Contemporary Teacher Leadership

Report

MEENA HAMDARD

MASTERS OF SECONDARY TEACHING – WESTERN SYDNEY UNIVERSITY

Executive summary: Objective, Context, Goals, Recommendation

This report explains the changes made to the Stage 5, Year 10 English unit Conflict: Shakespeare/Film Appropriation. The unit was taught
during Professional Practice 1 in 2018 to a lower ability, however capable Year 10 class during Term 2, Weeks 4-9.

This report has been created for the English department at John Edmondson High School, a highly diverse 7-12 government high school located
in South West Sydney, Horningsea Park. The school consists of a total of 1174 students, with 66% of students who come from a language
background other than English, and 3% are Indigenous students (ACARA, 2019). The school maintains an even number of boys and girls, 50%
boys and 50% girls. An incredibly diverse school environment, it was important to ensure that this unit was relevant and interesting to students
across different backgrounds considering students were studying a historical text, which many displayed disinterest in.

The ultimate goal of this report is to highlight some of the adjustments to be made to this unit of work to keep the topic area relevant and
interesting to this group of students. Understanding by Design (2005) framework will be the central approach to modify the unit, in particular the
three stages of this framework which include identify desired results, determine assessment evidence and planning learning experiences and
instruction. This design will be fundamental in the modification and adjustment of the unit and assessment provided.

The following recommendations have been made for this unit to adjust to the needs of the students who are in a streamed classroom and are all
lower ability. Many of the students displayed a lack of interest in the study of English, therefore a number of differentiation efforts are required
to engage the students. Students expressed that the study of Shakespearean texts was irrelevant to their lives and contemporary society, therefore
the following recommendations have been made to better cater to the learning needs of this lower ability classroom according to the
Understanding by Design Framework:

- Include students’ own personal understandings of conflict by inviting their own perspective, culture, experiences.
- Each week to be broken up into different areas of learning, with key essential questions to be posed at the beginning of the week and
broken down throughout the lessons as well as end of the lesson as a method of formative assessment, as covered in Stage 2 of UbD.
- Less reading of the play as the language and script is challenging for a lower ability classroom, other methods of practical engagement
with the text such inquiry based learning approaches, as highlighted in Stage 3 of UbD.
Recommendations
For a lower ability classroom, it is important that the unit of work contains plenty of scaffolding and differentiated activities to meet the learning
needs of lower ability students. As mentioned earlier in the report, the unit contained some aspects of differentiated activities. However, the unit
does require adjustment to meet the learning style for lower ability students. In teaching a historical Shakespearean play, one of the shortcomings
of this unit is that it is heavily reliant on reading, comprehension and summarisation of the text. These teaching methods hinder student’s interest
and engagement with the activities as they do not create meaningful connections between the student’s lives and the texts. Furthermore, there is a
lack of authentic general capability activities which are required to enhance critical thinking skills, visual literacy and social and personal
capabilities. The modifications of this unit have been made according to the Understanding by Design (UbD) Framework which consists of three
stages of backward mapping. By firstly mapping out how learning activities and skills will be relevant to achieving the assessment task
outcomes, teachers can then determine the level of student engagement and understanding through informal and formative assessment. From
here, we move onto the final stage of backward mapping which consists of an inquiry-based pedagogy. By integrating this Framework, the
English faculty at John Edmondson High School can improve the quality of learning for the streamed lower ability classroom.

The process of backward mapping includes setting learning goals through an assessment task, as part of Stage 1 of the UbD Framework. This
involves the teacher considering the expected understandings that students will gain from the unit, the essential questions that will be posed and
key knowledge and skills that students will acquire as a result of learning this unit (Mctighe, J. & Wiggins, G, 2005). It is important to have
these goals set out firstly, and then setting out the content priorities in teaching (Tran, T., n.d). Stage 3 of the UbD Framework highlights the
planning of learning experiences and instruction. One of the shortcomings of this unit is the emphasis on reading and comprehension of the
Shakespearean play. As highlighted earlier in the report, students displayed disinterest in Shakespearean texts. As students streamed in a lower
ability classroom, students may have difficulty in processing information, retaining it, and understanding its significance or relevance. There is a
lack of scaffolding in this unit that supports students in writing and literacy tasks. Scaffolded learning includes the breakdown of tasks into
smaller chunks and more explicit instruction before and during activities. It assists students in reaching their learning goal with an adequate
degree of support from the teacher (Devlin, M., McKay, J., Smith, L. & Kift, S, 2012). Highlighting key words from the text, creating concept
maps to break down complex terms improve literacy skills (Coleman, R. & Quigley, A, n.d.). Furthermore, traditional approaches to teaching
Shakespearean texts impedes student’s engagement and success with the text. For lower ability classrooms, activities need to be modified that
target literacy skills in a way where students remain engaged. In the unit, students read passages out aloud, a method which is deeply flawed
(Purewal, S., 2017). Making the text relatable by actively experiencing the characters through dialogue and roleplay enhances student’s literacy,
as well as critical and creative thinking. The skill of being a critical and creative thinking student can be acquired when the teacher gives many
opportunities for students to reflect on their own personal experiences or ideas. Having students visually map out their ideas through a Graffiti
Board activity or Think/Pair/Share are active teaching-learning strategies which promote self-esteem and an increase in learning for students
(Kaddoura, 2013). The active engagement of students is essential, especially in a learning dynamic where students may become disengaged. A
recommendation for this is for the unit to integrate more personal and social capability skills. This includes opportunities for open discussion,
problem solving and working with others (Goss, P. & Sonnemann, J, 2017) as collaborating with peers improves student achievement and
attitudes to the learning. Furthermore, collaborative learning opportunities enable opportunity for formative assessment and targets students’
personal and social capabilities.

Formative assessment strategies have been embedded in the reconstructed unit as a method of evaluating consistently and clearly what students
have learnt from a lesson or the week’s focus. Formative assessment includes activities undertaken by teacher and students themselves as
feedback on how students can learn more effectively (Dixson, D., & Worrell., F, 2016), as part of Stage 2 of the UbD Framework, determine
acceptable evidence. The original unit contained no method of formative assessment, there the reconstructed unit provides different variations of
formative assessment such as exit card at the end of lessons, leading and probing questions during discussion, KWL table and reflective writing
tasks about a theme in the texts. Not only is the integration of formative assessment for this unit important, but the goal of collecting this form of
evidence is also highly integral. Knowing the use of formative assessment and the necessary tools to reach the goal is imperative (Dixson, D. &
Worrell, F, 2016).
Numeracy and ICT have been embedded in the new unit to foster knowledge construction as part of general capabilities. Technology is the
“teaching machine which promotes learning through the drill-and practice activities in tutorials” (Tran, T., n.d., pg. 3), and allows students to
explore knowledge from different angles such as online videos and research activities. Furthermore, numeracy has been embedded in the unit
without the typical use of a textbook, (Fletcher, E. & Schneider, B, 2005) but analysing the structure of the play and patterns in the text, as well
as patterns in rhyme. Students also engage in research about the trends in feminism and construct a timeline, which supports the use of numeracy
when engaging with a theme in the text, developing critical and creative thinking.

The most significant recommendation for this unit refers back to Stage 3 of the UbD Framework: Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction.
With the identified results and evidence of learning, the most appropriate instructional activities for a lower ability classroom include those that
that allow for a more personalised learning experience for students. McTighe & Wiggins (2005) write that authentic challenges in the classroom
consist of realistic activities where the context of the provided task is aligns with real world opportunities and issues (2005). Embedded in the
Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (2017), Standard 1.1 is ‘Know students and how they learn’. For a lower ability classroom,
students require a learning experience that enables them to reflect on their own community and experiences. As a highly multicultural school, the
modification of the unit consists of students engaging deeper with the themes in the texts and making meaning out of these texts from their own
personal ideas and experiences. This is also a form of culturally responsive pedagogy, where the teaching and learning is focused around the
importance of students’ background and their experiences of all learning, promoting a wealth of diversity and validating students experiences
and their place in the world (Samuels, A., 2018). This enables the opportunity for students to explore their cultures and the community around
them (Brown, H. 2004) through reflective writing pieces about themes of conflict, masculinity and gender roles. Rather than being passive
learners who complete tasks which has no authentic connection to them, the modified unit is framed around inquiry-based learning. Teacher led
and student led discussions and debates enable students to exposit these course themes at a more personalised scale.

The method of backward mapping as part of the UbD Framework ensures that course content and outcomes meet the lesson activities and
instruction. Through linking the classwork with class content, assessment and outcomes, students are better able to understand what they are
learning and its significance to them. Differentiation has been highlighted as a key modification in this unit to ensure that the lower ability
classroom is not disadvantaged, and can engage with the course in a meaningful and authentic way. Through collaborative learning, inquiry-
based pedagogy as well as culturally responsive pedagogy, visual learning strategies and open classroom discussion, the adjusted unit suits the
capabilities and strengths of the lower ability classroom in an effective manner.
 Reconstructed Unit
Key:
1.Literacy and Numeracy 2. Critical and Creative Thinking 3. Personal and Social Capabilities 4. UbD Backward Mapping 5. ICT

Thematic Focus: Conflict (Shakespeare/Film Appropriation) | Course: Stage 5 Year 10 | Duration of Unit: 5 weeks (20 hours)

Unit overview Resources needed for this unit

Students learn about appropriation as a literary function utilised by some composers.
This allows them to make connections across texts as well as explore the impact of
context on texts (and cultural expression).
They engage with a dramatic text as well as film and therefore will expand their
knowledge of metalanguage for these text types as well as textual forms and features.
- Taming of the Shrew – Play and Extracts
- 10 Things I Hate About You – Film and Related Activities.
- Language/Poetic/Cinematic Technique Glossaries

Students engage with Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew and Gil Junger's 10 Things
I Hate About You. Due to time constraints, teachers should complete an overview of
the whole play and then choose selected scenes. Focus should be primarily on
conflict and the reasons for the conflict. Students should consider whether contextual
differences in each text impact on the reasons for the conflict and the form it takes.
Focus areas:
- Appreciating and researching context.
- Film analysis of key scenes.
- Analysis of play/Shakespeare.
- Theme analysis and Characterisation
- Comparison between modern and traditional texts.
- Technique revision
- Analysis paragraphs: STEEL/SETEL/PETAL/ALARM
- Reading and comprehension
Outcomes Teaching Strategies Learning Strategies (Evidence Resources needed
skills & Include differentiation, literacy & numeracy et al. Teachers will: of learning)
concepts Assessment for, of and as learning
– Students will:
Learning intentions written on the board at the beginning of every Summary ordering activity Plot summary sheets
EN4-3B
lesson. Teachers are to provide a summary of the play ‘The Taming of the Timeline/student notes
Shrew’ and read through this with the class. Words are to be omitted Image and text storyboard Act 1 and 2 Summary
EN5-4B CLOZE PASSAGE.docx
from the summary for students to fill in using a word bank at the
bottom. Students can create a timeline of events/highlight key moments. Comprehension class tasks and
EN5-1A Teacher hands out images of key scenes with a brief description of what Quizzes on plot. shrew character map.doc
is happening in that scene. Students create a chronological storyboard.
Teacher models the first image and text description as guidance for whos who.doc
students.

Teacher to provide comprehension on each key scene/act. This can be Comprehension Questions.
completed as a teacher directed task, group work, paired work. Could be (Teachers may have
collected as class work. Specific scene analysis should be MODELLED by Contemporary rap/short story varying versions
the teacher so students know how to address certain styles of questions. script appropriate to the class
Classroom is given script of an Act from the play, however teacher Visual organiser (Venn or other they are teaching)
hands out an excerpt from that scene to a pair of students. Pairs can graphic organiser)
choose to write a rap script or write a short story script using modern Quizzes on techniques
day language about their excerpt from the Act. Teacher goes around Projector/youtube
the classroom, and each pair shares their rap/script from the beginning Summaries/Clips
of the Act until the last pair shares their work for the last scene.
Teachers could supplement play with viewing scenes from a traditional
version of the play.
Revision on soliloquys and speeches. Analyse Katherina’s speech at the end
of the play and compare her actions to Act 1. This could be completed
through an essay paragraph comparing the character or through visual
 organisers, depending on your class. Teacher led discussions, using
key vocabulary to discuss the
Over these weeks, students write a character profile for Katherina,
change in characterisation.
Petruchio, Bianca, Baptista and Lucentio to understand the
characterisation of each character.
Character maps/profiles

- Teacher to define and explain what the form 'appropriation' is. Creation of own Appropriation Booklet.pub
EN5-1A appropriation?
Introduce metalangauge such as: some key terms to introduce -
EN5-8D appropriation; subversion, intentional; cultural assumptions; intertextuality. Student notes/book work. Shakespeare Appropriation
Pair work Glossary. PowerPoint.
Students draw a KWL table in their books labelled “Everything I know
about Shakespeare”. Teacher directed discussions
EN5-5C Written reflection activity YouTube clip ‘Shakespeare
Teacher displays YouTube clip ‘Shakespeare Reference in Rap Lyrics: Reference in Rap Lyrics: An
KWL Chart
An Animated history’. Classroom discuss the examples of Shakespearean Animated history’.
texts being used as inspiration in contemporary texts. Research activity
Reflective writing task Butchers paper
Provide samples of popular appropriation texts to make real connections
with the definition and their own knowledge. Some examples include -
artworks, Banksy graffiti, advertisements; film clips; links can be made also Appropriation comparison
to Shrek and West Side Story. Mona Lisa pictures etc. Students can also
research this online, compare contexts and explain what is different about
each text and why. Teacher places the texts across the classroom and
students move to each station and on butchers’ paper, write a short
description of how one station’s text is similar/different to the other,
 comparing context.
Exit Card: Why is Shakespeare’s texts still relevant to artists today?
Using Chromebooks, students research about the trends of feminism
over centuries, creating a timeline of the key events that was successful
for the feminism movement. Teacher provides students with links for
their research. Students construct their timeline on a worksheet where
they write the date and short description about how that time was a
changing period for feminism.
Teacher leads discussion about domestication as a key theme in Taming
of the Shrew. Classroom brainstorm what feminism means to them.
Teacher writes stimulus on the board ‘Is domestication a part of your
life? What examples of domestication do you experience in your own Classroom discussion
homes or Australian societies?”. Classroom verbally discuss their
responses.
Students write a paragraph responding to this question. Students can
volunteer to read their responses to the class. Classroom discuss the
similarities/differences that they experience regarding domestication.
Students read a worksheet about the opinion of women during
Shakespeare’s era. They write a short report in their books about how Reading comprehension Women in Shakespeare era
the views of ‘shrew’ have changed.

Before viewing
EN5-5C - Quizzes.
Teacher to lead prediction activity - discussion regarding how students - Film summary – may vary from
- Student notes. teach to teacher.
might think Taming of the Shrew would be appropriated. - Plot comparison.
EN5-4B What points of conflict might still be in play in modern times? - Writing activities. 10ThingsTable.docx
- Visually representing
EN5-8D What things could be changed?
differences.
Teacher displays different play variations of Act II Scene I where
-Classroom discussion
Katherina has tied Bianca’s hands to give students different
perspectives of this scene. Teacher then hands out a worksheet of the Scene analysis and language
script of this scene. Students highlight key words which demonstrate deconstruction
the theme of ‘conflict’ between the sisters. Students create a graphic
organiser and use adjectives to identify the difference between
Katherine’s and Bianca’s characterisation.
Why would these changes occur? (n.b many students will have seen 10
Things I Hate About You so may know the changes regardless but this will Brainstorm Various resources of English
allow them to engage with the idea of context and cultural values explicitly. Drive:
Watch the trailer of the film: brainstorm contextual changes hinted at. Taming Kat Booklet.pub
During/ post viewing activities
Teachers to provide summaries of the film and make comparisons between AnalysisQuestionsonFilm.doc
the Shakespearean text (Characters, setting, plot, resolution) Students to fill x
out table regarding differences and similarities.
PatrickBooklet.pu
Students complete a worksheet where they fill out the genre, theme, Movie Chart
DVD
setting, main characters, plot summary of the film. Graffiti Board comparison of
Students engage in a Graffiti Board activity where they all write on the texts Chromebooks
board similarities between the play and the film. Mind Map
Students then design a mind map about the different conflict in Taming Structured paragraphs
of the Shrew and 10 Things I Hate About You. Students are to include Comprehension questions
not only characters, but what aspects of the plot convey conflict. Student and teacher lead
Exit Card: Which text highlights more conflict between characters? discussions.
Why? Exit Card as formative assessment 10 Things I Hate About You
scene
Teacher plays a key scene from 10 Things I Hate About You which is
comparable to a scene from The Taming of the Shrew. Teacher also
provides transcript of texts for students to read. Classroom engage in
discussion about: Why is the language different in each text? Which
language do you prefer more? Comparing of language activates critical
thinking. Poem analysis
Student engage in intertextuality by reading Kat’s poem in 10 Things I Think/Pair/Share activity Kat’s Poem
Hate About You. Students read aloud and in their books, they write the
mood of poem, such as anger, sadness, and other techniques such as
repetition, rhyme.
Differentiation:
If this is an extension class each of these elements can be given a group
who work on the analysis and present to the whole class or regroup like a
jigsaw activity to share information.
Personal writing activity
For groups which require learning support teacher summaries could be
used to target language and grammar where students choose the correct
word, fill in words, sequence sentences or correct summaries for
punctuation and tense. Teacher could provide structured paragraphs for the Scene translation activity
students to complete. Venn Diagram Taming of the Shrew scenes
Teacher hands out worksheet with excerpts of different scenes from the
play. Other side of the worksheet contains modern translations.
Students match which scene matches with which modern day Think/Pair/Share
translation.

Students do a think/pair/share about the theme of ‘masculinity’ and

how the idea of masculinity has changed/stayed the same.
Students complete a short writing activity about what masculinity
means today and how people perceive it with their own examples.
Students share their writings with the class.
Online research activity
Chromebooks
Using Chromebooks, students research about other couples in movies Scaffolded worksheet about
or TV shows. Teacher provides examples such as The War of the Roses couples
and Mr& Mrs. Smith. Teacher provides scaffolded worksheet for
students to write about their researched couples and compare the
relationship dynamic with Katherine and Petruchio and Kate and
Patrick.

Close analysis of scenes

View film and complete comprehension questions for Key scene analysis
from 10 Things I Hate About You:
- "No dating till Kat does"
- Prom scene
Student led discussion
-"Reading the poem"
Students read the Scene about Petruchio from Taming of the Shrew when he Groupwork news reporter activity
displays masculinity (Act II Scene I). Classroom engage in classroom
discussion: How would people react to this scene today?

In groups of 3, students write a news reporter script, imagining this

scene happening in society today. One student is the reporter, the other
writes the script, the other acts as either Katherine or Petruchio.
Groups must report the events that occurred. Groups complete their
role play in front of the rest of the class. Each group demonstrates how
this scene would be reported in modern day.
This could be done as a class comprehension task where answers are
discussed as a class. Jigsaw activity and sharing answers with different Formative assessment
groups may also work.
Exit Card: How is conflict shown in 10 Things I Hate About You more
relevant to today’s society than Taming of the Shrew?
Facebook character page Facebook page template
Teacher provides a Facebook template for students to create a
Facebook page about either Katherina or Petruchio. Teacher models
what information needs to be included in the profile.
Students compare and contrast the characters in Taming of the Shrew to 10
Things I Hate About You, e.g Katherina to Kat, Patrick to Petruchio,
Baptista to Walter, etc. Students compare their personalities and attributes.
Students read Kat’s final poem in 10 Things I Hate About You and Literary technique analysis
analyse the mood as well as the literary techniques then write their
responses in their books.
Teacher facilitates discussion about how Katherina’s character has
transformed from untamed to domesticated. Questions for this
discussion include: What are some of the words we could use that
explains Katherina’s character initially? How do we know she has
changed by the end of the play?
Students re-write Katherina’s final speech using modern day prose and
language. They are to ensure that the language is understandable to all
their peers. Students share their re-written speeches to the class.