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Introduction | Rap point 1 | Rap point 2 | Rap point 3 | Rap wrap up | Credits

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets rap


English Stage 4 programming and planning


Introduction

English Stage 4 programming and planning

Term 4, Week 4: (week beginning 4 November 2002)

Using information and communications technologies (ICT) capabilities in teaching and learning.

This rap assists Stage 4 students to develop their ability to:

  • use ICT to locate, access, evaluate, manipulate, create, store and retrieve information
  • express ideas and communicate with others, using ICT.


Task:

During this week, rappers send a short introductory message to the book rap.

As preparation, discuss the information that you would like to include in your class introductory message.

You may choose to provide some information about your class and where your school is located.

After reading the introductory messages of other schools, you could locate participating schools on a printed Rap map.

During this week, you could also refresh your understanding of the book Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

Outcomes and indicators Teaching and learning strategies

English writing outcome

Students should be able to describe the ways, purpose, audience and situation affect the register of their own writing and that of others.

  • Students will identify the ways purpose, audience and situation affect their writing for the book rap introductory message.

English writing outcome

Students should be able to identify audience so as to write appropriately for particular readers such as self, peers, a younger reader, a trusted adult or teacher as assessor.

  • Students will jointly construct an introductory message for the book rap.

What do students already know about book raps? Complete a KWL activity with the class. After discussion, students record what they already know about book raps, what they would like to know and, at the end of the book rap, what they have learned.

In discussing the purpose and conventions of a book rap, the teacher could refer to Rap lingo, appropriate book rap FAQs, and examples of email messages from previous book raps in the Archives of email discussion.

The teacher selects a range of introductory messages and models the structure and language features for the class, including email etiquette and email addressing. Language features might include use of dot points, sentence structures, present tense and first person.

Or

Students might search previous book rap sites to select model texts which they then examine in terms of structure and language features.

Focus on Literacy: Writing is a useful teacher resource for information about purpose and audience in written tasks. Refer to pp.12-20 for a social view of writing and pp. 28-29 for modelled writing techniques.

In small groups, students develop a set of criteria for the book rap introductory message, which is then agreed on by the whole class or group.

In small groups or pairs, students jointly construct an introductory message for the book rap using their agreed criteria. The class or group decides on the message to be sent to all rappers.

Students then nominate a class representative to use a word processor to record the message and post it to the rap.

Extracts from English 7 –10 © Board of Studies NSW 1998.

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Rap point 1

English Stage 4 programming and planning

Term 4, Week 5: (week beginning 11 November 2002)


Task:

Ron's father, Mr Weasley, works for the Ministry of Magic, in the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office. His job is to investigate things that are Muggle-made and have been bewitched, for example, the tea set described on pages 28 and 29, shrinking door keys or a biting kettle. Mr Weasley himself owns a flying car!

Work in groups and use Rap sheet 1 to record examples of Muggle-made items and what you think they might do if they were bewitched.

Imagine you are an employee in Mr Weasley's department. Write a report on a bewitched Muggle-made item you have investigated. Rap sheet 2 may help you to plan your report.

Send your report to the Rap.

You may also like to illustrate your Muggle-made item. Your teacher could select a few of these illustrations to send to the rap gallery.

Outcomes and indicators Teaching and learning strategies

English reading outcome

Students should be able to extend their comprehension beyond the literal to the inferential and creative.

  • Students analyse techniques used in the model report, Rap sheet 2, to create certain effects, position the reader and construct different interpretations of experience.

English writing outcome

Students should be able to engage in the full writing process and at times select aspects and combinations of the process useful to their purposes and chosen forms.

  • Students jointly construct a report about a Muggle-made item suitable for the book rap audience using an appropriate structure and language features.

Students re-read the section related to Muggle-made items that have been bewitched (Chapter 3, pp.28–31). (This is an opportunity to develop inferential and critical comprehension skills. (See Teacher guide.)

Students brainstorm and list a number of Muggle-made items that could be bewitched. Rap sheet 1

The teacher shows students the model of text, Rap sheet 2. Students should note the purpose of the structure and how it assists the reader. The variety of sentence structures and their impact on the reader, should also be examined.

As a class, students discuss the criteria for an effective report. Rap sheet 2

In groups, students should decide on a Muggle-made item for their report and jointly construct their text.

As a class, or in groups, students assess their texts against the established criteria.

Students then should evaluate the effectiveness of their criteria. Did the selection cover all aspects of an effective report? Were some aspects completely ignored?

Extracts from English 7 –10 © Board of Studies NSW 1998.

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Rap point 2

English Stage 4 programming and planning

Term 4, Week 6: (week beginning 18 November 2002)


Task:

The most important sporting events at Hogwarts’ School of Witchcraft and Wizardry are the Quidditch matches. Discuss the rules associated with playing Quidditch.

Use Rap sheet 3 to record the basic rules for Quidditch.

Based on the ideas arising from your discussion, adapt a sport you enjoy so that it could be included as a sporting event at Hogwarts' School of Witchcraft.

Some examples for you to consider:

  • spellbinding soccer
  • hocus-pocus hockey
  • bewitching basketball
  • voodoo volleyball.

Write the rules for your game. There are suggestions on Rap sheet 3 to help you plan your response.

Send your rules to the rap.

You may also like to:

  • illustrate some of the equipment that would be used in your new game
  • develop a labeled diagram of the playing field required.

Your teacher could select a few of these illustrations to send to the rap gallery.

Outcomes and indicators Teaching and learning strategies

English spoken language outcome

Students should be able to talk to explore ideas with others including solving problems, modifying opinions and developing arguments.

  • Students examine the structure and language features of sports rules (including how to play, related to order of play, and rules related to code of conduct or behaviour) and consider the effect on the reader.

English literature outcome

Students should be able to extrapolate from their understanding of a piece of literature by engaging in a variety of "imaginative recreations".

  • Students jointly construct a set of rules for a sport to be played at Hogwarts’ using appropriate structures and selected language features.

As a class or in small groups, students discuss and record the rules associated with Quidditch.

Using the Quidditch rules, or those for card games or Scrabble, model the structure and language features of rules and regulations style texts. For example, language features include: clear and succinct language choices; simple sentence structure; and use of imperative, conditional and modal verbs.

This is an opportunity to expand students’ writing beyond the production of a simple procedural text to more complex texts that contain descriptive, procedural and explanatory details.

Students jointly construct a text that is recognisably a rule book demonstrating the addition of descriptive and explanatory detail (e.g. class rules), i.e. an elaboration of a simple procedural text in other words.

Class brainstorm and identify some sports that could be adapted for Hogwarts'. Suggestions include spellbinding soccer, hocus-pocus hockey.

Students “think, pair and share” ideas for a rule book for the chosen sport.

Students agree on the components and contents of their rule book. They then work in expert groups to develop descriptive detail, explanations and suitable illustrations of the field and the equipment.

Students compile information and post the response to the rap.

Extracts from English 7 –10 © Board of Studies NSW 1998.

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Rap point 3

English Stage 4 programming and planning

Term 4, Week 6: (week beginning 18 November 2002)


Task:

Investigate a key issue or theme explored in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

There are some suggestions listed on Rap sheet 4.

Select a segment from the book that best illustrates this theme or issue. Represent this in another text type such as:

  • a newspaper article
  • an interview
  • a screenplay for a film segment
  • a poem
  • a play script
  • a speech.

Post your response to the rap.

Outcomes and indicators Teaching and learning strategies

English Reading outcome

Students should be able to extend their comprehension beyond the literal to the inferential and creative.

  • Students examine and identify the language used by J.K. Rowling in relation to the themes or issues in order to understand the impact of these language choices on the reader.

English Literature outcome

Students should be able to reconstruct episodes from one mode or genre into another.

  • Recognise the different purposes for a text and convert one text (narrative) into another text (eg an interview) taking into account structure, purpose and audience.

The teacher models the language of a selected theme from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (e.g. use of modality, types of adjectives and verbs that help to develop the theme and influence the reader). For example, the theme of loyalty might be represented by language such as “protected”, “understood”, “defended”.

In pairs, students work on a selected theme or issue to identify the language features used and the impact on the reader. (This is an opportunity to develop inferential and critical comprehension skills, see Teacher guide.)

Students select a theme or issue from the text to convert into a different text form (e.g. an interview).

The teacher models the language and structure of the selected text form.

The students brainstorm and record the criteria for producing the selected text. In small groups or as a whole class, students work to jointly construct the selected text referring to the developed text criteria.

The students record why they chose to represent the theme and the passage in a particular form, e.g. why the theme of loyalty was re-represented as a poem.

Students publish their writing (including the rationale for the selected text form) and post their response to the rap.

Extracts from English 7 –10 © Board of Studies NSW 1998.

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Rap wrap up

English Stage 4 programming and planning

Term 4, week 8: (week beginning 2 December 2002)


Task:

After participating in the book rap, share your experience with other rappers.

What did you learn about and enjoy doing during the rap?

Outcomes and indicators Teaching and learning strategies

English writing outcome

Students should be able to use writing for such personal, intellectual and social purpose as self exploration, investigation of the world, formulating ideas and logical thinking, arguing and exposition.

  • Students examine the language of written evaluative response.
  • Students jointly construct a group response to the rap wrap up.

The teacher models short response style texts (e.g. film or book reviews) considering purpose, structures and use of evaluative language to comment on the value of the rap to their learning.

Students discuss the appropriate structure and style for an evaluative online response to the book rap. Students need to be specific in their comments so that it will have value to the other rappers.

A joint rap wrap up message is drafted, reflecting a variety of views and responses to the rap.

Students then nominate a class representative to use a word processor to record the message.

When the teacher has approved the final text, the message is posted to the rap.

Extracts from English 7 –10 © Board of Studies NSW 1998.


Credits

Cathy Sly, Barrenjoey High School.

 

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