A Layered Curriculum Year 11 English – Memory and Representation Unit

Introduction  Our differentiated unit of study is a unit of work for a Year 11 English class built around the concepts of memory and representation. The unit consists of eight lessons designed to be delivered over two weeks. Incorporated into the unit is an excursion to the Museum of Sydney, numerous formative assessments and one major, differentiated summative assessment task. Lessons and assessment tasks have been differentiated according to Blooms taxonomy. Three levels of assessment tasks have been devised, the A layer tests the lower order cognitive skills of understanding and remembering, while the B layer assesses the middle order skills of applying and analysing and the C layer requires students to utilise their higher order thinking skills of evaluating and creating. Lessons have also been differentiated to cater for ESL students and have been designed with Gardner’s multiple intelligence scale in mind; Musical, Bodily-Kinaesthetic, Logical- Mathematical, Linguistic, Spatial, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal. Objectives and outcomes are outlined throughout the lesson plans in the unit. These objectives will be communicated verbally and visually (written on the board) at the beginning of each lesson. The Museum of Sydney is not a traditional museum, it combines archeological displays, historic objects, reconstructions, interactive and audiovisual texts, contemporary visual art and soundscapes. These varied exhibits will ensure student’s different intelligences will be catered for.

The unit is designed to provide students with an insight into differing perspectives of Australian history and to foster broad literacy skills. Prior to the excursion students will become familiar with conflicting arguments regarding the representation of European settlement in Australia. Students will then gain a deeper understanding of the issues through close examination of the exhibition. Our unit contains a series of detailed lesson plans that are designed to establish and build student knowledge of the unit’s core concepts. The level of detail in the lesson plans means that a teacher can confidently deliver the two week unit without the need for any clarification or extra preparation. Student learning will be assessed through quizzes at the beginning of selected lessons, anonymous question and answer sessions and through formative and summative assessments.

Unit objectives/outcomes and related assessment tasks  This document contains the four core syllabus outcomes for our unit of work. Each outcome is accompanied by a sample class activity/assessment, which in turn has been layered according to Bloom’s taxonomy. The below list is comprised of samples that reflect the direct correlation between our designed assessments and syllabus outcomes. Complete formative and summative assessments can be accessed separately in the differentiated unit of work. The complete assessment tasks contain multiple activity choices within each layer.

Outcome 1: A student describes and explains the relationships between composer, responder, text and context in particular texts  Task: Class discussion forum after excursion to Museum of Sydney/Exploring responses to the museum’s presentation of texts  Students participate in a discussion forum (similar to the ABC television show ‘Q and A’), wherein students act as moderators, engage in discussion of points raised and take minutes/contribute.  C Layer Activity: Students take minutes (written or recorded as audio) and contribute to the discussion when possible.  B Layer Activity: Students contribute to the discussion, taking cues from the moderators and stating their position on the issues raised.  A Layer Activity: Students monitor the discussion forum and ask probing questions to facilitate constructive debate.

Outcome 3: A Student develops language relevant to the study of English  Task: Reading newspaper articles/ Understanding different perspectives  Students will be divided into two groups that will be rotated around two key newspaper articles. One article criticises the museum of Sydney’s representation of history and the other defends the Museum of Sydney’s representation of history.  C Layer Activity: Students summarise three key points from each article that reflect the article’s point of view. (Articles available on paper or as audio file)  B Layer Activity: Students pick a side they agree with and prepare a summary paragraph explaining why they chose to agree with that perspective.  A Layer Activity: Students develop their own argument which can draw from points from both perspectives as well as their own viewpoints. The argument must be presented creatively e.g. as a podcast recording of a speech, an illustrated depiction of the student’s stance on the Museum’s representation of history, a ‘board room’ presentation to the class with visual prompts

Outcome 7: A student selects appropriate language forms and features, and structures to explore and express ideas and values  Task: Students’ initial response to their museum visit; the beginning of forming a complex set of ideas about the Museum of Sydney’s representation of history.  Having read a couple of opinion pieces about the museum, students respond to the physical reality of the exhibition pieces, selecting appropriate language forms to express their ideas. Students are given a worksheet with layered activities before the visit to the museum, allowing them to ask questions of the museum guide or their teacher during the tour.  C Layer Activity: Students respond to the following question: “On which historical site was the museum built? How has this site been incorporated into the museum’s presentations?” Responses can be text or image-based.  B Layer Activity: Students select their mode of presentation and language form to describe the Museum of Sydney’s perspective on pre-settlement Sydney. Is it an historical position, or a contemporary take? Students’ answers can be in the form of a written interview, where they compose the museum curator’s responses, a structured formal essay that outlines their case, or a series of charts and graphs that compare the museum’s perspective to other museums (incorporating internet research).  A Layer Activity: Students devise a marketing pitch/presentation for the Museum of Sydney. The presentation must encompass promotional handouts/written material, and a professional presentation that outlines the key features of the museum.

Outcome 11: A student draws upon the imagination to transform experience into text.  Task: A summative, considered and creative extended response to the topic ‘Memory and Representation’, as embodied by the Museum of Sydney.  The students have looked at different perspectives on the Museum of Sydney, and will now synthesise their learning experience by drawing on their imagination to produce an engaged response.  C Layer Activity: Re-create the scene of first contact from the perspective of the settlers and the aboriginal people. The re-creation can be in the form of a storyboard, script or performed tableau.  B Layer Activity: You are an artist who has been asked to write and record the audio guide to accompany your work in the museum. Explain your perspective on how the artwork fits in the context of the museum. Submit the written guide, and an audio guide file.  A Layer Activity: Write and video a news article where you evaluate the success of the museum’s experimental approach to the representation of Australia’s settlement. What are its successes and/or limitations? Your piece can respond to the other newspaper articles we have read in class or you can develop an independent viewpoint. You must write in the form of a newspaper article, and record a video in the style of an arts program (visit for inspiration).