Year 9 English

Semester 1, 2021

Visual Text Analysis

The Arrival by Shaun Tan

Assessment Options (Select ONE) Due Date Week: Week 9, Term 2

1. 5 Minute Multimodal Presentation with Script Final Submission via: DayMap
(Analytical Option)

2. Visual Text Creation and 650 Word Writer’s Statement (Creative Option)
3. 850 Word Essay Option

Task Description: Option One

Your task is to create a short multimodal presentation and accompanying script for one self-selected double-
sided image from Shaun Tan’s text, The Arrival. Your presentation must show an analysis that answers ONE of
the following key questions:

1. If we consider the central theme of The Arrival as immigration, how is this theme shown by visual
techniques that achieve meaning?

2. If we consider the central theme of The Arrival as Colonisation, how is this theme shown by visual
techniques that achieve meaning?

3. If we consider the central theme of The Arrival as societal prejudice against minorities, how is this theme
shown by visual techniques that achieve meaning?

You will be asked to use the scaffold designed and provided by your teacher to help you detect and explain the
significance behind a range of visual techniques within the text. Suggested visual techniques to look for and
examine include:

• Action qualities: Active and reactive participant, lines

• Setting
• Conceptual qualities (symbols)
• Words and images working together

• Gaze (demand, offer)

• Angle (high-angle, low-angle, eye level)
• Distance (close, mid, long)
• Proximity between participants
• Colour

• Salience - what takes your eye first?

• Reading paths – movement or gaze around the page, directed by salience or vectors.
• Placement – rule of thirds
 • Layout – top/bottom, left/right, centre, foreground, mid-ground, background.
• Framing – the way objects/elements are separated or connected.

Lastly, your voice-over analysis needs to have a clear tone and use correct and formal terminology. Your script
should also be grammatically correct and flow logically in its entirety.

Task Description: Option Two

Your task is to create a visual text that continues and explores a self-identified theme within The Arrival by
Shaun Tan. You may elect to position your created text at any part of The Arrival’s story, but it must have a clear
connection to the narrative of the original text.

Within your created visual text, you must also look to replicate visual techniques that generate meaning and
further discussion on your chosen theme. Suggested visual techniques for you to create include:
• Action qualities: Active and reactive participant, lines
• Setting
• Conceptual qualities (symbols)
• Words and images working together

• Gaze (demand, offer)

• Angle (high-angle, low-angle, eye level)
• Distance (close, mid, long)
• Proximity between participants
• Colour

• Salience - what takes your eye first?

• Reading paths – movement or gaze around the page, directed by salience or vectors.
• Placement – rule of thirds
• Layout – top/bottom, left/right, centre, foreground, mid-ground, background.
• Framing – the way objects/elements are separated or connected.

Lastly, you will be expected to create a detailed writer’s statement of 650 words. In this writer’s statement, you
must discuss how your attempt at re-creating visual techniques extends your identified theme within and the
narrative of The Arrival by Shaun Tan.
Task Description: Option Three
Your task is to create an essay that responds to ONE of the three following essay questions.
1) How does The Arrival tackle discuss reconciliation and the fear of the Other?
2) Does Shaun Tan aim to make The Arrival a modern or historical critique of colonialism?
3) Argue either for or against – The Arrival is more about the experience of the many, rather than the individual.
In your essay, you should refer to the key visual techniques we have look at in class. Suggested visual techniques
for you to create include:
• Action qualities: Active and reactive participant, lines
• Setting
• Conceptual qualities (symbols)
• Words and images working together

• Gaze (demand, offer)

• Angle (high-angle, low-angle, eye level)
• Distance (close, mid, long)
• Proximity between participants
 • Colour

• Salience - what takes your eye first?

• Reading paths – movement or gaze around the page, directed by salience or vectors.
• Placement – rule of thirds
• Layout – top/bottom, left/right, centre, foreground, mid-ground, background.
• Framing – the way objects/elements are separated or connected.

Literacy requirements:
Genre being produced: Multimodal Analysis or Creative Option
The mode being created: Video
You may use iMovie, PowerPoint or Google Slides or any
program that saves as a .mp4 or .mov

Or

Visual Text Creation on a platform of students choosing

with accompanying writer's statement on a word document
Purpose of task: To analyse a visual text and its meaning shown via visual
techniques
Intended audience (real or imagined): Teachers and Peers
Tone required: Academic/formal
Key vocabulary to be included: In addition to the terms listed above:
1. Colonisation
2. Immigration
3. Allegory
4. Social Prejudice
Resources to support task completion: Scaffold, Work Samples, Dedicated Class Time, Formative Assessment
Activities, and Lesson resourced – All Available on DayMap.
Achievement Standards assessed (see rubric below)

A B C D E

They select or re- Insightful analysis, supported by Effective analysis, supported The precise Identification of the visual
create from evidence
Limited and/or inaccurate identification of
from texts evidence, of how an by evidence, of how an analysis resources used by an individual visual resources
to analyse and explain author/illustrator’s use of visual author/illustrator’s use of visual supported by author
how language choices
and conventions are
resources influence readers’ resources influence readers’ evidence of how
used to influence an response response an
audience.
author/illustrator's
use of visual
resources
influence readers'
response

Demonstration of how Sophisticated use of language Effective use of language Use of language Limited/inaccurate use of
manipulating language
Limited evidence
features and images features and images to create a features and images to create features and language features and images to
can create innovative multimodal presentation or creative a multimodal presentation or images to create a create a multimodal presentation
texts
option creative option multimodal or creative option
presentation or
creative option

Use of editing Sophisticated vocabulary choices Effective vocabulary choices Relevant Varied suitability of vocabulary
strategies that
Limited or inaccurate use of vocabulary
consider accurate vocabulary choices
spelling, punctuation, choices
and vocabulary.
Student Name:
Date:
Overall Grade:

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Areas of Strength in Assessment
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Areas of Improvement for Next Time

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Teacher Completing Assessment Rubric: ___________