Our World Our Future English Program

Year 7 Teaching Program: Our World, Our Future
Lisa Edwards – Bossley Park High School
Unit Outline Unit duration
Students explore a range of texts that address environmental issues, including newspaper articles,
10 weeks
editorials, blogs, advertisements, film trailers, poetry, drama, and film, and respond to these texts in
different forms, with a focus on blog posts. Students work in groups to create environmental
campaigns focused on an issue of their choice.
Big ideas/key concepts: Contextualisation Why does this learning matter?
Context and values:
 Texts reflect different values depending on their
context
 Environmental issues are important to discuss in our
society, and there are a range of views about these
issues
 Digital and online media allow individuals to express
opinions about contemporary issues
 Everyone can have a voice and can influence change
Issues around our environment, and human impacts on the environment, have enormous
implications today and in the future. With sustainability a cross -curricular priority,
environmental sustainability is one of the major challenges faced by society today.
Students will consider a range of environmental issues, and, importantly, will be
encouraged to develop opinions about these issues, through wide reading and viewing. This
unit is also important as it teaches students that individuals have a voice in this age of
online media, and that their voices can be shared with a wider audience. Students create
real online texts to persuade a real online audience, which illustrates that anyone can
influence change in contemporary society.
Target Outcomes Resources
A student:
EN4-2A effectively uses a widening range of processes, skills, strategies and knowledge for
responding to and composing texts in different media and technologies
EN4-4B makes effective language choices to creatively shape meaning with accuracy, clarity and
coherence
EN4-5C thinks imaginatively, creatively, interpretively and critically about information, ideas and
arguments to respond to and compose texts
EN4-9E uses, reflects on and assesses their individual and collaborative skills for learning
 Newspaper articles – relevant, current, online
sourced by teacher
 Film trailers – Born to be Wild, March of the
Penguins, The 11th Hour
 Drama - Lockie Leonard Scumbuster
 Brochure – Greenpeace Sumatran Tiger
 Website – Greenpeace
 TV advertisement – “The Majestic Plastic Bag”
Literacy target areas Cross Curricular Priority ICT target areas Assessment
 Sustained writing
Sustainability Online texts:
Formative:
 Persuasive writing
Class blog: WordPress
 Blog posts
Websites: Weebly
 Reading
Summative:
Other Web 2.0 tools
 Spelling/grammar
 Online environmental campaigns

Syllabus Statement
What are the teaching and learning activities that provide opportunities
for students to demonstrate their understanding of these ideas or
concepts?
Evidence of Learning Reg/Date
EN4-9E
use and reflect on metacognitive
processes used for planning, including
brainstorming, mind mapping,
storyboarding, role-play and
improvisation
EN4-5C
express considered points of view and
arguments on areas such as sustainability
and the environment accurately and
coherently in speech or writing with
confidence and fluency
Activity 1: Introduction, brainstorm, and mind map
Introduce the topic and the big ideas that students will be exploring throughout
the unit. Emphasise the link to the cross curriculum priority of sustainability – in
this case environmental sustainability, which impacts human sustainability.
Class brainstorm – environmental issues in today’s society. Create a tiered mind
map on the board, grouping student responses into key issues, as below:
Activity 2: What is a blog post, and why are we blogging?
Use Resource 1 to answer these questions. Discuss the educational benefits of
blogging.
Activity 3: Blog and comment
Teacher creates a blog post, and include the mind map created in class. (View a
sample at http://7aqua.wordpress.com/what-environmental-issues-are-we-facing-
today.) Ask students to comment on the post:
 Which issue is most important to you, and why?
 Which issues will have the biggest impacts on our lives in the future,
and why?
Engagement in class
discussion
Mind Map
Discussion
Blog comments
Engagement in online
discussion

Syllabus Statement
What are the teaching and learning activities that provide
opportunities for students to demonstrate their understanding of
these ideas or concepts?
EN4-2A
recognise the different processes
required for responding and composing in
a range of forms and media
analyse and explain how language has
evolved over time and how technology
and the media have influenced language
use and forms of
communication (ACELA1528,
ACELY1729)
EN4-4B
explore and analyse the
ways purpose, audience and context affec
t a composer's choices of content,
language forms and features and
structures of texts to creatively shape
meaning
EN4-5C
investigate and understand the ways web
and digital technologies influence
language use and shape meaning
Activity 4: Sample Blog Post
Read a recent blog post about a current environmental issue. There are tons
out there. Try the Greenpeace website blog, or just Google environmental blog
posts. A sample has been included in Resource 2. Refer back to Resource 1
when analysing the post. Look at the structure and language:
 Informational
 Interactive
 Informal
 Dynamic
 Social
 Subjective/Opinion
 Commentary
 Democratic
 Real
 Strong personal voice
 Hyperlinks
Discuss the paragraph structure as being similar to any other type of sustained
analytical writing (introduction, series of paragraphs, and conclusion).
Students annotate the post in pairs by identifying:
 Factual information
 Opinion
 Conversational language devices
Annotated blog posts

Syllabus Statement
EN4-2A
use a widening range of processes of
composing and
publishing sustained texts, including
planning, drafting, rehearsing and
editing
EN4-4B
experiment with text structures and
language features to refine and clarify
ideas to improve the effectiveness of
students' own texts (ACELY1810)
create imaginative, informative and persu
asive texts that raise issues, report events
and advance opinions, using deliberate
language and textual choices, and
including digital elements as
appropriate (ACELY1736)
EN4-5C
Understand and apply knowledge
of language forms and features
Activity 5: Current Enviro Issues – Articles
Ask students to find and bring to class (or locate online if using devices) a
current newspaper article about an environmental issue. It is a good idea to
bring a bunch of articles to class in case students forget/don’t have devices. The
SMH or Guardian environmental sections online are a good starting point.
Set first blogging task. See Resource 3, and below:
Your task is to write your first blog post in response to an article that deals
with an environmental issue.
Your post should be around 300 words, and should include:
 a title that refers to the issue in your article
 a summary of the main message of the article. You should concisely
summarise the article in your own words, but you may include some
direct quotes from the article to complete your summary (see Resource
2 for an example).
 your personal response to the article – do you agree or disagree? Is
there anything that we (humans, Australians, individuals) could do to
address the issue? Should we address the issue? Does the
article support or conflict with other views you have?
Note: See Resource 2 as a model. You may or may not choose to use first
person. You will note that the writer’s personal opinion in Resource 2 is clear
without using first person, but as the blog form is personal and reflective, you
may choose to write in first person to convey your opinion. That is perfectly
acceptable.
Blog posts

Syllabus Statement
EN4-9E
reflect on and assess their own and
others' learning against specific criteria,
using reflection strategies, eg learning
logs, blogs and discussions with teachers
and peers
EN4-2A
recognise and practise responsible and
ethical digital communication
consider and apply a range of strategies
to improve their texts, including editing
by rereading and peer editing, checking
accuracy of paragraphing, grammar,
spelling and punctuation, and considering
relevance for purpose, audience and
context
EN4-5C
describe and explain qualities of language
in their own and others' texts that
contribute to the enjoyment that can be
experienced in responding to and
composing texts
Activity 6: The etiquette of commenting on blogs
Key question:
 We know that blog posts are typically based on opinion, and that
blogging encourages comment. What sort of interactions might occur in
blog comments?
Ask students to think-pair-share their responses to this question. Answers
should include that comments may be supportive, or that comments may
vehemently disagree with the post, and everywhere in between.
 How can we comment respectfully on each other’s posts, while
presenting our own opinions?
Formulate some guidelines, as a result of this class discussion, for commenting
on each other’s posts. This might be something like:
 Something they liked about how the post was written
 An idea that stood out for them in the post
 Their own opinion about the issue
 A way the post might have been improved
 Something they liked about the post in general
 Or use CCCQ (Compliment, Comment, Connect and Question)
Ask the students:
 What might be the etiquette if someone comments on your post?
Discuss the responses. Generally, it is etiquette to reply to comments on your
posts, and to comment on the posts of people who comment on yours.
Then, provide some time for students to comment on their peers’ posts.
Engagement in
discussion
Class guidelines for
commenting
Comments and replies
on blog posts

Syllabus Statement
EN4-2A
use comprehension strategies to
interpret and evaluate texts by reflecting
on the validity of content and the
credibility of sources, including finding
evidence in the text for the author's point
of view (ACELY1723, ACELY1734)
analyse and explain the effect of
technological innovations on texts,
particularly media texts (ACELY1765)
use prior knowledge and text processing
strategies to interpret a range of types of
texts (ACELY1722)
reflect on ideas and opinions about
characters, settings and events in literary
texts, identifying areas of agreement and
difference with others and justifying
a point of view (ACELT1620)
EN4-4B
analyse how point of view is generated
in visual texts by means of choices, for
example gaze, angle and social
distance(ACELA1764)
Activity 7: Viewing and listening skills
View trailers for the following environmentally-themed films:
 Born to be Wild
 March of the Penguins
 The 11th Hour
Use Resource 4 as a viewing/listening guide to identify:
 Environmental issue
 Key ideas
 Visual techniques
 Sound devices
 Language
Activity 8: Drama – Lockie Leonard Scumbuster – the play
As a class, read Lockie Leonard Scumbuster, the play, adapted from Tim
Winton’s novel. It’s an engaging, short script, which addresses some key
environmental issues facing many of Australia’s coastal towns.
As they read, students should fill in the Lockie Leonard Scumbuster reading
guide, Resource 5.
As a class, discuss student responses to reading guide. Were Lockie’s actions
justified?
Optional activities:
 Class debate: That Lockie’s criminal actions were justified.
 Mock trial: Put the polluters on trial.
Viewing/listening
guides
Engagement in
discussion
Class reading
Reading guides
Engagement in
discussion
Engagement in debate
Engagement in mock
trial

Syllabus Statement
EN4-4B
plan, draft and publish imaginative,
informative and persuasive texts,
selecting aspects of subject matter and
particular language, visual, and audio
features to convey information and
ideas (ACELY1725)
EN4-5C
share, reflect on, clarify and evaluate
opinions and arguments about aspects
of literary texts (ACELT1627)
explore the ways individual
interpretations of texts are influenced by
students' own
knowledge, values and cultural
assumptions
critically consider the ways in which
meaning is shaped by context, purpose,
form, structure, style, content, language
choices and their own
personal perspective
Activity 9: Blog post - Review – Lockie Leonard Scumbuster
See Resource 6, and below:
Your next blog post will be a review of Lockie Leonard Scumbuster the play, by
Garry Fry, based on the novel by Tim Winton.
Your review should present your perspective of the play, using a strong
personal voice. You should evaluate the play’s effectiveness in exploring an
environmental message for a teenage audience. Would you recommend the
play to teens, to raise awareness of environmental issues?
You should discuss the ideas presented in the play about the environment,
pollution, self-interest, and protest. You may like to discuss the
characterisation, setting, use of humour, Aussie slang, stereotypes, structure,
relationships, and any other aspect of the play that takes your fancy.
Was the exploration of environmental issues effective? Were the characters
relatable? Were their actions justified? Are they good role models? What could
teenagers learn from reading the play? Would you recommend it? Why/why
not?
In writing a review to be posted on our blog, you want to engage, as well as
inform and persuade our readers. You can be conversational, and use humour,
emotive and descriptive language to present your ideas. Aim for around 300-
500 words.
Blog post – review

Syllabus Statement
EN4-5C
critically analyse the ways experience,
knowledge, values and perspectives can
be represented through characters,
situations and concerns in texts and how
these affect responses to texts
discuss aspects of texts, for example
their aesthetic and social value, using
relevant and appropriate
metalanguage(ACELT1803)
EN4-9E
discuss and explain the processes of
responding and composing, identifying
the personal pleasures and difficulties
experienced
Activity 10: TV advertisement/mockumentary – “The Majestic Plastic Bag”
“The Majestic Plastic Bag” is a TV ad, in the form of a mockumentary, made by
environmental groups in the US to persuade voters to vote for San Francisco to
adopt a policy banning plastic bags. It can be viewed here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLgh9h2ePYw
Narrated by Jeremy Irons, it runs for four minutes.
View as a class and complete the guided annotation (Resource 7). Discuss
techniques such as:
 Mockumentary
 Irony
 Voiceover narration
 Camera shots and angles
Group discussions: higher order thinking with Socratic questioning (Resource 8).
Discussion questions:
1. Connections: What connections do you draw between the text and
your own life, the wider world, and your other learning?
2. Challenge: What ideas, positions, or assumptions do you want to
challenge or argue with in the text?
3. Concepts: What key concepts or ideas do you think are worth holding
onto from the text? What makes you say that?
4. Changes: What changes in attitude, thinking, or action are suggested by
the text, either for you or others? How does the text change your
thinking about things? What do you take away as a lesson or key
learning?
Guided annotations
Engagement in
discussion
Engagement in Socratic
discussion

Syllabus Statement
EN4-2A
understand and use the terminology
associated with responding to and
composing digital texts
EN4-4B
recognise and appreciate the ways a wide
range of texts communicate by using
effective language choices
Activity 11: Website analysis
Teacher select a website with an environmental focus, such as:
 Greenpeace: http://greenpeace.org.au
 WWF: http://www.wwf.org.au
 Take 3 For the Sea: http://www.take3.org.au
 Two Hands Project: http://www.twohandsproject.org
As a class, analyse and discuss web design and persuasive techniques in one of
the websites, such as:
 Emotive language
 Emotive imagery
 Second person and inclusive first person
 Imperative verbs
 Facts, statistics, and data
 Photographs
 Colour
Students should then work in pairs to examine and analyse a different website,
and note the use of the above techniques and others.
Write a structured analysis of how the website persuades its audience to
empathise with the environmental issue.
Engagement in
discussion
Responses in pairs to
websites – analysis

Syllabus Statement
EN4-2A
use a range of effective strategies for
organising information, ideas
and arguments, eg clustering, listing,
compare and contrast, semantic chains,
graphic and diagram outlines, and mind
maps
EN4-5C
explore the ways individual
interpretations of texts are influenced by
students' own
knowledge, values and cultural
assumptions
critically consider the ways in which
meaning is shaped by context, purpose,
form, structure, style, content, language
choices and their own
personal perspective
Activity 12: Saving the environment – what can YOU do?
Hypothetical discussion: If there were no plastic bags tomorrow, what would
we do? Could we do it? How would we change our behaviour?
Discuss in pairs, then as a class.
Create a table as below, and fill it in individually. In relation to improving our
environment:
How can I change what I do? How can I change what others do?
Discussion around responses should highlight that in our society, individual can
have a voice and make a difference. We have access to create:
 Websites and blogs
 Petitions
 Social media accounts
 Consumer campaigns – influencing what people buy/don’t buy
 Youtube videos
 Surveys
 Letters or emails
 Apps for mobile devices
 Infographics
 Songs, poems, stories and cartoons
Engagement in
discussion
Tables completed

Syllabus Statement
EN4-5C
compose texts using alternative, creative
and imaginative ways of expressing ideas,
recognising, valuing and celebrating
originality and inventiveness
compose a range of visual and
multimodal texts using a variety of visual
conventions,
including composition, vectors, framing
and reading pathway
EN4-9E
understand the demands of a task and
the outcomes and criteria for planned
assessment
identify, plan and prioritise stages of
tasks, making use of organisational
strategies, eg drawing up a schedule,
monitoring progress and meeting
deadlines
understand the roles and responsibilities
of individuals in groups, performing an
allocated role responsibly in a group and
Activity 13: Group project – create a campaign
The remainder of the unit is devoted to group project where students select an
issue of their choice and form groups to create a real campaign based on that
issue.
An interesting way to allocate groups is to have students individually write the
issue that they care the most about on a piece of paper, and match students
with students with the same issue. Otherwise, allow students to form groups
themselves.
We have been reading and writing about a range of environmental issues in
class, and on our blog. Now it’s time for YOU to create a campaign to
communicate an environmental issue to the world.
Choose the environmental issue that you feel most strongly about, find your
like-minded classmates, and start something big!
Your task is to create your own “organisation” dedicated to raising awareness
about your issue, by creating a media campaign to urge
individuals/corporations/governments to take steps to preserve our
environment.
See Resource 9 for the full task.
The campaigns will be self- and peer-assessed. Criteria included.
Environmental
campaigns
Engagement in
groupwork

Syllabus Statement
assessing the success of individual and
collaborative processes
EN4-2A
use processes of representation,
including the creative use of symbols,
images, icons, clichés,
stereotypes, connotations and particular
aural, visual and/or digital techniques
use a range of software, including word
processing programs, to create, edit and
publish texts imaginatively (ACELY1728,
ACELY1738)
use collaborative processes, eg
playbuilding, performances and digital
compositions to construct texts
EN4-4B
combine visual and digital elements to
create layers of meaning for serious,
playful and humorous purposes
experiment with particular language
features drawn from different types of
texts, including combinations of language
Activity 14: Web 2.0 Tools
Support student projects by sharing useful Web 2.0 tools, such as:
 Weebly for websites and blogs: weebly.com
 Animoto for animations: animoto.com
 Survey Monkey for surveys: surveymonkey.com
 Remix-T has a great summary of tools:
http://learning.nd.edu/remix/tools.html
 Change.org for petitions
 Pixton.com to create comics/cartoons
 Prezi.com for presentations
 Powtoon.com for presentation
Make sure students are sourcing photographs and images correctly. Use
http://search.creativecommons.org/ to locate creative commons photographs.
Students should always attribute image sources.
Activity 15: Campaign progress reflection blog post
Metacognitive task – informal assessment as learning. See Resource 10.
Engagement in
discussion
Exploration of web
tools
Reflective blog posts

Syllabus Statement
and visual choices to create new
texts (ACELT1768, ACELT1805)
plan, rehearse and deliver presentations,
selecting and sequencing appropriate
content, including multimodal elements,
to reflect a diversity of
viewpoints (ACELY1720, ACELY1731)
create literary texts that draw upon text
structures and language features of other
texts for particular purposes and
effects(ACELT1632)
creatively adapt and transform their own
or familiar texts into different forms,
structures, modes and media for a range
of different purposes and audiences
respond to and compose new print and
multimodal texts, experimenting
with appropriations and intertextuality
EN4-9E
articulate and reflect on the pleasure and
difficulties, successes and challenges
experienced in their individual
and collaborative learning
Activity 16: Campaign presentations
Groups outline the environmental organisation that they have created, the goal
of the organisation, and the elements of their campaign. Other groups
collaboratively peer assess them, and students self-assess, using the criteria.
<- understand and value the differences between their own and others'
ways of learning in English
<- develop and use vocabulary for describing, analysing and reflecting on
their learning experiences
<- use and reflect on metacognitive processes used for planning,
including brainstorming, mind mapping, storyboarding, role-play and
improvisation
Campaign
presentations
Campaign texts

Resource 1
What is a blog post and why are we blogging?
The characteristics of a blog post
 Informational
 Interactive
 Informal
 Dynamic
 Social
 Subjective/Opinion
 Commentary
 Democratic
 Real
 Often includes hyperlinks
The educational benefits of blogging
 Writing:
o improved literacy outcomes
o improved writing quality as students know it is in the public forum
o development of personal voice
 Collaborative Learning:
o increased skills in reflection and peer feedback
o increased engagement in learning
 Real World Audience
o more highly developed understanding of audience, purpose and context
o increased engagement and autonomy
 Thinking:
o higher order thinking
o complex thinking
 Social Media:
o positive digital footprint
o online productivity
o increased engagement

Resource 2
Air pollution is a major cause
of cancer
Lisa Edwards / October 18, 2013 - http://7aqua.wordpress.com/air-pollution-causes-cancer/
It seems that not only is air pollution ugly, and generally bad for our health, but now it has been confirmed as a significant cause
of cancer.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the World Health Organisation (WHO) yesterday announced that outdoor air pollution
is a “leading cause of cancer in humans”. The SMH article is here.
WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) says there is “sufficient evidence” that air pollution causes lung
cancer, and increases the risk of bladder cancer, in addition to raising the risk of respiratory and heart diseases.
The IARC reviewed a range of studies of the effects of air pollution on humans, in order to reach these conclusions, and cite s
“transport, power generation, emissions from factories and farms, and residential heating and cooking” as the main sources of air
pollution.
This is a particularly interesting, and worrying, announcement, as the chemicals that we’re releasing into our atmosphere are
having increasingly detrimental impacts on our health. When the leading international health organisation cites air pollution as one
of the main causes of cancer, as well as other serious diseases. Surely we must be looking at ways to reduce it?
At a time where there are global concerns about climate change, and many governments and organisations are looking at ways to
cut carbon emissions to slow down global warming, it is clear that this WHO announcement is yet another reason to do so. Using
greener transport options, renewable energies, and cleaner industrial practices would all not only reduce carbon emissions, which
could slow human-induced global warming, but they would decrease air pollution, eliminating a range of chemicals that
contaminate our air, and reducing the number of cancer deaths, respiratory illnesses, and incidences of heart disease globally.
Reducing the pollutants that we pump into the air is not only good for our planet, but it is good for us.

Resource 3
Blog Post 1:
Your task is to write your first blog post in response to an article that deals with an environmental issue.
Your post should be around 300 words, and should include:
 a title that refers to the issue in your article
 a summary of the main message of the article. You should concisely summarise the article in your own
words, but you may include some direct quotes from the article to complete your summary (see my post
above)
 your personal response to the article – do you agree or disagree? Is there anything that we (humans,
Australians, individuals) could do to address the issue? Should we address the issue? Does the
article support or conflict with other views you have?
Note: You may or may not choose to use first person. In Resource 2, the writer’s personal opinion comes through
this post, without using first person, but as the blog form is personal and reflective, you may choose to write in first
person to convey your opinion. That is perfectly acceptable.
Resource 4
Viewing and Listening Skills
Trailer:
Environmental Issue:
Key Ideas
Visual Techniques:
Sound Devices:
Language

Resource 5
Lockie Leonard Scumbuster - The Play – Reading Guide
Clarify: What words are you not sure of as you
read? Look them up.
Question: What questions do you have as you
read?
Language Techniques: What language devices do
you notice as you read? Give techniques and
quotes.
Dramatic Devices: What features of drama/script
do you identify? Give examples.
Environmental Ideas: What are the key idea
explored in the play, relating to the environment?
Other ideas: What other ideas about life, growing
up, and society are explored?
Key scenes: List some key scenes and quotes that explore the environmental issues of the play.

Resource 6
Blog Post – Review Lockie Leonard Scumbuster
Your next blog post will be a review of Lockie Leonard Scumbuster the play, by Garry Fry, based on the
novel by Tim Winton.
Your review should present your perspective of the play, using a strong personal voice. You should
evaluate the play’s effectiveness in exploring an environmental message for a teenage audience. Would
you recommend the play to teens, to raise awareness of environmental issues?
You should discuss the ideas presented in the play about the environment, pollution, self-interest, and
protest. You may like to discuss the characterisation, setting, use of humour, Aussie slang, stereotypes,
structure, relationships, and any other aspect of the play that takes your fancy.
Was the exploration of environmental issues effective? Were the characters relatable? Were their actions
justified? Are they good role models? What could teenagers learn from reading the play? Would you
recommend it? Why/why not?
In writing a review to be posted on our blog, you want to engage, as well as inform and persuade our
readers. You can be conversational, and use humour, emotive and descriptive language to present your
ideas. Aim for around 300-500 words.
Here are a couple of reviews from a book review blog http://samreads.wordpress.com/ to get you
thinking… Draft your post in class today, and post it to our class blog. Have fun!
“Matched” – by Ally Condie (2010)
The current trend in YA fiction (when you push past the entire sub-sections of vampire spin-offs in the
book shops – assuming you still have book shops where you live) is an increasing interest in dystopian
fiction. Since “Uglies” by Scott Westerfeld (2005), I have picked up YA SF books regularly, and the ones that
are selling and working are all dystopias with a common theme – the idea that our future will be based
around an information overload that has led to a complete control of ideas, knowledge and history. An al l-controlling
government makes decisions in people’s ‘best interests’ and everyone is so scared of the evils
of the past that they ignorantly accept the control in their lives as being a great gift bestowed upon them.
Knowing too much terrifies them.
And this is “Matched” in a nutshell. Cassia is 17 and it is time for her Matching Banquet. This is the night
she will find out who The Society has selected for her to spend her life with. All the data has been entered
and her perfect match across all the provinces has been decided. It is only the next day, when Cassia
discovers that her Match was not as perfectly selected as she thought, that the adventure begins.
The Society has reduced information down to 100 songs, 100 poems, 100 books and 100 paintings. They
have created a society in which everyone is always busy, at work, study or organised leisure. This means no
one has much time to think. And thinking is monitored. Each member of the family takes it in turn to wear
sleep tags, so even when they are sleeping, The Society knows what people are doing.
What is really beautiful about this book is that the story unfolds around the discovery of Dylan Thomas’s
poem, Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night and all that it means for this poem to still exist. It is the idea
that Condie is showing her readers how beautiful poetry is, line by line, word by word – having the
characters taste and mull over the real meaning of the words – that make this a wonderful book.

It peeved me a little that it was so obviously written as part one of a series. Now that I’ve been to
Condie’s website, I can see that it was always planned as book one of a trilogy. “Uglies” and “The Hunger
Games” were too. The world around books now, online and across the world, is quite mind-boggling. If you
would like to know more about these books, you can go to www.allysoncondie.com and experience
information overload… but there aren’t enough hours in the day for reading books, so don’t waste them
exploring websites!
Cassia is a strong, intelligent and curious protagonist – just Like Tally in “Uglies” and Katniss in “The Hunger
Games”. I really enjoyed reading the book, I know teenagers who would like to read it and I think it would
make a great teaching text. That’s high praise, considering some of the YA fiction I read. But “The Hunger
Games” is better.
“The Fault in Our Stars” by John Green (2012)
I haven’t been able to put my Kindle down much, these last couple of days. I have been out and about and
I’ve ticked off quite a few things on my work and home ’to do’ lists, but the Kindle kept calling me back,
and Hazel and Augustus were firmly in my head, cajoling me back.
“The Fault in Our Stars” is a beautifully written book, but its tale is a desperately sad one. I couldn’t put it
down, but I sobbed through most of it, and I honestly don’t think I can recommend it to you. It is a book
about teenagers with cancer. It is insightful, clever, funny, literary and engaging. Nevertheless, it is
heartbreaking and horrible in its inevitable tragedy. Hazel is pressured into attending a support group and
it is here that she meets Augustus, a fellow cancer patient. It is impossible not to love them and cry for
them.
I love that this book offers intelligent, well-read teenagers and that it makes consistent references to
wonderful texts and authors. I love that, although this book is set in Indiana in the USA, a big chunk of the
story is set in Amsterdam, a place I have been, a place I could properly picture. Hazel and Augustus even go
to Anne Frank House and I have been there and been deeply moved by the same things that moved Hazel.
I cried a lot reading this book. I know that many of my students will love this book. It is already the talk of
the school. But I don’t think any of my friends would love this book. I want to recommend it … but I don’t
think I can. Make of that what you will.

Resource 7
“The Majestic Plastic Bag” – Guided Annotation
Clarify: What words, phrases or images do you not
understand?
Question: What questions do you have after
viewing the text?
Voice: Whose voice is heard? Are there multiple
voices? What perspectives are represented? How
is the voice conveyed?
Language devices: Identify language techniques
used. Why have they been used? What is the
impact?
Film techniques: What film techniques are used?
Why have they been used? What is the impact?
Ideas: What ideas are conveyed? How do we come
to understand the ideas? Why has the composer
represented these ideas?

Resource 8
Socratic Discussion – “The Majestic Plastic Bag”
Socratic discussion is a thinking tool designed to draw out deep ideas, and foster meaningful discussion.
You will form groups of four-five, and engage in a discussion based on “The Majestic Plastic Bag” based on
the following questions:
5. Connections: What connections do you draw between the text and your own life, the wider world,
and your other learning?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
6. Challenge: What ideas, positions, or assumptions do you want to challenge or argue with in the
text?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
7. Concepts: What key concepts or ideas do you think are worth holding onto from the text? What
makes you say that?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
8. Changes: What changes in attitude, thinking, or action are suggested by the text, either for you or
others? How does the text change your thinking about things? What do you take away as a lesson
or key learning?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

Resource 9
Our World, Our Future:
Create a Campaign
We have been reading and writing about a range of environmental issues in class, and on our blog. Now it’s
time for YOU to create a campaign to communicate an environmental issue to the world.
Choose the environmental issue that you feel most strongly about, find your like-minded classmates, and
start something big!
Your task is to create your own “organisation” dedicated to raising awareness about your issue, by creating
a media campaign to urge individuals/corporations/governments to take steps to preserve our
environment.
Target Audience:
You will need to be very clear on your target audience. Is it everyday individuals who can use their
consumer power, or put their name to a petition, or change their own habits? Is it our government, who
can establish laws, or limit development, to preserve our natural world? Is it particular businesses or
corporations, who can change their practices to be more environmentally friendly? Establish a clear target
audience before you start.
Aims / Goals:
Your campaign needs a clear aim. Write a mission statement about what you hope to achieve. Establish
two or three clear goals that outline specifically what you hope to gain as a result of your campaign. For
example, your overall aim might be to raise awareness of issue of air pollution and its dangers to our
health. Your specific goals might be to communicate the need to limit fossil fuel expansion to the
Australian government, or encourage individuals to switch to solar power, or reduce their car emissions.
Name / Logo / Slogan:
You’ll need to create a name for your organisation. Make it sharp. A catchy slogan that is memorable, will
help promote your cause. Creating your own logo will help give you a brand for your organisation – easily
recognisable across media.
Research:
You will need to research your issue in detail, to decide what information you need to publish in the
different media you will use.

Promotional Materials:
The number of people in your group will determine how many promotional texts that you need to create.
Two members = at least two texts, three members = at least three texts. Be creative, and work to the
strengths of the members of your group when deciding what promotional materials you will design.
In class we talked about creating:
 Websites (eg Weebly.com)
 Blogs (eg Weebly, WordPress)
 Petitions
 Social media accounts
 Consumer campaigns – influencing what people buy/don’t buy
 Youtube videos
 Surveys
 Letters or emails
 Apps for mobile devices
 Clubs
 Infographics
 Songs
 Poems
 Stories
 Cartoons
The language of your campaign:
You are aiming to inform, and persuade, your target audience, to care about your environmental
campaign. Remember we have discussed language devices that are aimed at engaging our emotions, in
addition to our intellect, to persuade us, such as:
 Emotive language
 Descriptive imagery
 Facts and statistics – data can be persuasive when presented effectively
 Second person language – speak directly to your audience
 Imperative verbs – tell your audience to act – ‘sign’ the petition, ‘act’ now
Designing your texts:
If using images, think about emotive imagery in pictures – the demand of a caged orang-utan can be very
powerful, for example. You’ll need to think colour, layout, font, and size
Presenting your campaign:
At the end of term, we’ll do a campaign launch. You will present your organisation and campaign to the
class in a five-minute presentation. I will create a campaign launch info sheet prior to the day. You will self -
assess and peer assess your work.

Self Assessment / Peer Assessment: Tick the applicable box
Criteria Highly
developed
Well
developed
Sound Developing Basic
Identifies a clear target audience,
appropriate to the environmental issue
Establishes clear aims and goals for the
organisation
Creates a memorable organisation “brand”
across media – name, slogan, logo
Promotional materials demonstrate depth
and detail of research into the
environmental issue
Promotional materials are effective in
conveying the message of the organisation
Promotional materials use a range of media
and work together to create a cohesive and
persuasive campaign to encourage action
Campaign presentation is effective –
speakers are articulate and persuasive

Resource 10
Blog Post – Reflecting on Campaign Progress
Your next blog post is a piece in which you should reflect on your group’s progress in creating your
environmental campaign. This is a metacognitive task – that means that you are thinking about your
planning, thinking about decisions that you have made so far, thinking about what you’ll do next,
thinking about how you’re working in a team, and thinking about your thinking.
Your post should address the following questions. You may use subheadings and images.
You selected an issue of importance to you for your environmental campaign. Why did you choose that
issue? What makes it important to you?
What have you called your campaign? Who is the target audience? What is your main goal? What ideas
do you want your audience to understand about the issue?
How many members are in your group? Is your group working well? What are the different elements of
your campaign/tasks that need to be completed? How have you divided up the workload? How have
you gone about making decisions about the project? Have you all agreed on everything? Have you
allocated tasks and given autonomy to the individuals working on those tasks? Have you put things to a
vote? Or a combination of these?
You have three weeks left to work on the project. What do you need to complete personally before
then? How are you going to make sure that all members of the group meet the deadlines?
Overall, what has worked well? Why have these things worked well?
What challenges have you faced? What has been difficult so far? How can you overcome these
challenges going forward? Is there anything you would do differently next time?
What have you enjoyed so far? What have you not enjoyed? What would you change about the project
to make it better for the next Year 7 group?
What have you learned from working on the project so far, about the issue, and about teamwork?
Your post should be thoughtful, reflective, and honest. Don’t forget to proofread!
Happy blogging, team!

Evaluation of Unit
Teacher Evaluation Comments/Variations
How did the unit ‘rate’ in these areas?
Time allocated for topic
Student understanding of content
Opportunities for student reflection on
learning
Suitability of resources
Variety of teaching strategies
Integration of Quality Teaching strategies
Integration of ICTs
Literacy strategies used
Numeracy strategies used
After you have taught the unit of work, record in this section your evaluation of the unit and any
variations you implemented or would choose to implement the next time you teach the unit.
Date commenced: Date completed:
Teacher’s signature
Head Teacher’s signature

Our World Our Future English Program

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