Keep this file out of learner print/project copies. These are held-out, brief, formative tasks, not standardised instruments or complete Year 2 achievement evidence. Check the four spelling patterns against each child's taught sequence first. If a pattern is untaught, mark NYT (not yet taught), give a locally matched alternative, key it in your record and do not score the original item as an error. Record each response mode: independent print reading, adult-read listening, independent writing, dictation/AAC, copy, or supported response. A child may have more time. Do not compare speed.
Day 15 · Unseen paper route and code (suggested 4–6 minutes per learner)
Set up privately: Draw this exact fictional map large on paper. Use labels and shapes; star, circle and square are in a straight horizontal row, and a book shape is directly below square. Put the token at star. Show the map and read this route aloud once for the listening/instruction task: “Start at star. Move right past circle. At square turn down. Stop at book.” Do not ask a child to decode that adult sentence. Invite pointing, a token, tactile layout or AAC. The route is a fictional paper activity, never a real place.
STAR —— CIRCLE —— SQUARE
|
BOOK
Prompts, asked separately:
- “Move or tell the token's path.” Exact key: STAR → CIRCLE → SQUARE → BOOK. Accept the same order in pointing, speech, tactile movement or AAC. If child jumps from STAR straight to SQUARE, ask only “What did the note say to pass?” once and record that cue.
- “Why does the route say
squarebeforeturn down?” Key: square identifies the landmark at which to turn, reducing a guessed or early turn. A similar cause-and-effect explanation earns evidence; a bare “because it is there” needs follow-up. - “Give a new, clear two-step note to move a token from CIRCLE to BOOK on this map.” Exact minimum: names CIRCLE as start; move to SQUARE; turn down/stop at BOOK. Speech, dictated words, AAC or independent writing all count as instruction composition with mode recorded. Missing one landmark is a revision need; handwriting neatness is irrelevant.
- Independent unfamiliar word check, only if locally taught: present one at a time on separate cards:
mail,hay,peel,meal. Say “Try the word; take time; check if it makes sense.” Key: /meɪl/, /heɪ/, /piːl/, /miːl/. Record exact attempt and self-correction; do not pre-say the target.mail= message/post,hay= dried grass,peel= outside skin or remove skin,meal= food eaten at a sitting. Meaning is checked after word attempt. There is no total pass cut-off. - Independent writing, if locally taught: dictate “Write
mail” without showing it. Key: m-a-i-l in that order; accept reasonable motor or AAC selection. Record phoneme representation separately from conventional spelling. This word is deliberately held out of daily practice.
Evidence and immediate next moves: If path misses the turn, teach with one clear landmark, two candidate turns and a new map tomorrow. If child gets route but cannot explain its benefit, compare an ambiguous and specific note and ask which choice removes guessing. If word reading varies by ai/ay or ee/ea, model the specific grapheme, blend two familiar matched words, and recheck with different unfamiliar words on another day. If independent composition omits destination, make a three-box start/action/end planner, then fade it. If all components are secure, ask the child to test a route with a second person and justify a revision, without claiming universality.
Day 20 · Unseen explanation and code (suggested 4–6 minutes per learner)
Set up privately: Show two bundles labelled 10 and four singles with paper tags/counters or a tactile/drawn equivalent. The new total is 24, different from the practised 36. Adult reads: “Open one bundle of ten. No tag is added or taken away. Tell a classmate what the parts are now and why the total has or has not changed.” Do not display the correct after-picture or answer text.
Prompts and exact keys:
- “How many at first? Name the parts.” Key: 2 tens + 4 ones = 20+4 = 24. Learner may count each object, use labels, point or speak; record method.
- “After opening one bundle, what are the parts?” Key: 1 ten + 14 ones = 10+14 = 24. A child who says 14 singles but overlooks the remaining ten needs a two-group recount.
- “Did the whole change? Why?” Key: No. One ten became ten singles; no tag was added or removed. A bare “no” is incomplete reasoning; seek the action/reason with a neutral prompt, recording that support.
- “Explain it for a classmate who did not see the move.” Key features: first total or first representation, changed parts, unchanged total, reason. Any order that a listener can follow is acceptable, with speaking, writing, drawing+labels or AAC. Example teacher key only: “There were 24 as two tens and four ones. We opened one ten, so there is one ten and fourteen ones. It is still 24 because we moved the ten tags, not added any.” Do not require this exact wording.
- Independent unfamiliar word check, if locally taught: show
tail,bay,feed,seat, one card at a time, without pronouncing first. Key: /teɪl/, /beɪ/, /fiːd/, /siːt/. Ask meaning only after attempted decoding (tailanimal/body part,baysheltered inlet/space,feedgive food,seatplace to sit). Record exact attempts and self-correction. Dictated write: “Writeseat.” Key s-e-a-t, with mode and component sounds recorded. Both checks are held out from learner practice.
Next moves: If 2 tens+4 is wrong, rebuild 10s as counted objects before asking for explanation. If original 24 is correct but after total differs, physically pair every moved tag to one original tag, then try a new small total. If total is correct but reason missing, use “What action happened? Did anything arrive or leave?” and compose one audience-facing sentence. If explanation is clear, ask the learner to find a possible confusing label in a different writer's diagram. For code, respond to the observed vowel digraph or phoneme sequence with locally matched instruction and recheck using new words; avoid a global reading-level label.
Daily exit signals and response plan
| Day | Look for | If not yet secure, start next day with… |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Start and destination named | Two anchor symbols and a token |
| 12 | turn at a named landmark |
A two-verb choice and modelled turn |
| 13 | Heading located for purpose | Two physical heading cards to sort |
| 14 | Revision changes a route clue | One ambiguous/two specific clues |
| 15 | Independent route and pattern evidence recorded separately | Individual map or code micro-group by observed need |
| 16 | Example and label located | Actual tens/singles and enlarged labels |
| 17 | Unchanged whole reason | Pair opened tags one-for-one |
| 18 | Action linked to consequence | Two complete spoken idea cards joined with so |
| 19 | Listener can follow explanation | Order three drawings and add one caption |
| 20 | New total and reason; unfamiliar code attempt | Small concrete count or matched code recheck |
Record template: learner identifier stored by school only; date; taught code checked/substitution; exact learner attempt; print/listen/write/AAC/support mode; one helpful cue; next teaching move and date. Do not place child data in this repository, a URL or an external service. All assessment stimuli and model answers are original © NeuroForgeIO Pty Ltd 2026, CC BY 4.0.