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Resource 1 The Le@rning Federation. (2010). //L3069 The Wonders of Our Universe: Space Traveller.// Retrieved 26.9.10 from []                   __**Description of Resource: **__ The Le@rning Federation is an internet based site which provides educators with digital curriculum resources. This particular resource is an online learning object that allows students to explore about our place in the universe through an interactive spaceship. Students are able to determine where planet Earth and the Solar System are in comparison to the rest of the galaxy and the multitude of stars. This learning object begins with the whole universe, where students can then zoom in on different aspects and read the associated text. Visual representations of different parts of the universe are also included. __**Rationale:**__ **Relevance to the outcome:**This resource is relevant to students’ achievement of the outcome in that students are given an opportunity to explore the position of Earth within the universe //prior// to exploring the position of Earth within the Solar System. This background information will assist students to gain key understandings about patterns in the structure of the universe, the local solar system and what exists beyond and that galaxies contain millions of stars. Providing students with this background information addresses any existing misconceptions students may have about the unit topic, which as Skamp (1998) states, is critical to the further learning of science (p8). The digital nature of this resource offers students an alternative method to access information in an engaging and motivating way, which may reflect their use of digital technology and information seeking experiences out of school. This is relevant in students’ achievement of the outcome in that increased motivation and engagement with the content ensures that students will participate in the learning activity, perform highly and will voluntarily return to the task time and time again (McInerney & McInerney. 2006. p207).

The visual representations used in this resource, also supports the achievement of the intended outcome by providing extra scaffolding to students who may have additional needs. While these students may not fully comprehend the text associated with each picture, key ideas about the position of Earth within the universe are clearly represented in the pictures. This resource also provides an opportunity for teachers to experiment with student grouping as an additional scaffold for students, where students’ understandings can be developed through interaction with their peers (Dufficy. 2005. p17).

**Aspect of literacy:** This resource would primarily be used to provide students with opportunities to engage with the text type of factual descriptions. Using the information provided, students are able to discuss and determine grammatical features of this text type and use this information later on in the unit when constructing their own multimodal texts. Exposure to this text type will be useful to students in determining how different text types are used across different subject areas and genre. The key idea students are to gain from exposure to this resource would be that factual descriptions are used to describe features of particular people, places and objects (Droga & Humphrey. 2003. p133).

Using this resource, students will explore key grammatical features of factual descriptions, such as the use of particular nouns and noun groups and types of adjectives that further describe these nouns. When using this resource, an understanding should be developed in students that factual descriptions are often embedded into other longer text types (Droga & Humphrey. 2003. p133). Providing students with exposure to this text type will be useful in later stages of the unit as it introduces them to a small aspect of factual text types which can later be built on to write longer and more complex types of factual texts. This is supported by Droga & Humphrey (2003), who state that text types build on each other to develop learning (p10).

Appropriate use of student grouping can also facilitate the development of skills and strategies related to talking and listening, in particular, being able to communicate their ideas and beliefs about factual descriptions effectively to their peers (N.S.W BoS. 2007. p17).