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An Assignment cover sheet needs to be included with each assignment. Please complete all details clearly. If you are submitting the assignment on paper, please staple this sheet to the front of each assignment. If you are submitting the assignment online, please ensure this cover sheet is included at the start of your document. (This is preferable to a separate attachment.) Please check your Course Information Booklet or contact your School Office for assignment submission locations. Name: Fiona Williams Student ID Email: Course code and title: EDUC 3010 English Curriculum for the Early and Primary Years 2 School: Course Coordinator: Day, Time, Location of Tutorial/Practical Assignment number: Assignment topic as stated in Course Information Booklet: Due date: Program code: Tutor:

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Fiona Williams EDUC 3010 English Curriculum for the Early and Primary years 2 Tracey Doubtfire, Fri 8-10

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Fiona Williams EDUC 3010 English Curriculum for the Early and Primary years 2 Tracey Doubtfire, Fri 8-10

UNIT OF WORK

Section 1. INTRODUCTION TO THE UNIT 1.1 YEAR LEVEL Middle Years (Year 7)

1.2 WHY IS IT IMPORTANT FOR STUDENTS TO STUDY THIS AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR? Jackie French Jackie French is an avid enthusiast of history, and has a talent of incorporating historic events into realistic fictitious novels. Not only are her books historically correct but she also has a knack of looking at events from another perspective, giving the reader a broader insight to history than first thought possible. She questions how and why text is written and if truth can get in the way of a good story as in Macbeth and Son, also whether text is written with a bias such as the early accounts from the first settlers in Australia in Tom Appleby Convict Boy. This approach encourages the reader to become broadminded when reading and viewing text and not to read text at face value but with an open mind, which is what I also hope to achieve in this unit using Jackie Frenchs novels as a basis.

1.3 KEY ASPECTS OF ENGLISH TO BE TAUGHT EG reading, viewing, listening, speaking, writing Reading and Viewing

1.4. SPECIFIC REFERENCED TEXTS SELECTED FOR NOMINATED CATEGORIES (minimum one per category) Starting point text French, J 2006, Macbeth and son, HarperCollins Publishers, Australia. French, J 2004, Tom Appleby Convict Boy, HarperCollins Publishers, Australia. Literature text Rienits, R 1970, Australias Heritage The Making of a Nation, The Years of Hunger, Part 5, Paul Hamlyn Pty Ltd, NSW. Rienits, R 1970, Australias Heritage The Making of a Nation, Ancient and modern man face to face, Part 4, pg 85, Paul Hamlyn Pty Ltd, NSW. Media text Students are accessing a range of media texts such as news reports from various media sources and magazines.
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Jackie French 2007, Jackie French, < http://www.jackiefrench.com/> Everyday text Office of Consumer and Business Affairs 2005, Office of Consumer and Business Affairs, South Australia,< http://www.ocba.sa.gov.au> 1.5 HOW ARE THE CHOSEN TEXTS SIGNIFICANT TO STUDENTS LIVES IN RELATION TO LEARNING WITHIN THE CLASSROOM PROGRAM AND BEYOND SCHOOL? The texts I have chosen are ones that deal with issues that students will come across on a regular basis in everyday life and school. Students will have the opportunity to discover through these texts the positive or negative impact texts in general have on their learning and beyond. With these, students will learn to become more proactive when choosing texts that are appropriate for them and also be able to recognise the ones that are not. Students will look beyond the bias of text, adopt a questioning stance, look for fairness in what they read and view and challenge textual constructions that marginalise individuals or groups or suppress or privilege views for specific purposes. This in turn will allow them to work towards making meaning of, and possibly changing themselves and the world around them.

Section 2. THE PROGRAM PLAN

2.1 ENGLISH LEARNING OUTCOMES THAT REFLECT THE KEY ASPECTS TO BE LEARNED IN THIS UNIT

Based on Luke and Freebodys four resources model of code-breaker, text participant, text user and text analyst, students using various text, will be able to critically analyse and identify ways in which text positions the reader. This will be achieved through the reading and viewing and subsequent analysis of various forms of electronic and print media.

2.2 RICH TASK

You want me to believe WHAT?

Things arent always, as they seem! Critically analyse how authors write text for an intended audience and purpose by examining a range of texts including historical fiction, news reports, advertisements, websites and blogs. Use this information to critically analyse a range of text from the upcoming federal election, present your analysis to the rest of the class and then display in the classroom.

Fiona Williams EDUC 3010 English Curriculum for the Early and Primary years 2 Tracey Doubtfire, Fri 8-10

2.3 ASSESSMENT TASK DESCRIBE THE ASSESSMENT TASK

Students will collect a range of texts from the upcoming federal election The students will be divided up into election strategy groups and each group will be required to collect texts relevant to their area. Each individual is required to analyse a piece of text relevant to their groups text samples. The text and the analysis will then be made into a poster to be displayed in the classroom under the groups heading. The students will analyse their relevant texts by making sure they have considered specific criteria based on the critical questions that can be asked of text when examining critical literacy and by reviewing skills they have learnt from analysing similar text. They will do this by checking off a proforma that will list these critical questions and skills.

The election strategy groups will be as follows:

Politicians

This group will collect and analyse any personal letters from politicians (like the ones sent direct to households), things a politician has said while on the campaign trail, any speeches the politician has made or debates. Journalists

This group will collect and analyse newspaper/TV/radio reports made by various journalists such as those from Today Tonight, The Advertiser etc. Other Media

This group will collect and analyse other media or electronic communication such as websites, MySpace, Facebox, and Youtube etc. In particular items from australianlabor (kevin07), LiberalParty07, AustraliaVotes, familyfirst, thenationals, australiandemocrats, AustralianGreens. Members of the public

This group will collect and analyse anything that may have come from members of the public such as, blogs, letters to the editor and news polls. Advertising

This group will collect and analyse newspaper/radio/TV advertisements/commercials and flyers. Students may need to confer with each other about any material that may cross over

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into each others portfolio items and decide where it best fits. Students may also find other texts not listed here to analyse.

SACSA OUTCOME (NUMBER ONLY)

3.3
CRITERIA FOR ASSESSMENT BASED ON THIS OUTCOME

Students will be able to write and speak on the text they have critically analysed by following the following proforma: Textual purpose(s) What is this text about? How do we know? Who would be most likely to read and/or view this text and why? Text structures and features What are the structures and features of the text? (Students have previously learnt this along with genre.) What genre does the text belong to? What do the images (if any) suggest? What kind of language is used in the text? Silences Are there silences in the text? Who is missing from the text? What has been left out of the text? Power and interest In whose interest is the text? Who benefits from the text? Is the text fair? How does the text depict age, gender, and/or cultural groups? Whose views are excluded or privileged in the text? Who is allowed to speak? Who is quoted? Whose view: whose reality? What view of the world is the text presenting? What is real in the text? How would the text be different if it were told in another time, place or culture? Interrogating the composer What kind of person, and with what interests and values, composed the text? What view of the world and values does the composer of the text assume that the reader/viewer holds? How do we know? Multiple meanings What different interpretations of the text are possible? How else could the text have been written?

Teacher will use the relevant parts of this proforma when assessing students work
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samples based on the text the student is analysing.

ASSESSMENT STRATEGY

Product analysis

WHO WILL ASSESS?

Teacher
RECORD OF ASSESSMENT

Students will have a work sample and an analysis in the form of a rubric for each child, kept in their portfolio.

2.4 LINKS TO SACSA APPROPRIATE ESSENTIAL LEARNING THAT IS THE MAIN FOCUS AND HOW IT CONNECTS TO YOUR UNIT

Interdependence Students will be able to see the connections to the real world as they critically analyse text that they experience in the world around them. They will then become aware of their surroundings and that they are inseparable to them. They will then also be in a better position to understand and appreciate others point of view and how it can influence and affect their everyday life.

BLOOMS THINKING SKILL THAT IS THE MAIN FOCUS

Analysing- Attributing: Determining the point of view, bias, and intent underlying presented text.
ICT/S THAT STUDENTS WILL LEARN TO USE IN THIS UNIT

Computer/printer Internet

STRAND

Text and Contexts

KEY IDEA 7

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Students examine past, present and future representations of society as they critically interpret a range of visual, multimodal and written texts which contain increasingly complex ideas about local and global issues.
OUTCOME USED (FOR ASSESSMENT ONLY)

3.3 Reads and views a range of texts containing some ideas and issues of social/cultural interest and more complex text structures and language features and explains possible reasons for different interpretations of texts.

2.5 (10) SEQUENCED ACTIVITIES STEP BY STEP DESCRIPTION OF EACH ACTIVITY ACTIVITY 1 Jackie French website SPECIFIC RESOURCES

Computers

In pairs students go to Jackie Frenchs website http://www.jackiefrench.com/ Students explore the website, navigating their way around the pages of Jackie Frenchs site. Discuss with the students: What can you tell about Jackie French from her website? What are her interests/passions? What kind of books does she like to write? Click onto Historical Novels. Read about some of the books she has written. Is there anything that stands out? How are her books different/similar to each other? View Jackie Frenchs guestbook, sign it and leave a comment or question about her books and site. Novels, Macbeth and Son, and Tom Appleby Convict Boy, Jackie French. Evaluation sheet (one per student)

ACTIVITY 2 Purpose of the text

Students have been reading and discussing the novels for the author study concurrently. Macbeth and son has been read to the students by the teacher, and Tom Appleby convict Boy has been read within their guided reading groups. Each chapters story line has been discussed in great detail and these activities are designed to explore the meaning behind the text. Tom Appleby Convict Boy As a whole class, students with the teachers guidance, will brain storm to identify the main ideas the author has been trying to present in the book. These ideas will be displayed on the board in the form of a concept map and a discussion to find a common theme the author is portraying. Discussion that arises from the concept map will

Fiona Williams EDUC 3010 English Curriculum for the Early and Primary years 2 Tracey Doubtfire, Fri 8-10

determine the purpose of the text, which could be: To inform with factual material To persuade with appeal to reason or emotions To entertain Its purpose was to dispel accounts that the settlers were close to starving in the new land (when in actual fact they had it worse off in England.) Students will then complete an evaluation sheet:

Title: Author: Statement of topic and purpose:

Your reaction to the text:

Do you think the text was effective?

What are the texts strengths and weaknesses?

Macbeth and Son The students will go through the same process of evaluating the text as with Tom Appleby convict Boy. The discussion and concept map will determine that the purpose of this text is to not only entertain, but to persuade with appeal to reason or emotions. The author questioning the readers values in regards to telling the truth has done this. After the students have compared the evaluation sheets from both books and have made the connections with both books having been written to expose truth behind an event and an issue, the question will be posed: How can we tell what is true? * These activities will take more than one lesson to complete but I have linked them for the purpose of this assignment.

ACTIVITY 3- How can we tell what is true?

(Based on M. Lipman, Philosophy for children)

Activity sheet (one per student)

Fiona Williams EDUC 3010 English Curriculum for the Early and Primary years 2 Tracey Doubtfire, Fri 8-10

This exercise deals with different ways of trying to find out whats true. In groups of 2-3, read through the situations on the left and match the problem situation with a solution on the right. Give a reason for preferring that method, to the other members of your group.
1. You are asked whether it is now 3 oclock in the morning. 2. You are asked how old you are. 3. You are asked whether time is measured in cm or kg. 4. You are asked if NSW is west of SA. 5. You are asked whether you like ice cream better than chocolate cake. 6. You are asked if John Howard is Prime Minister 7. You are asked if salt water freezes. 8. You are asked if there will be a war in Asia next year. 9. You are asked how far it is to the city from your school. 10. You are asked how you are. a. Consult a dictionary b. Consult an encyclopaedia c. Ask the teacher d. Ask your parents e. Look at the clock

f. Ask the first stranger you meet. g. Organise a research project. h. Watch TV for the answer. i. Look at a sundial. j. See if the sun is directly overhead k. Ask your best friend. l. Think a while m. Consult your horoscope. n. Check your compass. o. Look it up in an atlas. p. Discuss it with your class. q. Flip a coin. r. Draw lots s. Ask someone in the fourth grade. t. Consult the morning paper. u. Write to the Prime Minister v. Make a phone call to the person in question. w. Say its none of your business. x. Consult your birth certificate. y. Consult your memory. z. Answer that the question makes no sense. aa. Conduct an experiment. bb. None of the above.

ACTIVITY 4 Persuasive text (oral)

Computer with
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audio How is the English language so powerful as to persuade you? Why would you need to develop this skill to persuade others? Can you think of any instances in the book Macbeth and son, that Jackie French uses persuasive language? Everyone has been persuaded and has needed to persuade others. What techniques can you use to sway others and what can you use to not fall victim to someone's manipulation? Go to the Office of Consumer and business affairs website. http://www.ocba.sa.gov.au/ Click on the link Can you spot a scam? On the right hand side of the page. Using the audio link, listen to the two scams, knock, knock trader and Racing away with your money. Ask students to take notes while they are listening to the audio. What parts of the language would persuade you? How are they saying it? Can you identify the language features in this spoken text? Explain to students the structure of a persuasive text i.e. opening statement, points for a particular stance, the points may alternate, a conclusion. Can you identify the supporting facts the people are telling the customer? Listen to the audio again, have the students call out the language features and structures as they hear them.

ACTIVITY 5 Different perspectives

Read to the students the Australias HeritageMaking of a Nation, The Years of Hunger, Part 5. How is this article different to Jackie Frenchs account of the first fleets first years of settlement at Sydney Cove in Tom Appleby Convict Boy? Students may need to skim read pgs 133-158 to refresh their memory. What is the articles purpose? Who would read it? Is there anything missing from the text? What view of the world is the text presenting? Whose views are excluded or privileged in the text? How would the text be different if an Indigenous author wrote it?

Australias Heritage- Making of a Nation, Part 4 & 5. Tom Appleby Convict Boy, Jackie French

Fiona Williams EDUC 3010 English Curriculum for the Early and Primary years 2 Tracey Doubtfire, Fri 8-10

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Read the paragraphs from Australias HeritageMaking of a Nation, Ancient and modern man face to face, Part 4, pg. 85 that describes the seizing of a young Aboriginal that was made to live with the settlers. Whose perspective has this article been written from? How does it make you feel? Whose views are excluded or privileged in the text? Ask students to imagine how the text would be written if it had been written from the Indigenous point of view. Allow students to make some notes on how the text would be different. Re-write the text from the view of the Aboriginal that was kidnapped. Allow students to share their stories with the rest of the class.
ACTIVITY 6 Analysing news reports

Ask students to focus on a particular day in the news, identify a topic or event, and collect news reports from a number of news sources on the same topic or event. For eg how it is represented in a newspaper, television and a website. Model an analysis of one of the news reports and focus on points used on the analysis proforma for assessment. Ask students to work in groups to analyse other news reports on the same topic or event. Ask students to record the information onto an analysis table.

Newspapers Computers Recording from TV Analysis handout

Source Location Headline/s Journalist Main Idea

Supporting details Visuals Language

Impact

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Audience Purposes

Viewpoint Omissions

Ask each group to share their analysis with the rest of the class. Together with students, draw conclusions and ask students to suggest reasons for their conclusions. Ask the students, what do you notice that is similar about all the news reports? Different? Explain to students that the different choices journalists make represent the topic in a particular way. These choices also position the readers, viewers and listeners in a particular way. Discuss the effect of the representations in the news reports analysed. As a reader, viewer and listener how could you respond?

ACTIVITY 7 Analysing Advertising

Read Authors Note pg. 217 in Macbeth and Son. Discuss with the students: From reading these notes, in whose interest was the text written? Who benefited from the text? Is the text fair? What is real in the text? What have been the effects of writing this text? Should people be allowed to write text that isnt completely true? In what circumstances should they be allowed to? Can you think of any other examples where text is true and where it may not be true? On the board write the answers down as students say them, in two columns. For eg. True May not be true News reports Blogs Non-fiction books Advertisements Contracts Fiction books Instructions Song lyrics Newsletters Soapies

Novel, Macbeth and Son, Jackie French Magazines

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Ask students to come up and get a magazine, (make a different assortment available.) Look through the different advertisements, articles etc. Allow students to make comments on them. Ask students if they can tell what texts are true and what ones may not be true? Ask them to find an advertisement that appeals to them. What is this texts genre? Text features? Look at the text analysis proforma and answer some of the questions it raises. What is the first thing that jumped out at them? The picture? The heading? Notice the way the name of the product is written. Is there a slogan? Is it brightly coloured? How are the pictures and printed words linked? What animals/ people are in the advertisement? How are they portrayed? Body language/ hairstyles/clothes/age/body shape? Is there lots of space? Crowded? What mood does the advertisement create? What might the feelings lead people to do? For what audience is the advertisement directed to? Quick pop quiz on some slogans and icons. Eg Nike swoosh, I cant believe its not butter, Mmmmm McDonalds, Theres no other store like David Jones. What does it say about the product? Eg. Now with Bom chicka wah wah (Lynx) Eat fresh (Subway) Are these slogans completely true? How can you tell? Using A4 paper, students will create their own advertisements. Advertisements however, must use a realistic picture of the product and only state TRUE facts about it! For eg. McDonalds Can cause obesity if not eaten in moderation. Myer Is similar to most other department stores only more expensive. Discuss with students how effective these new advertisements may be. Why? Collate the advertisements into a new magazine; students may like to think of a name for it!
ACTIVITY 8 Using relevant text

Read Language pg. 219 in Notes on the text from Macbeth and son, Jackie French.

Novel Macbeth and son, Jackie French.

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The people in the book spoke Gaelic. Why was it important Jackie French used modern English in the translation instead of modern Scottish words? Imagine it was possible for Luke and Lulach to talk to each other. Lulach wants Luke to help him write a letter of application to apply for the King of Alba position. What words (in English) would Luke have to use to help him write the letter? Ask students to look at the beginning paragraphs of each chapter and the Notes on the text pg. 219 for a hint. Can you think of any words that he couldnt use? (Write these examples on the board.) What advantages are there by writing text relevant to the reader? Together with students, write the letter for Lulach, on the board, using the relevant text. Think of other examples where using text that is relevant to the reader is necessary.

ACTIVITY 9- Portrait of a reading experience

This activity will demonstrate how different readers respond to the same text. Each person reading text brings with them their baggage of preconceived ideas, values and cultural experience and this influences how text is perceived. During the reading of Macbeth and son, students were asked to create a profile of the controversial character Luke using dot points and short notes. Looking back at the character profile, the students will write a summary of how Luke was portrayed to them based on the following questions: Do you think Luke was a good representation of a real life person? Do you think Luke has morals? Why/why not? Do you think his stepfather has morals? Why/why not? Do you think his mother should have done anything? Do you think Luke should have said something about cheating on the test earlier? Do you think his family situation was normal? Why/why not? Do you know of anybody similar to Luke? How would you have reacted to a similar situation? Were you happy with how the situation ended? If not, how do you think it should have ended? Allow the students to read out some of their answers and compare and discuss their different reactions. This will demonstrate how everyone can read the same text

Novel Macbeth and son, Jackie French. Students character profile of Luke.

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but interpret it differently.

ACTIVITY 10 Introduction to conversational text (blogging and instant messenger)

Computers

Students will look at various blog pages and start their own as a way to analyse conversational text and then to use it for communication between individuals in their group and other groups during their assessment activity. N.B Parents permission should be sought before teaching students about MSN messenger and web blogs due to their controversial nature. A parent information pack to be sent home with students would be recommended. Teacher will guide the students to blogs through a web quest because of the adult content of many blogs. How is the writing different in a blog to a news report/ advertisement etc? Discuss conversational text, the use of slang, icons, abbreviated words (txt, LOL) etc. Is a blog the same as signing a guest book? (Look back at Jackie Frenchs website if need to.) Download MSN Messenger to the computer (you may need to seek technical advice to see if you are able). MSN blogs are the safest way to create a blog because it is done through Messenger which is secure as the only people who can access it are the contacts you add to it yourself. See: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using /windowsmessenger/northrup_msnblogs.mspx Show students how to add contacts, instant message and enter a blog comment. Discuss appropriate language to be used, safety on the Internet and the different features available. For safety tips go to: http://www.microsoft.com/protect/family/activities/ blogging.mspx Students can now use their own blog page and instant messenger!

References

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Derewianka, B 1990, Exploring How Texts Work, Primary English Teaching Association, Aust. Harris, P Turbill, J Fitzsimmons, P McKenzie, B 2006, Reading in the Primary School Years, 2nd Edn, Thomson Social Science Press, VIC. Kidcyber 2002, Looking at advertising, viewed 10 October 2007 http://www.kidcyber.com.au/topics/advertising.htm Lipman, M 1981, Looking for meaning: Instruction manual to accompany Pixie, Institute for the advancement of philosophy for children, Montclair State College, NJ Ludwig, C & Holm, S 2006, Whats Hot! A way in to teaching critical literacies in the middle years, Curriculum Corporation, Aust. Microsoft Corporation 2007, blogging, viewed 2nd Oct 2007, <http://www.microsoft.com/protect/family/activities/blogging.mspx> Microsoft Corporation 2007, windows messenger, viewed 2nd Oct 2007, http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/windowsmessenger/northrup_msnblogs. mspx Millard, C & Adams, P. (compilers), 1997, Texts: The heart of the English Curriculum series 2, DETE, SA Pitt, J 1995, Not just after lunch on Wednesdays: Critical literacy: A personal view, DECS, SA Thinking skills, A cross-curricular approach, 2006, R.I.C Publications, WA Thomas, H 1998, Reading and responding to fiction, classroom strategies for developing literacy, Scholastic Ltd, Leamington Spa. Wing Jan, L 2001, Write Ways, Modelling Writing Forms, 2nd Edn, Oxford University Press, Aust.

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