Critical and visual literacy in action!
John and Jenny Barwick
Introduction
Active English is a comprehensive English series designed to support mandatory
curricula. The series features:
• a broad range of texts and activities that reflect texts
encountered both in the ‘real’ world and the student’s world
of learning, including visual texts, signalled by this icon
• a strong emphasis on critical literacy to provide students with an understanding
of the purposes of different forms of written and spoken language, and
• a strong emphasis on the development of micro and macro language skills.
The skills in critical and visual literacy and language will ‘arm’ students with the
ability to question information and views gained from a variety of sources,
including the Internet, and help them understand that the purpose of a text
influences its structure and composition. The skills will be particularly helpful in
the progress into secondary education.
Each book in the series follows a common structure. There are 12 units, each of
which can form the basis of three weeks’ class work. This provides 9 weeks’ work
per term, allowing for other school activities and the revision of key concepts.
In Book 3, each unit comprises the following features.
Read it!
The twelve texts cover a range of text types fulfilling syllabus requirements. Texts
have been selected to interest and engage students, stimulate them to think and to
want to know more, and provide a strong basis for the activities that follow. The
texts come from a wide variety of sources, including websites and books, while
others have been expressly written for the series. Some are excerpts, while others
are self-contained.
The purpose of studying text types is to assist students to read and write
effectively. Text types act as a guide to reading, and give a structure to writing.
However, many ‘real’ texts that students will encounter are not ‘pure’ examples of
text types. The texts in this series are meaningful, authentic and ‘mixed’, and
support learning across the curriculum.
Search it !
(comprehension questions)
There is a range of comprehension questions and activities. Each question type is
marked by an icon for easy identification by student and teacher. The question
types are:
literal — information directly gained from the text
inferential — information that can be inferred from the text
applied — critical and creative responses to the text.
Explore it!
(grammar and punctuation)
Grammar and punctuation activities cover the key concepts as described in
syllabus documents. They provide a solid platform to build student knowledge and
understanding of language and its workings.
ii
The focus is on examining concepts in the context of the unit’s text to make
learning more relevant. There is opportunity to practise the concepts introduced.
Teachers may use the activities as a model for additional practice.
Word it!
(spelling and vocabulary)
Syllabus-related concepts and strategies for correct spelling are introduced through
activities which draw words from the passage and other sources. The activities
provide a basis for a comprehensive skills-based spelling programme.
The vocabulary (downloading meaning) section focuses on expanding the pool
of words and language tools students have to express themselves effectively and
accurately. It develops and extends vocabulary by using a variety of activities
including dictionary and thesaurus work, synonyms and antonyms, positive and
negative words, prefixes and suffixes, similes and metaphors, homophones, idiom,
jargon and shades of meaning.
Think about it!
This section is designed to develop an aspect of general language skills such as
recognising opinion presented as fact or how to write a paragraph. It generally
features one of the following:
• an element of language
• an aspect of a text type, or
• a writing hint.
Write it!
For most units, the writing activity is in the form of a planning scaffold, which
focuses the students’ attention on the structure and text features of the particular
text type. Also provided are writing and editing tips.
Publish it!
This section suggests ways to publish the edited work.
Talk about it!
This section provides directed discussion activities, designed for small group work.
Students discuss features of the text type, or some other language element. Other
activities also feature opportunities for oral language development, including Unit
11, which introduces students to the formal speech.
Extend it!
An important feature of the series is the provision of a range of engaging extension
activities which will encourage students to challenge their depth of understanding
of the concepts presented. While the activities will be of particular value to gifted
and talented students, all students will find activities that will encourage them to
look beyond the standard methods of responding to texts. The extension activities
provide:
• further links to other curriculum areas
• a fuller examination of visual literacy
• opportunities for critical examination of texts, and
• an active element, including speaking, presenting and performing.
iii
Scope and sequence chart
Unit
Text style
Grammar
Punctuation
Spelling
Vocabulary
English
development
1
Information
report
Little penguins
common
nouns
full stops
strategy: Look,
Say, Cover,
Write, Check
using a
dictionary
purpose and
audience
2
Narrative
My Dog the
Dinosaur
proper
nouns
punctuating
statements and
exclamations
rule: plurals
— adding ‘s’
synonyms
and
antonyms
replacing
overused words
with synonyms
3
Discussion
Horse riding in
National Parks
adjectives
question
marks
word families:
‘oi’, ‘ea’, ‘ight’
homophones
using tables
to organise
information
4
Exposition
Saving water
— it’s vital!
prepositions
commas
rule: ‘y’ to ‘i’,
add ‘es’
shades of
meaning — using
stronger words
paragraphing
5
Procedure
How to make
your own
juggling balls
verbs
using lists
strategy:
identifying
syllables
using a
thesaurus
using the
correct verb
6
Poetry
Places to play
verb tense
apostrophes
of possession
rule: ‘y’ to ‘i’, add
‘ed’ to change
verb tense
words within
words puzzle
setting
7
Recount
Writing
‘Waltzing
Matilda’
pronouns
punctuating
sentences
rule: double
the final
consonant to
add endings to
verbs
synonyms
and
antonyms
similes
8
Review
Get Moving
to this site!
adverbs
direct
speech
strategy:
identifying
compound words
positive and
negative words
evaluative
language
9
Explanation
Keeping your
ears safe
from noise
adjectival
phrases
commas in
a series
rule: ‘i’ before ‘e’
except after ‘c’;
review LSCWC
homophones
varying
sentence
beginnings
10
Description
The world’s
largest living
thing
clauses
— syntax
punctuating
strategy: using
spell check
dictionary
meanings
overused verbs:
‘went’ and ‘did’
11
Speech
Were the
convicts
really bad?
noun–verb
agreement
indirect speech
rule: double the
final consonant
to add ‘y’
prefixes —
‘un’, ‘tri’
planning —
PIN strategy
12
Fable
The Musical
Donkey
sentences
converting
indirect and
direct speech
silent letters
words within
words puzzle
characterisation
in narratives
iv
Writing
Discussion
New South Wales outcomes
Victoria outcomes
Queensland
outcomes
plan and write
an information
report
text features
of information
reports
English TS2.1 to WS2.14
HSIE ENS2.6
Science and Technology LTS2.3
English 3.1 to 3.12
SOSE 3.3
Science Biology 3.1
English Cu3.1 to Cr3.3
Science LL3.1
plan and write
a narrative
text features
of narratives
English TS2.1 to WS2.14
English 3.1 to 3.12
English Cu3.1 to Cr3.3
plan and write
a discussion
formal and
informal
language
English TS2.1 to WS2.14
HSIE ENS2.5, CCS2.6
English 3.1 to 3.12
SOSE 3.2, 3.3
Science Biology 3.2
English Cu3.1 to Cr3.3
SOSE PS3.1
plan and write
an exposition
text features
of expositions
English TS2.1 to WS2.14
HSIE SSS2.7, SSS2.8
Science and Technology PPS2.5
English 3.1 to 3.12
SOSE 3.2
Science Biology 3.2
English Cu3.1 to Cr3.3
SOSE SRP3.1
plan and write
a procedure
text features
of procedures
English TS2.1 to WS2.14
Science & Technology DMS2.8
English 3.1 to 3.12
English Cu3.1 to Cr3.3
Technology MAT3.1
plan and write
a free-form
poem
text features
of free-form
poems
English TS2.1 to WS2.14
HSIE CCS2.2
English 3.1 to 3.12
SOSE 3.4
English Cu3.1 to Cr3.3
SOSE CI3.3
plan and write
a recount
text features
of recounts
English TS2.1 to WS2.14
HSIE CUS2.3
English 3.1 to 3.12
English Cu3.1 to Cr3.3
SOSE CI3.3
plan and write
a website
review
text features
of reviews
English TS2.1 to WS2.14
Science and Technology ICS2.2,
PPS2.5 and DMS2.9
English 3.1 to 3.12
Technology
Information 3.1
English Cu3.1 to Cr3.3
Technology TP3.1
plan and write
an explanation
text features
of explanations
English TS2.1 to WS2.14
Science and Technology PPS2.4
PDHPE SLS2.13
English 3.1 to 3.12
HPE — Health 3.1
English Cu3.1 to Cr3.3
HPE PHIC 3.3
plan and write
a description
text features
of descriptions
English TS2.1 to WS2.14
HSIE ENS2.5
English 3.1 to 3.12
SOSE 3.3
Science Biology 3.2
English Cu3.1 to Cr3.3
SOSE PS3.1
plan and write
a speech
text features
of good
speeches
English TS2.1 to WS2.14
HSIE CCS2.1, CUS2.4
English 3.1 to 3.12
SOSE 3.1
English Cu3.1 to Cr3.3
SOSE TCC3.4
plan and write
a fable
text features
of fables
English TS2.1 to WS2.14
English 3.1 to 3.12
English Cu3.1 to Cr3.3
v
Contents
vi
1
Little penguins
1
2
My Dog the Dinosaur
7
3
Horse riding in National Parks
13
4
Saving water – it’s vital
19
5
How to make your own juggling balls
25
6
Places to play
31
7
Writing ‘Waltzing Matilda’
37
8
Get Moving to this site!
43
9
Keeping your ears safe from noise
49
10
The world’s largest living thing
55
11
Were the convicts really bad?
61
12
The Musical Donkey
67
Answers
73
unit
Little penguins
1
Background
briefing
This information
comes from the New
South Wales National
Parks and Wildlife
Service website.
Information report
Read it!
These flightless seabirds might seem a bit clumsy on land, but
they’re graceful swimmers, ‘flying’ through the water on their
stumpy wings.
What do little penguins look like?
The little penguin is the smallest of all penguins. It is about 30
to 35 centimetres high, and weighs about one kilogram when
fully grown. Its upper body and flippers are blue-grey in
colour, with the underside and throat being white. The little
penguin’s bill is black, its feet are pale pink, and its eyes are
silvery grey. The males are slightly bigger than the females,
and have a deeper bill and larger head.
1
An opening statement
introduces the topic.
Subheadings make
it easier to find the
information you want.
Where do they live?
The little penguin is the only type of penguin that breeds on
the Australian mainland. They are found along the southern
coast of Australia, from near Perth in Western Australia to
Coffs Harbour in northern New South Wales. They are also
found in New Zealand.
Little penguins were once fairly common on the
Australian mainland, but these days their colonies are usually
only found on offshore islands.
The birds mostly nest in burrows. They often set up their
colonies in sand dunes, but they can also be found among
rocks, in sea caves, and on headlands. A typical penguin
burrow consists of a tunnel that leads to a nest bowl which is
large enough for the penguin to stand up in.
Present tense is used.
1
What do they eat?
Adjectives give
more exact
information
about the topic.
2
Little penguins feed on small fish, squid and krill. They mainly feed in
shallow waters within 15 to 20 kilometres of the coast. They hunt near
the surface for fish such as pilchards, anchovies and garfish. They can
also quickly dive to the sea floor to feast on squid and krill.
Search it!
Read the text and answer the questions.
1 How high is a normal little penguin?
2 What do little penguins eat?
_______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
3 Little penguins are only found in Australia.
O true
O false
O cannot tell from the information given
4 Little penguins cannot fly.
O true
O false
O cannot tell from the information given
5 Which of these facts is not found in the report?
O Little penguins live for an average of seven years.
O Little penguins sometimes build their nests in sea caves.
O Little penguins mainly feed in shallow waters.
O The males are slightly bigger than the females.
6 What is the purpose of the text?
O to give information about little penguins
O to explain why little penguins live in burrows
O to describe what little penguins look like
O to give information about what little penguins eat
7 Why do you think most little penguin burrows are in sand dunes?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
8 Why do you think most little penguins now breed on islands,
rather than on the mainland?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
9 Do you think that the introduction gave you a good idea about the
topic? Give your reasons.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
10 What might the next subheading be?
2
Question types
literal
inferential
_____________________________________________________
applied
Look at Grammar and Punctuation
Explore it!
3
Nouns
A noun is the name of a person, a place or a thing. A common noun
is the name of any ordinary thing you can hear, see, smell, touch or
taste.
The word penguin is a noun. It is the name of a bird.
a
Which is the noun? This exercise has pairs of words. Only one
of the words is a noun. Circle the noun in each pair.
i penguin
ii kilogram
b
the
weighs
iii are
flippers
iv feet
pale
These sentences are taken from the passage. Draw a box around
the common nouns in each sentence. Colour the boxes.
i The males are slightly bigger than the females, and have a
deeper bill and larger head. (4)
ii The birds mostly nest in burrows. (2)
iii Little penguins feed on small fish, squid and krill. (4)
iv They mainly feed in shallow waters within 15 to 20 kilometres
of the coast. (3)
The number
in the brackets
at the end
of each
sentence will
tell you how
many nouns to
find.
Full stops
You need to put a full stop at the end of each statement.
c
The full stops are missing from the sentences in the paragraphs
below. Can you see where they should be? Draw a circle where
you think the full stops should go.
The birds mostly nest in burrows They often set up their colonies
in sand dunes, but they can also be found among rocks, in sea
caves, and on headlands A typical penguin burrow consists of a
tunnel that leads to a nest bowl which is large enough for the
penguin to stand up in
Little penguins feed on small fish, squid and krill They mainly feed
in shallow waters within 15 to 20 kilometres of the coast They hunt
near the surface for fish such as pilchards, anchovies and garfish
They can also quickly dive to the sea floor to feast on squid and krill
3
Word it!
4
Look at Spelling and Vocabulary
Spell it!
Here is a great way to learn how to spell a word.
LOOK carefully at the word. Look for patterns, double letters and small words
inside the word. Use a highlighter to show any tricky parts.
SAY the word slowly as you look at it. Think about the sounds the word makes.
COVER the word.
WRITE the word next to the original.
CHECK your spelling. If you have not spelt the word correctly, or you were not
completely sure of the spelling, go through the process again.
Practise
the Look,
Say, Cover,
Write, Check
spelling
strategy.
a
Try Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check (LSCWC) on these words:
again
_______________________
penguin ___________________
squid ________________________
often _________________________
flipper ______________________
blue __________________________
Downloading meaning
— using a dictionary
A dictionary is a handy tool for a writer.
We all know it gives word meanings.
But it also shows us how words are
spelt, how they are pronounced,
what other meanings words may have,
and sometimes even a word’s history.
Words in dictionaries are written in alphabetical order. Imagine how
hard it would be to find a word if they were not! The entry word (also
called the headword) is printed in bold type. To make it easier to find
words, the first and last word listed on each page are printed at the top
of that page. These are called guide words.
b
4
Look up these words in your dictionary. Write the meanings on the
line.
i colony
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
ii typical
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
iii consist
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
c
Which word came first in the dictionary?
d
Which word came last?________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________
Think about it!
You are going to plan your own information report below. Now
is the time to think about a couple of important questions that
writers think about before they write.
Why are you writing? Who are you writing for?
Why do you think these questions are important for writers?
Write it!
5
Use the scaffold to plan your own information report about an
Australian native animal. Research it using the Internet and
library. Start with a short introduction to tell the reader what the
report is about. Use subheadings such as ‘What do they look
like?’ to organise your information.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Introduction
Write a short
introduction. It only
needs to be one
sentence, but should
give one piece of
interesting information
to get the reader’s
attention.
Subheadings
What do they look
like?
Write a description of
the animal, including
size, colour and
markings.
Where do they live?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What do they eat?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
How long do
they live?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
5
Publish it!
6
You’re in print!
Follow these procedures to publish your work on the computer.
Save your
work often!
Take care
when using
spell check.
There may be
more than one
suggestion to
choose from.
•
Start a new word processing document. Your teacher will tell you where
to save your document. Give the report a title and use the title as the
name of the document.
•
Type your first draft. Re-read it and make any additions or changes to
improve it.
•
Proofread your work using the spell check.
•
Insert some pictures from clip art to illustrate the report. Format your
report using different fonts for the heading, subheadings and body text.
In an information report it is best to use a plain font that is easy to read.
Talk about it!
7
Discuss the points
below in a group.
Challenge
•
•
•
•
•
6
Share your group’s
responses with the class.
Why is it important to organise information in paragraphs?
Why do people use information reports?
What are features of good information reports?
Extend it!
8
Challenge
Write your group’s
responses on chart paper.
•
Print a map of Australia and shade it
to show where little penguins are
found.
Prepare a menu for a penguin banquet.
Include dishes with all the penguins’
favourite foods presented in different
ways. Give the dishes suitably
appetising names.
Investigate threats that little penguins
face. Prepare a report on what you find.
Your report may take the form of a
newspaper report or an information
report.
Penguin puzzle
Australia has an
island named after
the little penguin.
Can you find out
where it is?