Assessment No. 1 Critique
| Assessment name | Critique (written) |
| Description | Critique and suggest modifications of teaching activities in a learning area for EAL/D learners.
Many teaching resources are written/designed for learners who have good mastery of Standard Australian English (SAE). Using a given set of criteria/framework, you will evaluate 1 texts from a regular content-based unit of work for their efficacy for a group of learners whose first language is not SAE. The texts must come from learning areas taught in Australian schools. This task provides you with real world experience in identifying opportunities to teach language alongside content, and in differentiating teaching materials for learners who are developing mastery of SAE. Chosen text : The Rabbit Proof Fence (2002) by Phillip Noyce |
| Weight | 40% |
| Due date | Wednesday 29th August |
Assessment instructions:
READ ALL before you commence.
Critique the multimedia text/film The Rabbit Proof Fence (2002) by Phillip Noyce, following the sequence outlined in Part 1 (below) and evaluate their appropriateness/usefulness for use with learners for whom SAE is not their primary language. This group is broad and varied and includes migrant students who are literate in L1; refugee-backgrounds learners who may have had interrupted schooling and who have limited literacy in L1; Indigenous learners who may speak Aboriginal English or a creole etc. Learners in each of these groups may speak several languages but are still learning SAE.
Part 1 – Critique each resource in turn – 300 words for each text. Include the following:
a. Brief summary of where the resource is from and where it is used in the subject area/phase of learning.
b. Comment on the language demands of the resource.
To annotate, you can use small text boxes and arrows like this.
Look for: complexity of language used (e.g., vocab, sentence types, grammar structures used, is the text supported by visuals, graphs etc – how/how not? ; at roughly what ESL Bandscale level would a learner need to be in order to access/comprehend it as it is, without assistance? ….con’td…
Include the text/resource* with your own annotations on it. See the models provided below.
*For the multimedia text/resource, make a screen grab of it and print this for annotating. Provide a transcript of the audio that students would hear for the representative excerpt that you will be analysing.
c. Comment on the cultural information that is assumed and valued in the resource. Provide evidence from the resource. How might this be problematic or helpful? You must include here comment based on your understanding and review of the texts from the Embedding Indigenous Perspectives framework. Also draw upon relevant aspects of the Cultural Bias Checklist we use in class.
Key terms and vocabulary relevant to the content (This is the most obvious one) The language features.
2. Genres and their structures and language features – Explanations, Descriptions, Reports, Feature Articles etc.
3. Grammar – tense – past, present or future or a combination. Just identify a few examples.
Repeated structures e.g., “We’re going on a bear hunt…..”
Voice – passive or active? The dog bit the boy = active. The boy was bitten by the dog = passive
Pronouns – he, she, it, me, I, we, this, those, that….
Possessives – my, mine, his, hers, theirs….
Material Processes/action verbs – laugh, jump, run, eat…. (check tense – e.g., eat > ate)
Direct speech – “Yum! Food!” the boys shouted.
Prepositions – in, on, under, over….
Time words/phrases – Later that night; In the morning….etc
Verbal processes – said, yelled, cried, moaned….(esp. in picture books)
Comparatives/Superlatives – big, bigger, biggest;
Similes and metaphors – as light as a feather;
Nonsense language? Waddle, Giggle, Gargle
Punctuation – apostrophes, contractions, full stops, Capitalisation, commas…..
Other???
HINT: Use Middle Phase for Learners from Year 4 to Year 12 when referring to the bandscales! This applies to us as we are focusing on Year 7-10 mostly ?
Part B (220 words)
Offer specific suggestions for how you would adapt/modify/extend each text so it was more accessible/appropriate for EAL/D learners. Base your decisions on current, reputable literature and support your ideas with literature. Avoid general suggestions (such as ‘show a picture’) and suggest scaffolding strategies and materials to teach the language.
References
3-4 references APA