Resource+3

= Writing Fun Interactive Website By Jenny Eather (2006) Written by Eliza Bain =



__** Explanation of the resource **__ Writing fun is an interactive website that uses text organisers to help students create their own texts. It features a variety of text types including information reports, procedures, recounts, explanations, discussion, exposition, description, and narratives. Once the text type is selected it offers a range of resources in that category. It gives a brief explanation of the text type and its purpose. It then offers the students and the teachers a range of examples. These examples gradually increase in difficulty and language skills. Additionally the website helps deconstruct these texts by offering examples of certain features and grammatical features. For example, it identifies the structure of the text type such as orientation, conclusion etc. Additionally it highlights particular features that the text type should contain, including examples of tense, nouns, and adjectives. The highlight of the resource arguably is that it allows students the opportunity to create their own text online. Through which, they are prompted and scaffolded to use the correct structure and grammatical features. The Writing Fun website also offers a valuable resource for teachers. Under each text type the examples and the scaffolds all come in an online or a word document choice which are free to download and to print for use in the classroom.

The HSIE outcome of this unit deals with the Great Barrier Reef and the effects of pollution on one of Australia’s most beautiful natural wonders. Although this resource doesn’t have concrete links to the HSIE outcome it is a resource that is easily adaptable to any topic or KLA. If focuses upon the literacy aspect of the lesson as an avenue for learning the content about caring for our environment and the issue of pollution in our society. The use of this resource is what provides the link to the focus outcome. Students use this resource to create a text that summarises information researched based on the focus outcome.
 * __ Relevance to the outcome __**

The literacy aspect of this resource is the key element of its effectiveness in exploring the focus outcome. As this lesson is designed to address the written grammar of a potential multimodal text it is specifically designed to support student’s literacy. In particular this interactive resource focuses upon text types and in this case used for student’s creation of Information reports.
 * __ Aspect of literacy suitable to be explored. __**

Using this technology to assist in students writing can, if used correctly help increase student interest and engagement in the writing and make stages of the writing process easier and more attainable (Winch, Johnston, March, Ljungdahl & Holliday, 2006, p.191). Additionally using technology to teach writing encourages both risk-taking in students writing and a student centred approach to teaching (Winch et al. 2006, p.317). This resource provides an effective means of integrating literacy directly into the HSIE curriculum. It allows students to develop their written literacy skills along with their technological literacy skills.