Faculty of Education

Assessment Cover Sheet

Unit Co-ord./Lecturer Dorothy Walker

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Assessment received:

Tutor:(if applicable)
Student ID 991392
Student Name Christine Treloar
Unit Code EMT515
Unit Name Secondary English-literacy: understanding the curriculum
Assessment
#1
Title/Number
Word Count 1529
I declare that all material in this assessment is my own work except where there is clear
acknowledgement or reference to the work of others and I have complied and agreed to the University
statement on Plagiarism and Academic Integrity on the University website at
www.utas.edu.au/plagiarism *
Signed Christine Treloar
Date 31/8/2013
*By submitting this assessment and cover sheet electronically, in whatever form, you are deemed to have
made the declaration set out above.
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EMT515 Secondary English-literacy

Christine Treloar

Assessment # 1

Poetry text and activities.

The Lion's Bride by Gwen Harwood is a thought provoking poem that has fascinated me
since I first read it sixteen years ago. Halfway through what appears to be a love poem there is an
abrupt twist. I think this twist would appeal to year ten students because it is a very striking
contrast. This poem also tests assumptions as although it has 'bride' in the title it does not end
with a wedding. The voice, themes, punctuation and poetic devices of this poem all provide
teaching opportunities. The Australian curriculum, assessment and reporting authority (ACARA)
English criteria I have selected to apply to this poem is from the literature strand and the
'examining literature' sub strand: 'Identity, explain and discuss how narrative, viewpoint,
structure, characterisation and devices including analogy and satire shape different
interpretations and responses to the text' (ACELT1642).
For the first activity I would read the title to the students and ask them what they thought the
poem was about. Then, after reading the poem to the students I would get them to read it through
again to themselves. Then, in pairs or small groups discuss what they thought the poem was
about. Did they each have a different interpretation?
The second activity is a class discussion on themes and poetic devices. I would ask the students
what they think of when they read the word 'lion' and 'bride', does it conjure up any specific
images? Also, what do you think brides and lions represent? The purpose of this discussion
would be to introduce and discuss examples of imagery, analogy and metaphor.
Multiliteracy text and activities
I am a huge Austen fan, my favourite book is Pride and Prejudice. It is also the favourite book
of Amanda, the main character of the film Lost in Austen (2008). She leaves her present day life to
find herself lost in a real life version of Pride and Prejudice. Amanda loves the book and assumes

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EMT515 Secondary English-literacy

Christine Treloar

Assessment # 1

she knows the characters really well but she doesn't. I want the students to keep this in mind
when they watch the film, how well do they 'know' the characters in their favourite books?. What
techniques does the author used to describe and represent them?. My activity is; take a character
out of your favourite book and create a face book page for the m. What are their interests? who are
their friends? think about everything you have on your face book page and how it would translate
to your character. Justify your choices.
This is designed for grade ten students and the English curriculum criteria are; ' Compare and
evaluate a range of representations of individuals and groups in different historical, social and
cultural contexts' (ACELT1639), in the literature strand and 'literature and context 'sub strand.
'Understand how language can have inclusive and exclusive social effects and can empower or
disempower people' (ACELA1564), in the language strand and 'language for interaction' sub
strand. And 'analyse and evaluate how people, cultures, places, events, objects and concepts are
represented in texts, including media texts, through language, structural and/or visual choices'
(ACELY1749) in the literature strand and 'texts in context' sub strand.

There are three major points I have learnt by creating student activities linked to the English
curriculum. Firstly, activity planning is an expansive process that involves much more than just
connecting an activity to the curriculum. Secondly, all planning must show purpose, context and
relevance. Thirdly, it is not what text you choose to teach, but how you choose to teach a text.
The first thing I noticed when I re-read my activities was the use of 'I'. Student interest may
be piqued by a teacher's enthusiasm towards a text but these activities are for students, not
teachers. Now, instead of reaching for my favourites first, I would look at the curriculum and
chose texts that relate to both the curriculum and student interest. One of my peers pointed out

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EMT515 Secondary English-literacy

Christine Treloar

Assessment # 1

that the multiliteracy text I had selected would need to be part of a unit on Pride and Prejudice
by Jane Austen. I had not considered this. I thought because I had selected curriculum criteria
that applied to the three interrelated strands of language, literature and literacy I had everything
covered. However, showing students this film if they were not studying the novel would mean
the film was not in context. Without context there can be no little or no relevance and
consequently little or no meaning. This would be a disastrous teaching move as the purpose of a
text is to make and share meaning.
Instead, I would change the face book character activity to focus on characters in a multiliteracy
text that the students all have prior knowledge of. When prior knowledge is activated, students
become 'text participants', (Freebody & Luke 1990, as cited in Wing Jan, 2009, p5) and are able
to gain meaning from a text. Beginning a teaching activity with prior knowledge enables students
to connect this to new information. I would also introduce more structur e into the activity to
clarify student understanding. To get students to focus on the author techniques they would
construct and fill in a chart with all they know about their chosen character following the 'think,
puzzle, explore' thinking routine. This activity would be in the synthesising stage of a sequence
where students had been explicitly taught author techniques and the face book page would be for
assessment.
Face book is something most, if not all students would be familiar with. This activity then,
builds on prior knowledge and is relevant to students lives in and out of school. Using face book
in a teaching activity comes under the 'use' condition of Cambourne's conditions of learning
literacy (1988, as cited in Wing Jan, 2009, p.10) as ' learning is enhanced when the learning is
related to their experiences, and links them with their needs and purposes' (Wing Jan, 2009,
p.12). This activity also provides an opportunity to develop digital literacy and links to the

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EMT515 Secondary English-literacy

Christine Treloar

Assessment # 1

Australian curriculum general capabilities of information and communication technology (ICT)

capability, and critical and creative thinking.
My choice of poetry, Gwen Harwood's The Lion's Bride, is another personal favourite. At
the poetry tutorial in week four I realised how little consideration I had given to making it
relevant and engaging to students. A number of my peers had examples and activities including
visual and audio components, which made me consider the number of modes I had used. Using a
multimodal approach is essential to a balanced literacy programm e, as it caters for student
learning diversities. It can also be applied to the 'Immersion' step in Cambourne's steps of
learning literacy. I realised in this tutorial that my knowledge of poetry types was limited and this
is something I need to expand in order to teach poetic devices in a relevant way. 'Teachers need
to seek out contemporary poetry themselves to discover the myriad of styles, forms and voices
available' (Kroll & Evans, 2007, p.37). If I was to re-plan this activity I would make it part of the
enhancing phase of a learning sequence. This phase involves explicit teaching. With this in mind
I would simplify the activity to concentrate solely on the poetic device of imagery. I would then
'immerse' the students with different multimodal depictions of lions, brides and lions with brides.
I did an internet search for 'lion bride' after this tutorial and discovered a painting called The
Lion's Bride by Gabriel von Max (1840-1915) and a traditional Swedish folk song by the same
name with similar lyrics to the poem. I would incorporate both texts to encourage student
response to the imagery in this poem. The video for the Madonna song Like a Virgin (1984) was
also mentioned in the tutorial as it includes images of Madonna dressed as a bride with a lion, I
would use this too.

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EMT515 Secondary English-literacy

Christine Treloar

Assessment # 1

The tutorial discussions for the poetry examples were invaluable. Sharing is a great way of
collecting a number of interpretations and resources on one subject. Sharing planned activities
with peers is also gives some insight into how students may react.
A lot of popular culture texts were used by my peers in these activities. Popular culture texts
certainly have a place in the classroom, they are accessible to and popular with students and
students will become engaged text participants if teachers can 'harness that enthusiasm'
(Mission,1998, p.62). However, traditional texts can be just as relevant, provided teachers are
able to ' understand how voices from past centuries can speak to us '(Kroll & Evans, 2006, p.37)
and present activities connected to traditional texts in contemporary ways, such as playing 'who
am I' with Shakespearean characters (Walker, D. Tutorial activity, August 5, 2013).
A balanced literacy programme needs to include a variety of text examples from all different
modes. The variety allows for student diversity and enhances student understanding of the ways
that texts communicate, make and share meaning. Careful planning must be given to student
activities to ensure relevance and meaning are clear. The English curriculum gives guidelines as
to what students need to know but it is up to the teacher to decide what methods and texts work
best for their students.

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EMT515 Secondary English-literacy

Christine Treloar

Assessment # 1

References
ACARA Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (n.d.). The Australian
curriculum:

English.

Retrieved

on

30

August

2013

from:

http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/English/
Andrews, G, (producer) and Zeff, D, (director). (2008) Lost in Austen [motion picture] U.K:
Mammoth screen ltd.
Austen, J. (1996) Pride and Prejudice. U.K, Penguin Books.
Harwood,

G.

(1981)

The

Lion's

Bride.

Retrieved

from:http://maintainingtheragemakesmetired.blogspot.com.au/2008/03/irresistable.html
Kroll, J, Evans, S. (2006) Metaphor delivers: an integrated approach to teaching and writing
poetry. English in Australia, v 41, no. 2, 2006, p35-50
Madonna (1984). Like a virgin on Like a virgin. New York, Sire Records. Video retrieved
from:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHW5RVvg2v4
Mission, R. (1998) Theory and spice and things not nice: Popular culture in the primary
classroom, in Critical Literacies in the primary classroom, eds. M. Knobel & A. Healy, Primary
English Teaching Association, Newtown.
Von

Max,

G.

(1908)

The

lion's

bride.

[painting]

Image

retrieved

from:

http://circuszooanimals.blogspot.com.au/2011/12/lions-bride.html
Wing Jan, L. (2009) Write ways: Modelling writing forms. (3Rd edition). South Melbourne, Vic:
Oxford.

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EMT515 Secondary English-literacy

Christine Treloar

Criteria
and
weighting for
AT1, EMT515
Research and
discuss
key
components of a
balanced
English-literacy
program
to
demonstrate an
understanding of
the scope of the
discipline

HD

20%

Analyse
the
interrelationships
between literacy
theories,
The
Australian
English
curriculum,
planning
principles
and
English literacy
pedagogy
( teaching and
planning
practices).
Synthesise
theoretical
understanding
and
practical
skills
40%
Communicate
complex
ideas
effectively
with
colleagues
through tutorial
tasks and on-line
discussions
in
order
to

80-100%

Assessment # 1

DN 70-79%

CR 60-69%

PP 50-59%

Discuss key
components of
a balanced
Englishliteracy
program as
the concept of
balance
relates to
specific
aspects of
planning
and/or
teaching
practices AND
Demonstrate
engagement
in wide and
thoughtful
research by
drawing from
a relevant
range of
scholarly
literature to
support
discussions

Discuss key
components of
a balanced
English-literacy
program as the
concept of
balance
relates to
planning
and/or
teaching
practices AND
Demonstrates
engagement in
thoughtful
research by
drawing from a
relevant range
of scholarly
literature to
support
discussions

Discuss
some of the
key
components
of a balanced
Englishliteracy
program as it
relates to
some areas
of practice
AND
Demonstrate
some
engagement
in thoughtful
research to
support
discussions

Analyse and
critically reflect
on teaching
and planning
practices to
express
insight into
English
pedagogy
AND
Carefully and
convincingly
argue the
connections
between
theory, the
English
curriculum and
teaching
planning
practices

Analyse and
critically reflect
on teaching
and planning
practices
AND
Carefully
explain and
argue the
connections
between
theory, the
English
curriculum and
teaching and
planning
practices

Analyse
teaching and
planning
practices
AND
Clearly
explain the
connections
between
theory, the
English
curriculum
and planning
practices

Outstanding
critical
reflection on
collegial
interactions
through
tutorial
activities and
on-line

Insightful
critical
reflection on
collegial
interactions
through tutorial
activities and
on-line
discussion

Sound
critical
reflection on
collegial
interactions
through
tutorial
activities and
on-line

Page 8 of 9

Discuss
limited number
of the key
components of
a balanced
Englishliteracy
program
AND
Demonstrates
engagement
in some
independent
research on
the topic

analyse
teaching and
planning
practices
AND
Make limited
connections
between
theory, the
English
curriculum and
teaching and
planning
practices

Some critical
reflections on
collegial
interactions and
on- line
discussion
board
AND
Some

NN 49-0

The
discussion is
off topic
OR
The
discussion
demonstrates
a limited
understanding
of the topic
OR
Excessive
dependence
on the set text
suggests a
limited
capacity for
independent
research

Teaching and
planning
practices are
described but
not analysed
OR
Personal
views are
communicated
but not clearly
connected to
the scholarly
literature on
the topic

No evidence
of
critical
interactions
with peers
OR
Inappropriate
responses to
peers
OR

EMT515 Secondary English-literacy

Christine Treloar
contribute
constructively to
a
collaborative
teaching
and
learning
environment.

20%

Comply
with
academic writing
conventions and
APA style

20%

discussion
board
AND
Deep
understanding
of the benefits
afforded by
shared
engagement
and
achievement
There are no
grammatical
errors
AND
Ideas are
clearly,
concisely and
persuasively
communicated
AND
APA
referencing is
accurate and
demonstrates
wide and
purposeful
research

Assessment # 1

board
AND
Insightful
understanding
of the benefits
afforded by
shared
engagement
and
achievement
There are very
few
grammatical
errors
AND
Ideas are
clearly,
concisely and
persuasively
communicated
AND
APA
referencing is
accurate and
demonstrates
wide and
purposeful
research

discussion
board
AND
Sound
understandin
g of the
benefits
afforded by
shared
engagement
and
achievement
There are
very few
grammatical
errors
AND
Ideas are
clearly and
concisely
communicate
d AND
APA
referencing is
mostly
accurate

understanding
of a few of the
benefits
afforded by
shared
engagement

Does not
engage with
the ideas
presented in
tutorials or online discussion
board

Grammatical
errors are
minor, but
distracting at
times
Ideas are
clearly
communicated
APA
referencing is
good but
inconsistent in
places.

Grammatical
errors are a
concern
OR
Ideas are not
clearly
communicated
OR
Sources are
not
acknowledged

Grade:D+
Comments: Christine- this was an excellent paper that met the criteria of the above rubric. I
particularly liked the critical reflection on your activities. These were insightful and
demonstrated a sound knowledge of what makes effective teaching practices. Just be careful
about using some non-academic terms such as a lot and great. I am sure what you have
learnt this semester will be of use to you in your PE2. Well done!

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