The Best Units To Teach At 7-9 EnglishFor The Australian Curriculum

AusVels

• From 2013 AusVels is the mandated curriculum for Victorian Government and Catholic Schools and the recommended curriculum guideline for independent schools

AusVels

• AusVels for English is identical to The Australian Curriculum

• Why call it AusVels then?

AusVels

• AusVels takes the Australian Curriculum word for word and houses it within the Vels Domain Framework

• Physical Personal and Social Learning

• Discipline Based Learning

• Interdisciplinary Learning

Assessment

What the....

• But I just worked out what VELs was all about - I have to start again....????

Not Quite

• Many units you are doing now might meet Australian Curriculum standards

• Pick a unit you do between 7-9

• Which descriptors do these units meet?

But I’m Not Doing Everything

• The American Education Researcher estimated it would take the typical student 23 academic years to master state standards (What Works In Schools 2003)

It’s less means more

• The Australian Curriculum is an opportunity to do fewer things - and to do those things better

Unit Types

• Thinking about the big idea

• Being critically aware

• Focusing on genre and text type

• Responding to texts

Unit TypesLevel

Big Idea Critical Genre Text

7*My story*Bullying

*Fairytales*Advertising

*Fantasy*Poetry

*Whale Rider*Spirited Away

8*Australian Story*Heroes

*Satirical advertising*Making headlines

*Multimodal stories*Picture books

*Camel Rider*Trash

9*Art or graffiti?*Journeys

*Text review*Great speeches

*Teen film*Science fiction

*Rabbit Proof Fence*Short films

Thinking about the big idea

• Focusing on an idea

• Exploring different examples of that idea in fiction and non fiction texts

• Producing a piece of writing that shows an understanding of different aspects of the idea

Thinking about the big idea

• Justice

• Power and corruption

• Community

• Teen identity

Justice

Justice•A bully is physically vicious to lots of students in a class. One student he has bullied trains really hard until he becomes strong, fights the bully and beats him up.

•A bully is physically vicious to lots of students in a class. He is expelled from school.

•A bully is physically vicious to lots of students in a class. He has to undergo counseling and apologise to all the students he bullied.

Thinking about the big idea

• Argue why the death penalty is a just punishment

• Reflect on how the world is a just and unjust place

• Explain how a text is an example of justice being served

• Write your own story about with a just or unjust end

Being critically aware

• How is this text trying to position me as a reader/viewer?

• What is the message of this text?

• Do I agree with this message?

• What is the value or merit of this text?

Being critically aware

• Exploring how stories are presented in the media

• Analysing persuasive texts

• Identifying embedded messages within texts (such as attitudes to class, gender, age or race)

• Writing reviews

Critical UnitEvaluate the impact on audiences of different choices in the representation of still and moving imagesLA - 10 - 8

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 LI - 8 - 16

Funny?In reality, the girl was standing on a ledge beneath her or had climbed into a safe position. But the cleverly-staged -- and hilarious -- photo, which made its way to the front page of Reddit last weekend, looks shocking enough to fool many viewers.

- Huffington Post

Smug: Despite almost giving her mother Rebecca, left, a heart attack, Samantha Busch, right, insisted the prank wouldn't be her last

- Daily Mail

Being critically aware

Being critically aware

Being critically aware

• Write a critical review of a web page, book, film or television series

• Write an analysis of persuasive language

• Identify the message of a text and argue why it’s a positive or negative message

• Critique the messages of advertisements and the techniques used to create them

Focus on genre and text type

• Understanding the structural, grammatical and content elements of specific genres and text types

Focus on genre and text type

Focus on genre and text type

• Explain the genre elements of one text

• Compare how two texts from the same genre use similar or different genre elements

• Produce a creative piece using genre elements

Responding to texts

• Level 7: Identify and explore ideas and viewpoints about events, issues and characters represented in texts drawn from different historical, social and cultural contexts.

• Level 8: Explore the ways that ideas and viewpoints in literary texts drawn from different historical, social and cultural contexts may reflect or challenge the values of individuals and groups / Share, reflect on, clarify and evaluate opinions and arguments about aspects of literary texts.

• Level 9: Analyse and explain the use of symbols, icons and myth in still and moving images and how these augment meaning / Present an argument about a literary text based on initial impressions and subsequent analysis of the whole text.

Responding to texts

• Think of a text you have taught

• List all the ways characters feel and all the things they want in that text

• Which feelings/desires are in conflict?

Responding to texts

• This text explores the problems that arise when somebody wants...but another...

• This texts shows the conflict between...and...

Texts

• Multimodal texts

• Cross curriculum priority texts

Multimodal Texts

• The Australian Curriculum’s Glossary defines a multimodal text as a “combination of two or more communication modes (for example, print, image and spoken text, as in film or computer presentations).” According to this definition texts that we already traditionally study, such as film, tv shows or advertisements, qualify as a multimodal text.

Multimodal TextsTraditional Multimodal Texts

(Traditional Literacies)New Multimodal Texts

(New Literacies)

•Feature films•Documentaries•Picture books•Magazines•Print Advertisements•TV Advertisements•TV Shows

•Digital stories•Multimodal Short Films•Interactive digital non-fiction•Interactive digital fiction•Animated digital picture books•Web pages•Web advertising (including viral advertising)•Web shows•Mash up texts

The Sandwich Movie

Yr. 8 - Investigate how visual and multimodal texts allude to or draw on other texts or images to enhance and layer meaning.

I Kill GiantsAnalyse and explain the use of symbols, icons and myth in still and moving images and how these augment meaning

- Yr. 9

Cross Curriculum Priorities

• Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures

• Sustainability