Activity Introduction
Quick summary: In this English lesson, students revise key visual techniques such as size, ratio, salience, colour and symbolism. They use these strategies to analyse the emotional impact of a variety of film stills from the feature documentary ‘A Fire Inside.’ Students then analyse the combination of stills in the form of a short film clip.
Learning intentions:
- Students can identify visual techniques such as size, salience, colour and symbolism
- Students can analyse the combined effects of these visual techniques.
21st-century skills:
Australian Curriculum Mapping
Content descriptions:
Year 7 English:
- Compare the ways that language and images are used to create a character, and to influence emotions and opinions in different types of texts (ACELT1621).
Year 8 English:
- Interpret and analyse language choices, including sentence patterns, dialogue, imagery and other language features, in short stories, literary essays and plays (ACELT1767)
Year 9 English:
- Analyse and explain the use of symbols, icons and myth in still and moving images and how these augment meaning (ACELA1560)
- Explore and explain the combinations of language and visual choices that authors make to present information, opinions and perspectives in different texts (ACELY1745).
Year 10 English:
- Analyse and explain how text structures, language features and visual features of texts and the context in which texts are experienced may influence audience response (ACELT1641).
Syllabus outcomes: EN5-1A
General capabilities: Critical and Creative Thinking, Ethical Understanding, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability, Literacy, Personal and Social Capability.
Cross-curriculum priority: Sustainability
Relevant parts of Year 7 achievement standards: By the end of Year 7, students understand how text structures can influence the complexity of a text and are dependent on audience, purpose and context. They demonstrate understanding of how the choice of language features, images and vocabulary affects meaning
Relevant parts of Year 8 achievement standards: By the end of Year 8, students understand how the selection of text structures is influenced by the selection of language mode and how this varies for different purposes and audiences. Students explain how language features, images and vocabulary are used to represent different ideas and issues in texts.
Relevant parts of Year 9 achievement standards: By the end of year 9 students evaluate and integrate ideas and information from texts to form their own interpretations. They select evidence from texts to analyse and explain how language choices and conventions are used to influence an audience. They listen for ways texts position an audience.
Relevant parts of Year 10 achievement standards: By the end of Year 10, students evaluate how text structures can be used in innovative ways by different authors. They explain how the choice of language features, images and vocabulary contributes to the development of individual style.
Topic: Visual Language and image analysis
This lesson is part of the wider unit of work: A Fire Inside: Feature Documentary – Years 7 to 10
Time required: 80 mins.
Level of teacher scaffolding: Medium – facilitate class discussion
Resources required:
- A4 copies of the selected images
- A device capable of presenting a video to the class
- Powerpoint presentation: Fire Inside: Visual Language
- Student Worksheets – one copy per student.
Keywords: Bushfires, visual language, film, photography, documentary, language conventions, cinematography.
Cool Australia’s curriculum team continually reviews and refines our resources to be in line with changes to the Australian Curriculum.
