Assessment Guide for Parents – Term 2 2015 (Year 1)
To help Parents better understand the expectations on students around assessment for Term 2, here is an outline of what
is being looked at and the assessment in the different subject areas. We have structured this to work on our webpage (for
convenience and ease of viewing online) but large copies will also be available in classrooms – on walls or windows –
where children can see them every day and refer to them. Feel free to talk to your child’s teacher about these guides as
they will be use to mark your child’s achievement and be used to offer feedback to your child about improvement.
What is the difference between Assessment Tasks and Monitoring Tasks? Assessment Tasks are activities that students
will complete and the teacher will mark and allocate a rating (Very High, High, Sound, Developing, Support Required)
based on specific criteria. Monitoring Tasks are activities the students do in class while the teacher makes observations
but will not rate them.
English
During Term 2, students will complete two 5 week Units.
Exploring characters in stories
In this unit, students listen to, read, view and interpret spoken, written and multimodal literary texts to identify some
features of characters in these texts and to create character descriptions.
Engaging with poetry
In this unit students listen to, read and view a variety of poems to explore sound patterns and features of plot, character
and setting. Students recite a poem to the class.
Monitoring student learning
Student learning will be monitored throughout the teaching and learning process to determine student progress and
learning needs.
Assessment task 1: Character description
Students create a character description using writing and images.
Assessment task 2: Reading and comprehension
Students demonstrate reading accuracy, fluency and comprehension of character development, by reading aloud and a
reading record being completed..
Assessment task 3: Comprehending poetry
Students read, view or listen to a poem. Identify language features and vocabulary used in poetry and recognise literal and
implied meaning.
Assessment task 4: Poetry recitation
Students perform a recitation or reading of a poem for a familiar audience, demonstrating understanding of the
connection between writing and speech and engaging an audience by combining language and interaction skills.
Maths
During Term 2, students will complete two 5 week Units.
In these units students apply a variety of mathematical concepts in real-life, life-like and purely mathematical situations.
Monitoring student learning
Student learning will be monitored throughout the teaching and learning process to determine student progress and
learning needs.
Assessment task 1 : Secret object
Purpose: To give and follow directions to familiar locations.
Assessment task 2 : Shape Shakers
Purpose: To describe and compare three-dimensional objects based on their obvious geometric features.
Assessment task 3 : Pool Problems
Purpose: To solve simple addition problems.
History
At this moment in time
In this unit, students will investigate the following question: How do we describe the sequence of time?
In this unit, students will develop an understanding of terms indicating the passing of time which are frequently used in
stories and conversations about the past and how these terms are used to describe dates and changes that have personal
significance.
Monitoring student learning
Student learning will be monitored throughout the teaching and learning process to determine student progress and
learning needs.
Assessment task 1: Collection of work: Time capsule box
Students collect sources representing key personal milestones and events to include in a time capsule box. They use the
sources to create a timeline and relate a story using these sources.
Geography
How do people use places?
In this unit students will investigate the inquiry question: How can spaces within a place be rearranged to suit different
purposes?
The content provides opportunities to develop the following concepts for geographical understandings: place, space,
environment and scale.
Monitoring student learning
Student learning will be monitored throughout the teaching and learning process to determine student progress and
learning needs.
Assessment task 1: Collection of work
Part A - Identify and describe the natural, managed and constructed features of places at a local scale; identify and
describe the natural, managed and constructed features of places at a local scale; use everyday language to describe
direction and location.
Part B - Identify where features of places are located and recognise that spaces can be arranged for different purposes;
represent the location of different places and their features on pictorial maps.
Science
Changes to materials
In this unit students explore materials and describe their properties. They describe the actions they use when making
physical changes to a material to make an object for a purpose. Students recognise that the properties of a material affect
the physical changes that can be made and the purpose for using a particular material in their everyday lives. They
respond to questions, make predictions and investigate the effects of making physical changes to materials and objects
through guided investigations. Students sort and record their observations and share these with others. They modify a
material for a given purpose, test their modifications and compare their observations with predictions.
Monitoring student learning
Student learning will be monitored throughout the teaching and learning process to determine student progress and
learning needs.
Assessment task 1: Don’t rock the boat
Students identify physical changes made to a material and describe the boat. To make a prediction, conduct an
investigation and record observations.