Resource+1

__**Resource 1:**__

**Farmers should avoid land clearing**
I definitely believe that farmers should reduce land clearing, as this would certainly benefit the land, animals and even the farmer. Firstly, the bush undoubtedly provides the vital habitat for native animals. For example, mature trees with hollows are home to many animals, such as birds. If these trees are cleared, the animals will surely lose their home. As these trees will take many, even hundreds of years to grow, they will never be able to be replaced for the same wildlife. Therefore, farmers must not cut down these trees. Secondly, the bush plays an absolutely crucial role in protecting the soil. This is because the roots of the trees prevent erosion by holding the soil, and stopping it from being blown or washed away. In fact, the trees also prevent salinity. Because of this, farmers need to save the trees; otherwise the soil will be destroyed. If this happened, the farmer would definitely not be able to grow crops. Obviously farmers have to reduce land clearing because trees are important for everyone.

This resource was written by Laura Ewan specifically for the lesson and the stage 2 class. The topic of the exposition was also chosen to resonate with their learning about conserving the land. It presents an argument against land clearing that is designed to dissuade farmers from clearing land. The exposition has been written at an appropriate level so that the year 4 class would find it easy to understand, and the key structural and grammatical features would be relatively obvious. For example, it follows the structure that the students are familiar with as it has a strong statement of position, then a series of arguments that are signalled with clear connectives, and a reinforcement of the position. The exposition is of high modality and uses numerous corresponding modal adverbs and adjectival, as this was the focus of the lesson. It also employs the use of nominalisation, thinking verbs, and evaluative vocabulary.
 * Brief description of resource:**

The resource would be relevant to the English outcome; **//RS2.8//** //discusses the text structure of a range of text types and the grammatical features that are characteristic of those text types,// because it is allows students to discuss the text structure of an exposition, but also a number of key grammatical features of the text type, such as modality, nominalisation, and textual themes.
 * Relevance to the outcome:**

The resource would also be applicable to the Human Society and it’s Environment outcome; **ENS2.6** d//escribes people’s interactions with environments and identifies responsible ways of interacting with environments,// as the theme of the text deals with how farmers can interact with the environment by clearing land for more agricultural fields, but how this can have negative impacts on the environment. It suggests that farmers should act responsibly by making sure that these trees are saved.

As the resource utilises many modal adverbs and auxiliaries, it would be invaluable to a lesson teaching about modality. According to Winch, Johnston, March, Ljungdahl, and Holliday (2007, p. 231) grammar should be taught within context, rather than isolated rules of grammar. This resource allows modality to be taught in this way, as students are asked to identify modal adverbs within the text.
 * Aspect of literacy to be explored:**

As the exposition was written for a clear social purpose, to dissuade farmers from clearing land, it also allows the grammar of modality to be taught according to the functional model, where the social context forms the basis for meaning, rather than the phonemes, words, or sentences (Collerson; cited in Winch et al., 2007, p. 225). In this way, the lesson required students to think about the social purpose of the exposition, before they were to decide on the modality that would be most effective to persuade someone to think or act in a certain way.

As the lesson requires students to not only identify modal adverbs and auxiliaries, but use them in their writing, this resource provides an excellent model of how this can be done.