Skill companion: Communicating for an Audience (Year 5)

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Skill companion · Year 5 Science Inquiryseegongsik /au

Communicating for an Audience: a skill companion

A small set of reusable sheets that grow one inquiry skill: sharing a finding in a way that suits who will read it and why, by choosing the format, the words and the pictures. Print the scaffolds once and slot them into the science lessons you are already teaching.

AC9S5I06

write and create texts to communicate ideas and findings for specific purposes and audiences, including selection of language features, using digital tools as appropriate

What a skill companion is

Inquiry skills are not a topic of their own. They grow inside the science units a class teaches all year, such as Features and Behaviours for Survival; Weathering, Erosion and Deposition; Light, Shadows and Reflection; and Particles in Solids, Liquids and Gases. So this pack is not a full term of lessons. It is three reusable scaffolds, a map of where they fit, and a short stand-alone lesson for teaching the skill on its own first.

Start here: five minutes

Read the pairing map on the next page: it shows which scaffold fits which science lesson.
Print the audience planner whenever a class shares a finding, and the two-versions sheet once per child.
Cut out the language-feature cards once. They are reused all year whenever a class writes for a reader.
Open the free interactive unit on your board when you want a worked example of the skill.
Run the one-page mini-lesson first if you want to teach the skill before folding it into a topic.

No science background needed

This pack is written for the busy generalist teacher. Each scaffold explains itself in plain words, and the answer sheet gives two model versions of the worked finding, the card key, a model text for every Year 5 topic, and a quick three-level guide. The step up from Year 4 is the reader: the same finding is written one way for young children and another way for adults who will act on it, and children can say why each choice suits its reader.

On the board

This pack is the printable half of a free interactive unit. On screen, children choose a format in “Pick the format that fits the audience”, sort sentences with “Clear” and “Not clear” in “Which sentences communicate the finding well?”, and switch between “Table”, “Bar chart” and “Line graph” in “A chart communicates the pattern”. Each scaffold in this pack turns one of those moves into something children do on paper.

seegongsik.com/au/y5/inquiry/AC9S5I06

Aligned to the Australian Curriculum V9 (AC9S5I06). This pack is original material from seegongsik, independently produced and not endorsed by ACARA. Curriculum content descriptors are (c) ACARA, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Free to print and use in class.

Where the skill fitsPairing map

Slot the skill into your science lessons

Every science unit ends with a finding worth sharing. This map shows a finding from each Year 5 topic, two audiences who could use it, a format for each, and which scaffold to reach for. You do not run these as extra lessons; you fold them into the science you teach.

When you teach	Finding	Audiences and formats	Scaffold
Features and Behaviours for Survival (AC9S5U01)	Toothpicks the colour of grass were found least: camouflage	A Year 1 class (a hide-and-seek poster); families (a newsletter paragraph)	Audience planner, then the feature cards
Weathering, Erosion and Deposition (AC9S5U02)	Bare garden beds lost far more soil in rain than covered beds	The junior class (a poster); the principal or garden committee (a short report)	The two-versions sheet is this finding
Light, Shadows and Reflection (AC9S5U03)	Shadows are shortest at noon, when the Sun is highest	The junior class (a poster); the council (a report about shade over the playground)	The mini-lesson
Particles in Solids, Liquids and Gases (AC9S5U04)	Ice melts faster in warmer water	Families (a kitchen tip); the class next door (a slideshow)	Audience planner, then two versions
Any science topic	The class’s own finding	Children choose the reader first	Audience planner first, every time

The three moves, and the picture that backs each one

When you want a worked example on the board, open the interactive unit and use the picture that matches the move children are working on.

Choose a format for the reader and the purpose: “Pick the format that fits the audience”.
Choose clear, precise sentences that report the finding: “Which sentences communicate the finding well?”.
Show the result so the reader sees the pattern: “A chart communicates the pattern”.

How the scaffolds build the skill

The audience planner asks who will read, what they already know, what they need, and which format, words and pictures suit them, including a digital tool. The two-versions sheet writes one garden-bed finding twice: a poster for the junior class and a short report for the principal. The language-feature cards sort choices into what suits young readers, what suits adults who will act, and what every reader needs.

Scaffold 1 · Audience plannerOne per child

Who is it for?

NameClassDate

Before you write, decide who will read it and why. Then every choice of words and pictures can suit that reader.

Our finding, in one sentence

Who will read it?

younger students □our class □families □the principal □the council □scientists □other □

What do they already know?

What is it for?

to tell them what we found □to explain why □to ask them to act □to show them how □

Which format?

poster □short report □slideshow □letter □labelled diagram □video □newsletter □

Language features we will use

Words	everyday words □	science words □
Sentences	short, one idea each □	longer, with detail □
Pictures	a labelled diagram □	a graph or a table □
Numbers	a few, rounded □	exact, with units □

The digital tool we will use, if any:

Teacher note: a plan at standard can say why each choice suits the reader, such as ‘everyday words, because the juniors are just learning to read’.

Scaffold 2 · Two versionsOne per child

One finding, two readers

NameClassDate

After one heavy shower, the soil washed off three garden beds was caught in buckets, dried and weighed. Share the finding twice: once for the junior class, once for the principal.

Garden bed covered with	Soil washed off
bare soil	650 g
mulch	120 g
plants	80 g

A. A poster for the junior class

Draw a labelled picture

Word bank:rainsoilwashed awayplantscoverkeep

B. A short report for the principal

Word bank:erosionground covermulchgramstimes as muchwe recommend

Check: the right words for the reader? Numbers with units in the report? A sentence on what it means for the garden?

Scaffold 3 · Language-feature cards (cut out)Reuse all year

Which reader does it suit?

Cut out the cards. Lay down the three grey heading cards, then place each feature under the reader it suits best. A finding about shadows is being shared with the junior class and with the council.

For the junior classChildren in Prep to Year 2Heading

For the councilAdults who will act on the findingHeading

For bothAny reader needs itHeading

Shadows are short at lunchtime!Card A

Shadow length fell from 84 cm at 9 am to 22 cm at noon.Card B

A heading that says what we foundCard C

A short method: what we changed, measured and kept the sameCard D

A labelled diagram of the Sun, the stick and its shadowCard E

Big, simple words and a bright pictureCard F

A sentence saying what the finding means for peopleCard G

A question for the reader: Can you find your shadow?Card H

A table of every reading, with unitsCard I

One short idea in each sentenceCard J

Science words such as solar altitudeCard K

A clear title in large lettersCard L

Teacher note: four cards go under each heading. The key, with reasons, is on the answer sheet.

Mini-lesson · Teacher planAbout 30 minutes

Same finding, two readers

Use this stand-alone lesson to teach the skill on its own, before you fold it into a science topic. The class takes one finding, that a shadow is shortest at noon, and shares it twice: a poster panel for the junior class and a short report for the council, who are deciding where to put shade over the playground.

We are learning to

choose a format for a reader and a purpose,
select words, sentences and pictures that suit that reader,
check a text from the reader’s side.

Success criteria

I can write one finding in two ways and say why each suits its reader.
I can report a finding with precise words and numbers with units.

You need

the shadow readings on the board: 9 am 84 cm, 10 am 56 cm, 11 am 33 cm, noon 22 cm, 1 pm 31 cm, 2 pm 52 cm, 3 pm 70 cm,
the audience planner (scaffold 1), one per child, and A4 paper for the poster panels,
the language-feature cards from scaffold 3, one set per table,
tablets or computers for the report, if you have them (optional), and the free interactive unit on your board.

Lesson flow (about 30 minutes)

5 min	Who is reading? Show the board (see the box). Read the finding aloud, then ask who could use it. Ask: “What would a five-year-old need to know about this? What would the council need?”
5 min	Sort the features Tables sort the language-feature cards under the three headings. Ask: “Which card was hardest to place? Who did you picture reading it?”
15 min	Write two versions Half of each table plans and makes the junior poster panel; the other half writes the council report (three or four sentences, with numbers and units), on a tablet if you have them. Ask: “Read your text as your reader would. Is there a word they would not know, or a number they need?”
5 min	Swap and check Each half reads the other’s text and ticks the audience planner’s language-feature table for it. Ask: “What is the same in both versions? What had to change?”

Running it shorter? Stop after the sort, and write the two versions in your next science or English lesson.

On the board

For a worked example, open the unit and choose each format in “Pick the format that fits the audience” to read what it gains and gives up for the junior class. Then switch to “Line graph” in “A chart communicates the pattern”.

seegongsik.com/au/y5/inquiry/AC9S5I06

Watch for these ideas

Writing the same text for every reader, only bigger or smaller.
Thinking long words make a text better, even for young readers.
Leaving out the numbers and units an adult reader needs to act.

Make it easier, make it bigger

Easier: give a sentence frame for each version, such as ‘Shadows are ... at ...’ and ‘At noon the shadow length was ...’.
Bigger: add a third reader, such as families in the school newsletter, and explain what changes.

Answers and look-fors

The next sheet has two model versions of the garden-bed finding, the card key, a model text for each Year 5 topic, and a quick three-level guide.

Answers · For the teacherModel responses

Answers and look-fors

Two versions: the garden beds

A. Junior poster: a picture of rain washing soil off a bare bed, beside a bed with plants, labelled ‘soil washes away’ and ‘plants hold the soil’; and two short sentences, such as ‘Rain washes bare soil away. Plants and mulch keep it safe.’

B. Report: ‘After one heavy shower, the bare bed lost 650 g of soil to erosion, the bed with mulch 120 g and the bed with plants 80 g. The bare bed lost about 8 times as much soil as the planted bed. We recommend covering every bed with mulch or plants.’ At standard: the right words for each reader, and the report gives numbers with units.

Language-feature cards

Card	Feature	Suits	Why
A	Shadows are short at lunchtime!	For the junior class	Everyday words, one idea, a friendly tone.
B	Shadow length fell from 84 cm at 9 am to 22 cm at noon.	For the council	Exact figures with units that an adult can act on.
C	A heading that says what we found	For both	Every reader needs to know the main idea first.
D	A short method: what we changed, measured and kept the same	For the council	Experts judge how far to trust a finding from its method.
E	A labelled diagram of the Sun, the stick and its shadow	For both	A picture with labels helps young and expert readers alike.
F	Big, simple words and a bright picture	For the junior class	Young readers read pictures faster than paragraphs.
G	A sentence saying what the finding means for people	For both	Juniors: play in the shade at lunch; council: shade over the playground.
H	A question for the reader: Can you find your shadow?	For the junior class	It invites young readers to try the idea.
I	A table of every reading, with units	For the council	Experts can check the numbers themselves.
J	One short idea in each sentence	For the junior class	Short sentences are easier for beginning readers.
K	Science words such as solar altitude	For the council	Precise vocabulary says exactly what was measured.
L	A clear title in large letters	For both	Every reader needs to know what the text is about.

Planner: what a good text sounds like

Topic	For young readers	For adults who will act
Features and Behaviours for Survival	Year 1 poster: ‘Green bugs hide on green leaves. Can you spot them?’	Newsletter: ‘In our toothpick hunt on grass, only 3 of 15 green toothpicks were found, but 14 of 15 red ones: colour helps animals hide.’
Weathering, Erosion and Deposition	Junior poster: ‘Rain washes bare soil away. Plants hold it.’	Report: ‘The bare bed lost the most soil to erosion. We recommend mulch or plants on every bed.’
Light, Shadows and Reflection	Junior poster: ‘Shadows are short at lunchtime! The Sun is high.’	Council report: ‘Shadow length fell from 84 cm at 9 am to 22 cm at noon. At midday, shade falls almost straight down, so a shade sail must be right over the play area.’
Particles in Solids, Liquids and Gases	Kitchen tip: ‘Need ice to melt fast? Put it in warm water.’	Slideshow: ‘Ice melted in about 6 minutes in warm tap water and 14 minutes in cold, because faster particles carry more heat to it.’

A quick three-level guide

Move	Working towards	At standard	Beyond
Choose for the audience	uses the same text for every reader	chooses a format and features that suit the reader and purpose	explains each choice by what the reader knows and needs
Report the finding precisely	gives a vague comment or an opinion	reports what was measured, with numbers and units, for an adult reader	adds what the finding means and what to do about it
Use a picture, chart or digital tool	adds a picture that does not show the finding	adds a labelled diagram or chart that shows the finding	uses a digital tool to make one version for each reader

A child at standard shares one finding in ways that suit different readers and can say why. The skill grows all year, so keep the scaffolds coming back in every science topic.