Literacy Crisis In Tasmania

[icyfroth]

At least half of Tasmania's population can't read or write properly and test results are showing a growing gap between Tasmanian teenagers and those on the mainland.

The latest global report card on 15-year-olds found that 47 per cent of Tasmanian teenagers failed the minimum standard of English, compared to 36 per cent nationally.

Tasmania's disturbing figures are not dissimilar to other parts of rural and regional Australia, but there is growing concern that the spending of more than a billion dollars a year is doing little to tackle the problem.

As Suzanne Smith reports, some experts say there will be no improvement without deep cultural change.

Entire Article Here

I was listening to the discussion about this on Hack the other night.

Apparently the schooling system has a lot to do with it. School finishes for most in year 10. To go on to year 12, students have to move to the city to complete their education at one of only 2 colleges.

[poddster]

well there were other mathematicians, alchemists, men of science and philosophers to guide humanity along a perilous path to present times 🙂

[vicr3000]

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@the_great_she_elephant wrote:

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It was actually Socrates 470/469 BC - 399 BC 

It's amazing the human race has managed to survive a further 2300 years or so.

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Which is why some of us ar arguing mankind will survivie Global warming or whatever fad they

happen to say will bring the end of the world next.

Humans adapt, overcome, etc etc, survive.

[the_great_she_elephant]

(Not in answer to you, Vic - just general) Here are some questions from an American 8th grade examination set in 1912. How well would you do? (no cheating now) 

1 How many parts of speech are there? Define each.

2 Define proper noun, common noun, name the properties of a noun.

3 What is a personal pronoun? Decline I

4 What properties have verbs?

5 “William struck James.” Change the voice of the verb.

6 Adjectives have how many degrees of comparison? Compare good; wise; beautiful.

7 Diagram: the Lord loveth a cheerful giver.

8 Parse all the words in the following sentences: John ran over the bridge. Helen’s parents love her.

I have no idea what q 7 means, but I think I could just about handle the rest.

[vicr3000]

You are a better person than me then.

[lloydslights]

........

[lloydslights]

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@the_great_she_elephant wrote:

(Not in answer to you, Vic - just general) Here are some questions from an American 8th grade examination set in 1912. How well would you do? (no cheating now) 

1 How many parts of speech are there? Define each.  The beginning, the middle and the end?  3 parts

2 Define proper noun, common noun, name the properties of a noun.Don't tell me there are other countries buying Aussie land?

3 What is a personal pronoun? Decline I  NToo private to tell or show everyone.

4 What properties have verbs? I thought properties had curbs and gutterings

5 “William struck James.” Change the voice of the verb.  ***whisper***William struck James.

6 Adjectives have how many degrees of comparison? Compare good; wise; beautiful.  Me, big of me, mighty me.

7 Diagram: the Lord loveth a cheerful giver.I repeat:  ME

8 Parse parsley/garnish?all the words in the following sentences: John ran over the  bridge. Helen’s parents love her. All-over sprinkling of sweetness.

I have no idea what q 7 means, but I think I could just about handle the rest.

Just for fun, She-ele.  Dad used to go on and on about all of this.  I still don't know most of the answers.  And my Scottish-accented French teacher, used to try and teach us this in French too.  Mon ami, mois tres stupide!????

DEB

 Edited: typo

[the_great_she_elephant]

Ok. here goes. 

How many parts of speech are there? Define each.

There are 7:  noun, pronoun, adjective, verb, adverb, preosition, conjunction. (I checjed this later and discovered there is also an 8th one - interjection.

Define proper noun, common noun, name the properties of a noun.

A proper noun is the given name of a person or place. a common noun isthe   name for an object. (I haven't looked this up so my answer may not be the standard one)

What is a personal pronoun? Decline I

A personal pronoun is a descriptive word standing in place  of a noun e.g he, they, it.  I: first person singular, subjective case.

What properties have verbs?

Verbs are 'doing' words they describe actions, thoughts or speech. they can be transitive or intransitive ie when used in a sentence they may or may not have an object. They can also be used in the active or passive voive. e.g. He loved,(active)  he was loved (passive.) 

“William struck James.” Change the voice of the verb.

James was sruck by William

Adjectives have how many degrees of comparison? Compare good; wise; beautiful.

Adjectives have 3 degrees simple (not sure thta is the correct word) comparitive and superlative.

Diagram: the Lord loveth a cheerful giver.

I have No idea how you would make a diagram of that.

Parse all the words in the following sentences: John ran over the bridge. Helen’s parents love her.

John: proper noun, subject of sentence; ran: transitive verb, past tense, active case; over: preposition; the (not sure, could be an adjective) bridge: noun: object of sentence.

 Parents: noun, subject of sentence Helen's: adjective (I think - which parents? Helen's parents.) loved: verb, transitive, past tense 3rd person plural.

PHEW!!! I suspect that back in 1912 there would have been "catechism" answer to  these kind of questions which the kids would have had to learn off by heart. It's a long time since I went to school so my  answers may not all be 100% correct, but I think they are pretty close.

[the_great_she_elephant]

HAHAHA I definitely prefer your answers.

[the_great_she_elephant]

I learned Latin - which is probably the best grounding in grammar (for any language) that you could possibly get.

[poddster]

It would be interesting to ask some teenagers to formulate a sentence in the first person , the second person and the third person 🙂

I will try that with the foreign students and see how they perform 🙂

The next conference call is Sunday week.

Perhaps anyone with young  kids or teenagers could ask them and let us know how they got on and describe the look the got in reply to the question 🙂