Stage 4 Outcomes and content

Teaching and learning strategies

Outcome 1: A student responds to and composes texts for understanding, interpretation, critical analysis and pleasure.
Students learn to:
1.1 respond to imaginative, factual and critical texts, including the required range of texts, through wide and close listening, reading and viewing.
Students learn about:
1.11 the ideas, information, perspectives and points of view presented in imaginative, factual and critical texts.

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

Outcome 4: A student uses and describes language forms and features, and structures of texts according to different purposes, audiences and contexts, and describes and explains their effects on meaning.
Students learn to:
4.1 identify and describe the purpose, audience and context of texts
4.3 adapt texts for different purposes, audiences and contexts and articulate the effects on meaning.
Students learn about:
4.7 the effectiveness of specific language forms and features and structures of texts for different purposes, audiences and contexts and for specific modes and mediums.

Outcome 10: A student identifies, considers and appreciates cultural expression in texts.
Students learn to:
10.1 recognise and consider cultural factors, including cultural background and perspective, when responding to and composing texts.
Students learn about:
10.9 the ways culture and personal experience position composers and responders and influence response to and composition of texts.

Introduce the book rap and outline expectations. Students could be shown the book rap web site, read selected sections such as Rap lingo, discuss the purpose of rap lingo and practice using it.

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

Discuss the process of subscribing to a listserv.

Subscribe the group or class to Papunya School book of country and history book rap.

Using Rap sheet 1 transform this information, including symbols that represent significant happenings in their life, into an Anangu format such as that shown on page 46 of the book. Teachers should consult with their AEA (Aboriginal Education Assistant) or local Aboriginal community for such introductory activities.

The teacher could model the composition of an Anangu timeline. This modelling will provide a basis for building an understanding of two way learning by highlighting Aboriginal oral storytelling techniques and language reflected in the text.

Students could begin to explore the traditional oral, dance and art of the Papunya people and the importance of the Dreaming stories for their cultural heritage and historical background on the Papunya Tula artists site.

Students may refer to this map of Our community: the Arrernte region to develop greater understanding of the geographical setting for the stories.

Outcome 2: A student uses a range of processes for responding to and composing texts.
Students learn to:
2.1 use a range of listening, reading and viewing strategies, including skimming, scanning, predicting and speculating, reading and viewing in depth and re-reading and re-viewing, according to the purpose and complexity of the texts
2.6 respond to their own and others’ compositions by considering ideas, images, information, linguistic and visual forms and features, tone, style, and type and structure of text, with reference to their appropriateness for the text’s purpose, audience and context.
Students learn about:
2.11 different ways of feedback to improve their texts
2.13 alternate ways of expressing ideas.

Explain the conventions of email. Provide opportunities for the discussion of introductory rap messages. Examples of introductory messages from previous raps in Archives of email discussion from previous raps could be referred to.

Facilitate a brainstorm, a deconstruction, and joint construction of a group or class introductory message for the book rap. If a large number of schools is participating, discuss how you will manage email messages (see Book rap FAQs).

Students could receive and read email introductions, and discuss and compare information in them.

Rap sheet 2 could be used to follow the messages of selected schools, and to help describe and understand the audience. A Rap map could be used to record locations of participating schools.

Create a class wall map or individual map of participants in the rap if desired.

Rap reps could word process the class introduction, save it to disk, use the browser, and send it to the rap once the teacher has approved the final message.

Teaching and learning strategies

Outcome 1: A student responds to and composes texts for understanding, interpretation, critical analysis and pleasure.
Students learn to:
1.1 respond to imaginative, factual and critical texts, including the required range of texts, through wide and close listening, reading and viewing
1.10 describe and explain qualities of language in their own and others’ texts that contribute to the enjoyment that can be experienced in responding and composing.
Students learn about:
1.11 the ideas, information, perspectives and points of view presented in imaginative, factual and critical texts.

Outcome 4: A student uses and describes language forms and features, and structures of texts according to different purposes, audiences and contexts, and describes and explains their effects on meaning.
Students learn about:
4.12 Aboriginal English as a valid and culturally accepted variation of expression.

Outcome 10: A student identifies, considers and apprecia tes cultural expression in texts.
Students learn to:
10.3 identify and describe cultural expressions in texts.

In facilitating discussion of Aboriginal storytelling by Aboriginal people, refer to the oral tradition. Consider inviting a local Aboriginal Elder to talk about storytelling.

The transcript of the ABC interview, Pauline McLeod: Aboriginal perspective on storytelling, may also be helpful as it discusses Aboriginal perspectives on storytelling.

Teachers could support reading and understanding the difference between the Aboriginal oral voice telling the stories (in blue) and the use of Western style timelines (in purple) incorporating an A nungu perspective, by the Papunya writers in the book. Discussion can be focused on how these voices could also represent the notion of two way learning, that is, the Aboriginal voice is expressed in two styles in these examples.

Teachers could also refer to Our story: telling I.T., a CD-ROM available free to NSW government schools, and the web site for the Quality Teacher Program project at Dulwich Hill Public School that the CD-ROM draws from (Click on the school crest).

In order to understand the language features and their effects, discussion could focus on the purpose of Papunya School book of country and history, as explained by Linda Kapunani Allen on page 45.

As an extension activity students could plan a possible interview with Ms Allen for a radio program, focusing on the two way learning and the aims of producing the stories in two ways. Students could list the sort of questions they could ask. Students could consider whether they feel the book will achieve the outcomes hoped for by the Anangu people.

Teachers may model the format of a radio transcript for future such activities with local Aboriginal community members.

Language forms and features could be listed, using examples from the book. The list could include features such as choice of words, images created for the reader, tone, colloquialisms, use of commas and extended sentences and the parallel texts created by two way learning.

Outcome 6: A student draws on experience, information and ideas to imaginatively and interpretively respond to and compose texts.
Students learn about:
6.11 verbal, aural and visual techniques used to create imaginative texts, such as imagery, figures of speech, selective choice of vocabulary, rhythm, sound effects, colour and design.

An introduction to the grammar of visual design will assist the explicit teaching of the elements of visual design.

The questions and activities could be used to discuss the role of these elements in storytelling through two ways. The Visual elements support sheet in Additional resources could provide additional examples and suggestions to incorporate in class discussion.

Outcome 1: A student responds to and composes texts for understanding, interpretation, critical analysis and pleasure.
Students learn to:
1.5 interpret, question and challenge information and ideas in texts through close study.

Outcome 7: A student thinks critically and interpretively about information, ideas and arguments to respond to and compose texts.
Students learn to:
7.10 adopt and present a point of view supported with evidence.
Students learn about:
7.15 ways of organizing information, ideas and arguments textually or visually such as clustering, listing, compare and contrast, problem-solution, semantic chains, graphic and diagram outlines, structured overviews, consequence maps, thinking wheels and mindmaps.

Facilitate a brainstorm activity to summarise the findings of previous activities and discussion on Aboriginal storytelling, its oral tradition and elements, and the use of visual elements in the telling of the Papunya School book of country and history.

Facilitate the joint construction of an extended response to Rap point 1. The Constructing a joint response guide in Additional support materials could assist the teacher with this activity.

A student rap rep could word process the response, edit, and save to disk.

Posting a joint response to Rap point 1: The stories told in this book are non fiction. Explain why the composers chose to tell their stories in two ways, the Anangu way and Tjulkura way.

Revise email conventions and facilitate rap reps’ use of the word processor and email programs. Rap reps could send the response to the rap once the teacher has approved the final text.

Teaching and learning strategies

Outcome 10: A student identifies, considers and appreciates cultural expression in texts.
Students learn about:
10.5 different cultures and their common and distinguishing elements.

Outcome 1: A student responds to and composes texts for understanding, interpretation, critical analysis and pleasure.
Students learn to:
1.5 interpret, question and challenge information and ideas in texts through close study
1.7 respond to and compose texts beyond the literal level
1.8 graphically represent aspects of texts such as the storyline of a novel or film, the structure of a poem, the set of a play, and links in a webpage.

Outcome 2: A student uses a range of processes for responding to and composing texts.
Students learn to:
2.4 use processes of planning, including investigating, interviewing, selecting, recording and organising ideas, images and information for specific purposes in composing.
Students learn about:
2.12 explicit criteria for judging the effectiveness of a text for its purpose, audience and context
2.13 alternative ways of expressing ideas.

Facilitate discussion of Aboriginal beliefs as reflected in Papunya School book of country and history. Discussion could focus on the attitude of schoolteacher, Mr Geoffrey Bardon, in encouraging the cultural beliefs of the Anangu people, with reference to pages 32-33 to support views. Students could compare the Papunya School book of country and history to Fiedler’s OneWorld Magazine article.Class groups may write letters to Mr Bardon to express their views on his actions as they appear to us thirty years later.

Additional questions about Aboriginal beliefs could be directed to Renette Townsend. These would also be sent as a separate email with an appropriate subject such as Questions for Renette after your class response to Rap point 2 has been sent.

Also consider inviting a local Aboriginal Elder to talk about Aboriginal Cultural and personal experiences.

Here are some possible activities to facilitate students’ understanding of issues about cultural beliefs in the book:

• In groups or as pairs, students could be asked discuss the link between language, cultural identity and personal experience.
• A template for a story mapping activity is provided in the English section of Papunya School book of country and history: teacher’s notes by Diane de Vere and Nadia Wheatley.
• Facilitate class discussion about the importance of the honey ant to the cultural beliefs of their people; refer to specific incidents, quoting from the text. Aboriginal desert art symbols and their meanings could be used to assist starting such a discussion, and to extend this discussion by creating a visual representation, using the symbols.
• Another good site for information on art styles is Art styles and regions in the World Vision Walkabout art site.
• Student work samples could be submitted to the Rap Coordinator for publication in the rap gallery. Related instructions will be posted on the teacher discussion list. Teachers and students could also refer to Symbols of desert art in Desert dreamings, by D. Stokes (Reed Educational, 1997). This page can be viewed on p 6 of Scan, 21(3), August 2002.

Outcome 4: A student uses and describes language forms and features, and structures of texts according to different purposes, audiences and contexts, and describes and explains their effects on meaning.
Students learn to:
4.2 create and ensure coherence of medium, form and content through specific language conventions and vocabulary appropriate to particular subject matter or contexts.
Students learn about:
4.12 Aboriginal English as a valid and culturally accepted variation of expression.
4.13 the metalanguage of subject English used to describe, discuss and differentiate texts and their language forms, features and structures.

Facilitate a brainstorm activity to summarise the findings of previous activities and discussion on Aboriginal cultural beliefs reflected in Papunya School book of country and history. Facilitate the joint construction of an extended response to Rap point 2. The Constructing a joint response guide in Additional support materials could assist the teacher with this activity.

A student rap rep could word process the response, edit, and save to disk.

In this activity teachers could structure the response by suggesting or brainstorming the introductory paragraph and each subsequent topic sentence, and inviting students to jointly compose the rest.

(You could consider using networked word processors in lieu of the blackboard or overhead projector to record the growing response.)

Once the teacher has approved the final text, Rap reps send the class email response to Rap point 2: How does this book represent the cultural and personal experiences of the Anangu?

Outcome 1: A student responds to and composes texts for understanding, interpretation, critical analysis and pleasure.
Students learn to:
1.5 interpret, question and challenge information and ideas in texts through close study.

Outcome 10: A student identifies, considers and appreciates cultural expression in texts.
 Students learn to:
10.3 identify and describe cultural expressions in texts.
Students learn about:
10.6 representations of culture through choices of language and content.

Briefly revise previous discussion of Aboriginal cultural beliefs; include reference to issues raised in discussing the range of responses to Rap point 2.

Students could then, in pairs or as a group, investigate the idea of the message of the Papunya School book of country and history by browsing the book for related references, and discussing and recording their opinions as to the cultural significance and purpose of the School Vision Painting (page 41). Rap sheet 4 could be used to facilitate this.

Students could then list conclusions they could make from the message contained in the School Vision Painting.

Outcome 2: A student uses a range of processes for responding to and composing texts.

Students learn to:
2.4 use processes of planning, including investigating, interviewing, selecting, recording and organising ideas, images and information for specific purposes in composing.

‘It was different from working in the traditional way, but it was still portraying the artists’ connection to their country and their Dreaming.’ (Papunya School book of country and history, p 19)

Students could jointly construct an essay, or other extended response, using the above quote as a key point. Students could also consider and refer to the painting on page 24 and how this combines both the Anangu way and Western way.

In this activity teachers could structure the response by suggesting the introductory paragraph, modelling the writing of it eg. on the blackboard with accompanying teacher talk of the thinking process involved in creating the paragraph. The teacher could then suggest each subsequent topic sentence, and invite students to jointly compose the rest. Associated discussion and brainstorming could draw on recent discussion and activities on these issues.

Once the teacher has approved the final text, Rap reps send the class email response to Rap Point 3: How do the visual representations support the idea of two way learning?

Stage 4 Outcomes and content

Teaching and learning strategies

Outcome 2: A student uses a range of processes for responding to and composing texts.
Students learn to:
2.6 respond to their own and others’ compositions by considering ideas, images, information, linguistic and visual forms and features, tone, style, and type and structure of text, with reference to their appropriateness for the text’s purpose, audience and context.

Outcome 11: A student uses, reflects on and assesses individual and collaborative skills for learning.
Students learn to:
11.10 reflect on and assess their own and others’ learning against specific criteria
11.11 articulate and discuss the pleasure and difficulties, successes and challenges experienced in their writing.

Students could read, discuss and record the responses of other rappers to Rap point 3. Students could complete Rap sheet 2, adding and comparing messages. Discussion could include similarities and differences in the responses of participating schools, points the class had not previously considered, differing interpretations of the book etc.

Facilitate class discussion, reviewing and reflecting on activities students have engaged in during the rap. Students could use Rap reflection 1 or Rap reflection 2 to guide their reflection.

They could be asked to write personal responses in a variety of text forms to reflect the discussion of their individual and group rap experience.

You might consider such forms as letter, site review with personal recommendation and acrostic poem in place of more extended forms like personal journals and diaries, feature articles.

Students could then discuss their responses and reflect on the variety of views and responses to the rap.

Students could participate in jointly constructing a group response to the Rap wrap up.

A joint Rap wrap up message is drafted, reflecting a variety of views and responses. It is then word processed and posted to the listserv, when the teacher has approved final text.