Samuel Linnenbank English Curriculum 2A: Assignment 1 17712170

English 2A Assignment 1: Area of Study Concept - Memory

Rationale
Preliminary Course Text Anthology:

1. Short Story: Memories Lost by Laura Miller, 2005. Accessed at

http://www.abc.net.au/shortstories/stories/s1390788.htm

2. Poem: Treasure of Happy Memories by Seema Chowdhury. Accessed at

https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/treasure-of-happy-memories/

3. Short Film: Memories directed by Radoslaw Sienski, 2010. Accessed at

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85HDu87TGy0

4. Short Film 2: Touchable Memories by Marco Aslan

https://vimeo.com/109041102

5. Song + Song Lyrics: 7 Years by Lukas Graham, 2016. Accessed at.

Lyrics: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/lukasgraham/7years.html

Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHCob76kigA

The concept chosen for this Preliminary Area of Study is Memory. Memory is an integral

part of the human experience shared by everyone. Memory combines a multiplicity of

qualities. Memory simultaneously inhabits several levels of the social collective and

individual in an interdependent tangle(Binnenkade, 2015). This Area of Study is designed

to explore the duality of memory. The duality being that of having positive memories versus

having negative memories. Whereas memory has the capacity to be taught as a wider more

culturally spanning concept, this unit focuses more on the personal experience of memory.

The nature of memory and their creation, what memory means to us, as well as the way in

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Samuel Linnenbank English Curriculum 2A: Assignment 1 17712170

which it shapes people and their perceptions of the world, and lastly, how the idea of

memory can be conveyed within a text.

Students are expected, during an Area of Study, to analyse and experiment with meanings

conveyed, shaped, interpreted and reflected in and through texts as well as ways texts are

responded too and the connections between those texts (NESA, 2012). The texts themselves

are representative of peoples memories and the multi-faceted way that people can

experience memories. There is a wide range of modality within the prescribed texts. This is a

deliberate choice in order to allow students to study how meaning is created and conveyed

in different textual forms. Andrew McCallum states [English] must no longer privilege

writing over other forms of communication. Instead, the written word is one available

option among others as to how to receive and generate meaning. (2012)

The first text, Memories Lost by Laura Miller (2005) is chosen to provide a look at the way

that different parties can both handle the negative side of memory as well as the inter-

personal ramifications for memory. The short story is centred on a woman who is suffering

an unspecified type of memory loss, and her interactions with another person. It is to be

used as an introduction piece to the students, and allow them to experiences and explore

the base ideals about what memory can mean to people, and the multiple viewpoints that

can be taken with memory. The protagonist, while having lost their memory, is not in a

negative state. It subverts the idea that losing ones memory is a negative concept, and

while the negativity can be reflected in the visitors words and actions. It has been chosen as

a prescribed text due to its non-traditional representation of memory and memory loss, as

well as its easy to understand nature and the wide range of readings that can be made.

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Samuel Linnenbank English Curriculum 2A: Assignment 1 17712170

The second text, Treasure of Happy Memories by Seema Chowdhury, is a poem that focuses

solely on the positive effects of memory. The way that the text shapes our perception of

memory is self-evident, this text is extremely useful in the anthology. It provides the

students with a baseline understanding of memory to me studied. It doesnt change our

perception, it reinforces it. This provides lower-end students the chance to have a concrete

understanding of the concept to use in their assessments and their exams. It also allows for

extensive instruction in how literary techniques build meaning and build the concept of

memory in the piece. While not an advanced text, its a necessary text for the start of the

area of study.

The third and fourth text are both short films, one called Memories, the other Touchable

Memories directed by Radoslaw Sienski and Marco Aslan respectively. Both of the films are

focused on the power of memories and how they can affect us as human beings. Visual

literacy and deconstructing visual techniques is an important part of the English curriculum,

and these short films offer the opportunity. The short films have really strong ideas and

representations of memory. Memories focuses on the discovery and rediscovery of

memories. The joy and happiness that these memories can contain. This is redoubled in the

second short film Touchable Memories which is focused around a small group of blind

people and their interactions with their own memories. It shifts our perception of what a

memory is to people and what they could be. These texts, while chosen to complement

each other and reinforce the same tropes and themes about memory, are also used to study

visual literacy techniques as well as film techniques.

The fifth text is the song 7 Years by Lukas Graham. This text has been included in the

anthology due to its persuasive and emotive presentation of memory. The introspective and

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Samuel Linnenbank English Curriculum 2A: Assignment 1 17712170

reflective nature of memory presented in the text is another facet of memory that other

texts have not covered. The song is recent enough for the students to recognise and

understand, and will connect them further with the themes in the text. It is also useful as a

vehicle to further study the language techniques that were examined within text two,

Treasure of Happy Memories.

References
Bekerman, Z., & Zembylas, Michalinos. (2012). Teaching contested narratives: Identity, memory, and

reconciliation in peace education and beyond. Cambridge, UK; New York: Cambridge

University Press.

Binnenkade, A. (2015). Doing Memory: Teaching as a Discursive Node. Journal of Educational Media,

Memory, and Society, 7(2), 29-43.

NSW Education Standards Authority. (2014). NSW Syllabus for the Australian curriculum, English

Stage 6 Syllabus [Syllabus]. New South Wales

McCallum, A. (2012). Creativity and Learning in Secondary English. London: Taylor and Francis.

Retrieved from http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uwsau/detail.action?docID=978914

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Samuel Linnenbank English Curriculum 2A: Assignment 1 17712170

Lesson One

This lesson is designed to be the one of the first lessons within the Area of Study. It is

formatted as to give the students a board concrete introduction to the concept they will be

studying, as well as different ways that it can be portrayed within texts. The two texts

chosen are Treasure of Happy Memories by Seema Chowdhury and 7 Years by Lukas

Graham (2016). These texts both have a clear creation and understanding of the concept

that the students can easily recognise and grasp.

The lesson starts with the teacher and the students breaking down the idea of Memory on

the whiteboard as a concept mapping activity. This gives the student the opportunity to

explore their previous knowledge on the concept and establish their own perceptions and

ideas. It also allows for the teacher to gauge the level of understanding in the classroom.

This allows the teacher to understand where the gaps of knowledge are in the classroom so

that they can be specifically catered for later in the unit. This is the foundation for the rest

of the unit, and the students can refer to, as well as constantly update the concept map in

their books.

Following this section, the students are to study the lyrics of the song 7 Years without

listening to the actual song. The teacher is to preface this activity by instructing the students

that they will be looking for metaphors, similes and other language techniques within the

text and how they create and manipulate the idea of memory. After deconstructing the

different metaphors and emotive language within the lyrics, the students are asked to

highlight the parts that mean the most, as well as have the most impact. Then they listen to

the song and see if what they highlighted in the text was the same when it was played. The

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Samuel Linnenbank English Curriculum 2A: Assignment 1 17712170

key here it to investigate the way that changing the form can change the creation of

memory and the meaning of memory. It is also an exercise in discovering the influence of

language techniques and performed pieces.

Once completing this section. Repeat the process of studying language techniques in the

poem Treasure of Happy Memories using the knowledge gained from deconstructing the

previous text. The activity to be performed here is;

1. Take all the punctuation out of the poem and present it in a plain text format.

2. Ask the students to put their own punctuation in, and underline where they think

that the emphasis should be within sentences and words.

3. Then they are to compare their version of the poem with the people next to them.

This is designed to let the students be creative as well as explore the way that texts create

meaning in their own personal way. As there is no official way to read the poem, each

student is correct in their creation and ideas. The texts construction of memory is also very

traditional and clearly demonstrated. This is especially important for the lower-end students

as it gives them something concrete that they can understand at a base level.

By the end of the lesson, the students should begin to understand the way that texts can

shape meaning through their form as well as their features. The students also should be

able to find and extract the way that concept is portrayed within a text, and how the texts

created that concept. This lesson is important within the sequence as it creates the basis for

the skills that will be built upon and used within the rest of the Area of Study.

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Samuel Linnenbank English Curriculum 2A: Assignment 1 17712170

Lesson Plan Lesson 2

Topic area: Area of Study Stage of Learner: Stage 6 / Syllabus Pages: 24 -27
Memory Year 11 Standard

Date: Location Booked: Classroom Lesson Number: 2/3

Time: 60 minutes Total Number of students: 28 Printing/preparation: Found in

resources listed,

Outcomes Assessment Students learn about Students learn to

Lesson assessment: Students learn about the Identify and deconstruct

Syllabus outcomes Informal assessment different ways that visual language form and
performed literacy techniques can features and analyse how
4. A student identifies and throughout the create meaning. More they create meaning
describes language forms lesson as the specifically, students learn
and the features, and students are about filmic techniques.
structures of particular
progressing through Students also learn to
texts which shape
the activities. compare and contrast
meaning and influence
responses. Students also learn about different texts of the same
2. A student identifies and intertextuality and how mode.
describes relationships Formal assessment different texts can coalesce.
among texts. is done through the
completion of the
activities.

Cross Curriculum themes & General capabilities Explicit subject specific concepts and skills

Literacy, Critical and Creative thinking.

Quality Teaching Elements (lesson focus) Highlight the appropriate areas

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Samuel Linnenbank English Curriculum 2A: Assignment 1 17712170

Intellectual Quality 1.1 Deep knowledge 1.4 Higher-order thinking

This refers to pedagogy focused on producing deep understanding of important,
substantive concepts, skills and ideas. Such pedagogy treats knowledge as something 1.2 Deep understanding 1.5 Metalanguage
that requires active construction and requires students to engage in higher-order
1.3 Problematic 1.6 Substantive
thinking and to communicate substantively about what they are learning.
knowledge communication

Quality Learning Environment 2.1 Explicit quality criteria 2.4 Social Support
This refers to pedagogy that creates classrooms where students and teachers work
productively in an environment clearly focused on learning. Such pedagogy sets high and 2.2 Engagement 2.5 Students self-regulation
explicit expectations and develops positive relationships between teacher and students
2.3 High Expectations 2.6 Student direction
and among students.

Significance 3.1 Background knowledge 3.4 Inclusivity

This refers to pedagogy that helps make learning more meaningful and important to
students. Such pedagogy draws clear connections with students prior knowledge and 3.2 Cultural knowledge 3.5 Connectedness
identities, with contexts outside of the classroom, and with multiple ways of knowing all
3.3 Knowledge integration 3.6 Narrative
cultural perspective.

How the quality teaching elements you have identified are achieved within the lesson.

Teaching Indicators of presence in the lesson

element

1.2 Deep The main part of the lesson focuses on students learning and gaining a deep understanding
Understanding of visual literacy techniques and filmic language. This deep understanding is to be followed
through with continuing lesson and solidified to be used in their HSC

2.2 The chosen resources of the short films with strong, easy to understand messages is
Engagement designed to be engaging with the students, and have them emotional invested and care
about the context and content as well as their own work on the subjects.

3.5 Cultural All students are asked/able to use their previous cultural knowledge and understanding of
Knowledge memory within their own personal context. The lesson itself is based around using the
students understanding of memory and changing it as well as reinforcing it.

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 Samuel Linnenbank English Curriculum 2A: Assignment 1
Time Teaching and learning actions
0-10 As the students enter the class room and take their
seats, make sure that all students have done their
prescribed homework. Their homework was to bring in
an object (can be a photograph) that holds memories
to them. If the student doesnt have a physical object,
then imagining and knowing an object will suffice.
Students are to spend the next 5 minutes writing
down:
If its a photograph, what the memory is and
why it is so important to them.
If its an object, what the memory is and how
this object makes them remember the
memory.
Students are then welcome to share their object and
memory with their friends/people next to them/class.
Once completed, inform the students that this lesson
will focus around deconstructing and studying two
short films.
10-30 Start by asking the students to write down anything
that seems important and relevant to memory during
their watching of the short film. Provide some
scaffolding questions regarding the way that visual
techniques can construct meaning as it will be builded
upon later in the lesson. Then show Memories by
Radoslaw Sienski without pausing it or commentating.
After showing the showing he short film and having a
class discussion based around how the students feel
about the film and their thoughts. Establish the tone
and the feeling of the text. Before showing the film
again, ask each student to draw a Venn diagram (two
overlapping circles) in their workbooks. Labelling one
Memories and the other Touchable Memories.
This time, show the short film again. Pausing every 30
seconds to discuss the events of the film and how it
creates and interacts with the concept of memory.
The teacher discusses with the students and adds the
different techniques the students come up with on the
board.
Give the students time to fill out half of their Venn
diagram before moving on
17712170
Organisation Centred
T/S
Teacher: Allow the students to
enter the classroom and while
S
settling take the roll and answer
any questions.
Have the short films loaded on
their computer and ready to be
played.
Student: Students must enter class
quietly and make sure that they
have their workbook and necessary
stationary. Once entered they need
to sit down and start the provided
work on the board.
Then they must complete the work
based on their homework. And
prepare
Teacher: The teacher needs to
have the scaffold questions for the
T/S
students to use in the first section.
Be familiar with the short film and
the way that it creates meaning
and changes meaning.
Student: Need to write down their
ideas and observations of the
movie and express their ideas
during the conversation.
Then draw the Venn diagram in
their workbook that they fill out
upon their second viewing.
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 Samuel Linnenbank English Curriculum 2A: Assignment 1 17712170

30-50 Once the students have finished half of their Venn Teacher: Check the completed
diagram. Inform them that they are to put their books Venn Diagrams and the
T/S
down and not write anything during the first viewing sentences/paragraph before
on their second short film. Show Touchable Memories students leave the lesson.
once through without any pausing or interrupting.

Once the viewing is completed have another class

Student: Complete the diagram
discussion about the film and the way that it
and the paragraph to be able to
represents and constructs memories. They can start
leave the lesson.
filling out the other half of their Venn diagrams during
these conversations good informative points are
brought up.

Show Touchable Memories again, this time pausing

every 30-45 seconds to discuss the concept of memory
within that segment. Once again adding the concepts
discussed to the board to facilitate their writing into
the diagram. Use these as chances to fill out the Venn
diagram.

Once finished, discuss the finished Venn diagram and

its implications for our understanding of memory.

50-60 The students now should write a few Teacher: Continue to control the
sentences/paragraphs as to how their perceptions and classroom and keep them on-track.
S
ideas have been changed by the short films that they Walking around the classroom and
have studied today. This allows for self-reflection, helping/checking students
consolidation of ideas and an exit slip for the lesson. answers.

Student: Finish the diagram as well

as the paragraph.

Homework: Homework for this lesson is to re-watch the two short films and note any visual literacy
and filmic techniques within them.

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Samuel Linnenbank English Curriculum 2A: Assignment 1 17712170

Reflection

What have I learned about the teaching and learning process when preparing this lesson?

During the creation of this lesson, I have really found how easy it is to push the time limits of a
lesson when looking at two texts within one lesson. Originally this lesson was going to include
deconstructing the visual and filmic techniques and how they create meaning but there was not
enough time so it was pushed to homework / next lesson.

How am I measuring the outcomes of this lesson?

Learning Outcome Method of measurement and recording

4.1: Describing and explaining This is measured through the class discussions wherein the
the effects of a variety of class list visual and filmic literacy techniques used to create
language forms and features, meaning. This is also measured in their Venn diagram
and structures of texts. where these techniques are also included.

2.1 Comparing and This will be measured by the quality of their Venn diagram
contrasting the forms and at the end of the lesson (How filled out it is and what is
features of texts. included in it) as well as their reflection paragraph that is
considered the exit slip.

WHS

What are the key risk issues that may appear for and need to be reduced/eliminated in this lesson?
Using your syllabus and support documents as well as other WHS policy- Outline the key WHS
considerations that are to be applied in this lesson?

I must make sure that all the entries and exits are kept clear in an emergency. Also, that all bags are
tucked underneath the tables to avoid a tripping hazard. It is important to make sure that all the
electronics equipment is in working order and there is small chance of any malfunctions happening.

There is also a need to make sure that all the materials used in class are age-appropriate and
acceptable for the classroom

Resources:

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Samuel Linnenbank English Curriculum 2A: Assignment 1 17712170

Lesson 3:

The third lesson is set after both the first two lessons, putting it between the middle and the

end of the Area of Study. This lesson is designed to continue to use the skills that have been

builded upon in the previous lesson with a new form of text, as well as starting to use them

in their own response to a text. The main crux of this lesson is to start to shift and

manipulate the students own perceptions of whether memory is entirely positive and

entirely negative. The text Memories Lost by Laura Miller uses the concept of memory in an

interesting way that the student havent been exposed to. Getting them to study it, as well

as creatively respond to it, forces them to change their own ideas and perceptions.

The lesson starts with the students entering the classroom and taking their seats. The

teacher then instructs them to answer the questions, What are the positives of memory

and what are the negatives of memory. Once the students have answered this question in

their books, ask them to discuss their answers with their table, and then with the class.

Once finished, introduce the students to the text, and then read through the text together

as a class. Once the class has finished reading the text ask them how they feel about the text

and what it said to them about memory. Use the information gleamed from this discussion

to further influence the next section of the lesson.

Once that section is finished. Ask the students to answer the question Does this text

portray memory in a negative way as positive way. Once the students have answered the

question divide them into groups regarding their answers and have a small

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Samuel Linnenbank English Curriculum 2A: Assignment 1 17712170

discussion/debate about the different merits for each side. The point of this is to start the

children down the path that the concept of memory can be fluid and isnt always defined

positively and negatively.

Following on from this section the students are required to rewrite the story in their own

words, from the other parties (the daughters) perspective. As an extension of the previous

activity, students are asked to present the concept of memory in the story differently to

how they thought it was portrayed in the original text. There is room here for low-end

students to simply retell the story from a different perspective with the same construction

of memory. But it also allows the higher-end student to write a story and construct memory

in a way that they dont necessarily disagree with. The activity should be given a long

amount of time to allow students to respond to the text as well as exploring creating

memory in their own ways. If time remains after this activity, ask students to reflect and

write how they constructed and portrayed meaning in the text through their use of

language and language techniques.

This lesson is designed to get the students to start responding to texts and it also continues

developing students creative writing abilities. This lesson would be followed by others of

similar natures that include more responding and creative writing, as these skills are

specifically targeted within the syllabus as well as the HSC. It shifts the Area of Study from

simply studying to interacting with and using the concept of memory in their own specific

way.

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