Secondary 2a Assessment 1

Unit Outline
Subject: Module A Course: ENGLISH STANDARD Number of Weeks: 4

Unit title: Contemporary Possibilities
Key Concepts/ Big Ideas The importance of this learning
Students engage in the detailed study of one This unit demonstrates a possible approach to Module A for year 11 Standard English
complex multimodal text. students. The main text for this unit is the Stephen Chbosky film The Perks of Being a
How do communication technologies shape the way Wallflower. Students also have the opportunity to respond to the Shakespearean play
we respond to texts? Othello, connecting to the main text through theme.
How does the composer’s manipulation of aural, Students will produce critical responses to these texts including a comparison of themes,
visual, and language devices shape our imaginative recreations of the texts, as well as a personal reflection on their learning
understanding of a text? from the unit.
Assessment Details
Students will compose a multimodal website which critically compares the themes in Stephen Chbosky’s Perks of Being a Wallflower and a
Rhys Casey, 17501066 Secondary Curriculum 2A: Assessment 1 – Professional Task Due: 21/08/19
text of their own choosing, including texts previously studied (Othello). Their website will adhere to the conventions of a contemporary
multimodal piece including, text, image, sound, and video. Students will also be tasked with writing a personal reflection on their multimodal
piece.
Week/ Syllabus Content Teaching and Learning Strategies including Resources
Sequenc assessment for learning.
Week 1 Introduction to Contemporary Possibilities.
1. What are multimodal texts?
 As a class, students:
- start by breaking down the phrase into
‘multi-modal-texts.’
- Brainstorm features of multimodal texts.
- Discuss the importance of engaging
with multimodal texts in the study of
English, other subjects, and life.

‘Eva Stories’ social media story by Mati
2. Multimodal texts.
- Students reflect on their experiences Kochavi
with multimodal texts, are there any https://www.instagram.com/eva.stories/?hl=en
experiences that stand out?
- List every day experiences with these
kinds of texts (films, tv programs, social
media, websites etc). Students should
come to understand what ‘multimodal
texts’ encompasses.
3. The Outsider.
 As a class, students:
- list on the board characters who are; and
characteristics of, outsiders.
- consider the importance of the study of
the outsider in the study of English,
other subjects, and life.
Close study of the main multimodal text.
4. Students view the film The Perks of
Being a Wallflower by Stephen The Perks of Being a Wallflower – Film by
Chbosky. Stephen Chbosky
EN11-7 - Guiding questions for students to

analyse the diverse ways in
which creative, informative consider whilst viewing the film:
and persuasive texts can
explore human experience,  What is the significance of the movie
universal themes and social
contexts title?
 What outsider qualities do the 3 main
characters demonstrate? (Depression,
closeted sexual orientation, abuse, drug
use, solitude, etc.) Character profiles.
5. Students begin to consider the concepts
or themes expressed in the film that they
could begin to critically assess
(isolation/connection, coming of age,
masculinity, etc.). Think-Pair-Share.
Week 2 (Re-)Introduction to critical analysis.
EN11-1
1. Ask students to choose a theme/concept
investigate, appreciate and
enjoy a wide range of texts that they identified previously from the
and different ways of
responding film to come up with 2 sentences that
EN11-7 highlights the key ideas that

compose critical and creative
texts that reflect particular theme/concept represents in the film.
values and perspectives,
including their own Give them an example. “Abuse is
explored by Chbosky in chilling detail
to demonstrate the enduring effects
abuse has on its victims, in particular,
children. The Perks of Being a
Wallflower represents these effects
through Charlie and Sam who’s shared
experiences of abuse manifest in
disparate ways.”
- Exchange sentences with a peer for
review and feedback (2 ticks and a
cross).
2. Students are tasked with finding 2 or 3
examples from the text that explore their
chosen themes (quotes, scenes, songs,
characters, etc.).
3. Students analyse these examples to find
literary or film techniques that Chbosky
has employed.
- As a class, or individually, go through
the ‘Cinematic Techniques’ website by ‘Cinematic Techniques’ website by Tegan
Tegan Schetrumpf. Schetrumpf at
4. Students are then given the critical https://www.primeeducation.com.au/cinematic-
analysis scaffold (original resource 1.) techniques-critical-studies/
to create a CLACeL paragraph.
5. The teacher will then lead the class
through a close study and class
discussion of key scenes from the film
that explore the themes of the
outsider/isolation that students may
want to use as evidence in their
assessment task. This could also include
an exploration of music in the film
which may appeal to particular students.
- Lead students through The Boat by
SBS, in particular focusing on chapter 6. The Boat by SBS
 What effects do sound and song have on http://www.sbs.com.au/theboat/
the audience?
EN11-2
 What words might you use to describe
explore the ways different
media and technologies the lyrics? (haunting, chilling, sombre)
influence the experience of a
text, for example how reading
pathways in digital texts can
offer responders (readers,
listeners, viewers, an
audience and so on)
autonomy
Week 3 Critical analysis of secondary text.
1. Students will go through the critical
analysis scaffold (original resource 1.)
with the secondary text of their own
choosing that shares similar themes with
the main text. This will give students an
opportunity to clarify if their text is
appropriate and get a start on the
informative part of their multimodal.

‘Humans of New York’ website
Introduction to multimodal.
EN11-4 https://www.humansofnewyork.com/
transfer knowledge of
1. As a class, explore some websites as
language and literary devices ‘Adidas-careers’ website https://careers.adidas-
to engage with unfamiliar
exemplars for a multimodal piece.
textual forms or texts in group.com/teams/makers/design
unfamiliar contexts
- What are the common elements of a
‘Black Negative’ website
website?
http://blacknegative.com/#!/home/
- What makes a website engaging?
2. Brainstorm some ideas that students
could use in their multimodal
production (sound, image, video, gif,
scrolling, navigation, hyperlinks,
music).
3. Take a closer inspection of the 3
websites.
- Rank them in order of most engaging to
least engaging.
- What areas do they do well in, what
could they improve?
- Would you be likely to recommend the
website to someone else?
- How likely are you to visit the website
again?
- Where they helpful? Why/why not?
4. Go through the website scaffold
(original resource 2.) and ask students to
create a story board of their own
website. ‘Google Sites’ website
5. Introduce students to google sites as a https://sites.google.com/
EN11-1 possible tool for website creation in

compose texts that integrate
different modes and media for their assessment. Remind them that it
a variety of audiences and
purposes doesn’t need to be a website, they can
make a multimodal piece of their own
choosing.
- Lead the class through the initial steps
of creating a website or allow students
to explore the page on their own.
- Run through how to add images, videos,
and text and the importance of the
layout. Refer to previous website
examples.
- Discuss colour scheme choice.
- Discuss with students that their website
needs to be aimed at a particular
audience and that their choices in design

EN11-2
experiment with and assess and language should reflect that.
the effects of using
multimodal and digital - Give students time to explore the site at
conventions, for example
navigation, sound and image their leisure, they may choose to use a
different website creation tool.
6. Revisit the website story board (original
resource 2.) and ensure students create
an updated story board based on their
exploration of Google Sites and

EN11-2
use and assess strategies for exemplar websites.
planning, drafting, editing and
revising, correcting for errors,
refining ideas and ensuring
consistent and appropriate
style
Week 4 Reflective writing.
EN11-9
support the learning of others 1. Self-reflection exercise. Being able to
by objectively assessing their
strengths and needs as self-reflect is the skill of a good learner,
learners and offering
constructive feedback as if we are able to look at our selves and
appropriate
decide what is working and what
doesn’t work, we can become better
learners.
- Ask students to close their eyes for a
few minutes at a time, maybe play some
calming music to set the tone.
- First, ask students to think about their
strengths, what are they good at, do they
have any skills?
- Second, ask students to think about their
weaknesses, maybe they are easily
distracted or need to practice a certain
skill.
- Third, what elements of their lives could
be a hindrance? Is there anything at
work or home that could be distracting
them or impacting their school life?
- Fourth, what achievements do they
have?
- Fifth, what makes you happy? Is there
anything they are unhappy with?
- Sixth, is there anything they can do to
improve in these areas?
- Students make a note of their thoughts
in a personal confidential reflection
journal; the teacher could revisit this
activity later on in the term or year so
students can see if they’ve made any
changes to their lives.
2. Ask students to choose one of the
websites we have previously look at,
hand out the reflective writing table
(original resource 3.).
- Ask students to reflect on their chosen
site by filling in the table.

EN11-9
create texts reflecting on their - Be as honest as you like.
own learning, considering
how processes can be - They could also choose to fill out the
adjusted to ensure better
learning outcomes table to reflect on the current unit or the
teacher.
- The teacher should make it clear to
students that they can use this table as a
guide for the reflective part of their
assessment task.
3. Students are given the opportunity to
peer assess each other’s multimodal
progress so far including drafts, story
boards, or abstract thoughts they may
EN11-9 have concerning the task.

use constructive, critical
feedback from others to 4. The remainder of the unit should be
improve learning, including
their own composing and dedicated to revisiting key scenes from
responding
the main text and allowing students to
continue working on their multimodal
EN11-9 piece. This gives students ample time to

assess the strengths and
weaknesses of their own ask questions about the task as it will be
compositional style and
amend compositions as a due at the end of this week.
result of the process of
feedback and reflection
Critical Analysis Scaffold (original resource 1.)
Introduction:
a) Introduce your main argument

b) Overview of the key ideas (themes) that support your argument
c) Overview of how these ideas fit together logically
(Using Richard III as an example)
Through the exploration of flawed characters in dramatic texts like Shakespeare’s
Richard III, audiences come to develop an understanding of the powerful themes
present in the play. Dominant themes like power, evil, and love come to the audience’s
consideration through Shakespeare’s memorable, yet flawed, characters like Richard whose
evil nature, brought on by an apparent lack of love, inspires and drives his pursuit for power
at all costs. Secondary characters of the play become pawns in Richard’s plot to seize control
of the crown but are useful in highlighting the play’s themes by holding up a mirror to
Richard’s actions.
Body Paragraph 1:
a) C=Conceptual idea – make a statement of 1 or 2 sentences about the theme for this
paragraph
b) L=Literary evidence – what happened in the text that supports your ideas (quotes and
scenes)
c) A=Analysis – identify the techniques the composer employs
d) Ce=Critical evaluation – what effect do the techniques have on the audience
e) Repeat steps b-d two to three times
f) L=Link – connect the paragraph back to the main argument
Body Paragraph 2:
Repeat
Body Paragraph 3:
Repeat
Conclusion:
a) Restate your argument

b) Make a concluding statement that links each body paragraph
Through Shakespeare’s Richard III, audiences can appreciate the powerful themes
evident in the text. This is achieved most notably through Shakespeare’s remarkable
development of flawed characters. The titular character, Richard, provides us with a lens
through which audience’s come to appreciate how his descent into evil has been triggered by
the absence of love and affection in his life, ultimately leading to his bloody and
unremorseful hunt for power and eventual downfall.
Rhys Casey, 17501066 Secondary Curriculum 2A: Assessment 1 –

Professional Task
Due: 21/08/19
Website Storyboard (original resource 2.)
Main text: Main/home page: Secondary/supporting text:

This page will consist of all your This will be your main website This page will consist of all your
information on the main text. page, it will usually include your information on the secondary text
Consider breaking up segments of website name or title, eg. ‘The of your choice. Follow a similar
information with images and Outsider,’ and is comprised of a (not identical) format to the main
videos (you don’t want to have background image and a short text.
large blocks of information). Hyperlink paragraph introducing your topic. Hyperlink Consider a background image.
Consider a background image.
Hyperlink
Conclusion: References:
This is a smaller page consisting of This page will include a plain
maybe one large image and a short background and only include your
concluding paragraph that links list of texts and references that you
both of your texts. used including image sources.
Hyperlink
Reflective Writing Table (original resource 3.)
When composing a reflection, the first thing to consider is point-of-view. This is your
personal response, so it is traditionally written in first-person.
Here are some questions to consider when composing your response:
Did you agree or disagree with any of the Were your personal views challenged or
key ideas raised? reaffirmed in any way?
How has it influenced the way you see the Has your learning raised any new
world? questions you wish to explore?
How will you be able to use your learning Did you learn anything about
in the future? (in English, other subjects, yourself/Was it a useful learning
or life) experience?

Professional Task
Due: 21/08/19
Gobby & Walker (2017) posit that the purpose of feedback is to support and enhance
learning. Quality feedback can have positive effects on students’ self-worth as learners,
improves scholastic performance, and improves confidence and motivation to learn. As such,
I decided to implement feedback in my unit of work using peer assessment as a means to
promote a more positive learning environment. Gobby & Walker (2017) claim that feedback
can sometimes be perceived as negative rather than as an opportunity to grow and suggest the
use of peer assessment to address these concerns. Peer assessment allows the educator to
distance themselves from the students’ learning, affording students a more active role in their
own learning and giving them a sense of power and control over their learning goals. The
peer assessment and peer feedback in this unit was implemented to afford students a sense of
ownership over their learning outcomes, my theory being that if they are able to provide
feedback to their peers they would come to appreciate any feedback they receive throughout
their learning as constructive rather than negative, and a chance for them to improve upon
their learning.
Williams, Wallace & Sung (2015) recognise that providing students with choice in
their classroom learning has been linked with increased motivation, effort, engagement, and
performance. They also establish, however, that there is a limit to the positive effects of
choice for students. It appears that too much choice can lead to detrimental learning outcomes
due to the wide range of factors at play in the classroom, including student characteristics,
teacher’s self-efficacy beliefs, and the teacher’s classroom management practices. Through
this lens of understanding, I chose to give opportunities for choice in my lessons to facilitate
increases in engagement for my students. For example, students were given the choice of
what they would use the reflection table to reflect on, whether it be the websites, the teacher,
or the unit of study. My hope is that students who are likely to disengage from work they
deem boring with take the opportunity to reflect on something more worthwhile to them.

Professional Task
Due: 21/08/19
Similarly, De Noble, Lyons & Arthur-Kelly (2017) recognise that, through the learning of
Choice Theory, a teacher can’t force a student to do their work, but the teacher can help
students make choices about their learning and behaviour. By becoming facilitators to
learning rather than the authority in the classroom, the teacher fosters open discussions about
learning methods with a focus on quality. Students are also encouraged to evaluate the quality
of their own learning which feeds back into the ideas raised by Gobby & Walker (2017).
Boas & Gazis (2016) contend that student engagement can be fostered through the
activation of prior knowledge. This involves students bringing their experiences and interests
into the classroom. This creates a sense of belonging, increases the perception of relevance of
content, and increasing social engagement. This strategy is great for underachieving students
who lack the motivation to learn. In my unit of work, I exposed them to the multimodal text
‘Eva Stories’, a retelling of the treatment of the Jewish community in WWII through the
medium of Instagram stories. The unit asks students to consider the range of multimodal texts
that they engage with regularly, my goal was for students to recognise that Instagram as a text
type and inspiring students to realise the potential uses of social media.
Weatherby-Fell (2015) balances the arguments for and against the use of information
and computer technology (ICT) in the classroom, highlighting that ICT needs to be used
appropriately and does not necessarily mean a lesson is going to be automatically better.
They go on to assert that it is good practice for teachers to experiment with the use of
technology in the classroom and never to rule it out completely, especially as the Australian
Professional Standards for Teachers has points that relate directly to the use of ICT in the
classroom. Also, teachers should recognise that ICT learning activities will not suit all
students learning needs or situations which is why it is important that we come to know our
students and how they learn. It is with this knowledge that I sought to implement ICT in my
unit of work, both in the assessment task and the last week of the unit. I wanted to give

Professional Task
Due: 21/08/19
students a choice of what kind of multimodal piece they presented. As such, I scaffolded a
website design and provided an application for students to use if they were less confident
with their ability to use technology while affording more computer literate students the
chance to explore other modes to fulfil the task.
Regarding the sequencing of my unit, I attempted to work backwards from a final
assessment task which was to create a multimodal piece and submit a personal reflection on
their design. Week one of the unit introduced students to the concept of ‘multi-modal’ to
make them aware that they, more than likely, engage with these texts on a daily basis
followed by their analysis of a multimodal text, a film. In the second week they would move
into the critical analysis of the film and included a heavily scaffolded resource that would
allow them to organise their thoughts in a structured way. They would have definitely come
across this type of writing in previous years, so it is mainly a guide or refresher tool for most
students. They also received the opportunity to engage with a different kind of multimodal
text, an online comic, my hope was to expose students to a range of unfamiliar text types in
the multimodal realm. Week three’s purpose was to give students a chance to start preparing
their assessment response, the storyboarding resource was developed to simplify the
designing process and to help students visualise what they need to achieve. This lead into the
fourth week of the unit which had a heavy focus on reflective writing. Once again, I provided
a scaffolding resource that could hopefully be used by students in areas, not limited to the
English classroom, to reflect on their learning. Naturally this could be extrapolated from the
table format to become their reflection response for the assessment.

Professional Task
Due: 21/08/19
References
Bigum, C. & Rowan, L. (2015). Developing a professional sensibility to ‘the digital’.
In N. Weatherby-Fell (Ed.), Learning to teach in the secondary school (pp. 173-187).
Melbourne, Victoria: Cambridge University Press.
Haren, R. (2016). Learner engagement. In E. Boas & S. Gazis (Ed.), The artful
English teacher: Over 100 practical strategies for the English classroom (pp. 40-60).
Kensington Gardens, South Australia: The Australian Association for the Teaching of
English.
Walker, R. & Gobby, B. (2017). Testing times for assessment and pedagogy. In B.
Gobby & R. Walker (Ed.), Powers of curriculum: Sociological perspectives on education
(pp. 323-352). Melbourne, Victoria: Oxford University Press.
De Nobile, J., Lyons, G., & Arthur-Kelly, M. (2017). Positive learning environments:
Creating and maintaining productive classrooms (pp. 213-254). Melbourne, Victoria:
Cengage Learning.
Williams, J., Wallace, T., & Sung, H. (2015). Providing choice in middle grade
classrooms: An exploratory study of enactment variability and student reflection. The
Journal of Early Adolescence, 36(4), 527-550. doi: 10.1177/0272431615570057

Professional Task
Due: 21/08/19

Secondary 2a Assessment 1

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Unit Outline

Subject: Module A Course: ENGLISH STANDARD Number of Weeks: 4

we respond to texts? Othello, connecting to the main text through theme.

understanding of a text? from the unit.

Week/ Syllabus Content Teaching and Learning Strategies including Resources

Sequenc assessment for learning.

Week 1 Introduction to Contemporary Possibilities.

1. What are multimodal texts?

- start by breaking down the phrase into

- Brainstorm features of multimodal texts.

- Discuss the importance of engaging

with multimodal texts in the study of

English, other subjects, and life.

with multimodal texts, are there any https://www.instagram.com/eva.stories/?hl=en

experiences that stand out?

- List every day experiences with these

kinds of texts (films, tv programs, social

media, websites etc). Students should

come to understand what ‘multimodal

- list on the board characters who are; and

characteristics of, outsiders.

- consider the importance of the study of

the outsider in the study of English,

other subjects, and life.

Close study of the main multimodal text.

Being a Wallflower by Stephen The Perks of Being a Wallflower – Film by

Chbosky. Stephen Chbosky

EN11-7 - Guiding questions for students to

 What outsider qualities do the 3 main

characters demonstrate? (Depression,

closeted sexual orientation, abuse, drug

use, solitude, etc.) Character profiles.

5. Students begin to consider the concepts

or themes expressed in the film that they

could begin to critically assess

(isolation/connection, coming of age,

masculinity, etc.). Think-Pair-Share.

EN11-7 highlights the key ideas that

explored by Chbosky in chilling detail

to demonstrate the enduring effects

abuse has on its victims, in particular,

children. The Perks of Being a

Wallflower represents these effects

through Charlie and Sam who’s shared

experiences of abuse manifest in

- Exchange sentences with a peer for

2. Students are tasked with finding 2 or 3

examples from the text that explore their

chosen themes (quotes, scenes, songs,

3. Students analyse these examples to find

literary or film techniques that Chbosky

- As a class, or individually, go through

the ‘Cinematic Techniques’ website by ‘Cinematic Techniques’ website by Tegan

Tegan Schetrumpf. Schetrumpf at

4. Students are then given the critical https://www.primeeducation.com.au/cinematic-

analysis scaffold (original resource 1.) techniques-critical-studies/

to create a CLACeL paragraph.

5. The teacher will then lead the class

discussion of key scenes from the film

that explore the themes of the

outsider/isolation that students may

want to use as evidence in their