the cover, from illustrations and at points in the text before reading on, and confirming and adjusting understanding after reading
• drawing inferences and explaining inferences using clues from the text
• making connections with existing knowledge and personal experiences

• exploring how language is used to appreciate texts using more precise vocabulary; for example, “I liked how the author described the setting because …”
• exploring verbs used to express degree of preference; for example, “liked”, “preferred”, “enjoyed”
• identifying First Nations Australian language words specific to Country/Place that help the reader to be specific when appreciating the setting in a text

• identifying images and graphics in a text that add ideas or information not included in the written text; for example, a map or table in a factual text or an illustration in a story, which gives clues about the setting
• identifying visual representations of characters’ actions, reactions, speech and thought processes in narratives, and considering how these images add to or multiply the meaning of accompanying words

• discussing preferences for stories set in familiar or unfamiliar worlds, or about characters whose lives are like or unlike their own
• discussing their feelings about the positive and negative behaviours of non-human characters, such as animals

• listening for specific information and providing key facts or points from an informative or persuasive text
• listening and responding to detailed instructions
• integrating information from print, images and prior knowledge to make supportable inferences
• identifying the main idea of a text
• predicting vocabulary that is likely to be in a text, based on the topic and the purpose of the text; for example, predicting that “station” and “arrive” would be in a text recounting a train journey
• using prior knowledge to make and confirm predictions when reading a text
• using graphic organisers to represent the connections between characters, order of events or sequence of information

• comparing and contrasting features of existing products to develop new ideas, for example designing and making a puppet with a movable part after experimenting with other toys with several movable parts
• communicating design ideas by modelling or producing and labelling 2-dimensional drawings using a range of technologies, for example designing a new environment such as a cubbyhouse or animal shelter and showing different views (top view and side view) with descriptions of materials and features
• communicating an opinion about their design ideas, for example expressing own likes and dislikes about a design idea for felt finger puppets including how they have made changes to their design ideas
• describing the results from exploring design ideas, for example recording the results from people taste-testing a food product

• writing character descriptions
• imitating a characteristic piece of speech or dialogue, or the attitudes or expressions of favourite characters in texts
• retelling key events in stories using oral language, visual arts, digital tools or performance

• identifying information and details from spoken informative texts
• building topic knowledge and learning new vocabulary before and during reading
• making predictions from the cover, from illustrations and at points in the text before reading on, and confirming and adjusting understanding after reading
• drawing inferences and explaining inferences using clues from the text
• making connections with existing knowledge and personal experiences

• listening for specific information and providing key facts or points from an informative or persuasive text
• listening and responding to detailed instructions
• integrating information from print, images and prior knowledge to make supportable inferences
• identifying the main idea of a text
• predicting vocabulary that is likely to be in a text, based on the topic and the purpose of the text; for example, predicting that “station” and “arrive” would be in a text recounting a train journey
• using prior knowledge to make and confirm predictions when reading a text
• using graphic organisers to represent the connections between characters, order of events or sequence of information

• recognising similar characters and settings in different types of literary texts; for example, traditional tales, narrative poems and fables
• discussing whether features of settings including time (year, season) and place (country or city) are realistic or imagined
• discussing how plots develop, including beginnings (orientation), how the problem (complication) is introduced and solved (resolution)

• comparing how similar characters or settings are described in texts from different contexts; for example, how the seasons are described
• identifying and comparing verb groups used to convey actions, emotions and dialogue in a range of literary texts
• identifying the language used to describe the landscape in First Nations Australians’ stories

• investigating First Nations Australians’ instructive toys and how such toys are designed and made to produce movement, for example propeller toys made from pandanus across northern Australia
• selecting materials to show how material properties are appropriate for particular designed solutions, for example materials that enable sliding, floating or flying
• exploring how to manipulate materials using a range of tools, equipment and techniques to create movement, for example when constructing a toy boat that floats or a kite that flies
• exploring a system such as a marionette or Indonesian wayang kulit shadow puppet to see that by combining materials with forces movement can be created
• testing materials to see how they affect movement and speed, for example the movement of a wheeled toy on different surfaces such as timber, carpet, rubber and plastic

• using words including “because” to introduce reasons for likes, dislikes and preferences
• exploring comparative words (adjectives) to express the degree of preference; for example, “better”, “faster”

• recognising similar characters and settings in different types of literary texts; for example, traditional tales, narrative poems and fables
• discussing whether features of settings including time (year, season) and place (country or city) are realistic or imagined
• discussing how plots develop, including beginnings (orientation), how the problem (complication) is introduced and solved (resolution)

• applying emerging knowledge of text structure and grammar when creating text
• using learning area vocabulary when creating text
• creating digital images and composing a story or information sequence on screen using images and captions
• adding or deleting words on a page or screen to improve meaning; for example, adding an adjective to add meaning to a noun
• beginning to use dictionaries and resources to check and correct spelling
• identifying words that might not be spelt correctly

• exploring how language is used to appreciate texts using more precise vocabulary; for example, “I liked how the author described the setting because …”
• exploring verbs used to express degree of preference; for example, “liked”, “preferred”, “enjoyed”
• identifying First Nations Australian language words specific to Country/Place that help the reader to be specific when appreciating the setting in a text

• comparing how similar characters or settings are described in texts from different contexts; for example, how the seasons are described
• identifying and comparing verb groups used to convey actions, emotions and dialogue in a range of literary texts
• identifying the language used to describe the landscape in First Nations Australians’ stories

• creating written texts so that readers follow the sequence of ideas or events
• using vocabulary, including topic-specific vocabulary, appropriate to the purpose
• using digital tools to create texts
• using simple and compound sentences correctly and flexibly to express and combine ideas
• editing by adding, deleting or changing vocabulary to improve a text; for example, replacing an everyday noun with a topic-specific one
• reviewing sentences for grammatical accuracy; for example, use of pronouns

• exploring how available materials can be used or re-used in construction play, for example using used wrapping paper and gift cards to design and make decorations or signage for the classroom or a school event to minimise waste
• practising a range of technical skills using tools and equipment safely, for example joining techniques when making products, watering and mulching gardens, preparing a recipe using a knife safely
• practising a range of technical skills using tools and equipment safely, for example joining techniques when making products, watering and mulching gardens, preparing a recipe using a knife safely

• exploring how available materials can be used or re-used in construction play, for example using used wrapping paper and gift cards to design and make decorations or signage for the classroom or a school event to minimise waste
• practising a range of technical skills using tools and equipment safely, for example joining techniques when making products, watering and mulching gardens, preparing a recipe using a knife safely
• practising a range of technical skills using tools and equipment safely, for example joining techniques when making products, watering and mulching gardens, preparing a recipe using a knife safely

• using lists or storyboarding when planning and making, for example when creating an electronic planting calendar
• recording the procedure for making a product, for example the ordered steps for making a salad, instructions for making a container or bag
• identifying roles for each member of a group when working cooperatively, for example when making a number of items for a school fete

• reflecting on and recording a judgement about design ideas, for example describing how design ideas meet the needs of those who will use the solution using audio-recording or video-recording software
• sharing design strengths and weaknesses, for example explaining how the equipment in a playground might be unsuitable for some children to use and suggesting areas for design improvement
• reflecting on the environmental impacts of the production of a solution and considering alternative approaches that would minimise future negative impacts, for example identifying the negative environmental impacts of different food packaging and how these could be minimised
• reflecting on the environmental impacts of the production of a solution and considering alternative approaches that would minimise future negative impacts, for example identifying the negative environmental impacts of different food packaging and how these could be minimised

• using lists or storyboarding when planning and making, for example when creating an electronic planting calendar
• recording the procedure for making a product, for example the ordered steps for making a salad, instructions for making a container or bag
• identifying roles for each member of a group when working cooperatively, for example when making a number of items for a school fete

• using appropriate topic-specific vocabulary when discussing a learning area topic
• using appropriate vocabulary for an Acknowledgement of Country at assemblies and other school events using protocols to recognise the Traditional Owners of Country or Place
• identifying words for topics studied at school; for example, vocabulary used for weather and seasons

• identifying information and details from spoken informative texts
• building topic knowledge and learning new vocabulary before and during reading
• making predictions from the cover, from illustrations and at points in the text before reading on, and confirming and adjusting understanding after reading
• drawing inferences and explaining inferences using clues from the text
• making connections with existing knowledge and personal experiences

• listening for specific information and providing key facts or points from an informative or persuasive text
• listening and responding to detailed instructions
• integrating information from print, images and prior knowledge to make supportable inferences
• identifying the main idea of a text
• predicting vocabulary that is likely to be in a text, based on the topic and the purpose of the text; for example, predicting that “station” and “arrive” would be in a text recounting a train journey
• using prior knowledge to make and confirm predictions when reading a text
• using graphic organisers to represent the connections between characters, order of events or sequence of information