Teaching Sequence

30 minutes	Part A: A Brief Overview of Policy
30 minutes	Part B: Analysing Expository Media texts: Television (The Project)
30 minutes	Part C: Analysing Expository Media texts: UK Channel 4
30 minutes	Reflection

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

Part A: A Brief Overview of Policy

Step 1.

Explain to the class that this lesson will focus on expository media voices that provide information about people seeking asylum, with a particular focus on exposition into offshore detention policies. Point out that while expository texts are not persuasive in nature and generally present information such as facts, statistics etc., audiences can still be influenced by what they see, read or hear. Expository texts are not purely objective.

Establish with the class that the focus of the lesson is how this style of text communicates information and perspectives using specific techniques and language devices. Conduct a brief discussion with the class to establish prior knowledge about asylum seeker policies of the Australian Government. Students might refer to ‘Operation Sovereign Borders’, refer to Nauru or Manus Island or mandatory detention. Some students might refer to more nuanced motives or perspectives. Encourage the class to keep this discussion objective and avoid qualitative or moral assessments. While students are contributing to the discussion, visually summarise the ideas shared on the whiteboard.

Step 2.

Watch the following excerpts from Chasing Asylum with the class. Explain to students that they aim to provide some contextual information about asylum seeker policies, political background and developments that have led to the situation as it is shown in the documentary film.

Ask students to watch and listen carefully, paying close attention to the information about policy and how different perspectives/opinions on this are communicated. Give students some time between each clip to add to the ‘See, Think, Wonder’ visible thinking routine on the Student Worksheet. This thinking strategy encourages students to carefully and thoughtfully observe and interpret information and begin developing curiosity for future inquiry.

Chasing Asylum Clip 21 (https://vimeo.com/198947353/d4b469df1e)

Chasing Asylum Clip 04 (https://vimeo.com/183257818)

Chasing Asylum Clip 17 (https://vimeo.com/184264450)

Step 3.

After watching each of the clips, ask students to complete the ‘See, Think, Wonder’ visible thinking routine on the Student Worksheet. Responses can be shared and discussed with the class. For example, students might refer to the political changes and motives raised in the first clip or the impact of policies discussed by Michael Bachelard or Greg Lake in the second clip.

Part B: Analysing Expository Media texts: Television (The Project)

Step 1.

Explain to students that when it comes to people seeking asylum and the various issues their experiences raise, there is an enormous amount of news, information and perspectives communicated throughout all forms of media. Each news story provides information with varying degrees of analysis and is a form of exposition. This means that while it aims to provide information, audiences are still positioned by the information that they see, the language that they hear, and how it is put together.

Ask students to reflect on the different information they have seen or heard in the media about people seeking asylum, refugees, Manus Island, Nauru or offshore detention. Students might refer to politicians’ perspectives or soundbites from interviews such as “stop the boats” or “let them stay” or they might refer to significant people whose prominence means their perspective is often heard, such as specific politicians, journalists or advocates. They might even refer to specific stories or feature articles they’ve seen or read on social media or on television.

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, visual elements, 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 elements that they know or believe can be grouped under the headings:

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

The list students develop does not need to be comprehensive as there is a list on the Student Worksheet to guide them when watching the media clip.

After identifying some features, ask students to watch this media clip from The Project (Channel 10) and think carefully about what is being communicated in terms of offshore detention policies, people seeking asylum and people working with them.

Step 3.

After watching the clip, give students some time to complete the comprehension and analysis questions on the Student Worksheet. The questions prompt students to recall and explain how meaning has been shaped by the creators of the clip. The video is embedded in the Student Worksheet for students to re-watch if required.

Step 4.

Facilitate a brief discussion with the class, working through their responses about The Project's exposition on offshore detention policies and people seeking asylum. In this discussion, guide students’ thinking towards the effect of language, visual and other choices made by the creators; 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.

Part C: Analysing Expository Media texts: UK Channel 4

Step 1.

Explain to the class that while some expository media texts about issues such as offshore detention are produced locally and have local audiences, the same issues can be examined in expository texts that have larger, more broad audiences. Global issues such as the displacement of people due to conflict, and closer exposition of responses and management of refugees, has emerged around the world.

Explain to the class that the next expository media text to be considered was produced by Channel 4 News in the United Kingdom. Channel 4 is a public-service broadcaster that is largely self-funded but ultimately publicly owned.

Step 2.

Refer students back to the brainstorm created in Part A of this lesson and explain that they should watch, listen and think carefully about what is being communicated to them in terms of what they know about offshore detention policies and people seeking asylum.

Before watching the expository media text with the class, highlight to students that they should aim to actively consider the information being communicated by the media text, and what the text is saying about people seeking asylum and government policy throughout.

Please note that the content is sensitive, so please consider your students’ individual or collective needs before watching.

Should we have an immigration system like Australia? (https://youtu.be/3CToAYvLYZU)

Step 3.

After watching the clip, give students some time to complete the comprehension and analysis questions and recall and explain some of the choices made to shape meaning. These are both on the Student Worksheet. The video is embedded for students to refer to.

Step 4.

Facilitate a brief discussion with the class, working through their responses about the exposition of offshore detention policies and people seeking asylum. In this discussion, guide students’ thinking towards the effect that choices have in terms of the meaning produced, for example, the selection of particular footage of the presenter asking questions of the Minister for Immigration and Prime Minister or the use of testimonial footage. Students might also refer to the emotive language used in some of these testimonials - encourage them to look at how it is used to provide information or influence audiences.

Reflection

Step 1.

Explain to students that they will now reflect on their learning from the lesson and use their analysis from the previous activities to write a comparative essay that compares and contrasts how expository elements (at least two) are used in both expository media texts to present information related to offshore detention policies.

To prompt students, encourage them to reflect on what they have watched and analysed. Ask them to choose one aspect of the policy (motive, impact, outcomes etc.), perhaps from their 'See, Think, Wonder' routine from Part A, and then select the elements from each video in Part B and Part C that relate to that aspect (for example, visual elements and evaluative language). This can then form the spine and substance of their essay.

The following prompts could be projected/written on the board. They are also on the Student Worksheet:

Choose an aspect of offshore detention policy (use your 'See, Think, Wonder' routine for ideas).
Select elements from the videos that refer to this aspect.
Refer to the analytical table and identify the evidence and techniques worth discussing.
Write your essay following an appropriate structure (e.g Introductory paragraph, body paragraphs that use the structure of topic sentence, explanation, evidence, evaluation, link and a conclusion paragraph).
Remember to use comparative language/connectives, such as “on the other hand”, “in contrast”, “similarly” etc., when comparing and contrasting.
The final paragraph could reflect on what this comparative analysis reveals about expository texts and communicating information, especially about complex issues like asylum seeker policies.

Step 2.

Depending on the time in the lesson, you could encourage some volunteers who are comfortable sharing to read or display their essays to the class and facilitate any relevant discussion based on their analysis.

Voices of Chasing Asylum - Expository/Media Voices

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