School Name / Park Ridge SHS/ Shailer Park SHS
Subject / English / Topic / Reading and comprehending a novel / Year / 10
Description / Sample Pre-assessment Task Unit 2
Instructions / Complete each section (A-F) and respond appropriately
Task designed by / Deb Pillay and Melanie King / Contact / Janelle Dickman 0467777965
Learning Intention
To build an understanding of what students know before embarking on a novel study, that explores issues relevant to Australian society.
Step to Success
As part of our unit of work we will focus on:
· persuading the reader about the value of a novel for young Australian readers
· explaining and evaluating the social, moral and ethical messages in the text
· explaining how the author positions audiences using narrative viewpoint, plot and characterisation
· highlighting author’s message (implicit or explicit) using argument and evidence from the text
Pre-test Intention
To gauge students’ prior knowledge of core concepts of the unit to be studied to individually target student ability.
Student Name / Class / Date
This unit will focus on a novel study. The purpose of this test is to determine what students already know with regards to key concepts that will be studied this term.
SECTION A – Australian Identity
Read the question below and answer using complete sentences.
What does it mean to be Australian?
List three (3) aspects of Australian life that you are proud of.
1. ______
2. ______
3. ______
List three (3) aspects of Australian life that could be improved.
1. ______
2. ______
3. ______
SECTION B – Parts of the novel
1. When we study a novel we examine key aspects that assist us in making meaning. Identify five (5) of these key aspects. An example is the narrative resolution.
1. ______
2. ______
3. ______
4. ______
5. ______
2. Every novel has an important message that the author would like to convey. Why is this message important to the novel’s target audience?
SECTION C – Moral, Social and Ethical Messages
The table below provides a definition of social, moral and ethical messages.
Social Message / Moral Message / Ethical Message
Messages an author wishes to communicate to the society, he or she writes in. They are messages of social value relevant to a particular society or culture. / General messages about what is ‘right’ or ‘wrong’. Moral messages tend to focus on human behaviour and are often applied universally, independently of social, cultural or historical context. / Messages about what ought to occur in a particular social, cultural or historical context.
Using the definitions provided, identify the type of message that the author is conveying.
Example / Type of message (social, moral or ethical)
‘Be environmentally aware in order to better society and preserve our existence.’
‘Protecting the weak is the responsibility of the strong’
‘Dishonesty is bad’
SECTION D – Persuasive Language
Examine the extract below and identify five (5) persuasive language features that position the audience. Justify your choices.
Literary analysis Exemplar
A walk on the Wilde side
Oscar Wilde’s ferocious wit and biting satire rattled relentlessly at the windows of social and moral establishments across 19th Century Europe. Loved and loathed in equal amounts, Wilde habitually demonstrated a tendency to air his opinions on matters of society and culture — regardless of how well they were likely to be received. Despite this, the true genius of Wilde is best seen in the eloquent, and at times, playful manner that his literature satirises nineteenth century society. A lovely example of this tendency is found in Wilde’s short story The Model Millionaire. In this delightful tale, Wilde delivers an overt moral message that emphasises the importance of goodwill and benevolence. At the same time, however, Wilde provides a deeply satirical social commentary that is scathing of the influence of wealth on society. At all levels — explicit and implicit — Wilde’s commentary is of value to young adult readers.
1. ______
______
2. ______
______
3. ______
______
4. ______
______
5. ______
______
SECTION E – Narrative Viewpoint
Read the definitions of narrative viewpoint given below and provide an example to highlight your understanding of each.
First-person major: the main character tells his/her story, from his/her perspective, from within the world of the story.
Language: personal and possessive pronouns such as ‘I’, ‘me’, ‘my’, ‘we’, ‘mine’
/ Your example:
Third-person omniscient narrator: (‘omni’ = Latin prefix meaning ‘all’ or ‘everything’) the all-knowing narrator includes the thoughts, feelings, emotions and perspectives of all characters. The narrator does not include himself/herself in the telling of the story.
Language: Repetition of the central characters’ names and noun groups associated with the central characters. Third person pronouns: ‘he’, ‘she’, ‘they’, ‘themselves’, ‘their’.
/ Your example:
SECTION F – Extended Response
Consider the relevance of studying a novel that deals with social, moral or ethical messages in an English classroom (themes, attitudes, values, audience position etc). Write your response in a well-constructed paragraph.
______
South East Region Learner Resource template V1 – Aug 2013