NAPLAN Preparation and Practice

1
NAPLAN Preparation and Practice

• Language
• Conventions Test

2
Format of Test

• 45 minutes comprising spelling and multiple
  choice questions
• Need to print name on bottom of test answer
  booklet
• Spelling questions require written answers need
  to write legibly and clearly

3
Spelling Questions

• Two different types of questions used to test
  spelling knowledge
• Question Type 1 Incorrectly word is used in a
  sentence and identified.
• Strategy Read the word in the context of the
  sentence sound out each word in the sentence
  quietly to yourself
• Sounding out the word will help you identify the
  word and its correct spelling
• Look carefully at the word and try to work out
  the word it originates from e.g. performance
  originates from perform
• Try to visualise where you have seen the word
  written and used in other situations e.g. in
  newspaper articles, television advertisements, in
  magazine articles or in text books or school
  notes.
• Sound out the word and then write down your best
  attempt at correct spelling
• I

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Spelling Questions

• Question Type 2 In this type of question you are
  provided with sentences each of which contain one
  incorrectly spelt word. The incorrectly spelt
  word is not identified.
• Strategy Carefully read the sentence sounding
  out each word quietly to yourself.
• Identify those sight words the ones that you
  know the spelling of and eliminate these
• Read the sentence backwards this will make you
  look at each word more carefully.
• Identify the word that you think to be spelt
  incorrectly and apply the strategies as used in
  the Type 1 question to give your best attempt at
  correct spelling.

5
Spelling Rules

• Correct spelling of English words is governed by
  a set of rules and conventions.
• These rule and conventions are based upon words
  being built up of letters which make syllables.
• The letters of the alphabet contain 5 vowels
  a,e,i,o,u and 21 consonants.
• Each syllable must contain a vowel

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Spelling Rules cont.

• Rules and conventions apply to how words are
  spelt
• There are rules relating to adding suffixes to
  words, making words into plurals, using vowels
  and consonants to make the correct letter sounds,
  placement of letters e.g. I before e except after
  c (receive) and a range of others refer
  separate spelling rules

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Other Language Type Questions

• Apart from spelling the other language questions
  types were primarily Multiple Choice Questions
  which focused on
• Select a missing word or set to words to
  correctly complete a sentence
• Select a response that demonstrates the correct
  use of punctuation
• Mark in where a punctuation mark should be
  correctly placed e.g. a mark
• Select from given grammatical terms the correct
  term to describe the way in which a word or
  phrase is used.

8
Punctuation

• Need to know and understand correct use of common
  punctuation e.g. Capitals, full stop, comma,
  inverted commas, apostrophe, question mark,
  colon, semicolon,
• Questions may require you to identify where
  punctuation has been used correctly or to correct
  or provide the correct punctuation

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Grammatical Terms

• A number of questions rely on you being familiar
  with and able to correctly apply grammatical
  terms
• Tense present, past and future
• Use of italics in text
• Types of words nouns, verbs, adjectives,
  adverbs
• Simile comparing two things using like or is
  e.g. as slippery as snake, as fast as the wind

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Grammatical Terms cont.

• Metaphor comparing something by saying
  something is the other e.g. the moon was a
  ghostly galleon
• Alliteration e.g. the slippery snake slid
  slowly southwards
• Personification giving a non-living thing human
  or living characteristics the sun smiled down
  on the field
• Rhyme as used in poetry
• Exaggeration He missed by a mile, It was as
  cold as ice