Unique resources created by an experienced Secondary English and History teacher. These are academically rigorous resources that target children between 13 and 18 years of age.
Unique resources created by an experienced Secondary English and History teacher. These are academically rigorous resources that target children between 13 and 18 years of age.
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 - lrigb4.
A Unit plan designed for term 4 (a shorter term.) It includes syllabus objectives, a description of the unit, assessment task details and a list of recommended resources.A Scope and Sequence suggesting topics to be covered throughout the term is provided.
A Learning Intention and Success Criteria handout for students to glue into the front of their work books
A template for recording differentiations made to accommodate NCCD students. (The NCCD is an annual collection of information about Australian school students with disability. The NCCD enables schools, education authorities and governments to better understand the needs of students with disability and how they can be best supported at school.)
The first lesson to introduce students to the ‘Art and Community’ unit. It introduces students to some key terms they need to know for the unit. I use underlining to indicate to students what notes they need to copy from slides. There is information about some types of art (mosaic, sculpture, recycled art, collage, street art and wheat pasting). There is a viewing activity (a news story about street artworks made early on during the COVID 19 Pandemic). This is followed by some information about the upcoming assessment task and dates so students know where they are heading. Students also learn about the purpose of art which they will have to write about in the front section of their inquiry booklet. The lesson ends with an interesting viewing activity of the 100 most creative street artworks. There is also information about bottle cap art as our school decided to do a fun end of term activity where the students made one collective street art for display at the school.
A PowerPoint used in a year 11 Modern History classroom. It begins with a viewing activity ‘A bite sized guide to the history of modern Western feminism.’ Following this there are slides talking about how gender stereotypes began to shift due to the work of the Women’s Liberation Movement. I get students to copy the underlined text and call on various students to read aloud other portions. Students are introduced to ‘consciousness raising’ a method used by 2nd wave feminists. Following this there is a quote from Zelda D’Aprano (a feminist from Melbourne) about the inspiration for using consciousness raising and what types of things they discussed. An extract from the Rivka Pile papers (University of Melbourne) is also included to demonstrate the significance of this strategy. Following this students are introduced to some gender theory including that gender is a social construct and the term ‘gender role’ is defined. This is followed by an exploration of visual sources (pictures from a children’s book from 1970) which reinforced traditional gender role stereotypes. This is followed by a list of issues that were being addressed by feminists by the 1970s including domestic violence, abortion law reform and availiability of childcare services (including day care and preschool). The introduction of women into Australian politics is discussed with reference to The Women’s Electoral Lobby and the ‘femocrats’ appointed to public service during Gough Whitlam’s time as PM. This is followed by information about the significant achievements which took place in the 1980s. The remaining few slides are about viewpoints about 2nd wave feminism. The lesson ends with a paragraph writing task which can be completed for homework if time gets away from you.
Resources designed for the new senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019). Designed as part of a unit entitled Women’s movements since 1893 which has the scope to span from when Women’s suffrage in New Zealand became law to the present. Our school decided to focus on the Second Wave of Feminism for our assessment (while briefly touching on the other waves of feminism).The other resources are also available in my store - Aussie_Resources. The end of term assessment for this unit was an essay under exam conditions.
A PowerPoint used in a year 11 Modern History classroom focusing on the 3rd wave feminist movement (with a focus on the movement which existed in Australia although it does address the ideologies of the movement which began overseas).
It begins with an outline of the learning intentions and success criteria for the lesson. There are some context setting notes for students to copy (defining third wave feminism etc.) This is followed by a brief viewing activity (‘A bite-sized guide to Third Wave Feminism.’) Some important key terms (intersectionality and marginalised groups) are defined. Following this reasons for the rise of the third wave of feminism in the 1990s are outlined. The unpopularity against feminism in this era is mentioned along with the reasons for this backlash. There is a quote from Anne Summers which referenced the roll back of programs which safeguarded women’s equality which started to occur in Australian politics in the 90s. The reasons why women turned their backs on feminism are listed (e.g. fearing appearing unfeminine / anti-men or ending up alone). Some key figures in this wave of feminism are introduced including Naomi Wolf (USA). Some types of feminism in this era are explained including Lipstick feminism and international feminism. The Toronto ‘Slut Walk’ is given as an example of a campaign that was used. Some advances made in Australia in the 1990s are listed including the first female premiers of Western Australia and Victoria. The lesson concludes with some questions to check for student understanding.
Resources designed for the new senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019). Designed as part of a unit entitled Women’s movements since 1893 which has the scope to span from when Women’s suffrage in New Zealand became law to the present. Our school decided to focus on the Second Wave of Feminism for our assessment (while briefly touching on the other waves of feminism).The other resources are also available in my store - Aussie_Resources. The end of term assessment for this unit was an essay under exam conditions.
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.
Unit plan designed for a 10 week term of 11 &12 Modern History. It includes a subject description, a description of the unit, a list of unit objectives (from the syllabus), inquiry questions to guide the unit, the recommended teaching and learning cycle from QCAA, a topic specific learning intentions and success criteria, assessment task details and a list of recommended resources.
Resources designed for the new senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019). The syllabus objectives would also be useful more broadly for English students in other states and countries with an interest in the Anti-Apartheid movement in South Africa (1948-1994).
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.
An inquiry booklet which students complete in the early phase of the unit. They then use what they find to write their speech. This booklet includes: a pre quiz (to see what students already know), key terms to be defined and a place to record information about types of street art. It also includes graphic organisers for students to record their analysis of the two artwork (stimulus) they select. Within this organiser is a place to summarise the techniques used by the artist, to record community reviews about the murals and to identify the similarities and differences between these reviews. Finally, there is a reflection section including a SWOT analysis to be completed at the end of the assessment.
A template to guide students to structure their PowerPoint presentation
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 (although with drafting time it may take a few lessons depending on the needs and abilities of students).
A PowerPoint designed to make students aware of what the different cognitive verbs they are being assessed on mean and where they are required for the assessment. It defines the following verbs: describe, explain, compare, contrast, decide and justify. For some of these skills there are sentence starters which students can make a note of.
This is followed by some information about how to structure their speech scripts and how to write an effective thesis statement (utilising a street art specific example). After students have planned their thesis statement, there is a recap of the TEEL paragraph structure and specific instructions about content to be covered in body 1. After writing this, there is a slide for editing body 1. This is followed by some sentence starters which can be used for writing body paragraph 2 (same structure as paragraph 1 but about the second artwork). After editing body 2,there are some sentence starters for body 3. Before writing there are two sample 'recommend and justify’ paragraphs for students to read and discuss the strengths and weaknesses. With this feedback fresh in their minds, they can write their final body paragraph and edit it.
An assessment piece designed for a Social and Community Studies unit focusing on Street Art. it is an eExtended response to stimulus – multimodal response. The stimulus (examples of street art) are provided to students each year and students select 2 to discuss in their speech.
This resource includes:
A copy of the task sheet for the unit which includes a suggested structure for the speech and PowerPoint students are required to produce
A copy of the stimulus (artworks) provided to students
‘I can’ statements which which break down the criteria into simple terms for students to understand (also assists teachers to mark the assessment with ease)
A QCIA cover sheet recommending adjustments to be made and individual learning goals to be assessed for students on a modified program (called QCIA students in QLD)
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.
A scaffolded lesson for use in a Social and Community Studies unit focusing on Street Art. The assessment at the end of the unit is an Extended response to stimulus – multimodal response.
This resource includes:
A PowerPoint which shows the students how to complete one part of their Inquiry booklet (the analysis of the Street Art).
NB: I have selected an example that students are not allowed to use to demonstrate how to complete the table to an appropriate standard.
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.
Two PowerPoints for a 9 English Unit.
The first PowerPoint includes a synopsis of the film and the film trailer is embedded. This is followed by a range of clips and viewing questions. It also includes information about how Indigenous Australians are portrayed in the film. Additionally, there is a section on exploring key quotes. Students have to pick out the slang and the beliefs of the protagonist which are indicated in the quote.
The second PowerPoint is a paragraph writing lesson. It takes students through the various stereotypes in the film and includes some pre-writing (planning) steps. It reviews the PEEEL paragraph structure. It includes some scaffolding (suggested sentence starters) along with an example paragraph (which is colour coded to indicate which section it addresses). After this activity, there is information about modality and some examples of high and low modality words. There is also some information about linking words.
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.
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.
A PowerPoint designed to introduce students to their new topic: Russia. It begins with a popular culture text that some students may be familiar with (Fox’s animated Anastasia movie). This is used as a launching pad to introduce the last Tsar of Russia and his family. This is followed by a short clip about Anastasia and her fate (with questions for students to answer). This is followed by information about our IA2 assessment. Then the focus of the lesson begins with an introduction to the historical context of Russia (prior to the revolution). Students have to add key terms to their glossary (autocratic & tsars). Information about autocratic rule is included and the idea of ‘Divine Right’ is explained. There is a diagram of the feudal system to help students understand how society was structured. Students are introduced to terms including bourgeoise, proletariat and intelligentsia. This is followed by a brief bio of Nicholas II, his wife and the Tsaravivh Alexei. This is followed by a viewing activity about another key figure: Rasputin (and some viewing questions). The lesson ends with a look at Boney M’s song about Rasputin’s death. A reference list is also provided.
Designed to meet the requirements of the senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019), this unit falls under the category of ‘Ideas in the Modern World.’
A PowerPoint designed to introduce students to what Russia was like under the rule of Tsar Alexander II, Tsar Alexander the III and Tsar Nicholas II. It begins by explaining the terms ‘Tsar’ and ‘Tsarism.’ This is followed by an image of the pyramid explaining the feudal system. Students are asked what they can recall about this system. This is followed by some slides explaining Russia’s social structure where students take notes about the ruling class, upper class, middle class, industrial working class, free peasants and unfree peasants. There are some checking for understanding questions to discuss and a couple of visual sources to unpack. This is followed by a visual image of the line of succession with key details about the dates of their reign and the circumstances of their death. The following slides go into each of the Tsars in more detail. When it reaches Nicholas there is a photograph of his coronation and 2 artists depictions. There is information about he Khodynka field disaster and a couple of images. After this, students are prompted to draw a graphic organiser in their books and have to take notes about the political, geographic, social and economic factors which led to the Russian Revolution. The remaining slides go through these factors. This is followed by some checking for understanding questions.
Designed to meet the requirements of the senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019), this unit falls under the category of ‘Ideas in the Modern World.’
Two resources: A PowerPoint and Worksheet. The worksheet is designed to step students through the lesson. It includes copies of the sources on the PPT slide and questions for them to answer. It also includes space for them to copy the notes that have been underlined in the PPT presentation.
The PPT begins with a viewing activity from YouTube (Simple History’s summary of the Russian Revolution.) This is followed by information about the short- and long-term causes of the Russian Revolution. (Linking back to what students have learned about WW1). Students are reminded of the term ideology and are given information about ‘revolutionary ideologies’ and strategies used by revolutionary leaders. There is information about obstacles to the revolution which students need to copy some of onto their worksheets. There are some warnings that the Tsar received about the revolutionary situation which students must read and summarise the key ideas (implicit/explicit meanings) on their worksheet. Following this a summary of each day of the February revolution is provided. Students have to write catchy headlines to summarise each day. Finally there is a visual source for students to practice analysing for homework.
Designed to meet the requirements of the senior Modern History syllabus (implemented in QLD in 2019), this unit falls under the category of ‘Ideas in the Modern World.’
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 visual 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 PowerPoint which provides an image and summary for the following characters from Deadly Unna? (pictures taken from the film Aussie Rules).
Bob Black aka The Old Man
Gwen Black (Blacky’s mum)
Gary Black
Dumby Red
Pickles
Coach Robertson aka Arks
Tim Black aka Best Team-Man
Darcy
I printed these up and used them as posters in the classroom.
A PowerPoint designed to explain the rules of articulate and a slide which displays an articulate style board with Modern History categories (People, Geography, Historical concepts/skills, Events, Random, Groups)
A series of cards designed for units taught in Senior Modern History
Frontier Wars
Russian Revolution
Vietnam Independence Movement
Waves of Feminism
World War Two (the Holocaust)
Communist China (Mao)
The Cold War
Australian experiences in the Vietnam War
Scramble for Africa
Apartheid in South Africa