What is this sequence about?
This learning sequence aims to develop student understanding of a broad range of literary and multimodal texts. It aims to equip students with the skills to analyse how language can be used to convey ideas and emotions, to engage in deep comprehension and analysis, and to identify the strategies employed by authors of visual texts. This learning sequence is intended to encourage students to take joy in engaging critically with rich literary material.
The sequence provides opportunities for students to explore these concepts by engaging with Zana Fraillon’s novel ‘The Bone Sparrow’ as well as a wide range of additional texts.
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Big understandings Through engagement with literature, students learn about themselves, each other and the world. The act of creating texts involves experimentation with and adaptation of language and textual elements. |
The sequence has been written by teachers for teachers. It has been designed to provide students with rich, engaging learning experiences that address the Victorian Curriculum. The sequence consists of five flexible stages, including suggested learning intentions.
Overview of stages
1. Identifying and Exploring Ideas in Texts
Suggested Learning Intentions
- To identify and explore ideas and viewpoints about events, issues and characters represented in texts drawn from different historical, social and cultural contexts
3. Understanding and Critiquing Issues in Texts
Suggested Learning Intentions
- To use comprehension strategies to comprehend and critique ideas and issues in a variety of texts
5. Creating Literary Texts: Pantoums
Suggested Learning Intentions
- To create literary texts that adapt the stylistic features encountered in ‘The Bone Sparrow’
2. Examining How Language Creates Character
Suggested Learning Intentions
- To analyse the techniques authors use to position readers
- To evaluate the effectiveness of language forms and features
4. Analysing Visual Texts
Suggested Learning Intentions
- To understand how visual texts generate a point of view
Prior knowledge
Before you commence this sequence, it is suggested that you ensure your students are familiar with:
- Some basic facts about Australia’s current policy on asylum seekers and mandatory detention
- Terms such as ‘refugee’, ‘asylum seeker and ‘temporary protection visa’
- Poetic techniques such as the use of imagery and figurative devices, and the structural elements of poetry such as ‘lines’ and ‘stanzas’
‘The Bone Sparrow’ explores sensitive issues related to asylum seeking and mandatory detention and addresses violence, trauma, self-harm and the death of a parent. It is strongly recommended that teachers pre-read the text before using this sequence, remaining mindful of students' individual backgrounds and experiences.
All resources and texts should be reviewed prior to use to assess suitability for individual classes. For guidance on text selection refer to the Teaching and Learning Resources — Selecting Appropriate Materials policy.
In addition, it is suggested that time be allocated to creating a ‘safe space' for all students. Ground rules that stress the importance of a respectful classroom environment could be co-created, using the Level 7-8 Rights, Resilience and Respectful Relationships curriculum as a starting point.
Teaching strategies
The Literacy Teaching Toolkit provides advice on the teaching strategies that you could use in this sequence. These strategies include:
- Deconstructing visual texts
- Doughnut sharing circle
- Think, pair, share
- Jigsaw expert groups
- Modelled reading
The sequence highlights opportunities to apply the High Impact Teaching Strategies (HITS), which are a component of the Victorian Teaching and Learning Model.
Vocabulary
Students should be able to understand and use the following concepts and terms by the end of the learning sequence:
| Refugee | Symbol |
| Asylum Seeker | Subject gaze |
| Visual metalanguage | Salience |
| Focaliser | Vector |
| Social distance |
You can find definitions of some of these terms in the Literacy Teaching Toolkit. It is recommended that the explicit teaching of vocabulary occur throughout this learning sequence. The toolkit provides resources and sample activities to support this practice. In addition, a blank vocabulary table can be found in the Resources section of this sequence.
Assessment
Opportunities for formative and summative assessment are identified at different stages of the learning sequence.
You may want to develop a rubric to assess students’ progress. A range of Formative Assessment resources are available from the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority. This includes a Guide to Formative Assessment Rubrics, a series of modules to support you to develop your own formative assessment rubrics, and sample rubrics across six curriculum areas that demonstrate how you can put formative assessment rubrics into practice in the classroom.
In developing a rubric, you may wish to co-construct assessment criteria with your students. Each stage of the sequence provides sample success criteria for students working at Level 7.
Victorian Curriculum connections
Level 6
This sequence addresses content from the Victorian Curriculum in English, Critical and Creative Thinking and Intercultural Capability. It is primarily designed for Level 7, but also addresses the following content descriptions from Level 6:
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Content description |
Stage |
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English: Reading and Viewing |
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Identify and explain how choices in language, including modality, emphasis, repetition and metaphor, influence personal response to different texts (VCELT342) |
Identifying and Exploring Ideas in Texts Understanding and Critiquing Issues in Texts Analysing visual texts |
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Use comprehension strategies to interpret and analyse information and ideas, comparing content from a variety of textual sources including media and digital texts (VCELY347) |
Identifying and Exploring Ideas in Texts Understanding and Critiquing Issues in Texts Analysing visual texts Creating Literary Texts: Pantoums |
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English: Writing |
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Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts, choosing and experimenting with text structures, language features, images and digital resources appropriate to purpose and audience (VCELY358) |
Creating Literary Texts: Pantoums |
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Create literary texts that adapt or combine aspects of texts students have experienced in innovative ways (VCELT356) |
Examining How Language Creates Character Creating Literary Texts: Pantoums |
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English: Speaking and Listening |
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Understand that different social and geographical dialects or accents are used in Australia in addition to Standard Australian English (VCELA362) |
Examining How Language Creates Character |
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Participate in and contribute to discussions, clarifying and interrogating ideas, developing and supporting arguments, sharing and evaluating information, experiences and opinions, and use interaction skills, varying conventions of spoken interactions according to group size, formality of interaction and needs and expertise of the audience (VCELY366) |
Identifying and Exploring Ideas in Texts Understanding and Critiquing Issues in Texts Analysing visual texts Creating Literary Texts: Pantoums |
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Critical and Creative Thinking |
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Investigate thinking processes using visual models and language strategies (VCCCTM029) |
Identifying and Exploring Ideas in Texts Understanding and Critiquing Issues in Texts |
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Intercultural Capability |
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Identify barriers to and means of reaching understandings within and between culturally diverse groups (VCICCD011) |
Identifying and Exploring Ideas in Texts Understanding and Critiquing Issues in Texts |
The sequence can be used to assess student achievement in relation to the following Achievement Standards from the Victorian Curriculum: English Level 6:
- Students understand how the use of text structures can achieve particular effects.
- Students can analyse and explain how language features, images and vocabulary are used by different authors to represent ideas, characters and events.
- Students understand how language features and language patterns can be used for emphasis.
- Students can listen to discussions, clarifying content and challenging others’ ideas.
Level 7
This sequence addresses content from the Victorian Curriculum in English, Critical and Creative Thinking and Intercultural Capability. It is primarily designed for Level 7, and addresses the following content descriptions:
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Content description |
Stage |
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English: Reading and Viewing |
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Compare the ways that language and images are used to create character, and to influence emotions and opinions in different types of texts (VCELT372). |
Identifying and Exploring Ideas in Texts Understanding and Critiquing Issues in Texts Analysing Visual Texts |
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Use comprehension strategies to interpret, analyse and synthesise ideas and information, critiquing ideas and issues from a variety of textual sources (VCELY378). |
Identifying and Exploring Ideas in Texts Understanding and Critiquing Issues in Texts Analysing Visual Texts Creating Literary Texts: Pantoums |
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Analyse how point of view is generated in visual texts by means of choices, including gaze, angle and social distance (VCELA370). |
Understanding and Critiquing Issues in Texts Analysing Visual Texts |
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English: Writing |
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Experiment with text structures and language features and their effects in creating literary texts (VCELT385). |
Creating Literary Texts: Pantoums |
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English: Speaking and Listening |
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Identify and explore ideas and viewpoints about events, issues and characters represented in texts drawn from different historical, social and cultural contexts (VCELT393) |
Identifying and Exploring Ideas in Texts Understanding and Critiquing Issues in Texts Analysing Visual Texts |
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Critical and Creative Thinking |
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Consider how to approach and use questions that have different elements, including factual, temporal and conceptual elements (VCCCTQ032) |
Identifying and Exploring Ideas in Texts Examining How Language Creates Character Creating Literary Texts: Pantoums |
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Suspend judgements temporarily and consider how preconceptions may limit ideas and alternatives (VCCCTQ033) |
Identifying and Exploring Ideas in Texts Examining How Language Creates Character |
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Intercultural Capability |
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Examine how various cultural groups are represented, by whom they are represented, and comment on the purpose and effect of these representations (VCICCB014) |
Identifying and Exploring Ideas in Texts |
The sequence can be used to assess student achievement in relation to the following Achievement Standards from the Victorian Curriculum: English Level 7:
- Students understand how text structures can influence the complexity of a text and are dependent on audience, purpose and context.
- Students demonstrate understanding of how the choice of language features, images and vocabulary affects meaning.
- Students explain issues and ideas from a variety of sources, analysing supporting evidence and implied meaning.
- Students understand how the selection of a variety of language features can influence an audience.
- Students create texts showing how language features, text structures, and images from other texts can be combined for effect.
- Students listen for and explain different perspectives in texts.
Level 8
This sequence addresses content from the Victorian Curriculum in English, Critical and Creative Thinking and Intercultural Capability. It is primarily designed for Level 7, but also addresses the following content descriptions from Level 8:
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Content description |
Stage |
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English: Reading and Viewing |
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Recognise that vocabulary choices contribute to the specificity, abstraction and style of texts (VCELA401) |
Identifying and Exploring Ideas in Texts Understanding and Critiquing Issues in Texts Analysing Visual Texts |
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Interpret and analyse language choices, including sentence patterns, dialogue, imagery and other language features, in short stories, literary essays and plays (VCELT409) |
Examining How Language Creates Character |
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Investigate how visual and multimodal texts allude to or draw on other texts or images to enhance and layer meaning (VCELA402) |
Understanding and Critiquing Issues in Texts Analysing Visual Texts |
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English: Writing |
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Experiment with particular language features drawn from different types of texts, including combinations of language and visual choices to create new texts (VCELT418) |
Examining How Language Creates Character Creating Literary Texts: Pantoums |
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Create literary texts that draw upon text structures and language features of other texts for particular purposes and effects (VCELT419) |
Examining How Language Creates Character Creating Literary Texts: Pantoums |
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English: Speaking and Listening |
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Share, reflect on, clarify and evaluate opinions and arguments about aspects of literary texts (VCELT425) |
Identifying and Exploring Ideas in Texts Understanding and Critiquing Issues in Texts Analysing Visual Texts Creating Literary Texts: Pantoums |
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Critical and Creative Thinking |
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Consider how to approach and use questions that have different elements, including factual, temporal and conceptual elements (VCCCTQ032) |
Identifying and Exploring Ideas in Texts Examining How Language Creates Character Creating Literary Texts: Pantoums |
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Suspend judgements temporarily and consider how preconceptions may limit ideas and alternatives (VCCCTQ033) |
Identifying and Exploring Ideas in Texts Examining How Language Creates Character |
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Intercultural Capability |
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Examine how various cultural groups are represented, by whom they are represented, and comment on the purpose and effect of these representations (VCICCB014) |
Identifying and Exploring Ideas in Texts |
The sequence can be used to assess student achievement in relation to the following Achievement Standards from the Victorian Curriculum: English Level 8:
- Students explain how language features, images and vocabulary are used to represent different ideas and issues in texts.
- Students understand how the selection of language features can be used for particular purposes and effects.
- Students create texts for different purposes selecting language to influence audience response.
- Students listen for and identify different emphases in texts, using that understanding to elaborate upon discussions
Learning Progressions
The Literacy Learning Progressions support teachers to develop a comprehensive view of how literacy develops over time. You can use the Literacy Learning Progressions to:
- identify the literacy capability of your students
- plan targeted teaching strategies, especially for students achieving above or below the age-equivalent expected level in the Victorian Curriculum: English
- provide targeted feedback to students about their learning within and across the progressions.
This Learning sequence is related to the following progressions:
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Level 7-8 span (Part B) |
Creating Texts: Imaginative Text Indicators Level 6-7 span (Part B) |
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Analyses visual text to identify point of view. Recognises layers of meaning. Synthesises information from a variety of complex texts. Analyses the author’s perspectives in moderately complex or some sophisticated texts. Analyses the techniques authors use to position readers. Demonstrates an understanding of nuances and subtleties in words of similar meaning. |
Includes relevant rich, evocative description. Intentionally selects structural elements to organise and stage the text (stanzas, scenes). Uses imagery and figurative devices appropriately. Uses language features to engage reader (uses sensory description to build atmosphere). Substitutes precise vocabulary for common or everyday words. |
The Literacy Learning Progressions have been mapped against the Victorian Curriculum F – 10: English. Teachers are advised to familiarise themselves with this map to understand how particular progression relate to the Reading and Viewing, Writing and Speaking and Listening modes and particular curriculum levels in English.