My Two Blanketsteachers Notes for Years 7-8 (Set 1)

My Two BlanketsTeachers’ Notes for Years 7-8 (Set 1)

Introduction to text

My Two Blankets (2014) is a contemporary picture book composed by Irena Kobald, illustrated by Freya Blackwood and published by Little Hare. It was the Children’s Book Council winner of Children’s Book of the Year 2015 and this accolade is one of many reasons that make this text worth sharing with students.

This story sensitively tackles issues of culture, fitting in and migration as experienced between two young girls, one new to a culture and the other girl already established. Each girl comes to an appreciation of their own differences and this text develops empathy in readers of all ages.

Some students may have experiences similar to the main characters in the book and sensitivities surrounding this may need to be considered.

Learning Opportunities

Language Strand

Language for interaction

3, 2, 1 Bridge activity: The topic of this activity will be “moving to a non-English speaking country to live.”

Steps:

1.  ‘3’: students list three words that come to mind when contemplating the topic. ‘2’: students pose two questions related to the topic. ‘1’: students think of one metaphor or simile that captures something about the topic (e.g. “Moving countries is like being alone at sea.”).

2.  Allow students to share their responses and elaborate on their metaphor. Keep a record for the later ‘bridge’ step.

3.  After some engagement with My Two Blankets, step 1 should be repeated. In the sharing phase, draw attention to changed responses revealed in the second attempt at 3, 2, and 1.

4.  ‘Bridge’: students explain how and why their thinking has evolved between the two 3, 2, 1 attempts.

To target the Language and Interaction sub-strand of the Australian Curriculum more directly, teachers can direct discussions towards issues of language and identity. A follow-up activity can be to consider how student responses would differ if the scenario was changed to moving to an English-speaking nation, referring to different words used in different cultures to express the same thing (e.g. rubbish/trash; autumn/fall; tea/dinner; jam/jelly).

Expressing and developing ideas

An important theme to explore is that of identity. Students can examine how the text allows readers to understand and empathise with Cartwheel’s internal conflicts concerning her sense of belonging and identity. Using the Cartwheel’s Two Blankets activity sheet provided, students can trace the ways narrative structure, point of view, symbolism, metaphor and visual design elements unite to represent Cartwheel’s emerging insights about language, identity and belonging. (This activity sheet can be presented in an A3 format).

Literature Strand

Responding to Literature

This “Circle of Viewpoints” activity aims to let students consider ideas, issues and experiences from the perspectives of others.

Process

1.  Select an image and identify different viewpoints (can include non-human, e.g. tree in the park).

2.  Select one of these viewpoints to consider together. For example, provide some ways of thinking from Auntie’s viewpoint.

3.  Students express what “I think…” or “I feel…” using the voice of the selected viewpoint. For example, in the train image, Auntie might express “I think I look different to everyone else”; “I feel out of place”.

4.  Students pose questions from the viewpoint of the selected character. For example, Auntie might ask: “How many of these people come from other places?”; “Is Cartwheel afraid or excited by this train?”.

5.  Allow students to consider other viewpoints, either individually or in groups (see the Circle of Viewpoints worksheet). Particularly effective pages for this activity include the final page in the park, on the train and on crowded street.

Examining Literature

‘See, Think, Wonder’ activity

Setting: Compare depictions of Cartwheel’s home on the first page and her new home depicted on the following page (train image).

Symbolism: Compare depictions of Cartwheel’s old blanket and her new blanket (second-last page).

1.  In both comparisons, students write down what they see, including interesting word choices.

2.  Guide students to think about what they have seen, leading them towards developing interpretations. For example, ask: “What do your observations make you think about Cartwheel (feelings, experiences, hardships, etc.)?”

3.  This last step invites students to wonder, which means generating wider questions based on gaps in the text, areas of confusion or curiosity, and lateral thoughts. For example: “I wonder why the second blanket is mostly blue?”

Literacy Strand

Interpreting, analysing and evaluating:

Observe how the two dominant colour palettes (red/orange and a blue/green) are used in relation to places, people, and the two blankets. For the first part of the book, draw attention to the contrast of the palettes when combined on a page (e.g. crowded street). What is being communicated by this contrast (e.g. difference, otherness, isolation)? Also, draw attention to word choices that reinforce these interpretations (e.g. “The waterfall [of strange sounds] was cold”, “feel alone”, and “feel sad”). Contrast these words to the comfort of the old blanket: “warm”, “feel safe”.

Draw attention to the shift in language as Cartwheel’s friend teaches her new words. It should be noted how the mixture of colour palettes is now being presented with optimism. Consider especially the final image where the colour palette is mixed. How is the mixture of colour communicating something different for everyone?

Creating

1.  Consider a range of “gaps” where extra pages could be added to the story. For example, Cartwheel’s journey from her home to Australia; Cartwheel at school (in her homeland and in Australia); Cartwheel’s new friend talking to her own family about her new friend.

2.  Select one of these gaps and produce the page/s so they fit into Irena Kobald and Freya Blackwood’s sophisticated picture book. Take into account the way Irena Kobald uses words and the way Freya Blackwood uses images and symbolism.

3.  Discuss draft work with a peer: Can any words be replaced by more revealing or meaningful ones? Does the written text use first person recount? Is this a good place to use the umbrella or bird motif in the illustration? How are the orange/red and green/blue/white palettes used to effect? Is this a good place to use the emanata symbols coming out of people’s heads and mouths? Do the character outlines match the pencil drawing style of Freya Blackwood?

4.  Display the students’ work in a wall mural.

Themes

·  Multiculturalism and diversity

·  Belonging

·  Language, culture and identity

·  Migration

·  Refugees

·  Friendship

My Two Blankets explores a range of themes relevant to modern Australia. These include the experience of dislocation, multiculturalism in Australia, belonging, diversity and the importance of language to individual identity.

Exploring such themes through activities related to the text present opportunities for students to develop several of the Australian Curriculum’s General Capabilities.

Links to General Capabilities

·  Literacy

·  Critical and Creative Thinking

·  Personal and Social Capability

·  Ethical Understanding

·  Intercultural Understanding

Although the central character in My Two Blankets appears to be a refugee from an African nation, several of the themes can also be considered in relation to another cross-curriculum priority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures, especially with regards to the importance of language, land/home and culture to perceptions of personal identity and feelings of belonging.

Outcomes

Language

Year 7:

·  LANGUAGE FOR INTERACTION:

Understand how accents, styles of speech and idioms express and create personal and social identities (ACELA1529)

·  EXPRESSING AND DEVELOPING IDEAS:

·  Analyse how point of view is generated in visual texts by means of choices, for example gaze, angle and social distance (ACELA1764)

Year 8:

·  LANGUAGE FOR INTERACTION:

Understand how conventions of speech adopted by communities influence the identities of people in those communities (ACELA1541)

·  EXPRESSING AND DEVELOPING IDEAS:

Investigate how visual and multimodal texts allude to or draw on other texts or images to enhance and layer meaning (ACELA1548)

Literature

Year 7

·  RESPONDING TO LITERATURE:

Reflect on ideas and opinions about characters, settings and events in literary texts, identifying areas of agreement and difference with others and justifying a point of view (ACELT1620)

Compare the ways that language and images are used to create character, and to influence emotions and opinions in different types of texts (ACELT1621)

·  EXAMINING LITERATURE:

Recognise and analyse the ways that characterisation, events and settings are combined in narratives, and discuss the purposes and appeal of different approaches (ACELT1622)

·  CREATING LITERATURE:

Create literary texts that adapt stylistic features encountered in other texts, for example, narrative viewpoint, structure of stanzas, contrast and juxtaposition (ACELT1625)

Year 8

·  RESPONDING TO LITERATURE:

Share, reflect on, clarify and evaluate opinions and arguments about aspects of literary texts (ACELT1627)

Understand and explain how combinations of words and images in texts are used to represent particular groups in society, and how texts position readers in relation to those groups (ACELT1628)

Recognise and explain differing viewpoints about the world, cultures, individual people and concerns represented in texts (ACELT1807)

·  EXAMINING LITERATURE:

Identify and evaluate devices that create tone, for example humour, wordplay, innuendo and parody in poetry, humorous prose, drama or visual texts (ACELT1630)

·  CREATING LITERATURE:

Create literary texts that draw upon text structures and language features of other texts for particular purposes and effects (ACELT1632)

Literacy

Year 7

·  INTERPRETING, ANALYSING, EVALUATING:

Analyse and explain the ways text structures and language features shape meaning and vary according to audience and purpose (ACELY1721)

Compare the text structures and language features of multimodal texts, explaining how they combine to influence audiences (ACELY1724)

·  CREATING:

Edit for meaning by removing repetition, refining ideas, reordering sentences and adding or substituting words for impact (ACELY1726)

Use a range of software, including word processing programs, to confidently create, edit and publish written and multimodal texts (ACELY1728)

Year 8

·  INTERPRETING, ANALYSING, EVALUATING:

Explore and explain the ways authors combine different modes and media in creating texts, and the impact of these choices on the viewer/listener (ACELY1735)

·  CREATING:

Experiment with text structures and language features to refine and clarify ideas to improve the effectiveness of students’ own texts (ACELY1810)

Use a range of software, including word processing programs, to create, edit and publish texts imaginatively (ACELY1738)

These resources are aligned to the Australian Curriculum v 8.2.

Additional resources and links to other texts

·  “Circle of Viewpoints” activity worksheet

·  “Cartwheel’s Two Blankets” activity page

Google’s translate product can be a useful tool as students investigate the challenges of learning a new language, and how language is integral to identity and culture. Although Cartwheel’s country is not identified, the landscape on the first page suggests an African nation. In Google Translate, students can type in a phrase (in English) suggested by the book (e.g. “I am glad that we are friends”) and then get the translating program to find an equivalent African language, such as Swahili. Students will appreciate the challenge of speaking the new sentence aloud, aiding empathy with Cartwheel who needs to do the reverse. Although the translate function does not allow an audible reading of all African languages, the audible option is available for translated Swahili texts, which will be unfamiliar to the majority students.

Experiences of migration will be common to many families. Parents and community members can be involved by sharing their experiences of learning a new language and adopting a new culture.

Several of the activities listed above have been adapted from the book, Making Thinking Visible: How to promote engagement, understanding and independence for all learners, by Ritchart, R., Church, M. & Morrison, K. (2011. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco). These activities are: 3, 2, 1 Bridge; Circle of Viewpoints; See, Think, Wonder.

Writer

Matteo Pantalonehas over sixteen years of experience teaching English and Literature in a range of educational contexts, including regional and urban, public and independent, and the training of teachers in their tertiary qualifications. Matteo’s most recent teaching has been at Hobart’s Elizabeth College. Matteo continues to develop adigital literacies blog,which explores curriculum and pedagogical implications of modern communication technologies.

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