Postcard

Postcard

Pencil and paper
Overview
Using this Resource
Connecting to the Curriculum
Marking Student Responses
Further Resources
This task is about writing a postcard.

Source: http://www.postcardsnz.com, Ref: 61 7510

Questions/instructions

Imagine that you have had a really good holiday. Write a postcard to someone you really like. Tell them about your holiday. Write on the postcard.

Task administration: 

This task can be completed with pencil and paper.

When this NEMP task was trialled a real postcard was used (see photo). We have redrawn this postcard on the template provided. You could either use this, or get some postcards for your students. The data in the scoring guide is based on student responses using a real postcard.

Levels:
2, 4
Curriculum info: 
English, Creating meaning, Writing
Key Competencies: 
Using language, symbols, and texts
Keywords: 
nemp, letter, message, structure and language
Description of task: 
For this NEMP task students fill in a postcard about a holiday. Students' writing is assessed on postcard conventions, content, and legibility.
Curriculum Links: 
Links to the Literacy Learning Progressions for Writing:
This resource helps to identify students’ ability to:
  • generate content that is relevant to the task
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: encoding, sets 3-4
Writing meaningful text: encoding, set 6
Writing meaningful text: text features, sets 3
Writing meaningful text: text features, set 5
within the Writing Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Read more about the Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Answers/responses: 
     

Y4 (10/2002)

Y8 (09/2002)
 
1 mark
1 mark
1 mark
 
1 mark
1 mark		 Formalities
Name in address area
City/town/centre in address area
Other necessary address information
(e.g., street address)
Greeting, in any appropriate form
Indicates who card is from
24%
29%
29%
 
61%
59%
49%
65%
64%
 
79%
79%
 
4 marks or
3 marks or
2 marks or
1 mark or
0 mark		 Amount of information
Higher than Example A (see below)
Same as Example A
Between Example A and B
Same as Example B
Less than Example B		  
5%
8%
9%
24%
54%		  
20%
20%
17%
24%
19%
 
3 marks or
2 marks or
1 mark or
0 mark		 Focus on holiday activities
All/most
About half
Some
None		  
56%
21%
10%
13%		  
55%
20%
21%
4%
 
2 marks or
1 mark or
0 mark		 Legibility
Good
Borderline
Poor		  
67%
30%
3%		  
78%
20%
2%
 
 		 Total Score:
12-14
9-11
6-8
3-5
0-2		  
6%
18%
40%
32%
4%		  
30%
32%
24%
13%
1%

Commentary:
Compared to Year 4 students, Year 8 students were much more likely to include formalities like name, address, and sender on the postcard. They also included more information, somewhat more legibly.

Example A
Dear Litiana,
This week I've had a really cool holiday.
I've been missing you a lot.
Yesterday I went to the pools.
I went on the Tarzan rope, hydroslide, and the high and low diving board. I had fun.
Bye.
Love, Bailee		 Example B

Dear Phillippa,
I just went to Cape Reinga. It was really cool.
I want to go back there.
Have you been on holiday lately? I had lots of fun.
I have to go now.
See you.
Maddy

 

Year 4 – High Range Year 8 – High Range
Year 4 – Mid Range Year 8 – Mid Range