The

 FOUR  RESOURCE  MODEL  

 
 
CODE-­‐BREAKING  resources  or     TEXT-­‐PARTICIPATING  resources  or    
CODING  PRACTICE   SEMANTIC  PRACTICE  
 
How  do  I  crack  this  code?   What  does  this  mean  to  me?  
 
 
 
The  emphasis  is  on  comprehending  and  composing  or  making  
The  emphasis  is  on  decoding  and  encoding  the  codes,  
meaning  from  written,  spoken,  visual  and  multimodal  texts  
symbols  and  conventions  of  written,  spoken,  visual  and  
which  includes:    
multimodal  texts  in  response  to  contextual  factors  which  
 
includes:    
• drawing  on  social  and  cultural  background  and  prior  
 
knowledge  to  construct  meaning  from  texts;    
• recognising  and  using  the  alphabet,  sounds  in  
• comparing  own  social  and  cultural  experiences  with  
words,  whole  words,  letter/sound  relationships;  
those  described  in  the  text;  
• using  graphophonic,  syntactic  and  semantic  
• relating  previous  experiences  with  similar  texts;    
sources  of  information;  
• seeing  own  interests  and  lifestyles  reflected  in  texts;    
• spelling  accurately  and  understanding  the  
functions  of  spelling;   • interpreting  and  using  literal  and  inferential  meanings  
in  texts;    
• recognising  and  using  grammar  and  vocabulary  
including  punctuation  and  intonation  and  rhythm;   • attending  to  the  way  texts  are  constructed  to  make  
meaning;    
• recognising  and  shaping  patterns  of  letter,  sound,  
word,  clause,  sentence  and  text/generic  structure;   • recognising  and  constructing  concepts  and  processes  
that  characterise  different  ways  of  constructing  
• recognising  and  shaping  visual,  nonverbal  and  
knowledge  in  text.    
auditory  codes.  
 
 
 

TEXT-­‐USING  resources  or     TEXT-­‐ANALYSING  resources  or    

PRAGMATIC  PRACTICE   CRITICAL  PRACTICE  
 
What  do  I  do  with  this  text?   What  does  this  text  do  to  me?  
 
   
The  emphasis  is  on  understanding  the  purposes  of   The  emphasis  is  on  understanding  that  written,  spoken,  
different  written,  spoken,  visual  and  multimodal  texts   visual  and  multimodal  texts  are  not  neutral  but  represent  
and  using  texts  in  different  ways  for  different  cultural   particular  points  of  view  and  silence  others  which  includes:    
and  social  functions  which  also  includes:      
  • recognising  the  writer,  speaker,  or  shaper’s  purpose  in  
• understanding  that  different  cultural  and  social   creating  a  text  and  that  texts  influence  people’s  ideas;  
contexts  and  purposes  shape  the  way  texts  are   • recognising  opinions,  bias,  points  of  view,  gaps  and  
structured;   silences  and  dominant  readings  in  a  text;  
• understanding  the  purpose  of  a  text  and   • understanding  how  texts  are  crafted  according  to  the  
recognising  the  purpose  in  using  it;   values,  views  and  interests  of  the  writer,  speaker,  or  
• using  appropriate  text  types  for  particular   shaper;  
purposes  both  inside  and  outside  school;   • identifying  the  ways  in  which  information  or  ideas  are
• recognising  what  to  do  with  a  text  in  a  particular   expressed and represented to influence and position
context  and  what  others  might  do  with  it;   readers, viewers or listeners;  
• recognising that each text type has particular • presenting an alternative position to the one taken by a text
structures and features;   or deciding to endorse the position taken by a text.  
• understanding the options and alternatives for using a  
text to convey particular meanings effectively.    
   

(Adapted from Freebody & Luke, 1990, Freebody, Ludwig & Gunn, 1995, Luke & Freebody, 1999)

LUDWIG, C. Making sense of literacy. Newsletter of The Australian Literacy Educators' Association. February
2003.