Activity Introduction
Quick summary: This lesson incorporates clips from Blue The Film as learning inspiration. In this lesson students will consider the ways individuals use language to communicate their thoughts, understandings and opinions. They will watch a short clip that explores a range of perspectives about plastic. Students will study rhetorical devices and how they can be used to persuade audiences. Students will then apply this knowledge to compare the use of rhetoric in two clips about plastic and its impact on the environment and ecosystems.
Blue is a feature documentary film charting the drastic decline in the health of our oceans. With more than half of all marine life lost and the expansion of the industrialization of the seas, the film sets out the challenges we are facing and the opportunities for positive change. Blue changes the way we think about our liquid world and inspires the audience to action. Find out how to screen or download the film here. Along with the film is an ambitious global campaign to create advocacy and behaviour change through the #oceanguardian movement. To become an ocean guardian, see the website.
Learning intentions:
- Students will learn about rhetorical devices and how they can be used to persuade.
- Students will understand the impact of ideas, values and attitudes on how the issue of plastic bags and ocean change are shared.
21st century skills:
Australian Curriculum Mapping
Content descriptions:
Year 9 English
- Understand that roles and relationships are developed and challenged through language and interpersonal skills (ACELA1551)
- Use comprehension strategies to interpret and analyse texts, comparing and evaluating representations of an event, issue, situation or character in different texts (ACELY1744)
- Identify how vocabulary choices contribute to specificity, abstraction and stylistic effectiveness (ACELA1561)
- Listen to spoken texts constructed for different purposes, for example to entertain and to persuade, and analyse how language features of these texts position listeners to respond in particular ways (ACELY1740)
General Capabilities: Literacy, Personal and Social Capability, Ethical Understanding.
Cross-curriculum priority: Sustainability.
Syllabus Outcomes: EN5-1A, EN5-2A, EN5-5C
Relevant parts of Year 9 achievement standards: Students analyse the ways that text structures can be manipulated for effect. They analyse and explain how images, vocabulary choices and language features distinguish the work of individual authors.Students 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. Students understand how interpretations can vary by comparing their responses to texts to the responses of others.
Topic: Blue The Film, Ocean Conservation, Water, Sustainability.
Unit of work: Blue The Film: English – Years 9 & 10
Time required: 90 mins.
Level of teacher scaffolding: High – facilitate class discussion and assess student work.
Resources required: Student Worksheet – one per student. Device capable of presenting a website to the class. Rhetorical Devices Factsheet (one per student). How Do We Combat Our Plastic Addiction – Transcript.
Keywords: Blue The Film, ocean conservation, marine ecosystems, rhetoric, ethos, pathos, logos, plastic pollution.
Cool Australia and Northern Pictures would like to acknowledge the generous contributions of GoodPitch² Australia, Shark Island Institute, Documentary Australia Foundation, The Caledonia Foundation and Screen Australia in the development of these teaching resources.
Cool Australia’s curriculum team continually reviews and refines our resources to be in line with changes to the Australian Curriculum.
© 2017 Northern Pictures and Cool Australia
Teacher Preparation
