Activity Introduction
Quick summary: Students examine issues associated with people seeking asylum and offshore detention policies by studying the expository language and visual choices in media texts. Using a variety of thinking and analytical tools, students refine their knowledge and skills by analysing, evaluating and comparing expository language and visual choices in texts. In doing so, students enhance and deepen their understanding of the connection between offshore detention policies, people seeking asylum and the power of visual, written and spoken language to communicate and persuade on these issues.
Chasing Asylum exposes the real impact of Australia’s offshore detention policies through the personal accounts of people seeking asylum and whistleblowers who tried to work within the system. To watch the documentary, stream it on Kanopy and Clickview or purchase the DVD at the ATOM Education Shop.
Learning intentions:
- Students will understand and be able to analyse the way language, structural, stylistic and visual choices work in representing and shaping points of view and influencing audiences.
- Students will enhance their comparative skills to understand how different media texts represent and report issues in different ways and elicit different responses from audiences.
- Students will be able to analyse and make evaluative judgements about the effectiveness of media texts in positioning audiences about issues.
21st Century skills:
Australian Curriculum Mapping
Content descriptions:
Year 11 English:
Investigate the representation of ideas, attitudes and voices in texts including:
- analysing the ways language features, text structures and stylistic choices shape points of view and influence audiences (ACEEN024)
- evaluating the effects of rhetorical devices, for example, emphasis, emotive language and imagery in the construction of argument (ACEEN025)
Analyse and evaluate how and why responses to texts vary through:
- the ways ideas, attitudes and voices are represented, for example, how events are reported differently in the media (ACEEN029)
Reflect on their own and others’ texts by:
- evaluating the effectiveness of texts in representing ideas, attitudes and voices (ACEEN039)
- explaining how and why texts position readers and viewers (ACEEN040)
General capabilities: Literacy, Personal and Social Capability, Ethical Understanding, Intercultural Understanding.
Cross-curriculum priority:
Topic: Social Issues.
Unit of work: Voices of Chasing Asylum – access the unit overview here.
Time required: 120 mins.
Level of teacher scaffolding: High – facilitate class discussion and assess student work.
Resources required: Student Worksheet – one copy per student OR computers/tablets to access the online worksheet. Device capable of presenting a website to the class.
Digital technology opportunities: Digital sharing capabilities.
Keywords: Asylum, refugee, political influence, visual language, media, exposition, perspectives.
Cool Australia’s curriculum team continually reviews and refines our resources to be in line with changes to the Australian Curriculum.
Teacher preparation