Context: A lesson designed for use in a 12 Essential English classroom in Queensland, Australia as part of Unit 4: “Representations and popular culture texts.” During this unit students learned about Hero and Villain films and how filmmakers use cinematic techniques to portray them and create an intended message. Their assessment at the end of this unit was to write a 4-6 minute multimodal (speech) to be delivered live or pre-recorded reviewing one of the three films shown within the unit. About the PPT: A lesson designed to help prepare students to analyse and evaluate the films they view in class. The lesson begins with an explanation of visual features. There are mini activities where students have to describe things they see in still images or clips e.g. the costumes in the Incredibles film and Spider-Man (2002). Students then learn about non verbal communication including body language and facial expression – they are then shown 4 pictures to describe. They then view a clip from Spider-Man which they will discuss after viewing. This is followed by an introduction to soundtrack (music and sound effects). They watch the trailer for Aquaman and list the sound effects they heard and the types of musical instruments which were featured. They then view a scene from Spider-Man (2002) and do the same. Then students learn about 6 main shot sizes. They then have the opportunity to identify these using stills from Wonder Woman 1 and 2. The next technique is camera angles (eye level, high angle and low angle). This is followed by a checking for understanding activity. Students are then taught about camera movement (panning, tilting, tracking and zooming). They then view clips which exemplify some of these techniques. Next up are editing techniques (montage, transition, simultaneous time, slow motion). These are exemplified via short clips (hyperlinks included in case embedded video does not work). If time, there is also information about traditional language features including characterisation, figurative language and emotive language.

Context: A lesson designed for use in a 12 Essential English classroom in Queensland, Australia as part of Unit 4: “Representations and popular culture texts.” During this unit students learned about Hero and Villain films and how filmmakers use cinematic techniques to portray them and create an intended message. Their assessment at the end of this unit was to write a 4-6 minute multimodal (speech) to be delivered live or pre-recorded reviewing one of the three films shown within the unit. About the PPT: the PPT begins with an explanation of the unit and the upcoming assessment. There are some terms for students to add to their glossary and a brainstorming activity to see what films students have seen in recent years which feature heroes / villains. Some sample answers grouped under Marvel, DC and Warner Brothers are provided. Students are introduced to definitions of terms including hero, superhero, anti-hero, antagonist and villain. Students are introduced to the Gallery of Modern Arts which is part of the context for their assessment. They see images of the building and photographs I took in 2017 when I went to a Marvel specific exhibition. This is followed by information about the origins of super heroes (comic books). Specific references are made to Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. There are some clips of early TV and film versions of these characters.

Unit plan designed for a 10-week term of 12 Essential English. It includes a subject description, a description of the unit, a list of unit objectives (from the syllabus), my planned teaching and learning cycle, the unit learning intentions and success criteria, assessment task details and a list of recommended resources. Also included are 3 word documents which I used on my word wall. Film specific language features – shot sizes, camera angles, lighting, colour, non-verbal communication, dialogue, audio, setting, props, costumes, characterisation, camera movement and symbolism. Film specific text structures – plot, character development, flashback, simultaneous time, montage, slow motion, accelerated video, time lapse, superimposition, transition, themes Colours and what they mean – blue, red, white, black, green, yellow, maroon and brown. The learning resources (PPTs, worksheets etc.) for the unit are also available in My Store.

A copy of the PowerPoint I used to go through the task requirements with the students (10 English, Australia). Students had to write a feature article which focused on the moral/ethical dilemmas in the text. A feature article checklist which was attached to the task sheet so provide feedback to students on missing elements (in response to their drafts) Two exemplar feature articles which can be used in handout lessons or when teaching the feature article genre. A planning document to assist students to draft their own feature article.

A resource designed for use with Year 12 Essential English students (Australian curriculum). Students are preparing to sit a response to stimulus exam with one seen source and one unseen source (1 x written and 1 x visual). The document includes a list of language features and text structures commonly found in written stimulus texts (along with definitions and examples). How I used this in my teaching: I printed a class set of the LF on one colour and the TS on another colour and had them laminated. I hand them out in each lesson when students are analysing texts. I also printed one set in A3 and put them up as posters in the classroom.

A lesson designed for use over 2 x 70 minute lessons of Essential English (Australian curriculum). Students are preparing to sit a response to stimulus exam with one seen source and one unseen source (1 x written and 1 x visual). The focus for the year was Science, Space and Technology – so this source may also be of use to teachers from other countries teaching about these topics. This lesson focused on texts about space exploration – a transcript of John F Kennedy’s “Why go to the moon?” speech & a contemporary article about billionaires exploring space Included in this resource is 1 x Worksheet for students (containing the 2 sources and some scaffolding) 1 x annotated worksheet (teacher answers) 1 x PPT used to sequence the lesson The content of the lesson was around teaching students how to analyse stimulus text and locate: Language Features Text Structures Values, Attitudes, Beliefs or Cultural Assumptions Representations

A worksheet for students to complete when watching the 2009 film Mao’s Last Dancer. It includes contextual information about how ballet became popular in China. A ClickView link to the film is provided (for absent students / at home learning). There are 8 questions for students to respond to during / after watching the film. There is also some information about some areas where the film differs from the actual events. Resources designed for the new senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019). The end of term assessment for this unit was an Independent Source Investigation. The content would also be useful more broadly for students in other states and countries with an interest in the China (1931-1976). The other resources are also available in my store – Aussie_Resources.

A graphic organiser (worksheet) for students to fill in while watching the documentary ‘HITLER’S WORLD: THE POST WAR PLAN: NAZIFICATION’ (2017) available on ClickView at https://online.clickview.com.au/libraries/series/9204332/hitler-s-world-the-post-war-plan The documentary originally aired on SBS and funs for 45 minutes. I utilise the broadcast strategy approach (Barry & King, 1998) previewing the graphic organiser prior to playing the documentary so that students know what to listen out for. I then facilitate a class discussion to go through the answers once we have finished watching the documentary. I have also included notes taken by a student as a sample response.

Part of a set of resources created for a year 10 English class in Australia (ACARA syllabus). The other resources are also available in my store – Aussie_Resources. Assessment scaffolding resources A list of key terms, language features and text structures that students can use to assist them with their planning A writing booklet which includes a suggested structure for the speech along with sentence starters to prompt student responses A PowerPoint template which has been pre-filled with appropriate headings for the assessment A handout outlining how to reference the following text types in APA formatting: websites, newspaper articles, magazine articles, televised news segments

Part of a set of resources created for a year 10 English class in Australia (ACARA syllabus). The other resources are also available in my store – Aussie_Resources. 3 resources: The task sheet and criteria for a year 10 multimodal task requiring students to analyse and evaluate 2 news media texts. A second task sheet with criteria for a student who is being assessed at a grade 6 level (due to being on an Individualised Education Program). A cover sheet to be placed on the front of the work of the student being assessed at below grade level with possible modifications listed on it. This makes it easy to highlight the appropriate ones and then include this as evidence of differentiation for parents / the school. Students will learn to create a multimodal presentation to articulate complex ideas (i.e. an evaluation of news media). They will learn to use persuasive vocabulary and language features, as well as evidence, to justify their opinions. They will also learn to use visual features to persuade in their presentation (i.e. effective PowerPoint images, titles, etc.). Lastly, they will learn how to effectively use non-verbal persuasive techniques to present their speech/presentation.

Part of a set of resources created for a year 10 English class in Australia (ACARA syllabus). The other resources are also available in my store – Aussie_Resources. A PowerPoint designed for use in a 70 minute lesson. This unit teaches students to be media literate and prepares them to do a speech where they analyse 1 x print news item and 1 x audio visual news item. This lesson is dedicated to unpacking the assessment task and includes snippets from the task sheet. This is followed by information about how to structure their speech (a breakdown of the 4 body paragraphs). The C standard criteria is then displayed with a second column which explains this criteria in kid friendly terms. This is followed by information about the plan of attack for how to begin the task (starting with selecting a topic from a list of options decided by the teacher). There is information about the planning booklet which students will complete over a week before beginning to write their draft. There is also an example speech (B standard) which can be read to give students an idea of what their final product will look like. There is also information about PowerPoint do’s and don’ts and the PETAL paragraph structure that we will be using instead of TEEL for this assessment as it is specifically tailored to analysing tasks. The resources in this lesson can be broken down and used over a few lessons e.g. you could take body 1 and use this as a model in the lesson where they write body 1.

Part of a set of resources created for a year 10 English class in Australia (ACARA syllabus). The other resources are also available in my store – Aussie_Resources. A PowerPoint designed for use in a 70 minute lesson. This unit teaches students to be media literate and prepares them to do a speech where they analyse 1 x print news item and 1 x audio visual news item. This lesson is about the features of television news. It begins with information about common sections in televised news including finance, the weather and sports. The importance of currency and getting the most interesting/important stories is emphasised. The structure of a news program is explained (info about the length of a news break and the likely the order of stories, before zooming in on the structure of a particular story (e.g. a 25-word lead + events in chronological order). There is a YouTube clip about Prince Harry to exemplify this. Students must pick out the 5W’s and 1H + determine who is shown positively / negatively. Important visuals are explained e.g. footage of dramatic events, use of computer-generated graphics, generic footage e.g. of scientists working in the lab, pictures/maps/icons etc. This is followed by some terms for students to write down: intertitles, interviews, voice overs, tight writing, camera angles, establishing shots, music, sound effects, logos and editing. Students need to know about these as any number of them could be in the news segment that they end up choosing to analyse for their assessment.

Part of a set of resources created for a year 10 English class in Australia (ACARA syllabus). The other resources are also available in my store – Aussie_Resources. A PowerPoint designed for use in a 70 minute lesson. This unit teaches students to be media literate and prepares them to do a speech where they analyse 1 x print news item and 1 x audio visual news item. This lesson focuses on the visual features and text structures of print-based news media texts. It begins with the requirements of news stories and some activities e.g. make a headline from a prompt, read a headline and make it more emotive. This is followed by information about how print based news media is structured (an intro to the inverted pyramid structure). A discussion of layout and reading paths follows. There are images of news stories with the features annotated (e.g. headline, byline, lead, images, captions, pull quotes, columns). Important terms like pull quote, foregrounding, bolded text, text enhancement etc. are explained and examples are provided. There is also an explanation of things to discuss when analysing pictures including colour and the mood evoked by it. There are also some checking for understanding activities which can be done as a class discussion / a written activity depending on the preference of the teacher.

Part of a set of resources created for a year 10 English class in Australia (ACARA syllabus). The other resources are also available in my store – Aussie_Resources. A PowerPoint designed for use in a 70 minute lesson. This unit teaches students to be media literate and prepares them to do a speech where they analyse 1 x print news item and 1 x audio visual news item. The lesson begins with explicitly explaining the cognitive verb analyse and the process of analysing. There is an outline of some things that students will need to address when analysing in their upcoming assessment. This is followed by an exploration of some visual features which students can look out for in print and online news stories e.g. illustrations, colour, font choices, layout of text and graphics, positioning (within the newspaper/magazine), body language and facial expressions within photographs and shot sizes. After this there is a front cover of a magazine for students to view and identify the features in. the next slides include the remainder of the magazine story for students to analyse.

Part of a set of resources created for a year 10 English class in Australia (ACARA syllabus). The other resources are also available in my store – Aussie_Resources. A PowerPoint designed for use in a 70 minute lesson. This lesson begins by defining what a representation is and why they are so powerful. The variance in portrayals of Meghan Markle and Princess Kate are used to prompt discussion. This is followed by a series of slides about the language features that students can look for when analysing news stories. The slides include definitions and examples. Language features include: similes, metaphors, appeal to authority, appeal to emotion, connotations, emotive language, hyperbole, repetition, inclusive language, omission, groups of three, rhetorical questions, alliteration, idioms and hashtags. The lesson concludes with reading an example article about Novak Djokovic and considering whether it paints him in a positive / negative light. There are a series of questions to help students to analyse this text.

Part of a set of resources created for a year 10 English class in Australia (ACARA syllabus). The other resources are also available in my store – Aussie_Resources. A PowerPoint designed for use in a 70 minute lesson. The lesson begins with a brainstorming activity where students reflect on the news they have seen recently and make a list of people, issues and events. This is a good prompt for a discussion about topical stories. This is followed by a survey of what category of news e.g. sports, entertainment news, political news etc. It also talks about the frequency of accessing the news and the ways that they engage with the news. Once students are settled introduce the major focus of the lesson: How do journalists / media companies shape our beliefs about / attitudes towards different people? The lesson introduces a key term ‘target audience’ and how this determines what specific news organisations report. Pose the question: Is the news a trustworthy source of information? Introduce terms for students to add to glossary: bias, empowerment, disempowerment Learn some ways that bias is omission, exaggeration, selective statistics, evaluative language and biased language choices Look at some famous people who have been shown positively and negatively in the media (images juxtaposed side by side). Great for discussion Look at an article (about Britney Spears) and how it creates a certain representation of a her through language choices, who is quoted, the balance between facts and opinions, whose views are silenced (omitted) After discussing what they have learned, the lesson ends with a definition of ‘hard news’ and ‘soft news’ and a list of news stories for them to classify into these two categories.

Resource 1: A worksheet for a documentary viewing lesson. I utilise the broadcast strategy approach (Barry & King, 1998) previewing the questions prior to playing the documentary so that students know what to listen out for. The documentary In the Turmoil of the Russian Revolution (2017) is available on ClickView. There are 24 questions for students to record information about as they watch. Additionally, there are 5 extended response post-viewing questions for students to complete for homework. Resource 2: A scanned copy of my handwritten answers which I completed during the lesson and then used to check students’ understanding.

Part of a set of resources created for a senior Social & Community studies class in Australia (QCAA syllabus). The other resources are also available in my store - Aussie_Resources. Designed for use in 70 minute lessons. The end of term assessment for this unit was a 90 minute short response examination. A lesson which focuses on developing student ability to define, describe and explain (cognitive verbs which they will need for their upcoming assessment).It also builds student knowledge of how the media perpetuates gender stereotypes. It begins with a revision activity (a match the definitions task).This is followed by looking at what it means to define, describe and explain.Looking at some example questions which use the cognitive verb ‘explain.’ Some sentence starters which can be used for explaining are provided (from Pat Hipwell’s Logon Literacy explain poster). Then, using the Gradual Release of Responsibility method there is a ‘we do’ practice explain question to be done as a whole class and one to be done with their elbow partners (the person sitting beside them). This is followed by a self reflection tool for the student to see how confident they feel at this point. After this, the lesson moves onto practicing some question types similar to those on the exam that we have encountered thus far.There is a set of ‘you do’ questions about a person and what can be inferred from their interests and appearance and whether it is fair to ‘judge a book by its cover.’ This is followed by a look at another question which will require students to unpack an advertisement and “explain the effect the advertisement could have on female and male audiences.” As this is intended for a year 12 class, the advertisements are quite mature. They are derogatory advertisements produced for the men’s fashion brand Suitsupply which was founded in 2000 by Fokke de Jong in Amsterdam. This is meant to generate discussion about the fact that ‘sex sells’ and without rules to curtail advertising companies, some really messed up advertisements can be created. They are to make connections between the sexualisation of women in ads and how this can inadvertently reinforce negative perceptions of women and their value in society. This ties in nicely with our second part of the unit which is about discrimination. After doing the suit supply paragraph together, there is a Madison Avenue advertisement about cooking equipment for the students to analyse on their own and complete a practice response about.

Part of a set of resources created for a senior Social & Community studies class in Australia (QCAA syllabus). The other resources are also available in my store - Aussie_Resources. Designed for use in 70 minute lessons. The end of term assessment for this unit was a 90 minute short response examination. A PowerPoint which begins with a warm up practice exam question where students must make inferences about someone based on a photograph of them and some brief information about their occupation and interests. This is followed by a reflection to see how confident students felt about this task. Afterwards the term ‘stereotype’ is defined along with some information about why people stereotype. Students are to copy the definition of ‘gender stereotypes’ into their glossary. There is a viewing activity that explains this concept further. Looking at some stereotypes e.g. which gender is dressed in pink vs blue. This segues to a discussion about how advertisements target viewers of particular genders. There is a clip for students to view and discuss (Top 10 Unnecessarily Gendered Products). This is followed by some visual literacy activities where students have to analyse a range of advertisements and explain their meaning (as this is a skill they must have for their exam). Some of these advertisements are quite sexual and lend well to discussions about the impact of advertisements on body image. They can also cause society to continue to accept misogynistic views of women. There is also a sample advertisement related question for students to view and another one for them to attempt to answer. If time permits, at the end of the lesson, there is an interesting TED talk to watch.

Part of a set of resources created for a senior Social & Community studies class in Australia (QCAA syllabus). The other resources are also available in my store - Aussie_Resources. Designed for use in 70 minute lessons (with some back up content in case students finish early). The end of term assessment for this unit was a 90 minute short response examination. A PowerPoint designed to teach students about gender roles (particularly those from past decades) with lots of visual stimulus to aid visual learners. It begins with revision of what the term ‘gender’ means. Afterwards students can copy additional terms into their glossary (gender identity & gender expression). There are visuals on the slide to prompt a discussion about about body language / posture e.g. typically male ways of sitting vs female ways. There are two clips from the 1959 film ‘Some Like it Hot’ (a comedy which features two males hiding from the mafia by dressing as females). These clips show the expectations of women at the time in a humorous way. This is used to segue into learning the terms ‘femininity’ and ‘masculinity’ & the fact that there is no necessary association between being biologically female and being ‘feminine’, or between being biologically male and being ‘masculine’. Revisit the concept of gender roles and that there has been a shift away from the traditional gender roles of previous decades. Students are to brainstorm traditional roles for men and women. This is followed by information about how gender roles are learned. Students are to copy notes about gender socialisation. This is followed by an image of the Disney princesses and other TV programs (e.g. I Love Lucy) which shows how popular culture can impact and reinforce gender roles. Students view some vintage Woman’s Weekly & Housekeeping Monthlymagazine covers from the 1940s and must answer questions about them in their book. There is a viewing activity (the trailer for Mona Lisa smile) and a teacher’s contract from 1923 outlining the expectations of American teachers.There is also a guide for women published in a magazine in 1955 followed by questions to check for understanding.