The boys in Year 3 have been learning about the skill of writing an informative text on the natural world with a focus on reptiles. You may ask why expose students to this writing genre early on in the primary years?

According to numerous studies, this writing experience offers great benefits to young readers in particular.

As the boys advance in grade, they will more frequently face the use of textbooks, and gain a better understanding of informational texts and put them in a better position to handle reading and writing demands in their senior years.

As we all know, there is a growing dependence today on the use of web-based material and the boys need to gain confidence in using that source of information selectively. In some cases, it has been shown that some students much prefer reading non-fiction texts to literature-based material.

Nonetheless, it is also true that when a text topic interests students their reading skills are likely to improve.

Obviously, reading and also listening to information can develop students’ general knowledge of the world, and the more background knowledge students have, the better their comprehension skills will be, as well as developing a wider vocabulary.

Here are some writing examples of the boys’ work about Lizards.

Athan has used powerful verbs in his writing.

He wrote “Thorny Devils inflate like a balloon to squeeze into small gaps in rocks.”

Max has used striking words like “threatened” in his work. He wrote “Shingleback Skinks when threatened, poke out a long tongue to scare enemies.”

Jamie has used some striking phrases too. He wrote “The thorny devil is covered in spiky, prickly thorns”.

Lachie Mosely has used awesome adjectives such as “powerfully squirts”. He wrote “But when a coyote comes, it powerfully squirts poisonous blood from its eyes and tricks predators.”

Aidan has used some striking words in his writing. He wrote “Horned devils are the most shocking lizard I’ve ever heard of as they shoot blood from their eyes! Imagine being a dingo looking for food and then getting blind!

Another feature we have learnt about has been Similes. An example is “When Chuckwalla lizards get frightened, they hide in tiny cracks and inflate themselves like a soccer ball.” Michael wrote this in his text.

Mrs Bradshaw, who has taken the Writer’s Workshop in small groups each week, and myself, are incredibly proud of the boys’ efforts with their writing.  Well done Year 3!

Mrs Russell