Contractions II

Contractions II

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Overview
Using this Resource
Connecting to the Curriculum
Marking Student Responses
Working with Students
Further Resources
This task is about writing contractions as two words. 
Tilo wrote a letter to the Chairperson of the School Board of Trustees to ask if the school could get an adventure playground. When writing a formal letter, it is important to write words in full instead of using contractions. The contractions in Tilo's letter have been underlined. 

Question 1Change answer

Write each contraction as two words in the space next to the contraction. The first one has been done as an example.  
Rata School
42 Hall Street
Motueka
 
Monday 23 August 2016


Dear Mr Heke

     As you'll [you will] probably already know, there's  been quite a few problems with kids getting into fights at lunchtime.  The trouble is that we're  getting bored because we haven't  got enough to do.  It's  worse in winter because even if it isn't  raining the grass is usually too wet to play on.

Question 1Change answer

     Our class had a meeting and we've  come up with an idea.  We'd  like to get an adventure playground for the school so that there'd  be something to play on at lunchtime.  Getting an adventure playground probably won't  stop all the fights but we think it'll  help.  So does our teacher.  She's  right behind this idea and said she'll  support us all the way.  She said we should write to you about our idea because you're  the one who's  in charge.

Question 1Change answer

     I've  written this letter on behalf of all the students in Room 8.  I hope that you will think seriously about our idea.  I'm  sure that you will.
 
Yours sincerely
Tilo Ioane
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 use, spelling
Description of task: 
Students read a letter written to the Board of Trustees, and make it more formal by writing the contractions as full words.
Curriculum Links: 
Links to the Literacy Learning Progressions for Writing:
This resource helps to identify students’ ability to:
  • use basic punctuation that is mostly correct, including punctuation of dialogue
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: 
  

Y6 (11/2002)

there has
we are
have not
It is
is not
we have
we would
there would
will not
it will
she is
she will
you are
who is
I have
I am

moderate
very easy
very easy
very easy
very easy
very easy
very easy
easy
easy
very easy
very easy
very easy
very easy
very easy
very easy
very easy
Diagnostic and formative information: 
Common error Likely reason
57% of students incorrectly wrote the contraction "there's" as "there is" instead of "there has." It is likely that these students relied on prior knowledge that "there's" can be a contraction for "there is" when giving their answers rather than using the context of the sentence which indicates that the correct answer is "there has."