Secondary Curriculum 1B: Assessment

Task One

By Rachel Foster

17439190

ENGLISH LESSON PLANNING TEMPLATE

Class: Stage 4 Year 7 Time: Period One

Pre-service teachers Objectives:

I wish to improve upon formative marking and assessment in order to determine the
success of my lesson plans. Moreover I would like to improve upon creating
collaborative processes of learning and creativity for the students to create
autonomy and interest in the subject area.

Outcomes:
- Responds to and composes texts for understanding, interpretation, critical
analysis, imaginative expression and pleasure (Outcome One).
- Thinks imaginatively, creatively, interpretively and critically about information,
ideas and arguments to respond to and compose texts (Outcome Five).
-

Content:
- Identify and evaluate devices that create tone, for example humour,
wordplay, innuendo and parody in poetry, humorous prose, drama or visual
texts (Outcome One).
- Critically consider the ways in which meaning is shaped by context, purpose,
form, structure, style, content, language choices and their own personal
perspective (Outcome Five).

Materials:
White board markers
Lesson Starter Activity
Textual Concepts Definitions handout
PowerPoint Presentation on Dorothea Mackellars poem My Country

Procedures
Time Organisation Teaching/ learning activities
5 Teacher Mark roll and make sure that students are present.
Students are to complete the lesson starter activity
while teacher takes the roll.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5FhLOhggmI

Note: Lesson Starter Activity is attached below in

resources.
10-20 Student Mind mapping activity: on the textual concepts
Connotation, Imagery and Symbol

Individually students are to construct three singular mind

maps in their workbooks with the words connotation,
 imagery and symbol in the middle of their mind maps.
Students are to spend five minutes jotting down and
words that they believe relate to these textual concepts.

After such time as a class students are to contribute to

the whole class mind map on the whiteboard around the
textual concepts. Students are to add any ideas they did
not write down at the beginning.

Teacher is then to hand out the definitions of the textual

concepts to the students and students are instructed to
place them in their books.

Note: Handout of textual concepts definitions is

attached in resources.

20-50 Teacher/Student Teacher is to hand out copies of Dorothea Mackellars

poem My Country and as a class read the poem
together. As a class students are to using three different
coloured high lighters, highlight certain words, phrases
and parts of the poem that represent connotation,
imagery and symbol (teacher is to guide students through
meanings and ideas throughout).

Teacher will then present the class with the PowerPoint

slide about the poem, giving both context and clarity to
the content and ideas of the poem. Throughout the
PowerPoint slide the teacher is to stop and explain
certain elements and discuss any relevant ideas with the
class. Also adding to the annotations made through the
earlier analysis as a class.

Note: PowerPoint presentation attached in resources.

50-60 Student Students will now complete an exit slip and jot down
three things they learned in this lesson, three things they
are unsure about from this lesson or three questions they
have and three examples of connotation, imagery and
symbol they can remember from the lesson starter
activity. Students are to hand to the teacher upon exit of
the classroom.
Homework No set homework.

Evaluation/ Extension
The use of an exit slip will allow for formative assessment of the lesson. This activity
provides the teacher with an indication of how successful the lesson was in
addressing the outcomes and content of the lesson. And also provides the students
with the opportunity to address any ideas or questions they may have about the
lesson which can then be address in subsequent lessons.

In Retrospect:
When conducting this lesson plan again I may use a different lesson starter
depending on the students interests and needs of the lesson. I may also use a
different text to provide variety, engagement and interest for the students.

Resources:

Lesson Starter:

Modern Family Snippet - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5FhLOhggmI

Handout of textual concepts definitions:

Connotation, Imagery and Symbol Textual Concepts Definitions

Words and images can signify more than what they denote, extending us beyond
their literal everyday meanings to understand and experience one thing in terms of
another. This extension of meaning may, through connotation, evoke associated
feelings or, through imagery and symbol, lay down new traces of images, sounds,
senses and ideas.

These additional layers of meaning can operate in various ways

graphic representations such as logos and universal symbols stand for

specific things, groups and ideas.
colour and colour imagery may symbolise feelings and mood, according to
cultural convention.
Words, sounds and images connote different meanings according to cultural
and personal experience.
new meanings are made by the placement of one image next to another, such
as juxtaposition in film editing. For example, a woman looking upwards followed
by a shot of a bird in flight suggests a longing for freedom.
metaphors create a new meanings by fusing two different at times
dissonant - things or ideas. This fusion may be explicit statement that one thing
is another or expressed implicitly through the choice of language pertaining to
the other, eg You are the sun in my lifeyour shining personalitythy eternal
summer shall not fade
conceptual metaphors are indicative of ways of thinking. Here, one aspect of
our world is seen in terms of another such as life being a journey with smooth or
difficult paths, point of arrival, new directions and a final destination.
sustained images run as a thread of meaning in a text, guiding interpretation,
and indicate thematic elements.
Connotation, imagery and symbol enrich a text by making words and images mean
more than one thing. They invite students to consider the habitual in terms of the
new and so are important to creative and critical thought.

Figurative language has social consequences as it influences the ways we

conceptualise people, information and ideas. Critical analysis brings to light these
associations and strands of meaning. For example, in the slogan Stop the boats, the
metonymy in boats refers to refugees but removes humanity from the issue.
Connotation, imagery and symbol are often culturally specific and may require
explicit teaching to include all students.

Connotation, Imagery and Symbol (2017), English Conceptual Learning, Retrieved 3

August 2017, from http://englishtextualconcepts.nsw.edu.au/content/connotation-
imagery-and-symbol
ENGLISH LESSON PLANNING TEMPLATE

Class: Stage 4 Year 7 Time: Period Two

Pre-service teachers Objectives:

I wish to improve upon formative marking and assessment in order to determine the
success of my lesson plans. Moreover I would like to improve upon creating
collaborative processes of learning and creativity for the students to create
autonomy and interest in the subject area.

Outcomes
- Demonstrates understanding of how texts can express aspects of their
broadening world and their relationships within it (Outcome Seven).
- Identifies, considers and appreciates cultural expression in texts (Outcome
Eight).

Content:
- Compare and contrast texts that present alternative views of their own world
(Outcome Seven).
- Responds to and compose texts in a range of different modes and media,
recognising and appreciating cultural factors, including cultural background
and perspectives (Outcome Eight).

Materials
White board markers
PowerPoint Presentation
Lesson Starter Activity
Questions Handout
Copy of the poem My Country by Oscar Krahnvohl

Procedures
Time Organisation Teaching/ learning activities
5 Teacher Mark roll and make sure all students are present.
Students to complete the lesson starter activity while
the teacher marks the roll.

Note: Lesson Starter activity attached in resources.

10-30 Teacher/Student Teacher is to hand out a copy of the poem by Oscar
Krahnvohl My Country. Individually students are to read
the poem and jot down any ideas they have about the
poem such as topic, connotations, imagery and symbol.

After five-ten students are to turn to their partner or

group and discuss they believe the poem is about and
what ideas about connotation, imagery and symbolism
they found.
 After five-ten minutes students in their pairs or groups
are to share with the rest of the class what ideas they
found and what they believe the poem is about.

Note: A copy of the poem is attached in resources.

30-50 Teacher Teacher is to share with the students the PowerPoint
presentation about the poem to give background
knowledge and context. Throughout the presentation the
class is to have a small discussion about the context of
the poem and the connotation, imagery and symbols it
presents.
Note: The PowerPoint presentation is attached below in
resources.
50-60 Students Using the mini whiteboards and mini whiteboard markers
that were placed on the students table before
commencement of the lesson; students will use these to
answer a set of questions surrounding the concepts of
connotation, imagery and symbolism is relation to the
poem.

Note: The questions can be found on the teacher

handout attached in resources.
Homework No homework set.

Evaluation/ Extension
The use of the mini whiteboards and the questions is to formatively assess the
success and understanding of the content given so far to the students. It provides the
teacher with an indication of how students are interpreting certain ideas and also if
students are still certain or unsure about certain ideas. It can be used as an effective
tool to assess what students have learned.

In Retrospect:
In future I may chose to present the information differently such as flipped learning
to provide more time for activities within the classroom and I may also different
lesson starter activity.

Resources:

Lesson Starter Activity:

Match the Images to the Text:

A sunburnt country.

Coat of arms.

A national animal

A land of sweeping
plains.
A copy of the poem My Country by Oscar Krahnvohl:

My Country by Oscar Krahnvohl

I love a sunburnt country,

A land of open drains
Mid-urban sprawl expanded
For cost-accounting gains;
Broad, busy bulldozed acres
Once wastes of ferns and tress
Now rapidly enriching
Investors overseas.

A nature-loving country
Beneath whose golden wattles
The creek is fringed with newspapers
And lined with broken bottles.
Far in her distant outback
Still whose cities chafe
Find hidden pools where bathing
Is relatively safe.

A music-loving country
Where rings throughout the land
The jingle sweet enjoining
Devotion to the brand.
O, hark the glad transistors
Whence midnight, dawn and noon
Cry forth her U.S idols
A trifle out of tune.

Brave military pylons

That march oer scenic kills;
Fair neon lights, extolling
Paint, puppy food and pills!
I love her massive chimneys,
Productions, profits pride,
Interminably pouring
Pollution high and wide.

A democratic country,
Where, safe from fears attacks,
Earths children all are equal
(Save yellows, browns and blacks).
 Though Man in Space adventure,
Invade the planets nine,
What shall he find to equal
This sunburnt land of mine?
https://www.scribd.com/doc/270080087/Oscar-Krahnvohl

The Question Handout:

The whiteboard questions handout:

1. My Country by Oscar Krahnvohl is a parody on Dorothea Mackellars version of

My Country? Yes or No?

2. Broad, busy bulldozed acres, once wastes of ferns and trees is an example of
what?

3. What kind of images is Mackellar painting in the poem where it says All you who
have not loved her, you will not understand?

4. What connotations does Krahnvohl expose here cry forth her US idols, a trifle out
of tune?

5. Name three differences you can find between the two versions of the poem My
Country.
ENGLISH LESSON PLANNING TEMPLATE

Class: Stage Four Year 7 Time: Period Three

Pre-service teachers Objectives:

I wish to improve upon formative marking and assessment in order to determine the
success of my lesson plans. Moreover I would like to improve upon creating
collaborative processes of learning and creativity for the students to create
autonomy and interest in the subject area.

Outcomes:
- Uses and describes language forms, features and structures of texts
appropriate to a range of purposes, audiences and contexts (Outcome Three).
- Identifies and explains connections between and among texts (Outcome Six).

Content:
- Describe and analyse the purpose audience and context of texts (Outcome
Three).
- Understand the effect of nominalisation in the writing of informative and
persuasive texts (Outcome Three).
- Explain the similarities and differences in meaning and language between
texts created for different purposes and audiences (Outcome Six).

Materials
Lesson Starter Activity
Comparative Worksheet
Laptops or workbooks
Butchers or A3 Paper

Procedures
Time Organisation Teaching/ learning activities
5 Teacher Mark roll and make sure all students are present.
Students to complete the lesson starter activity while the
teacher marks the roll.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx6FzIXGzZs

Note: Lesson Starter activity is attached in resources.

5-35 Student Students are to complete the worksheet provided by the
teacher. It is a comparative worksheet comparing Dorothea
Mackellars My Country with Oscar Krahnvohl My Country.

Note: Worksheet is attached in resources.

35-40 Student As class discuss some of the similarities and differences
student found between the two poems. Students are also
 encouraged to share their paragraph responses they
constructed by completing the worksheet.

40-60 Student Students are to now use the remainder of the lesson to
create a PowerPoint, poster, a drawing or a video (students
can present this activity anyway they chose they are not
limited to the list given above). To demonstrate their
understanding of the connotations, imagery and symbols
presented in both poems.

The task can be presented either comparatively (comparing

the two poems) or can be presented as a whole; it is up to
the student to decide how they wish to present the
information.
Homework If the activity is not completed is class students are to
complete this for homework. The presentations will be
shared with the class next lesson.

Evaluation/ Extension
By giving the students the opportunity to be creative and chose their own method of
presentation gives students some controlled freedom, there are guidelines given on
what needs to be included in the presentation however the students have the
opportunity to get creative and critical in how they chose to present the information.
By giving slow release of control to students provides them with the opportunity for
them to be less reliant on the teacher and to have some autonomy over their
learning.
The students have been given time in class however depending of how the students
chose to present their information more time may be needed therefore homework
has been set. This task will be followed up in the next lesson where student will be
able to share their creation with the class.

In Retrospect:
In retrospect I may use a different lesson plan idea, utilise different class activities to
create interest and engagement from the students.

Resources:

Lesson Starter Activity:

Students are to jot down what connotations, images and symbols are represented
through this advertisement.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx6FzIXGzZs

Worksheet:
 My Country and My Country:
Complete the following table, listing similarities and differences between the poems.
(use of language, techniques, themes, perspective, time, place, structure)
Similarities Differences.

Personal reflection: Of both the poems, explain in detail which one you prefer and
why? Consider in your answer the use of connotation, imagery and symbol and the
difference they provide.
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Justification
The three lesson plans have been created around addressing the concept of

connotation, imagery and symbol more so focusing on different connotations students

will over the course of the three lesson plans look at; two different poems provide

them with contrast and juxtaposing ideas on the same topic. I have taken these

concepts from the English Textual Concepts website as a starting point to stimulate

my ideas. Boas and Gazis (2016, pg. 2) also communicate English Textual Concepts

is a teaching resource which ensures that the key concepts, and the processes through

which these are learned, should feature prominently in their classrooms. I am

teaching these concepts because I believe they lay a strong foundation for what

students learn within the English syllabus such as poetry, media/multimedia and also

novels and plays. To understand the concepts of connotation, imagery and symbol are

important for English students to understand as it allows them to think critically and

creatively when responding to and composing of texts. These particular concepts I

feel are an easy gate way for year seven students to build their conceptual knowledge

and understanding which they then can transfer to other subjects and other texts

throughout the syllabus. The three lessons are prepared for year seven students and of

mixed ability, allowing me to demonstrate the variety in my pedagogy and teaching

ability to cater for a wide range of students.

The concepts of connotation, imagery and symbol that I have chosen to address are

not explicit within the lesson plans meaning that they are not the sole focus nor the

only aspects covered. I have not delved into the concepts of imagery and symbol in

they way they deserve to be explored, however I have used imagery and symbol to

build on the students understanding and knowledge around connotation and the power
these concepts can have in meaning making and impact. Moreover the concepts are

intertwined within the activities and conversations so that students are not

overwhelmed with the textual definitions but rather are encouraged to interact with

the text and to develop their own understanding of how these concepts play out within

an English lens McCallum, A (pg. 149, 2012) reiterates this ideology and approach as

they state that the meaning of the word will only emerge in context and so students

need the opportunity to work out what they think a word means themselves before

being provided with an official definition, if one is still required . I believe that

students develop a better understanding and grasp ideas more firmly when they are

given the opportunity to build their knowledge of a certain concept or idea themselves

(Gannon, S, Howie, M and Sawyer, W, 2010, pg.235). As long as the basics and

foundational skills are given to the students I believe from there students have more

success and achieve more by given the freedom to explore things on their own. Even

though the lessons are based around year seven students and I understand that year

seven students need more guidance and teacher centred lessons, I feel as though it is

important to allow them small amounts of freedom when choosing how to preform a

task or an activity, which is evident in, my lesson plans. This gives the students some

autonomy over their learning and provides them with the chance to develop their

skills independently rather than being develop through the teacher; Boas, E and Gazis,

S further engrain this idea by sharing that students have better ideas as they share

ideas, clarify misunderstandings and arrive at consensus, They take more

responsibility for their own learning, overcoming reliance on the teacher (pg. 23,

2016)(Smith, C, Worsfold, K, Davies, L, Fisher, R

and McPhail, R, 2013, pg.44)

I am teaching connotation, imagery and symbol through poetry because I feel it gives

students an easier gateway to understanding conceptual ideas. I have chosen two

poems, which are used to juxtapose ideas such as country, home, nationalism and

connection to place (Gannon, S, Howie, M and Sawyer, W, 2010, pg. 87). The use of

irony and juxtaposition through the parody poem provides some comedic relief to the

larger and more complex ideas presented that students may find difficult to articulate.

However the activities I have created such as guided PowerPoint slides, worksheets

and small hooks into the lessons I believe ease students into the bigger and larger

purpose of the lessons and what I wanted them to learn from these lessons. A strategy

that I have used within these lesson plans is called Charting Similarities and

Differences the literature states that it is an effective model to find further evidence

from their own understanding or to add more subtle distinctions (Boas, E and Gazis,

S, 2016, pg.18). The way I am teaching these concepts reflects my own teaching

approach and philosophy. I am addressing these concepts from the standpoint that

students have not dealt with these concepts or texts before therefore allowing me to

slowly and surely build upon the students knowledge. By no means do I build the

students to a point that they could confidently analyse a text using connotation

imagery and symbol but I believe I have given them the skills to at least

understanding how to find and create an understanding through connotation, imagery

and symbol (Gannon, S, Howie, M and Sawyer, W, 2010, pg.22).

Furthermore it is evident throughout my lesson plans that I created activities that are

capable and achievable for year seven students and I have also created lesson

activities that can be completed with modification by all students with varying ability.

Furthermore my use of formative assessment throughout the lesson plans allows me to

gain an understanding of how the lesson went, what ideas may the students not be

grasping and also where can I go from here (Starkey, L, 2012, pg. 63)(Clarke, M and

Pittaway, S, 2014, pg. 313). Examples such as the exit slip, the worksheet and

presentation allow not only the students to explore their new knowledge and

understanding without the pressure of summative assessment and also provides me

with an indication of where to take future lessons and if the ideas being presented are

of interest to the students through the approaches I have taken (Popham, J, 2011)

(Lyons, G, Ford, M and Slee, J, 2014, pg.70). Moreover each lesson plan includes a

lesson starter activity or a hook to engage students with the lesson and also allows

the teacher to set up any material needed for the lesson hooking students into their

learning is about learner engagement and makes a meaningful connection and

perseverance in their learning (Boas, E and Gazis, S, 2016, pg. 40)

Reference List:

Baos, E, and Gazis, S (2016). The Artful English Teacher: over 100 practical
strategies for the English Classroom, Australian Association for the Teaching of
English.

Gannon, S and Howie, M and Sawyer, W (2010). Charged with meaning: Re-viewing
English: Third Edition. Phoenix Education.

Lyons, G., Ford, M. (2015). Classroom Management (4th ed. P. 313) South
Melbourne: Cengage Learning Australia.

Marsh, C, Clarke, M & Pittaway, S. (2014). Marshs becoming a teacher (4th ed.,
p.70). South Melbourne: Cengage Learning Australia.

McCallum, A. (2012). Creativity and learning in Secondary English: teaching for a

creative classroom. Routledge Publishing.

Popham, J, (2011). Transformative assessment in action: an inside look at applying

the process. ASCD Publishing.

Smith, J, Worsfold, K, Davies, L, Fisher, R, McPhail, R (2013). Assessment Literacy

and student learning: the case for explicitly developing students assessment literacy.
Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 38(1). P44-60. DOI:
10.1080/20602938.2011.598636.

Starkey, L. (2012). Teaching and Learning in the Digital Age. Routledge Publishing.