English / Year 8 / Literacy / Creating texts

Curriculum content descriptions

plan, create, rehearse and deliver spoken and multimodal presentations for audiences and purposes, selecting language features, literary devices, visual features and features of voice to suit formal or informal situations, and organising and developing ideas in texts in ways that may be imaginative, reflective, informative, persuasive and/or analytical (AC9E8LY07)

Elaborations
  • integrating multimodal features in a spoken presentation to support the audience’s understanding
  • choosing vocabulary and sentence structures, and using literary devices such as similes, metaphors and personification to meet perceived audience needs; for example, when debating a topic or creating a voiceover for a media presentation
  • selecting features of voice, such as tone, volume, pitch and pace, with particular attention to the effects these may have on audience reaction and acceptance of the ideas presented
  • collaborating with peers to develop a persuasive advertising campaign about a contemporary issue
General capabilities
  • Critical and creative thinking Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Literacy Literacy
ScOT terms

Speaking,  Oral presentations

Text

Us Mob Walawurru: Unit of work

This unit of work has been written to support the book Us Mob Walawurru. The book is set in the 1960s in an Aboriginal community in Central Australia and follows the life of a young Luritja girl. It explores the cultural challenges faced by both the community members and non-Indigenous people. The story touches on various ...

Text

47 Degrees: Unit of work

This unit of work has been written to support 47 Degrees, an account of the experiences of writer Justin D'Ath during the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria. Explore themes of belonging, bravery, community, grief, resilience and the environment. This unit provides practical teaching ideas and an assessment task

Text

Evil Genius: Unit of work

This unit of work has been written to support the coming-of-age novel Evil Genius. It explores themes of belonging, identity, being gifted and morality. This unit provides practical teaching ideas, an assessment task and an essay by Beth Driscoll.

Text

A Fortunate Life: Unit of work

This unit of work has been written to support the autobiography A Fortunate Life which explores the life of Albert Facey in surviving Gallipoli, raising a family through the Depression and managing several family challenges. This unit provides practical teaching ideas, an assessment task and an essay by Geordie Williamson.

Text

Debating guide for classroom teachers

This teacher guide provides advice about the key elements of debating as well as a judging guide, planning templates for each speaker and links to a range of resources.

Text

Shadow Puppet Plays

How did shadow puppetry share Chinese culture along the Silk Road? In this unit, students will gain an understanding of the dynamics of trade in China along the Silk Road and the role of trade in urbanisation throughout the Han, Tang, and Song dynasties. They will create puppets and produce shadow puppet performances about ...

Text

Mirror: Unit of work

This unit of work has been written to support Mirror, a picture story book set in Morocco. It explores themes of family, identity, and cultural interactions. This unit provides practical teaching ideas, an assessment task and an essay by Robin Morrow.

Video

Representing diversity with Sally Rippin

How important do you think it is for writers to represent a diversity of experiences and perspectives in their books? What does Sally Rippin say about the world she represents in her stories? Who are the characters she writes and illustrates?

Video

BTN: Exploring the skills of a radio presenter

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a DJ at a radio station? Watch this clip to find out about a bunch of young people who are doing just that. While you're watching, we'll explore some of the skills you might need to present your own radio show.

Audio

Heywire: At home in the country

What is the best thing about living on a farm out in the countryside? What is the worst? How does where you live make you the person you are today? Listen to Jane Gould from Boort, finalist of the 2012 Heywire storytelling competition for young people, talk of the connectedness she feels to the land on which she lives.

Interactive

Creating Digital Stories

This resource focuses on the creation of digital stories for students with supporting activities and links to resources. It has advice and help for students to compose, adapt and publish your digital stories. This resource supports the Australian Curriculum in English K–10.

Interactive

Syllabus bites: Visual literacy

A resource with information, study guides and resources on visual literacy to support the English K-10 Australian Curriculum in English. It provides a series of activities, guidelines and tasks about visual texts from a variety of sources. Contains writing scaffolds, templates and proformas for responding and composing ...

Text

Book Review

This resource provides advice to students on how to present a three-minute book review, with advice on how to write the review, and how to present it orally.

Audio

Paul Hogan and Australian slang

Listen to Australian comic actor Paul Hogan talk to reporters in February 1987 about the Oscars and his role as Mick Dundee in the film 'Crocodile Dundee' (1986). Hogan played a laid-back outback survivalist in this hugely successful film, which is known for its use of Australian slang. Take note of Hogan's own use of Australian ...

Audio

Heywire: Living in the outback, coping with boarding school

For Timmy Watson, living in a remote community in the Northern Territory is as good as it gets. But there's one drawback: the need to go to boarding school during the final years of secondary school. Find out more in Timmy's Heywire audio story. Could you write or record a story about yourself and/or your community? The ...

Video

Heywire: Asian and Australian: it's easy to be me

Many Australians are members of two cultures: the culture of their homes and the culture of society at large. In this Heywire clip, learn about the experiences of Michael Lam, whose Vietnamese Australian family lives in Townsville, Queensland.<br /><br />Could you write or record a story about yourself and/or your community? ...

Audio

Radio National: Learning Dharug, Aboriginal language of Sydney

Imagine a time when the Aboriginal language Dharug was the official language spoken in the Sydney area. During this audio clip, reflect on how the language was considered almost 'lost', but (and) discover how Richard Green and others are piecing the Dharug language back together. Find out about how it is being taught at ...

Video

Can We Help?: Efficient speech: the process of language change

Wassup, bro?Well 'pparently I ain't speakin' right.Will thou ha' the truth on't?We often think that only young people speak in abbreviated forms, but the truth is people have been doing this since Anglo-Saxon times! In this clip discover with Professor Kate Burridge some words that belong to the 'zero plurals' group, why ...

Audio

Radio National: What makes a great speech?

Did you know that making a speech in public is rated as one of most people's greatest fears? There is however an art to making a great speech. Listen as Don Watson speech-writer for the former Prime minister Paul Keating, Michael Gurr playwright and speech-writer, and Ted Widmer foreign policy speech writer for former US ...

Video

Rebecca Lim's spooky themes

Do you enjoy reading spooky stories? Listen to Rebecca Lim as she describes how her half-memories, reading experiences and imagination come together to inspire her.