This introductory unit with its wide selection of fictional texts takes students on a journey to real and imagined worlds.
It is important that the journey begins with students responding to and composing about their own world: their place, family and cultural heritage.
The students then make connections with the wider world through a variety of texts drawn from other cultures including poetry, songs, short stories, film extracts and the web. A strong focus of the unit will also be on South East Asia.
A specific introduction to a variety of poetry forms and language techniques will also be introduced as a component within the unit. The texts will engage with Asian-related themes in a range of ways, including texts written by people from the countries of Asia and those exploring Asia-related themes, characters or settings.
As this is designed to be one of the first English units for Year 7 students, the diversity of texts provides an ideal opportunity for teachers to revisit essential stage 3 skills and knowledge, as certain any problem areas and introduce new informational skills.
This unit will focus on identifying the use of a range of processes for responding to and composing texts for understanding, interpretation, critical thinking and pleasure. The main assessment task is a writing a portfolio/multi-media presentation that represents the student’s world.
Duration: 7 weeks of 38 hours (4 lessons per week)
Content / Teaching, learning and assessment / Resources /Stage 4 - Outcome 1
§ explore and appreciate theaesthetic qualities in their own and other texts and the power of language to communicate information, ideas, feelings and viewpoints
§ experiment withlanguage forms and features to compose texts for pleasure and enjoyment
§ apply increasing knowledge of vocabulary, text structures andlanguage features to understand the content of texts (ACELY1733)
§ Respondto andcompose texts
Stage 4 - Outcome 2
§ recognise the different processes required for responding and composing in a range of forms andmedia
§ consider and apply a range of strategies to improve their texts, including editing by rereading and peer editing, checking accuracy of paragraphing, grammar, spelling and punctuation, and considering relevance for purpose,audience and context
§ use a widening range of processes of composing and publishingsustained texts, including planning, drafting, rehearsing and editing
Stage 4 - Outcome 3
§ engage with the language andstructures of textsin meaningful, contextualised and authentic ways
§ identify, discuss and reflect on the ideas and information in a range of texts
§ develop a sense of personal style and taste in composition and response
Stage 4 - Outcome 4
§ experiment with text structures and language features to refine and clarify ideas to improve the effectiveness of students' own texts (ACELY1810)
Stage 4 - Outcome 5
§ describe and explain qualities of language in their own and others' texts that contribute to the enjoyment that can be experienced in responding to and composing texts
§ useimaginative texts as models to replicate orsubvert textual conventions to create new texts
Stage 4 - Outcome 7
§ explore and analyse the ways in which personal experiences andperspectives shape their responses to texts
Stage 4 - Outcome 8
§ consider the waysculture and personal experienceposition readers and viewers and influence responses to and composition of texts
Stage 4 - Outcome 9
§ understand and value the differences between their own and others' ways of learning in English / Journey into their own worlds
§ Getting to Know You activity – introducing oneself andasking questions of other students
§ Introduction to spelling sheet.
§ Students to construct a table A Bit About Me with 2 columns – What I Like/ What I Don’t Like
§ Model a recount scaffold and then students write their own recounts: The story of my life so far, eg. My Earliest Memory/ My Funniest Incident/ My Most Exciting Incident/ My Interests/ My Future/ Travels/ Major Changes/ Saddest Time...
§ Read 'Nostalgia' by John Reid and answer comprehension questions (Schools can use a similar poem; one which evokes imagery about childhood and feelings of nostalgia.
§ Ask students to write their own poems in which they tell something about themselves and something they miss. Add to portfolio.
§ Students to write a "Through my window" poem, using a thesaurus and dictionary to check spelling and enrich vocabulary. Add to portfolio.
§ Briefly discuss the elements of an advertisement (graphic, body copy, headline) and its purpose. Ask students to design an advertisement for a magazine to 'sell' themselves. Add to portfolio.
§ Public Speaking. Ask students to perform these ideas from their advertisements to the class- in one minute, sell themselves. (But not to sell themselves short.) / § Poem required
Stage 4 - Outcome 1
§ recognise, reflect on, interpret and explain the connections between their own experiences and the world in texts
Understand and apply knowledge of language forms and features
§ compare the ways that language and images are used to create character, and to influence emotions and opinions in different types of texts (ACELT1621)
§ recognise and analyse the ways that characterisation, events and settings are combined in narratives, and discuss the purposes and appeal of different approaches (ACELT1622)
Stage 4 - Outcome 2
§ 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)
Stage 4 - Outcome 3
§ engage with the language andstructures of textsin meaningful, contextualised and authentic ways
§ describe and analyse thepurpose,audienceandcontext of texts
§ recognise and use appropriatemetalanguage in discussing a range of language forms, features and structures
Stage 4 - Outcome 4
§ explore and analyse the ways purpose,audienceandcontextaffect a composer's choices of content, language forms and features and structures of texts to creatively shape meaning
§ analyse how point of viewis generated in visual textsby means of choices, for examplegaze, angle andsocial distance (ACELA1764)
Stage 4 - Outcome 5
§ explore the ways individual interpretations of texts are influenced by students' own knowledge,values and cultural assumptions
§ discuss aspects of texts, for example theiraesthetic and social value, using relevant and appropriate metalanguage (ACELT1803)
Stage 4 - Outcome 6
§ recognise, explain and analyse the waysliterary texts draw on readers' knowledge of other texts and enable new understanding andappreciation ofaesthetic qualities (ACELT1629)
Stage 4 - Outcome 7
§ explain and justify personal empathy, sympathy and antipathy towards characters, situations and concerns depicted in texts
Stage 4 - Outcome 8
§ explore the ways that ideas and viewpoints in literary texts drawn from different historical, social and culturalcontexts may reflect or challenge thevalues of individuals and groups (ACELT1619, ACELT1626)
§ identify and explain cultural expressions in texts, including those about gender, ethnicity, religion, youth, age, sexuality, disability and social class
Stage 4 - Outcome 9
§ develop and use vocabulary for describing, analysing and reflecting on their learning experiences
Stage 4 - Outcome 8
§ explore and appreciate the ways different cultural stories, icons, Aboriginal images and significant Australians are depicted in texts
Stage 4 - Outcome 3
§ understand howmodality is achieved through discriminating choices in modal verbs, adverbs,adjectives and nouns (ACELA1536) / Journey into Australia and other cultures
§ Ask students to form small groups and discuss the picture books they enjoyed as young children, or indeed, still enjoy. Give them five minutes to come up with a shortlist of five books.
§ .Have the groups share their shortlists with the class, comparing them and identifying any common features.
§ Through further discussion, consider how many of the picture books are about people from places other than Australia, or about different places or cultures. It may be useful to introduce the concept of books as providing a mirror to students’ own cultures or a window to other cultures.
§ Read the story book "Window" by Jeannie baker as a class
§ Identify the language features used to build up the world of the story in the model paragraph.
§ Ask students to begin a glossary of technical terms.
§ Ways of viewing and teaching picture books: Every picture tells a story by Galagher, Muir and Richardson is a useful teacher resource. <http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au/raps/rabbits/pdf/wayspicturetells.pdf
· Students will now identify aspects of texts that convey information about a particular culture, eg words, phrases and facts. They will also identify and explore ideas and viewpoints about events, issues, characters represented in texts drawn from different historical, social and cultural contexts. Encourage students to use a critical literacy approach that challenges stereotypes and to consider questions such as 'Who has created this text?', 'Whose voice is present/missing?', 'Which culture is positioned favourably in terms of the questions being asked?', 'What is positioned as being "normal"?'
·
§ Students will learn to identify a variety of visual and language techniques employed within the text.
§ Form groups and analyse one of the following picture books using a set of questions about critical literacy.
§ My place, Wheatley and Rawlins.
§ Where the forest meets the sea J Baker
§ The red leaf, The lost thing S. Tan
§ The Rabbits, J Marsden
§ Ask students to elect 15 interesting adjectives that they have encountered in this unit to be part of their next spelling list.
§ Take 5 of them and use themin:
a. a simple sentence
b. a complex sentence
c. a compound sentence
d. a rhetorical question
e. direct speech / § Window by Jeannie Baker
§ My place by Wheatley and Rawlins.
§ Where the forest meets the sea by J Baker
§ The red leaf, The lost thing by S Tan
§ The Rabbits by J Marsden
§ Ways of viewing and teaching picture books: Every picture tells a story by Galagher, Muir and Richardson <link: http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au/raps/rabbits/pdf/wayspicturetells.pdf
Stage 4 - Outcome 1
§ explore and appreciate theaesthetic qualities in their own and other texts and the power of language to communicate information, ideas, feelings and viewpoints
§ recognise when information is presented objectively and subjectively by examining the language of opinion, including modality, bias, personalpronouns and other semantic cues
Stage 4 - Outcome 2
§ 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)
Stage 4 - Outcome 3
§ engage with the language andstructures of textsin meaningful, contextualised and authentic ways
§ identify, discuss and reflect on the ideas and information in a range of texts
Stage 4 - Outcome 4
§ recognise and appreciate the ways a wide range of texts communicate by using effective language choices
§ analyse how point of viewis generated in visual textsby means of choices, for examplegaze, angle andsocial distance (ACELA1764)
Stage 4 - Outcome 5
§ share, reflect on, clarify and evaluate opinions andargumentsabout aspects of literary texts (ACELT1627)
§ criticallyconsider the ways in which meaning is shaped by context, purpose, form, structure, style, content, language choices and their own personal perspective
Stage 4 - Outcome 6
§ explain the similarities and differences in meaning and language between texts created for differentpurposes or audiences
§ investigate how visual and multimodal texts allude to or draw on other texts or images to enhance and layer meaning (ACELA1548)
Stage 4 - Outcome 7
§ draw on experience to consider the ways the 'real world' is represented in the imaginary worlds of texts, including imaginative literature, film, media andmultimedia texts
Understand and apply knowledge of language forms and features
Stage 4 - Outcome 8
§ identify and explain cultural expressions in texts, including those about gender, ethnicity, religion, youth, age, sexuality, disability and social class
§ investigate texts about cultural experiences from different sources, eg texts from Asia and texts by Asian Australians, and explore different viewpoints
§ 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)
Stage 4 - Outcome 2
§ use prior knowledge andtext processing strategies to interpret a range of types of texts (ACELY1722)
Stage 4 - Outcome 6
§ compare thetext structures andlanguage features ofmultimodal texts, explaining how they combine to influence audiences (ACELY1724) / Journey into Asia
§ Give students a map of Asia and ask them to identify the following countries (China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Thailand and Vietnam). (Resource 6)
§ Use the online activity 'My Place Asia Australia' to explore what is important and special to young people from a variety of countries, including Australia. Note that each image includes a short statement by the artist and a response from another student about the artwork. <http://www.asiaeducation.edu.au/sites/myplace/gallery/gallery.htm
§ You may also wish to access the Teachers’ Guide. <http://www.asiaeducation.edu.au/sites/myplace/teachers/introduction.htm
§ Introduce the picture bookThe River which is set in urban, contemporary Chinaas well asin rural, traditional China.
§ Ask students to look at the front cover to deduce in which culture or country the story might be set, the time period and what it might be about.
§ Read The River aloud to the class. Use your voice to emphasise the contrast between the parts of the story set in urban, contemporary China and those set in rural, traditional China. Ask the students to identify where the two parts of the story are set?
§ Create questions specific to the textas the basis for class discussion, identifying shifts in perspective, the ways in which China is positioned, the ways that the text and imagery work together etc.
§ Students can nowdiscuss and identify the combination of visual and language techniques to make meaning and explain their effect.
§ Explore episodes of Inanimate Alice to look at the ways in which mood, atmosphere and psychological state are created in this transmedia text. Explore the ways in which different cultures are created through visuals. http://www.inanimatealice.com/ / § Map of Asia