This document discusses using different communication systems in narratives to help students construct meaning. It provides two resources - the book "You and Me: Our Place" and the animated story "Spear" - to analyze visual, textual, and symbolic languages. Teaching strategies are outlined to explicitly teach students how authors use communication systems and to make connections between stories and their own lives. Students will analyze the resources, discuss different ways of storytelling, and create their own story using images from "Spear."

1. Constructing meaning of the
different communication systems
found in narratives
With; You and Me: Our Place
And
Spear

2. Introduction
 What?
We will be looking at different forms of communication systems in narratives:
 How authors use different communication systems to help the reader to construct
meaning/decode text.
 Identify the visual, textual, symbols and gestural languages found in narratives.
 Why?
 So students can listen to, read, view and interpret spoken, written and multimodal texts
including the oral narrative traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples,
as well as the contemporary literature of these two cultural groups (ACARA year 3
achievement standard).
 So students can create a text using written language and images to express events,
information, ideas and characters (ACARA year 3 achievement standard).

3. ACARA Links
 How? (ACARA content descriptors)
 Language: Understand that languages have different written and visual communication
systems, different oral traditions and different ways of constructing meaning
(ACELA1475) Elaboration: learning that a word or sign can carry different weight in
different cultural contexts, for example that particular respect is due to some people and
creatures and that stories can be passed on to teach us how to live appropriately
 Identify the features of online texts that enhance navigation (ACELA1790)
 Literature: Discuss texts in which characters, events and settings are portrayed in
different ways, and speculate on the authors’ reasons (ACELT1594) Elaboration:
reading texts in which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children/young people are
the central characters/protagonists and making links to students’ own lives, noting
similarities
 Literacy: Listen to and contribute to conversations and discussions to share
information and ideas and negotiate in collaborative situations (ACELY1676)
 Identify the point of view in a text and suggest alternative points of view
(ACELY1675)

4. ACARA Links Continued
Year 3 Students will have prior knowledge from Year 2 where they were required to know
and understand that;
 Expressing and developing ideas – visual language: how images work in texts to
communicate meanings especially in conjunction with other elements such as print and
sound – identify visual representations of characters’ actions, reactions, speech and
thought processes in narratives, and consider how these images add to or contradict or
multiply the meaning of accompanying words.
(ACARA scope and sequence, Year 2)
 Language variation and change Understand that spoken, visual and written forms of
language are different modes of communication with different features and their use
varies according to the audience, purpose, context and cultural background.
(ACARA scope and sequence, Year 2)

5. Resources
Book: You and Me: Our Place
Author: Leonie Norrington
Illustrator: Dee Huxley
Animated Dreamtime Story: Spear
http://www.abc.net.au/dustechoes/dustEchoesFlash.htm

6. HOW TO USE THESE RESOURCES TO TEACH THE
CONTENT DESCRIPTORS EFFECTIVELY...
Teaching Strategies: You and Me: Our Place
This text can be used to explicitly teach the concept of how texts contain different
communication systems to help construct meaning/decode the text.
 As a class, look at the cover, title and end notes of You and Me: Our Place. Ask
students to suggest what clues about the story the cover gives to the reader.
 The literary text is beautifully enriched by descriptive words and phrases with lyrical
descriptions of everyday events: . Talk about these, and how they enhance the story
e.g.. “The bridge catches the water…” , “flicky prawns”, “From his world…”. “The
sand crunches with newness under our feet”, poetic images: “Uncle Tobias sends the
silver lure far out to sea to call the fish in”, and language which evokes underlying
meaning and emotions: “His basket smells of salt and darkness”; “Auntie Ruby pulls a
hospital towel around her because her dress is torn”.

7. HOW TO USE THESE RESOURCES TO TEACH THE
CONTENT DESCRIPTORS EFFECTIVELY...
 The story concludes with the boys and their families embracing a different kind of
companionship – the joy of playing on a beach crowded with people from all walks of
life – from the wider community. This allows the students to make links and
connections with their own live and the book.
 Ask students to comment on the illustrations and layout in the book.
Do they consider that the artist’s illustrations enhance the story? How is this achieved?
Did the ending surprise the students?
What were they expecting to happen as the story progressed?
 Using the Picture of Uncle Tobias telling stories from the past as an introduction to the
Spear, “How is Uncle Tobias telling a story with no book? And how can you tell he is
telling a story?”
Are there other ways of telling stories? Brainstorm ideas creating a list.

8. HOW TO USE THESE RESOURCES TO TEACH THE
CONTENT DESCRIPTORS EFFECTIVELY...
Dust Echoes Animated
Dreamtime Story: Spear
Using the continuum teaching method
I, We, You - the Learners will be guided
through the features of online texts that
enhance navigation (ACELA1790)
By using this text I can explicitly teach
the students that a word or sign can carry
different weight in different cultural
contexts, for example that particular respect
is due to some people and creatures and
that stories can be passed on to teach us
how to live appropriately.

9. Teaching Strategies
Understanding what this story is about through questioning
Questioning of the Learners – ‘effective questioning is a key teaching strategy, aimed at
finding out what students know and prompting them to think through ideas, combine
pieces of information and explore ideas.’ (Gordon Winch, 2011, p58)
 To answer these, you will need to look carefully at how the animators have
depicted the scene.
How do we know the spear is magical and special?
How do we know that the man who tries to steal the spear is doing the wrong thing?
How do we know that the hunter is stronger than the thief?
Does the man accept his punishment, or is it forced on him? How can you tell?

10. Teaching Strategies
 Students complete a Think, Pair Share looking at some of the elements or
parts of a film that can influence you.
Students need many opportunities to talk in a linguistically rich environment.
Researchers have found that students' learning is enhanced when they have many
opportunities to elaborate on ideas through talk (Pressley 1992).
• The film’s graphic style – What do the people look like? What does the
background look like? What colours are used?
• The film’s use of music – Is it traditional Aboriginal music or modern
music? How does the music influence your reactions? Is it effective?

11. Teaching Strategies
 Understanding what this story means (written activity)
Aboriginal stories may exist to:
• teach young people about natural events
• warn them about dangers
• explain relationships and identity
• teach them about the law and right behaviour
Which of these is Spear trying to achieve? Give reasons to support your answer.
 Creating a text using five still shot images from the Spear
Students will demonstrate that they have reached the ILO’s by creating their own story
using the images and adding written text and symbols to create their own story. Students
will present their books explaining why they chose to write their story and how their
choice of words enhance the message from the images.
Using the continuum teaching method – I, We, You - the Learners will be guided through
the use of Power Point to make a book.