Activity Introduction
Quick Summary: This lesson incorporates clips from Blue The Film as learning inspiration. In this lesson, students will explore rhetorical devices and their influence over audiences. They will consider ways individuals use language to communicate thoughts and opinions, by watching a short clip featuring perspectives about the impact of plastic. They will further develop their understanding of persuasion by studying the rhetorical devices and how they can be used to engage and persuade audiences. Students apply this knowledge to compare the use of rhetoric in two clip 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 understand rhetorical devices and how they are used in media to persuade audiences about issues.
- Students will understand that choices made in constructing persuasive texts are influenced by purpose and context.
- Students will understand approaches to expressing ideas, values and attitudes about issues and the impact of these approaches on audiences.
21st century skills:
Australian Curriculum Mapping
Content descriptions:
Year 10 English
- Analyse and evaluate how people, cultures, places, events, objects and concepts are represented in texts, including media texts, through language, structural and/or visual choices (ACELY1749)
- Evaluate the impact on audiences of different choices in the representation of still and moving images (ACELA1572)
- Compare the purposes, text structures and language features of traditional and contemporary texts in different media (ACELA1566)
Syllabus outcomes: EN5-1A, EN5-6C, EN5-8D
General capabilities: Literacy, Critical and Creative Thinking.
Cross-curriculum priority: Sustainability OI.7, OI.9.
Relevant parts of Year 10 English achievement standards: 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. They listen for ways features within texts can be manipulated to achieve particular effects. Students explain different viewpoints, attitudes and perspectives through the development of cohesive and logical arguments.
Topic: Blue The Film, Ocean Conservation, Water, Sustainability.
Unit of work: Blue The Film – English – Year 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 (optional).
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
