Teaching Sequence

30 minutes	Part A: Darren's story
30 minutes	Part B: The influence of the media on public opinion
30 minutes	Reflection

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

Part A: Darren's story

Step 1.

Students watch THE OASIS clip that features Darren’s battle with drug addiction (stop at 1:30).

THE OASIS Part 4 - (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzJLLhexgrQ&list=PL5D5EBAE4CF2F2D61)

Ask students to identify five words to describe their reaction to the clip and write them on their Student Worksheet.

Step 2.

Watch the clip that features Paul's breakfast with Darren after treatment (start the clip at 4:12 and stop at 6:05).

THE OASIS Part 4 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuoMrtJFsKE&list=PL5D5EBAE4CF2F2D61&index=4)

Darren introduces himself and calls himself a 'freak', which is an example of self-deprecation. Students respond to the following prompt on their Student Worksheet: Why do you think he does that? Do you agree with him?

Step 3.

Watch Darren’s interview (start at 6:30).

THE OASIS Part 6 - (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuoMrtJFsKE&list=PL5D5EBAE4CF2F2D61)

To find out more about Darren, click here.

Step 4.

Ask students to note one word that describes their reaction to Darren’s story on their Student Worksheet. Invite students to share that word with their classmates and expand on why it describes their reaction by sitting in a circle to share their reaction to the interview clip.Guiding questions you could use for reflection:

What word did you use to describe your reaction to Darren’s story?
Explain why it describes your reaction.
Share a specific reason for your reaction - refer to what you saw and heard in the interview.

Time permitting, you could go around the circle and hear from each person in the class, or you could hear from a few students who volunteer to share.

Part B: The influence of the media on public opinion

Step 1.

Students read and explore one of the following articles in groups:

Tony Abbott’s response to poverty and homelessness:

https://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/bible-bashing-the-homeless-abbott-style-20100215-o2tj.html

Huffington Post article on drug addiction (this is a more challenging article):

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/johann-hari/the-real-cause-of-addictib_6506936.html?ir=Australia

Step 2.

Students respond to the articles using the questions below as a guide:

What is the contention of the article you read?
Highlight the key points made in the article.
Pose a question about each of the key points in the article (minimum of three questions). For example: What did Tony Abbott say about the number of people who are homeless in Australia? What are three causes of drug addiction?
How does the article relate to Darren? More specifically, did the article influence what you think about his experiences? Write a paragraph to explain your thoughts.

Part C: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights - what are the implications?

Step 1.

Draw attention to and discuss Article One of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as a class or in small groups:
https://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/

'All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.'

Step 2.

In light of this, reflect on the impact that people in positions of influence (e.g Prime Ministers, journalists) have over public perception generally. In your opinion, what is the responsibility (in relation to the treatment of people) of a person who influences the general public?

Reflection/Homework

Students choose one of the tasks below:

You are Paul - write a letter to a political leader that explains Darren’s situation and ask them to take action. Ensure that you ask for something tangible and describe how it will make a difference in the lives of young people who experience homelessness.

You are given the opportunity to have a conversation with Tony Abbott. What would you ask him? What would you tell him? List five questions you would ask him, and five things that you would tell him during your conversation.

Differentiated Learning

Extension: Encourage students to move beyond the content of the articles used in the lesson, and pose questions about the manner in which the articles are written and their resultant influence over the reader. Students could find their own article and analyse the content and contention.

Provisional Learning Support: Encourage students to extend their vocabulary by highlighting specific challenging terms and sharing the information they find with their classmates. Pair students of different levels in groups during the group activity.

The Oasis - Understanding the Impact of the Media

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