Teaching Sequence

15 minutes	Part A: Different Types of Homelessness Matching Game
30 minutes	Part B: Analysis of Media Watch
30 minutes	Part C: Applying understanding of media representation to THE OASIS
30 minutes	Part D: Stance/Stereotype/Perspective
15 minutes	Reflection

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

Part A: 'Different types of homelessness' definition matching activity

Step 1.

Place students into groups. Cut out the Different types of homelessness - matching game and give each group a set.

Step 2.

Ask students to match descriptions with the type of homelessness that they think it could be categorised as (use this Different types of homelessness factsheet to guide you)

Step 3.

Lead a brief discussion about the idea that homelessness can look very different to the traditional idea portrayed.

Part B: Analysis of Media Watch

Step 1.

Begin by exploring the idea that all stories position us to respond in particular ways. Watch this section of Media Watch episode 15, (11/5/2015 found at https://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/s4233792.htm) that analyses the media’s reaction to the promotion and broadcasting of the Struggle Street documentary.

Step 2.

Lead a discussion of the contention of the story. Focus on:

How did the different media outlets interpret the promotion of the television show Struggle Street?
What did some of the reports do to reinforce the negative view of the residents of Mt Druitt?
What was the actual view of the reality television show Struggle Street?
How did the Media Watch story show the audience this?
What does the presenter mean when he says, 'the moral panic may be a little hypocritical …'?

Students can summarise the discussion on the Student Worksheet.

Part C: Applying understanding of media representation to THE OASIS

Step 1.

Watch the opening sequence from THE OASIS (up to 2:10) and ask students to think of words that come to mind that describe what they think of a homeless person while they watch. Ask them to write a minimum of 10 words onto 10 sticky-notes.

THE OASIS - Part 1 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40f2p5JQ57s&list=PL5D5EBAE4CF2F2D61)

Students should then stick their words on the board. Then, work as a class to analyse the words and find themes among the words. Encourage students to categorise their descriptors as positive, negative or neutral.

Step 2.

Invite students to form groups of 3-4 and work together to respond to the following:

How are characters who are homeless portrayed in movies and on television? Use an online image search to give specific examples.
Do you think that these portrayals are accurate? Give some reasons for your response.
Do the same stereotypes apply to young people who are homeless? Why or why not?
How appropriate are these stereotypes given what we have seen in THE OASIS?

Ask students to summarise their discussion on the Student Worksheet.

Part D: Stance/Stereotype/Perspective

Step 1.

Ask students to work individually or in pairs to use an online search to find three examples of media texts that portray homeless youth. Students then analyse the STANCE of the author (positive/negative/neutral), if there is a STEREOTYPE being reinforced in the article, as well as the PERSPECTIVE being presented in the article. This activity can be completed on the Student Worksheet.

They could start their search on the ABC or SBS websites.

Once they have completed this, students should write the title and a short summary of the article they've analysed onto an A5 sheet of paper.

Step 2.

Draw a line across the whiteboard with NEGATIVE written on the far left, NEUTRAL in the middle, and POSITIVE on the far right. Ask students to bring their paper up to the board and stick it on the point of the scale where they think it belongs with Blu-Tack. They could give a short explanation of what they prepared in their analysis to justify their positioning of their media item.

Step 3.

Summarise the lesson by comparing the number of articles at each end of the scale. You could focus the summary on the following thoughts/questions:

Is the media coverage of people experiencing homelessness primarily positive, neutral or negative?
What is the effect of this bias on the public's view of people experiencing homelessness?
What is the consequential effect on the public's appetite to see resources being allocated to organisations and government departments who assist those experiencing homelessness?

Reflection:

Using the thought starter at the top of the Student Worksheet as a prompt, students think about and note down their responses to the following questions:

"Early in life I had noticed that no event is ever correctly reported in a newspaper" - George Orwell

What do you think now that you didn’t think before?
So what? Describe why your thinking has changed.
Now what? Is there anything that you’re going to do differently from now on?

Differentiated Learning

Extension: Using the statement below as a prompt, write an expository piece that explores ways in which texts can influence their audience:

'Texts privilege particular sets of values, beliefs or ideological positions. This is not to say that texts are deliberately misleading, but they do construct a particular view of reality.'

Provisional Learning Support: Ask students to find a news story online that outlines how people can help address the number of homeless young people in Australia, and summarise the steps that they could take to help.

They could use this link as a starting point: https://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s3633710.htm

The Oasis - Building Critical Literacy and Breaking Stereotypes

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