Project in Education

Year 9 English Teaching and Learning Guide The Man from Snowy River Teaching Resource: http://tmfsrproject.weebly.com/

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Rationale: The topic of the making of Australia is a key element in year 9 History and to support student engagement, the English curriculum has been aligned. One key text that is aligned is Andrew Barton Patersons The Man from Snowy River. Whilst this is a traditional print based text, educators today must engage with the changing modes of literacy. Luke (2003, p.399) suggests although the fundamental principles of reading and writing have not changed, the process has shifted from the serial cognitive processing of linear print text to parallel processes of multimodal text-image information sources. This means reading no longer relies solely on the interpretation of words, but rather requires literacy skills to work simultaneously. As such teachers must engage in and present texts that utilise a range of literacy skills. I have therefore identified that the gap in the learning context as changing the presentation of a traditional poem into a multimodal screen based text. Literacy and technology are no longer mutually exclusive (Luke 2003, p.398). Students are increasingly exposed to texts away from traditional formats. This often comes from their use of smart phones and computers which access online environments. These mediums offer each user a different experience as they navigate their way through sites. It suggests that traditional literacy pedagogy is no longer sufficient for interactive students today (Walsh 2004, 2008; Ryan, Scott & Walsh 2010) as online environments do not work in linear reading patterns. It is through the combination of approaches or systems that multimodal texts are achieved. A multimodal text can be defined as a text which uses more two or more combinations of text, film, images, sounds, colour, animations (Walsh 2004; Curwood & Cowell 2011; Hung, Chui & Yeh 2013). Thus through video clips, written texts, Tactical Teaching Resources, still and moving images, songs and digital texts students will be engaged in assessing and accessing multiple literacy skills simultaneously. The purpose of this teaching and learning resource is to support teachers of Year 9 English. The teaching and learning guide is not prescriptive, rather suggests an approach to the topic. For example, the film component may be explored prior to the poem as either approach would assist students in their completion of the final analysis. Aim: Throughout this unit, students study Banjo Patersons poetry, focusing on The Man from Snowy River. Students will engage with the text in many ways through the use of a website. The website has been constructed to utilise multiple modes of exploring the poem. Taking on the role of a director, students will visualise the poem through storyboards. Using Tactical Teaching Resources (TTRs) identified from NAPLAN data, students will engage with text and model their understandings of the context and the themes of gender, work and stereotypes throughout the poem. Students will design a visual presentation to amuse and inform others about a theme of the poem. By viewing the 1982 film, students will make links between different representation of text and film. They will be required to identify successes and failures and justify their position by making links to the themes of the poem. Timeframe: 5-6 Weeks 3 X 100 minute lessons a week plus homework. Unit Outcomes: By the end of the unit, students will be able to sequence events from the poem, discuss the influences on the story of TMFSR and demonstrate how this has shaped the iconic Australian Image. Additionally, students will analyse and make judgements about the success of the 1982 translation. Proposed Unit Implementation & Evaluation: To be implemented in term 3 and be taught concurrently with Year 9 History depth-study Making of a Nation. Sponge activities may include reading of Patersons poems or daily operations. By doing this, students are able to engage in the unit more fully and complete in a shorter time span before moving onto The Man from Snowy River Teaching and Learning Guide N. Greatrex Page 2 2013

either Henry Lawsons The Drovers Wife or War Poetry. Teachers have the opportunity to give students access to the website, but it should not noted that they will not be able to access this at school. At the conclusion of the unit, teachers will take part in a moderation process. This will address the success of the common assessment question, the process, resources, and propose changes to occur. Teachers will be requested to bring samples of work to check grading, and also student understanding. Moderation will occur within four weeks of the conclusion of the unit (by all classes). ACARA standards:

Language
Language variation and change Understand that Standard Australian English is a living language within which the creation and loss of words and the evolution of usage is ongoing (ACELA1550) Expressing and developing ideas Analyse and explain the use of symbols, icons and myth in still and moving images and how these augment meaning (ACELA1560)

Literature
Literature and context Interpret and compare how representations of people and culture in literary texts are drawn from different historical, social and cultural contexts (ACELT1633) Responding to literature Present an argument about a literary text based on initial impressions and subsequent analysis of the whole text (ACELT1771) Examining literature Investigate and experiment with the use and effect of extended metaphor, metonymy, allegory, icons, myths and symbolism in texts, for example poetry, short films, graphic novels, and plays on similar themes (ACELT1637) Analyse text structures and language features of literary texts, and make relevant comparisons with other texts (ACELT1772)

Literacy
Texts in context Analyse how the construction and interpretation of texts, including media texts, can be influenced by cultural perspectives and other texts (ACELY1739) Interacting with others Plan, rehearse and deliver presentations, selecting and sequencing appropriate content and multimodal elements for aesthetic and playful purposes (ACELY1741) Interpreting, analysing, evaluating Use comprehension strategies to interpret and analyse texts, comparing and evaluating representations of an event, issue, situation or character in different texts (ACELY1744) Creating texts Create imaginative, informative and persuasive texts that present a point of view and advance or illustrate arguments, including texts that integrate visual, print and/or audio features (ACELY1746) Use a range of software, including word processing programs, flexibly and imaginatively to publish texts (ACELY1748)

Creating literature Create literary texts, including hybrid texts, that innovate on aspects of other texts, for example by using parody, allusion and appropriation (ACELT1773)

Outcomes accessed 21st October 2013. Check for up-to-date outcomes prior to teaching. http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/English/Curriculum/F-10?layout=1&y=9&s=LA&s=LT&s=LY Assessment items: Ongoing class work: TTR, class work, conversation, Summative: Story Board Based upon student initial understanding and deconstruction of the poem, students identify 6-12 key events from the poem and re-tell it through visual images. Each image needs to be articulated by including a brief description of what is occurring and who is in it. 1 lesson + homework Page 3 2013

The Man from Snowy River Teaching and Learning Guide N. Greatrex

Visual presentation Working in pairs, identify one theme of the poem and create a 2-4 minute designed to amuse presentation that informs and amuses. Use examples and ICTs to create a multimedia presentation. Written essay The 1982 film version of Banjo Patersons The Man from Snowy River was an Debate the success accurate portrayal of the poem. Discuss using examples. of the film version TMFSR

Resources: Website (multimodal text) created for the unit http://tmfsrproject.weebly.com/ First Steps: Tactical teaching resources Specific resources embedded within the site the use of others as needed for specific learning needs of the class. Light A, Ash S, and Widger D (1913),The man from Snowy River and other verses by Andrew Barton, Australian Poet Reporter o Available from iTunes /iBook Store (free download) or Project Gutenberg (www.gutenberg.org)

The Writer's Handbook: How to read a poem http://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/ReadingPoetry.html Teacher Centre of the California federation of Chaparral Poets, Inc. http://www.chaparralpoets.org/tchrcntr.html The Man from Snowy River, 1982 film Youtube clips (available on the website resource) Fitzy and Wippa YouTube channel / NOVA FM

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References:
Curwood, JS & Cowell, LLH 2011, 'iPoetry: Creating Space for New Literacies in the English Curriculum', Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, vol. 55, no. 2, pp. 110-120. Hung, H-T, Chui, Y-CJ & Yeh, H-C 2013, 'Multimodal assessment of and for learning: A theory driven desgin rubric', British Journal of Educational Technology, vol. 44, no. 3, pp. 400-409. Luke, C 2003, 'Pedagogy, connectivity, multimodality, and interdisclinarity', Reading research quarterly, vol. Jul-Sept 38, no. 3, pp. 397-403. Ryan, J, Scott, A & Walsh, M 2010, 'Pedagogy in the multimodal classroom: an analysis of the challenges and opportunities for teachers', Teachers and Teaching, vol. 16, no. 4, 2010/08/01, pp. 477-489. Walsh, M 2004, 'Reading visual and multimodal texts: how is 'reading' different', ALEA 2004 Conference, Australia. Walsh, M 2008, 'Worlds Have Collided and Modes Have Merged: Classroom Evidence of Changed Literacy Practices', Literacy, vol. 42, no. 2, pp. 101-108.

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Proposed Teaching Sequence

Each teaching component is related to a page of the website. On each page there are resources that can be used to assist with the implementation of the unit. Resources include: still and moving images, sound files, assessment pieces and print activities. To support students in the ICT based classroom, resources can be emailed to them for completion or storing on their own laptop.

Plan
Introduction/Prior Knowledge
What do you think of when thinking about Australia? What Icons? Think Pair Share activity. Students respond to the prompt written on the board, share with a partner and then with class. When sharing with a partner consider both their responses: Are they similar different? What do the objects/places/icons of Australia have in common? Student can report back to the group in a variety of ways. Email Google doc Speaking If students do a combination of these it will reinforce the idea of modality and how information and understandings can be informed. Using the brainstorm, collect the terms and create a Wordle (www.wordle.net) Additional task: Have student identify two or three ideas from their list and locate images to show this. Students to print out and submit to create an image wall. Iconic images of Australia. Has the way we think of Australia changed over time? What did people think about 30 years ago? 100 years ago? 150 years ago? Students to brainstorm how Australia has changed. Can students think of any texts that represent the values/cultural/work ethic of Australia? Students to report back to the class, followed by a teacher led discussion and showing some examples. Examples should include artworks, clips from films, images, songs, poetry. How do some of these relate to the examples that the students developed? This is to help students identify some key representations of Australia.

TTR Strategy

Assessment

Comprehension strategies Contribution to group discussions Making connections prior knowledge

Difficult word chart

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The Author
Who was the author and what were his influences? Knowing the author and his life helps students understand what they have written and what influenced him. When and where he was born? Students will use a range of websites to locate key information about Banjo Paterson on a synthesis journal. Using this information they will construct a synthesis. By doing this students will begin to understand Patersons life. Through discussion and sharing they will make predictions about what he may have experienced to influence his writing. Websites: http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/paterson-andrew-barton-banjo-7972 http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/journal/on-this-day-in-history-banjo-paterson-was-born.htm http://www.poetrylibrary.edu.au/poets/paterson-a-b-banjo http://gutenberg.net.au/pages/paterson.html http://www.wallisandmatilda.com.au/banjo-paterson-biography.shtml Using the text The man from Snowy River and other verses by Andrew Barton read the students a poem or two. Do these poems fit with the image that the students have created? If so how? If not, why not? How may these poems change your opinion? Poems that are useful are: Clancy of the Overthrow The Man from Ironbark Sunrise on the Coast Be aware that the poem The man from Ironbark deals with a dramatic scene and may need to be changed from something that is not too confronting. The imagery in these poems show that Patersons writing is based on the Australian landscape. What might this tell us about his other poems or verses? Extension activity Construct a written biography about Banjo Paterson. Formatted using example, written to inform.

Comprehension strategy Synthesis Journal Note taking

Written synthesis

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The Poem
Introduction To fully engage students in using a range of senses through the poem it is important that they experience it in a range of ways. During the first reading ask students to find a comfortable place to sit on the floor, then close their eyes. Explain that as the poem is read aloud they need to listen to the words and phrases and see the images conjured up. Think about what the words mean and how they make you feel. 1. Read aloud the poem - slowly and deliberately - and emphasise each word and phrase. Invite students to respond. 2. Play the audio book to students. How does this reading change the emphasis or meaning to the students? Which one do they prefer? Discuss responses. a. What do different voices bring to the poem? Compare my voice with that of Jack Thompson. b. How does a male Australian voice add impact to the reading? Why? Discuss. c. How does a live reading by an expert actor bring the story to life? Read/listen to the poem, The man from Snowy River. Discussion, then answer the following questions: What was your initial thoughts/understandings of the poem? Where is the story set? How do you know? Who are the characters of the poem? What atmosphere is created in the poem? How? (fast paced? Rhyme? metre) How were the horses described? Did you think it was an effective poem at describing the Australian icon? How do you react when something is exciting? Personal reflection, then shared with class. Why do we react the way we do? Discussion of how bodies react. Over time language changes. Student s need to recognise the differences in language today to 1890. Give students a copy of the poem to either read or make notes on. In pairs or small groups ask students to identify unfamiliar words in the poem. Students should share back with the class and assist each other in understanding any terms they know. In pairs ask students to discuss how Banjo Patersons use of language creates the dramatic effect. Ask students to identify and record particular words or phrases that are particularly dramatic. What are the elements of language that do this? Are there any similarities through the poem to demonstrate this? Identify the feelings and emotions that arise. The Man from Snowy River Teaching and Learning Guide N. Greatrex

Anticipation Guide

Group contribution

Metalanguage

Personal reflection writing structure

Difficult Word Chart

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Structure and meaning Begin by giving students a copy of the poem for their own personal engagement and journaling. Deconstructing the poem is important to understand the way it is put together and read. Students should look at one stanza and count the syllables in each line. Students should recongise that there is a pattern throughout the poem. It is a 13 stanza poem which has a regular 'metre. Can students work in pairs to discover the pattern? It also includes a regular rhyme pattern. Lines 1 & 3, 2 & 4 etc. Introduction of poetic language: stanza, verse, line, rhyme, rhythm, imagery, alliteration, simile and personification. Introduce students to the metalanguage of poetry. They will need to recognise key terms and be able to locate examples of these throughout the poem. There are a number of clips on the page that you should select from. Each presents the concepts of Poetic devices and figurative language in slightly different ways. 1. Have students record down the different ideas that are presented. 2. Report back what they have found 3. Can they think of any examples of these devices from their experiences? 4. Have students develop a list of examples research from songs. Songs are a great example. Consider using songs such as Katy Perrys Fireworks or Simon and Garfunkles Bridge over Troubled Water. Lyrics can be found on the internet. Students may be able to locate a rnage of other songs that use these techniques. 5. Using the poem I Have No Gun, But I Can Spit, students should begin to look for examples of techniques. Language To assist students in identifying poetic devices in TMFSR, use a looking for clues strategy worksheet. Identifying these elements will assist in a larger deconstruction of the meaning of the poem. This can be done in small groups, where each group is responsible for one section or as a whole class. Think/Pair/Share tasks would also work well. Journal Finding meaning Read the poem and deconstruct each stanza. What is happening? What does the line mean? Teacher directed and modelled. The class should work together with each student recording. This can either be done on their laptop or by hand. The advantage of completing this activity by hand is that students are do not have to work in a linear fashion. Encourage students to create images or diagrams whilst working. Arrows to other thoughts are also a valuable tool. Looking for Clues

Metalanguage

Journal

Analysis of text structure; Poem journal

The Visuals (Still and moving images)

Still images Re-telling the poem is important as it allows students to demonstrate their understanding. Identifying key parts of each stanza is important. Working in small group, students are assigned a stanza so that they can collect 2 images to illustrate what is happening. Groups should be able to discuss their choices of images. By limiting it to two images students must make judgements and support their decisions with evidence. This task can be presented in a range of ways. The Man from Snowy River Teaching and Learning Guide N. Greatrex Information Images: Visualisation

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1. Students can submit their images into a Google doc identifying their stanza and line. This can then be turned into a digital presentation. 2. Students can print their images out and a visual representation of the poem can be created by putting the images in order, aligned with the stanza. Visualising the whole poem is important as it allows students to transform their understanding of the events of the poem; changing modes of thinking. Applying themselves to work with different modes rather than just reading them is important. After the whole class activity, students are assigned the role of director of a new production of the film. Explain that before a film receives funding it must be pitched to studios. Part of this is storyboarding the film. By using hand drawn images, students will need to choose 6-12 important elements of the poem. These parts should be the dramatic elements of the story. Students should complete this in class time and as homework. To do this, students will need to choose how the shot will be framed and should be able to justify who and what is in the shot. Introduce students to the metalanguage of film techniques. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFUKRTFhoiA&list=PL46FEE253614612BF Watch until 1:10 Long shot, Close up/head Shot and Medium shot. Modification: Students with mobility or NEPs may be able to use Comic Life to construct their storyboard. This requires access to a computer with the program both at home and school if set for homework. Moving Images Reflect back to the initial readings of the poem. Students make connections between the initial reading and that of Jack Thompson. What was more successful? Reflect on what this was. Show the clip with Frankie J Holden reading the poem. Compare this representation of the poem to that of the initial two readings. In groups discuss: Is this representation accurate to your understanding of the film? Does it focus on the representations of your visualisation? What would you change? Which mode of the poem is most successful in supporting your understanding? Students record their thoughts in a double entry journal. This allows them to compare the same elements and how they are similar or different between the modes. Double Entry Journal

Story Board rewrite

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The Themes
Students should be able to identify three main themes from the text: gender, place, and relationships. The different questions and tasks below ask students to make links to their previous understandings of the world. It is important that students are given the opportunity to work with traditional printed text in this investigation. By using the poem (printed) you should encourage students to deconstruct the poem using a visual coding system. Asking students to use a multimodal approach by adding diagrams to their own work. Assign different stanzas of the poem to groups of students (3 or 4 work well) to examine how the themes are shown. Each stanza makes connections to the three main themes. Once this is done, ask students to record examples onto the Double Entry Journal. This will allow for easy comparison later when they are watching the film. Gender: Throughout the poem there is a distinct lack of female roles. Discuss with the students. 1. Why are females not present? 2. How are males represented? Locate and record examples on a text connection strategy sheet. 3. Can you think of other examples? Form other texts? 4. Can you think of examples of how this representation of gender, in particular maleness, is connected to the world today? Text to world Place: The use of imagery is extremely powerful in the poem. This is often linked to the Australian landscape and places. Students will have the opportunity to engage with visual literacies. Asking students to locate examples of images of the landscape will demand that students link the poems focus and descriptions to images they find. It will again require students to decode online literacies, which are multimodal in nature. 1. Locate examples(descriptions) of the landscapes in TMFSR 2. How do these descriptions relate to the brainstorm from earlier? Do these terms match the way the class described Australia? Discuss why this is? Has the way Australia is thought of changed over time? Why is this? 3. What type of feeling or emotions do these images create in your head? Relationships: The relationships within the poem are closely related to the role that gender plays. Students should identify that there are distinct power plays within the poem. Examine how TMFSR is thought of by Harrison at the beginning of the poem. 1. Are all characters of the poem considered equal? 2. How are their relationships demonstrated? Presentation of Theme Students will need to work in small groups and transform their understanding of a theme. Working in small groups of 2 or 3 prepare a rhyme, song, parody or poem, they will demonstrate how the theme is illustrated in the text. By making The Man from Snowy River Teaching and Learning Guide N. Greatrex

Double Entry Journals Text Connections (Text-to-world) (Tex-to-text)

Comprehension strategies

DEJ

DEJ

Transformation

Presentation of theme to entertain and amuse.

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links between the poem and other texts or world situations they will have the opportunity to demonstrate their engagement with the text.

If student are creating a parody show them Novas website or Fitzy and Wippa Youtube page. They have lots of examples. They also amuse the audience which can support the assessment as students need to write for particular purposes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzI04jXR-y0&list=PL2636BF952A1C37C0 http://www.novafm.com.au/entertainment/fitzy-wippas-song-parodies Ensure that any parodies that you show are appropriate for your class.

The Film
Before watching the film: Analyse the front cover of the film to make predictions about the successfulness of the translation. What are the indicators? Examine the images and the way the text is laid out. What seems to be the main focus of the poster? Working with a partner and using the ideas generated by the class, make predictions about what the film is going to be based upon. Record on butchers paper or posters. Watch the trailer of the film make notes about the story being told in the film. How does this meet with your predictions? Compare with the idea of gender from the poem. Group discussion and report back to the group. Anticipation Guide: Develop a series of statements about the written text that you think may or may not occur in the film translation. Write true or false in the Before Reading column. After viewing the text, record true or false in the After Reading column. Compare your responses with the information from the text and record evidence to support the statement. An example has been done for you. Watching the film Whilst watching the film students should record observations on their Double entry journal. This will allow for students to make links between their observations from the poems themes and their representation and that of the film. Students should recognise that there are major differences between the films portrayal of gender. The role of females in the film should be focused on. After Watching Re-visit the anticipation guide: Have students re-visit their statements that they made prior to viewing the film. Using their DEJ they need to state whether their statements were facts or falsehoods. They should be able to recall the evidence to support the response. The Man from Snowy River Teaching and Learning Guide N. Greatrex Page 12 Anticipation guide Double Entry Journal (new)

Double Entry Journal (revisit)

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Lines form the poem and images form the film: View the clips associated with the film and describe how they are visualised by the director. Do these shots meet the descriptions students have when they read the poem? Record their responses on the sheet. Individual recording and reporting back to the group. Students should be challenged to record down other peoples responses. This is transferable as a listening task. Group Discussion Is the film a good representation of the film? Small group brainstorming. This should be used to ensure that students have detail in their Double Entry Journals. Report back to the group. Discuss why or why not. Prompt students to think critically about why there were changes to the translation. Final assignment: Essay Construction The 1982 film version of Banjo Patersons The Man from Snowy River was an accurate portrayal of the poem. Discuss using examples. Students use their notes and discussions on the two versions of the text to write an exposition analysing the representation of themes. Students should make judgements on the transformation of the text and how this has become an iconic representation of Australia. Extension/Differentiation/Alteration After students have written and edited their work, they can record themselves and create a podcast of their understandings. This can be placed onto their digital portfolios. Possible links art/tech/multimedia Double Entry Journal Exposition Essay Planning Draft Final

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