Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes	Part A. What is Coral bleaching?
40 minutes	Part B. News Media - Written articles
40 minutes	Part C. News Media - Video texts
30 minutes	Reflection

Part A. What is Coral bleaching?

Step 1.

Introduce the lesson by explaining to the class that they will be learning about the ways different news media texts make choices about how to represent topical environmental issues, especially coral bleaching. The Coral Reefs Factsheet may be useful for further information.

To orientate students to the topic, watch the following video from the Blue The Film and ask students to complete the 'Think-Puzzle-Explore' Visible Thinking routine on the Student Worksheet after watching. Explain to students that this routine can help them connect new information to prior knowledge, stimulate their curiosity and lay the groundwork for further inquiry or investigation.

Coral bleaching (https://vimeo.com/1056609106/dbf7b8aba7)

Step 2.

Facilitate a brief discussion with the class about their responses. Some points of discussion may include the difference between what they saw in the video and have heard in the news, the rate or pace that coral is bleaching or questions about different courses of action.

Explain to the class that while exploring a topic such as this, one place they could look is different forms of news media so that they can find some perspectives and associated issues that make a topic challenging or topical.
Introduce the lesson by explaining to the class that they will be learning about the ways different news media texts make choices about how to represent topical environmental issues, especially coral bleaching.

Part B. News Media - Written articles

Step 1.

Explain to students that the language features that people use when communicating or sharing their perspectives - whether they are writers, presenters, interview subjects offering an option etc., is usually a deliberate choice made to position audiences. Explain that making these choices when communicating can influence the audience's emotions and sense of logic.

Write the headings below on the board:

Emotive language
Persuasive techniques
Figurative language
Modality

Ask students to recall any prior knowledge about any specific features or what they know about each. The list students develop does not need to be definitive as some more specific examples are provided on the Student Worksheet. This is to activate any prior knowledge and get students thinking about the variety of written language features that can influence readers.

Step 2.

Project and distribute a copy of the following news article - Coral crisis: the Great Barrier Reef needs us to speak up by Peter Hannam. Encourage students to annotate as they read. Draw students’ attention to the comprehension questions and analysis table on the Student Worksheet and explain to the class that while reading the article, they should identify examples of these language features. Students should work to think about the impact they have and how they shape meaning. Ask students to peruse the list and ask for clarification about anything before reading.

Facilitate the reading of this article based on the needs of your class. This could be read as a class with brief stops to explain or discuss pertinent information, or it might be more suitable to give students some individual time to read and respond before discussing as a group.

Step 3.

After reading the news article, give students some time to complete the comprehension and analysis questions and identify, analyse and evaluate the language features used to shape meaning. You could work through the comprehension questions together as part of a discussion with the class before students individually complete the analysis table. Students might refer to the Rhetorical Devices Factsheet or Persuasive Language Factsheet.

This activity could be completed in pairs or small groups, with students working collaboratively to read, identify, discuss, analyse and evaluate the use of rhetorical appeals.

Facilitate a brief discussion with the class about the representation and issues addressed in the article. In this discussion, guide students’ thinking towards the effect that language features have on the meaning produced, for example, the effect/s of using emotive language to describe the hope of coral reef advocates, the impact of modality on comments about government action, or the use of specific vocabulary to define or explain issues.

Part C. News Media - Video texts

Step 1.

Explain to the class that while some print news (and it’s online versions) rely mostly on written language to represent issues and communicate perspectives, news media that is broadcast on television can use audio and visual features, as well as verbal and non-verbal features to shape meaning and communicate perspectives.

Point out that for environmental issues, there is an enormous amount of news information and perspectives communicated through all forms of media. Explain that each news story provides information with varying degrees of analysis and that is therefore a form of exposition. This means that while news media aims to provide information, audiences are still positioned by the information that they see, the language that they hear, and how it is all put together.

Ask students to reflect on information they have seen or heard in the media about the Great Barrier Reef and coral bleaching.

Students might refer to politicians’ perspectives or soundbites from interviews about the Adani coal mine, or they might refer to significant people whose prominence means their perspective is often heard, such as specific environmentalists, journalists or advocates. They might even refer to specific stories or feature articles they’ve seen or read through social media or on television about coral bleaching.

Explain to students that whatever the perspective or view is on the issue, people who write, produce or create expository news media texts about any issue make specific choices in language, visuals, sound/music, and structure/sequence in order to communicate information or perspectives about the issue or event.

Step 2.

On the whiteboard, list the following headings and ask students to recall or think about specific examples or definitions for each:

Evaluative language
Emotive language
Persuasive language features
Visual features
Aural/Sound features
Structural/sequence features

The list students develop does not need to be comprehensive as there is a detailed list in the Student Worksheet for them to consider when watching the media clip below. Draw students’ attention to the comprehension questions and analysis table in Part C on the Student Worksheet and explain to the class that while watching the news video, they should aim to identify examples of these features, actively think about the impact they have and consider how they shape meaning.

Ask students to peruse the list and ask for clarification about anything before reading. After identifying some features, ask students to watch the following news media clip from The Project (Channel 10) - Waleed Aly’s ‘Something we need to talk about’ segment - and think carefully about what is being communicated to them in terms of the Great Barrier Reef and the environmental impacts of coral bleaching.

Waleed Aly talking about The Great Barrier Reef (https://youtu.be/fXGWy-xsBmE)

Step 3.

After watching the news video, give students some time to complete the comprehension and analysis questions and identify, analyse and evaluate the language, video and media features used to shape meaning. You could work through these comprehension questions together as part of a discussion with the class before students individually complete the analysis table.

This activity could be completed in pairs or small groups, with students working collaboratively to read, identify, discuss, analyse and evaluate the use of rhetorical appeals.

Facilitate a discussion with the class, working through their responses about the exposition about coral bleaching, the Great Barrier Reef and conservation efforts and challenges. Ensure emphasis is placed on the analysis of the features, not a debate around the issue itself. In this discussion, guide students’ thinking towards the effect that choices have in terms of the meaning produced, for example, the effect/s of the background music at various stages of the clip or the impact of certain words or phrases or repetition used by the presenter (Waleed Aly) or people interviewed. The editing and pace of images might be something students refer to as well.

Reflection

Invite students to complete the reflection activity routine for this unit on their student worksheet. This is a short '3-2-1 activity' that encapsulates their thinking and learning at the end of the lesson. This can be about the topic or the skills and thinking routines. Students are asked to reflect on what they have learnt and participated in this lesson and identify:

3 things they have learnt
2 things that were interesting
1 question they now have

Extension/Homework

Invite students to reflect on their learning from the lesson (and if relevant, use their analysis from the previous activities) to write an extended comparative paragraph (approximately 250 - 300 words) that compares and contrasts how at least two expository elements are used in both news media texts to present information related to coral bleaching and the Great Barrier Reef.

To prompt students, encourage them to reflect on what they have read, watched and analysed. Ask them to choose an aspect of the issue and then select the features from each news media texts in Part B and Part C that relate to that issue. This can provide the substance of their paragraph.

The following prompts could be projected/written on the board:

Choose an aspect of coral bleaching and the Great Barrier Reef that has been covered.
Select features from the news media texts (article and video) that refer to this aspect.
Refer to the analytical tables and identify the evidence and features worth discussing.
Write your paragraph following an appropriate structure (e.g. Topic sentence, Explain, Evidence, Evaluate, Link).
Remember to use comparative language/connectives, such as “on the other hand”, “in contrast”, “similarly” etc., when comparing and contrasting.
Include a final point reflecting on what this comparative analysis reveals about expository texts and communicating information, especially about environmental issues like coral bleaching.

Assessment

What can the students do, say, make or write?

Students can demonstrate the success criteria from the lesson by writing an extended paragraph that comments on the way in which language and communication techniques can be used to represent certain issues. Alternatively, they could present this information back in the role of an investigative news reporter, such as Media Watch.

Take it further

Invite students to apply their learning in a real-world context by participating in the Social Action lesson.

Teacher reflection

Take this opportunity to reflect on your own teaching

What did you learn about your teaching today?
What worked well?
What didn’t work so well?
What would you share?
Where to next?
How are you going to get there?

Become an ocean guardian and join the global movement now!

Go to the Blue website to become an ocean guardian and take action for our ocean. Actions include:

Take a picture of your actions and post it with the hashtag #oceanguardian

Visit the website to find out more: https://bluethefilm.org/take-action/

Blue - Rhetorical Devices and Coral Reefs

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