Making a Magazine

Stage 3 | English

Students design, develop and publish a magazine for a general

audience. They get information on a range of ideas and
information. Students respond to and compose a variety of
contemporary media and digital texts. Students will work
individually and collaboratively using an online workspace to plan
and compose a variety of contemporary media and digital texts
for the online magazine. This will involve online research,
analysis, discussion and learning about language.
Types of texts: media, multimedia and digital texts

Sample term
14 weeks
Detail: Term 3 Weeks 1-7, 10, Term Four Weeks 1-6

English K-10

EN3-1A communicates effectively for a variety of audiences and purposes using increasingly

challenging topics, ideas, issues and language forms and features

EN3-2A composes, edits and presents well-structured and coherent texts

EN3-3A uses an integrated range of skills, strategies and knowledge to read, view and comprehend

EN3-6B uses knowledge of sentence structure, grammar, punctuation and vocabulary to respond

a wide range of texts in different media and technologies

to and compose clear and cohesive texts in different media and technologies

EN3-7C thinks imaginatively, creatively, interpretively and critically about information and ideas

EN3-8D identifies and considers how different viewpoints of their world, including aspects of

and identifies connections between texts when responding to and composing texts
culture, are represented in texts

During the course of this unit

students will:

contribute one
individual text for inclusion in
a class online magazine

contribute texts
constructed collaboratively
for inclusion in the class
online magazine

reflect on their
learning in the unit.
Assessment for learning
Each student will use the
library blog to record their
learning in the unit. Students
should demonstrate that they
can review, edit and respond
to feedback to improve the
final product. Students may
choose to present their
reflection as a podcast, video,
interactive pdf or
VoiceThread.

Content

Teaching, learning and assessment

Resources

Week 1

Finish off Green Screen Movies. Those that have, write Blog Comments. Then create trailer for books coming for book
fair. Show how to create simple review of book. Airdrop to my iPad

Week 2

Stage 3 - Speaking and

listening

Define
Open
Invitation
to inquiry
Open
Minds
Stimulate
Curiosity

participate in and
contribute to discussions,
clarifying and interrogating
ideas, developing and
supporting arguments,
sharing and evaluating
information, experiences and
opinions (ACELY1709)

Overview

Popplet

Before beginning this unit, conduct a brainstorming

session to find out what students already know about
magazines.

Variety of Magazines

Discuss the different types of magazines available.

Identify the categories of the magazines (fashion,
sport, music, gaming).
Show the class a selection of magazines appealing to
a range of different readers. Encourage students to
bring their own magazines for discussion.
In pairs, students make a list of the features of
magazines (stories, reviews, competitions, quizzes)
and comment on the layout.

Week 3
Locate
Gather

Content

Teaching, learning and assessment

Stage 3 - Thinking
imaginatively, creatively,
interpretively and critically

Print versus online magazines

* recognise and explain

creative language features in
imaginative, informative and
persuasive texts that
contribute to engagement
and meaning

Distribute a selection of print magazines to students

working in small groups.
Provide a worksheet to students to record the name
of the magazine and comments on the features and
layout.
Each group shares their findings with the class.
Students consider the similarities and differences
between an online magazine and a print magazine.
What differences do you notice between the digital

and the print versions?

Have publishers created a new form for the online

magazine or just a magazine that is digital?

Identify the parts of an online magazine using
appropriate terminology. Consider, for example,
navigation elements, feature articles, regular articles
(opinion, stories, columns), reviews, blogs (featured
blogs), podcasts, whats on, social media links.
What are the interactive elements?
Is it multimodal?
Is it linked to a range of other texts/sites?
How does it use the technology?
What social media does it use?

Resources

Content
Week 4

select, navigate and read

texts for a range of purposes,
applying appropriate text
processing strategies and
interpreting structural
features, for example table of
contents, glossary, chapters,
headings and subheadings
(ACELY1712)

Week 5
Define
Identify

use comprehension
strategies to interpret and
analyse information and
ideas, comparing content
from a variety of textual
sources including media and
digital texts (ACELY1703,
ACELY1713)

Teaching, learning and assessment

Assess the effectiveness of these features. Students
may refer to motifs, icons, branding, hyperlinks,
interactive elements.
Individual reflection: What have you learned about
the form and content of magazines?
Note: Complete individual reflection, on library blog.

Resources
Scootle resources
Design a magazine cover
TFL-ID M013761
http://www.scootle.edu.au/ec/
resolve/view/M013761

Look at design for a magazine cover

Introduction to the class online magazine
project

Design a layout: magazine

TFL-ID L8743

Overview

http://www.scootle.edu.au/ec/
resolve/view/L8743

Discuss the class online magazine project with

students. Discuss the target audience and what the
magazine will feature. Such as stories, reviews,
letters and interviews.
Students will work in small groups to compose a
variety of texts for the class online magazine. Each
group will be responsible for submitting at least three
texts for publication.
Students will use teacher-designed online templates
for the composition of texts.
Each group will use Google Drive to collect
information. It can be used to post stories, articles
and graphics for the magazine.
Individual students will use library blog to record their
learning.

Design a layout:
magazine: assessment TFLID L9683
http://www.scootle.edu.au/ec/
resolve/view/L9683

Content
Week 6

understand how texts vary

in purpose, structure and
topic as well as the degree of
formality (ACELA1504)

Teaching, learning and assessment

Resources

Learning about types of texts

Resources

Provide a model of each text for the class to

deconstruct.

Writing a feature article

Distribute a scaffold for each type of text and explain

key terms, language features and structure.
1. Magazine news story/feature article
Students may:
select a current topic or local issue
use a visual text as a starting point for a story.

Week 7

Book Week

Content
Week 8
Locate
Gather

identify and explain how

analytical images like figures,
tables, diagrams, maps and
graphs contribute to our
understanding of verbal
information in factual and
persuasive texts (ACELA1524)

Teaching, learning and assessment

Resources

Learning about types of texts

Writing a review - Book and

Identify five types of texts for the class magazine.

Provide a model of each text for the class to
deconstruct.
Distribute a scaffold for each type of text and explain
key terms, language features and structure.
Provide opportunity for guided practice by selecting
three of the five types of texts for students to jointly
construct as a class.
2. Imaginative piece
Students may compose:
a narrative based on family holiday
visit to a special place.

4. Review
Students may write a review about:
a film
a computer game
a book
an event (school, local community).

5. Interview
Student may write an interview with:
the main character from a film or TV program
a character from a book they have read
a sports person

film
Writing a review -

Multimedia

Content

Teaching, learning and assessment

Resources

a local person of interest.

Week 9

Week
10

compare texts including

3. Opinion/letter to the editor
media texts that represent
Students may compose a letter:
ideas and events in different
ways, explaining the effects of to the local newspaper about a local issue
the different approaches
to the local council about youth programs.
(ACELY1708)

Letters to the editor:

community agrees
Letters to the editor:

community disagrees

Visit to town library- look at magazines available. Type and features

Term 4
Week 1
Select/
Organis
e

understand and use the key

elements of planning,
composing, reviewing and
publishing in order to meet the
increasing demands of topic,
audience and language

Group activity

Template design

The students will be divided into small groups which

will be responsible for composing three or more texts
for the online magazine.

Digital scrapbooking is one

way of using layout templates
to share and collaborate in
the development processes

Each group member will use the online templates to

plan and draft one text as directed by the teacher.
Texts should be selected from the five texts learnt
about previously. In addition, group members will be
assigned an editorial role, such as editor, creative
consultant, art designer. Students will use the google
drive to collaborate in the drafting and editing
processes.
A group representative will be part of the editorial
team to edit and publish the final product.
Assessment of learning
Students will use the feedback from peers as well as
their own editorial processes to compose a final draft

Other programs to consider:

Microsoft Word
Adobe Acrobat

Pages for Mac

Content

Teaching, learning and assessment

of their text.
Templates for the class magazine
The teacher will provide templates for layout of the
magazine.
The layout templates will be distributed electronically
for students to use.

Week 2
Select/
Organis
e
Week 3
Select/
Organis
e
Week 4

experiment and use aspects of Continuing to work on magazine

composing that enhance
Use blog to record thoughts
learning and enjoyment

select appropriate language

for a purpose, eg descriptive,
persuasive, technical,
evaluative, emotive and
colloquial, when composing
texts

Continuing to work on magazine.

Use blog to record thoughts

Present

use complex punctuation to

Getting final presentation ready
engage the reader and achieve
Use blog to record thoughts
purpose

Week 5

Getting final presentation ready

Present

Use blog to record thoughts

Week 6

explore and analyse the

effectiveness of informative

Assessment for learning

Resources

Content
Assess

Teaching, learning and assessment

Resources

and persuasive devices in texts Each student will write on the blog space to record
their learning in the unit. Students should
demonstrate that they can review, edit and respond
to feedback to improve the final product.

Week 7

Making ad for magazine using iMovie

Week 8

Making ad

Week 9

Presenting and sharing ad

Ipads- demonstrate potential,

look at emotive language

Pairs of students review 3 other groups

presentations.
Students complete written evaluation scaffold whilst
rotating around classmates presentations (eg. What
did you learn about magazines? What impressed you
about this presentation? How could this presentation
have been improved? What score / 10?)
Students orally share their favourite or highest
scoring reviews in an Inquiry Circle.

Week
10

Students read magazine if time.

Thinking back on your learning, what did you find the
most difficult to do? Please tick as many things as
you like.(tick a box)
-Thinking back on your learning, what did you find the
easiest to do? (tick a box)
- What skills did you learn in doing this project?
- What did you enjoy about this unit?

Survey monkey survey

Evaluation
At the conclusion of the unit, teachers should reflect on student learning and engagement in activities, and use this to inform
planning for subsequent learning experiences.
Questions to guide reflection
1.

To what level did students achieve the learning outcomes?

2.

How effective were the activities in helping students to understand key concepts and achieve the learning outcomes?

3.

Did teaching strategies and activities facilitate high levels of student engagement? Why/why not?

4.

How could the unit be improved to enhance student engagement and learning?