Contractions

Contractions

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Overview
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Connecting to the Curriculum
Marking Student Responses
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Further Resources
This task is about contractions.
A contraction is a word in which one or more letters has been left out. The apostrophe shows this.  

Question 1Change answer

a)  Write out the contractions below, as two words.
 
 
i)   aren't  
iii) who's  
v)  let's  
vii) hasn't  
ix) mustn't  
ii)  she'll  
iv)  you're  
vi)  I'd  
viii) you'll  
x)  how's  

Question 1Change answer

 b)
Write down the contraction for each pair of words.
 
 
i)   let us  
iii) we are  
v)   it is  
vii) I have  
ix)  how is  
ii)  will not  
iv) she would  
vi)  it will  
viii) we will  
x)   they have  
 
Task administration: 
This task can be completed with pencil and paper or online (with auto marking displayed to students).
Level:
3
Curriculum info: 
English, Creating meaning, Writing
Key Competencies: 
Using language, symbols, and texts
Keywords: 
contractions, punctuation, grammar knowledge, spelling
Description of task: 
Students expand common contractions to their full form, then write the contracted forms of other common two-word phrases.
Curriculum Links: 
Links to the Literacy Learning Progressions for Writing:
This resource helps to identify students’ ability to:
  • use basic punctuation correctly, attempting some complex punctuation
as described in the Literacy Learning Progressions for Writing at: http://www.literacyprogressions.tki.org.nz/The-Structure-of-the-Progressions.
Learning Progression Frameworks
This resource can provide evidence of learning associated with
Writing meaningful text: vocabulary knowledge, set 4
within the Writing Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Read more about the Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Answers/responses: 

Scoring:

  

Y7 (03/2002)
5 marks
(for 10 correct)
or
4 marks
(for 9 correct)
or
3 marks
(for 7-8 correct)
or
2 mark
(for 4-6 correct)
or
1 mark
(for 1-3 correct)
a)
 

i)
ii)
iii)
iv)
v)
vi)
vii)
viii)
ix)
x)

are not
she will
who is
you are
let us
I had/I would
has not
you will
must not
how is

 

 5 marks - moderate

4 marks - easy

3 marks - very easy

2 marks - very easy

1 mark - very easy
5 marks
(for 10 correct)
or
4 marks
(for 9 correct)
or
3 marks
(for 7-8 correct)
or
2 mark
(for 4-6 correct)
or
1 mark
(for 1-3 correct)		 b)

i)
ii)
iii)
iv)
v)
vi)
vii)
viii)
ix)
x)

let's
won't
we're
she'd
it's
it'll
I've
we'll
how's
they've

 5 marks - difficult

4 marks - moderate

3 marks - easy

2 marks - very easy

1 mark - very easy
Diagnostic and formative information: 
Expanding the contraction is generally easier than working a contraction from the first form. I'd was the most difficult contraction for students to expand. Will not, she would, and they have were the most difficult full forms for students to contract. Missing out the apostrophe was the most common error.