Literacy: Writing criteria Year 4

Student name: Year level: Subject: Date:

Score
Criteria Description
0-3
Does the text have a clear purpose and are selected elements appropriate to this
Purpose
purpose?
Does the text orient, support and engage the interest of the intended reader and
Audience
are selected elements appropriate to this audience?
Is there growing knowledge of the structure of learning area texts and is the
Text structure and
complexity of the text structures appropriate to the approach to the topic, the
organisation
purpose and the intended audience?
Does the text contain key information and supporting details relevant to the
Subject matter purpose and audience and does it show understanding of how images and detail
can be used to extend key ideas?
Depending on the purpose, is the text made cohesive through the use of the
most appropriate devices?
Cohesion
 see P-Y3 information and
 linking devices such as text connectives and pronoun reference
Does the text use simple, compound and complex sentence structures to
describe, explain, report and make connections between ideas and events and
are these sentences punctuated accurately?
Sentence structure and
punctuation
Punctuation:
 see P-Y3 information and
 quotation marks to signal dialogue, titles and quoted (direct) speech
Does the text demonstrate growing knowledge of subject-specific vocabulary,
noun groups, verb groups, adverbs and prepositional phrases to enrich sentences
and provide detail?
Vocabulary and word
groups Are the language of opinion and feeling and the language of factual reporting or
recording used appropriately?

*Also see P-3 information

Does the text contain accurately spelled topic words, homophones, more
Spelling complex irregular words, regular words and word families containing known
letters and letter clusters (including double letters), and is there evidence of the
use of strategies for attempting unknown words?
Total score:

Comments:
 [Year|4|HASS|-|Explorer’s|Journal|Task]
Name: __________________________________ Date: ________________ Class: ____

Your Task:
In this task you are to take on the role of a famous explorer that we
have researched in class over the term, or as one of the people on
board their ship during a voyage. You are to write several journal
entries about your life and experiences on board the ship. Below are
some examples of topics you might write about:

• Where you are travelling to and who you are travelling with
• Why the voyage is taking place
• How you are feeling about being a part of the voyage, and why
• Experiences on board the ship (what you have to eat, where you sleep, what you do throughout the
day, etc.)
• Difficulties the crew has experienced on the voyage (issues with the ships, travelling in the wrong
direction, being low on food supplies and so forth)

Things to consider:

• What would a journal entry look like? What features might you include in each entry?
• Write your journal entries in an order that makes sense – do not skip backward and forward in time
• You are writing in first person – “I”, “we”, “us”
• You are writing after the event has happened (past tense)
• Use a variety of sentence structures
• What is the name of the explorer you are travelling with?
• What is the name of the ship or fleet?
• What country have you departed from and where are you travelling to?

What you will be marked on:

• Purpose – Is it clear to the reader what you are writing about and why you are writing it?
• Audience – Have you made sure your text is interesting and easy for the reader to follow?
• Text Structure & Organisation – Have you included all of the important features that are required in a
journal entry?
• Subject Matter – Are you using vocabulary related to the topic? Have you included facts such as the
names of ships, explorers and the years their voyages took place?
• Cohesion – Are your journal entries in an order that makes sense? Have you connected different ideas in
your writing?
• Sentence Structure & Punctuation – Have you used a variety of simple and compound sentences? Has
punctuation been used correctly?
• Vocabulary and Word Groups – Have you made your writing more interesting by “dressing up your
sentences”? Are you using exciting words rather than simple words throughout your writing?
• Spelling – Have you checked your spelling? Use strategies to spell difficult words correctly.