Urban Lines - AIS | Stage 4 | English
Summary
Duration
This unit focuses on the way poetry has been used to represent cities of the
Sample term
world. Students examine how poetic features are used to shape a range of
meanings about urban experiences in different cities and time periods.
4 weeks
Detail: Term 1
Unit Overview
This unit focuses on the way poetry has been used to represent cities of the world. In an increasingly urbanised, and globalised culture, an understanding of
the universal commonalities between global cities as well as the idiosyncratic characteristics which set them apart from each other is important. Cities are social,
intellectual and cultural hubs which are complex in nature. On the one hand cities offer employment, nightlife, an eclectic mix of cultures and cuisines. On the other
hand, cities can be perceived as overcrowded places where disconnection, crime and poverty fester. Many students will, at some time in their lives, find themselves
immersed in a city or interacting with others who have been conditioned by an urban lifestyle. Cities are dynamic and frenetic. It is not surprising then, that poets
have responded to cities with, (to quote William Wordsworth's definition of poetry), "a spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings". In this unit students come to
appreciate the way poets represent their subjective attitudes to cities by shaping meaning in increasingly complex ways. Students are encouraged to respond to
poetry using visual, spoken, collaborative, imaginative and humourous processes. Poetry, in its brevity and depth of meaning, is a vehicle through which students
engage meaningfully with their widening world. The ability to annotate heightens a student's engagement with texts, stimulating critical analysis of meaning. Central
to this unit is explicit instruction and modelling of a variety of annotation processes. Students are encouraged to become increasingly independent in their
annotations as they deepen their knowledge of a range of different poetry forms and features. An equally important focus is on students building confidence in their
personal interpretations of poems and being able to justify their perspectives with evidence from texts.
This unit of work was written by Alison Aitken, TARA Anglican School for Girls. Copyright © of the unit of work is owned by AISNSW.
NSW syllabus content prepared by the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW for and on behalf of the State of New South Wales is protected by Crown copyright.
1
Outcomes
Duration
English K-10
Term 1
›
Weeks 1 – 4
EN4-1A responds to and composes texts for understanding, interpretation,
critical analysis, imaginative expression and pleasure
›
EN4-3B uses and describes language forms, features and structures of texts
appropriate to a range of purposes, audiences and contexts
›
EN4-5C thinks imaginatively, creatively, interpretively and critically about
information, ideas and arguments to respond to and compose texts
›
EN4-7D demonstrates understanding of how texts can express aspects of their
broadening world and their relationships within it
Text requirements
Text overview
Assessment overview
1. Close study of a wide range of types of poems
Poetry
Assessment for learning
2. Examples of:
"A City Ditty", Eve Merriam

 print texts
"To Behold a City", Ross Clark
 visual texts
"The City, the Tree", John Tranter
 media, multimedia and digital texts
"City Trees", Edna St. Vincent
3. Experiences of:
"William Street", Kenneth Slessor
 Quality literature
"Late Ferry", Robert Gray
 Australian literature
"Tokyo", John Tion Chunghoo
Pre-assess student knowledge of poetic terms
using a term/definition match-up task.

Students compose a short paragraph reflecting
their understanding of effective similes.

Students complete a 100 word journal entry
about "Late Ferry", using textual evidence to
support their ideas.

Students compose journal entry articulating what
they have learnt about the way Japan has
This unit of work was written by Alison Aitken, TARA Anglican School for Girls. Copyright © of the unit of work is owned by AISNSW.
NSW syllabus content prepared by the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW for and on behalf of the State of New South Wales is protected by Crown copyright.
2
 Texts from other countries and times
"To the City of Bombay", Rudyard Kipling
 Texts written about intercultural experiences
"In Honour of the City of London", William Dunbar
 Texts that provide insights about the peoples and
"London", William Blake
cultures of Asia
 Texts that include aspects of environmental and
social sustainability
"Upon Westminster Bridge", William Wordsworth
changed over the last 100 years, using evidence
from the poem "Tokyo" to support their ideas.

Students submit full annotation of "Paris I" by
Alan Seeger to their teacher.

Students compose a rap/limerick/parody entitled
"Recipe for Being Urbane and Poetic", using
"The Underground", Seamus Heaney
examples from poetry studied during this unit.
"Chicago", Carl Sandberg
Assessment AS learning
"Broadway", Walt Whitman

evidence from "Late Ferry" to support their
"February Evening in New York", Denise Levertov
"Autumn Dusk in Central Park", Evelyn Scott
ideas.

Students assess their peers' ability to articulate
how Tokyo has changed over the last 100 years,
"From Brooklyn", Evelyn Scott
using evidence from "Tokyo" to support their
"Hollywood, Hollywood, Hollywood", Oresto Flavio
Perdomo
Students assess their peers' ability to use textual
ideas.

Students compose a reflective journal entry
"Paris I", Alan Seeger
which summarises their learning in this unit, with
"Beautiful City", Lord Alfred Tennyson
an emphasis on justifying their favourite poems
"Athens", John Milton
and articulating their preferred method of
annotating.
"Athens", Algernon Charles Swinbourne
Assessment of learning
"Athens", Nicholas Michell
Outcomes to be assessed: EN4-1A, EN4-3B
"Beirut, Ornament of our World", Faiz Ahmed Faiz
Students submit TWO annotated poems,
"Kabul", John Tranter
demonstrating their ability to organise their ideas
"Ankara", Alan Gould
around a poem, demonstrate understanding of how
poetic form and features shape meaning.
This unit of work was written by Alison Aitken, TARA Anglican School for Girls. Copyright © of the unit of work is owned by AISNSW.
NSW syllabus content prepared by the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW for and on behalf of the State of New South Wales is protected by Crown copyright.
3
"To go to Lvov", Adam Zagajewski
"To go to S'apore", Alvin Pang
“Brussels”, Arthur Rimbaud
“Brussels”, John Tranter
Websites
http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/vision/sustainabl
e-sydney-2030/sustainability/greening-thecity (greening Sydney)
http://eprints.qut.edu.au/28173/1/c28173.pdf (useful
article on urban greenery in Brisbane with images)
http://bcplanningblog.blogspot.com.au/2008/12/poem
s-about-cities.html blog with over 99 poems about
cities and other urban matters
http://www.poetrysoup.com/poems/short/city useful
resource for amateur poetry about cities.
http://www.poetryatlas.com/ a useful resource for
poems about places. Provides a map of poetry based
on cities and town around the world.
Videos
Filthy Cities: Medieval London, BBC, 2011
Filthy Cities: Revolutionary Paris, BBC, 2011
Filthy Cities: Industrial New York, BBC, 2011
This unit of work was written by Alison Aitken, TARA Anglican School for Girls. Copyright © of the unit of work is owned by AISNSW.
NSW syllabus content prepared by the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW for and on behalf of the State of New South Wales is protected by Crown copyright.
4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nFQOkzEjxQ (do
cumentary - vertical farms, Singapore)
Content
Teaching, learning and assessment
Stage 4 - Outcome 5
Pre-learning
 compose a range of visual and multimodal
Teacher provides students with A4 paper and pencils. Explain that students will listen to a hypothetical
texts using a variety of visual conventions,
scenario with their eyes closed and that when prompted they will open their eyes and draw the images that
including composition, vectors, framing and
come to mind. Direct students to close their eyes and imagine. "You are sitting in the back of a car on a long
reading pathway
journey on a seemingly endless road through the Australian bush. You look out of the window to see that
Stage 4 - Outcome 3
 recognise and use appropriate metalanguage
in discussing a range of language forms,
features and structures
Stage 4 - Outcome 1
 respond to and compose imaginative,
informative and persuasive texts for different
audiences, purposes and contexts for
understanding, interpretation, critical analysis,
imaginative expression and pleasure
you are passing through a wide street in a country town. Drowsily, you notice a post office, a Chinese
restaurant, a newsagent and a chemist. We're still not there, you think to yourself as you drift back to sleep.
Half an hour later, you open your eyes again to see a suburban scene; large houses with double
garages, children playing in front gardens and people mowing lawns. You fall back to sleep as the radio plays
quietly in the background. When you wake next, you find yourself in the middle of a city. Take a good look
around the city. Remain with your imagination." Students draw images in response to prompts.
 What kind of buildings do you see in the city?
 What kind of people do you see in the city?
 What sounds can you hear in the city?
 What smells do you smell in the city?
 What does the city taste like?
 What textures can you feel in the city?
Students display visual representations around the room. Students view their peers' representations and
This unit of work was written by Alison Aitken, TARA Anglican School for Girls. Copyright © of the unit of work is owned by AISNSW.
NSW syllabus content prepared by the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW for and on behalf of the State of New South Wales is protected by Crown copyright.
5
Content
Teaching, learning and assessment
answer the questions below:
 What are some of the common features of cities? (Examples might include: sky-scrapers, big business,
highly populated, eclectic population, theatres, cinemas, buses, taxis, cars etc.)
 What are some of the things that have not been included in these representations of cities?
 Can you see any representations which convey a positive attitude to cities?
 Which representations appear to convey a negative attitude to cities?
Teacher directs students to begin their learning journals with a "Glossary of Terms". On the board, teacher
defines and provides examples of: nouns (common things - trees), adjectives (describing words - tall), verbs
(doing words - swaying) and adverbs (words used to describe how the doing is being done - gently),
prepositions (positioning words - behind us).
Students select a peer's visual representation from the display. Provide students with A4 paper and direct
them to fold the paper (landscape) into five columns, four rows.
Students write "nouns/adjectives/verbs/adverbs/prepositions" as table headings in the first row. Using their
peer's visual representation as stimulus, students write one word in each corresponding box (15 words in
total). Direct students to cut along the fold lines, so that they have 15 individual words. Students shuffle
their words and pass the word bundle on to their neighbour. Using their peer's word pile, students arrange
words in any order to create their own word representation freely adding or deleting words as they see fit.
Direct students to paste their word arrangement into their journals. Teacher explains to students that this is
their first poem, and that, as part of this unit, they will learn how to use increasingly sophisticated poetic tools
to learn how to write their own poems.
Teacher provides students with an A3 map of the world. Direct students to paste this into their journal and
explain that they will be "visiting" cities of the world through poetry. Teacher defines "evaluate" (make
This unit of work was written by Alison Aitken, TARA Anglican School for Girls. Copyright © of the unit of work is owned by AISNSW.
NSW syllabus content prepared by the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW for and on behalf of the State of New South Wales is protected by Crown copyright.
6
Content
Teaching, learning and assessment
judgment) and instructs students to add to glossary. Teacher explains that students will locate the various
cities they "visit" on this map labelling titles/poets and using a 1 - 5 star rating of their personal evaluation of
each poem.
Assessment for learning:
Pre-assess students' knowledge of poetic terms including: lines, persona, stanzas, rhyme, rhythm, pace,
metaphor, simile, personification and visual imagery using a term/definition match-up activity.
Stage 4 - Outcome 1
 recognise, reflect on, interpret and explain the
connections between their own experiences
and the world in texts
 respond to and compose imaginative,
informative and persuasive texts for different
audiences, purposes and contexts for
understanding, interpretation, critical analysis,
imaginative expression and pleasure
Stage 4 - Outcome 5
 compose a range of visual and multimodal
Introduction to Cities
Students are instructed to write personal responses in their journal to the questions that follow:
Where is your nearest city? Have you ever been to a city? If so, describe your experience in 50 words. If you
could live in any city in the world, which would it be and why? Why do you think people choose to live in
cities? Why do some people avoid living in cities?
Teacher models a "pros and cons" (benefits and disadvantages) diagram on the board. Instruct students to
form pairs and complete, in five minutes, a table of the pros and cons of living in cities. Instruct students to
convey the positive/negative characteristics visually (eg pink font, smiley faces or ticks for positive
characteristics and grey font, crosses or sad faces for negative characteristics).
Teacher demonstrates the writing of ONE chain poem using their favourite city demonstrating the rough,
scrawling, imperfect nature of this flow of consciousness writing style, where each word added springs from
texts using a variety of visual conventions,
an association they have made with the previous word. For example, the following words would be placed in
including composition, vectors, framing and
a list down the centre of the board: "Bridge/water/bottle/coke/bubbles/blowing/wind/rain/fall/ouch"
reading pathway
In pairs, students select ONE city (Venice, Dubai, Hanoi, Jakarta, Johannesburg, Lima, Rio or any others that
are NOT covered in this unit) to use as the subject of a chain poem. Paired students do a quick image search
of their city (or teacher may provide images of cities). Instruct students to (individually) write 6 free word
This unit of work was written by Alison Aitken, TARA Anglican School for Girls. Copyright © of the unit of work is owned by AISNSW.
NSW syllabus content prepared by the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW for and on behalf of the State of New South Wales is protected by Crown copyright.
7
Content
Teaching, learning and assessment
associations in a list down the centre of their paper. Allow about 30 seconds - 1 minute only. Note: Each word
should "sprout" from a free association with the first word and so on.
Teacher instructs students to now add words/lines around the words in the centre. Students may change
tenses, plurals, add or delete words as they like.
Provide students with selection of scraps (manila folders, tissue boxes, coloured paper, straws, wrappers).
Students use ONE lesson to integrate their chain poem into a three-dimensional artwork. Students are
encouraged to use size, framing, vectors, salience and reading pathways in their artwork. Students may
change the written elements of their poem in any way they see fit. Students may like to barter with peers for
scraps which are most appropriate to their chosen city. Art-poems are displayed around the room. Inform
students that they may remain anonymous artists, or, if they are happy to be acknowledged for their work, to
"autograph" their piece.
Stage 4 - Outcome 3
 engage with the language and structures of
texts in meaningful, contextualised and
authentic ways
 recognise and use appropriate metalanguage
Teacher provides students with hypothetical scenario.
You have been asked to judge a local poetry competition. The Head Judge has explained that every year,
hundreds of non-poetic texts are submitted and need to be discarded from the competition. In groups
students research “What is poetry?” and design a criteria/checklist/computer program which enables them to
in discussing a range of language forms,
make a quick decision about whether submitted works are poems or not. Optional: provide students with
features and structures
prompts on the board: Length? Structure? What does a poem look like? What does a poem sound like? What
Stage 4 – Outcome 5

Poetic Form
describe and explain qualities of language
in their own and others' texts that contribute
to the enjoyment that can be experienced in
kind of language is used? Content? Style? What do you expect to find in a poem? (Responses might include:
stanzas, lines, brevity, powerful imagery, compactness, compression, emotive, poignant, dense, meaningful,
lofty, descriptive, appeals to senses, colours).
Using student-created criteria/checklists/computer programs, label categories on the board with the following
headings: "must have", "might have" and "will not have". Select individual students to add features to these
This unit of work was written by Alison Aitken, TARA Anglican School for Girls. Copyright © of the unit of work is owned by AISNSW.
NSW syllabus content prepared by the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW for and on behalf of the State of New South Wales is protected by Crown copyright.
8
Content
responding to and composing texts
Teaching, learning and assessment
categories to check understanding. Instruct students to write a 100 word journal entry which begins "Today I
have learnt that poetry, as a form, is..."
Optional: Teacher provides students with different examples of types of text from magazines and
newspapers (such as reviews, editorials, letters, cartoons). Ask students to test the effectiveness of their
criteria/checklist/computer program. Is the criteria/checklist/computer program sufficiently preclusive to allow
for accurate identification of poetry? If student criteria/checklist/computer program is erroneous (for example
they come to the inaccurate conclusion that a review is a poem), then students must rework their
criteria/checklist/computer program until retesting of texts comes to an accurate conclusion.
Students to compose brief personal responses in their journal to the following questions:
 Can you remember the titles/lines/phrases of any poetry you have read before now?
 Do you like poetry? Why/Why not?
 Why do people write poetry?
 Who reads poetry?
 Why do people read poetry?
 Do your parents/teachers remember studying poetry at school? Do they have a favourite poem/s?
Extension Investigation: Are song lyrics poetry? Students explore a range of song lyrics about cities (such as
Alicia Key's "New York") to form an argument in response to this question.
Stage 4 - Outcome 1
 respond to and compose imaginative,
informative and persuasive texts for different
The Annotation Process
Teacher questions students to come to an agreed definition of "annotation" - to write notes around a text to
come to a heightened understanding of the text's meaning and how features within the text help to shape its
This unit of work was written by Alison Aitken, TARA Anglican School for Girls. Copyright © of the unit of work is owned by AISNSW.
NSW syllabus content prepared by the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW for and on behalf of the State of New South Wales is protected by Crown copyright.
9
Content
audiences, purposes and contexts for
understanding, interpretation, critical analysis,
imaginative expression and pleasure
Teaching, learning and assessment
meaning/s.
Teacher projects "A City Ditty" by Eve Merriam (http://heatheranne.freeservers.com/childrens/ACityDitty.htm
last accessed on 11/04/14) on the board. Teacher groups students and instructs them to come up with as
many different methods for making notes around the poem (annotating) as possible. Methods might include
using colours, codes, keys, shapes, short hand, arrows, font styles, highlighters, squiggles, abbreviations,
text boxes, visual images and so forth.
Teacher selects students to demonstrate various methods of annotation using the poem on the board.
Teacher selects a student to keep a running list of systems on the board under the heading "Methods for
Annotating Poetry". Students take notes from the board.
Optional ICT: Students use "comment" features in Microsoft Word to annotate the poem.
Stage 4 - Outcome 1
 apply increasing knowledge of vocabulary, text
structures and language features to understand
the content of texts (ACELY1733)
 respond to and compose imaginative,
informative and persuasive texts for different
audiences, purposes and contexts for
understanding, interpretation, critical analysis,
imaginative expression and pleasure
Stage 4 - Outcome 3
 understand the use of punctuation conventions,
including colons, semicolons, dashes and
Prose poetry
Students read "To Behold a City" by Ross Clark (Form and Feeling: Poetry for Secondary Students, Ed.
Hamilton et al, Longman Australia, 2003) and copy/paste into their journals with the heading “Prose Poetry”.
Teacher defines "verse", "prose", and "personification". Students add definitions to glossary.
Teacher reads "To Behold a City" again aloud, using punctuation to emphasise changes in pace. Using
student responses, teacher models annotation of unfamiliar words ("tardy", "habitual", "bunting"),
prose (extended lines which run across the page), personification ("trucks...coughing their loads"), visual
imagery ("first light glints on windows") and adjectives ("neon", "tardy"). Students independently identify all
the verbs using a colour key.
Students respond to the following question in their journal: How do the verbs add to the sense of activity in
the city?
Teacher defines the term "pace". Teacher circles and explains the effect of the punctuation in the
This unit of work was written by Alison Aitken, TARA Anglican School for Girls. Copyright © of the unit of work is owned by AISNSW.
NSW syllabus content prepared by the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW for and on behalf of the State of New South Wales is protected by Crown copyright.
10
Content
Teaching, learning and assessment
brackets in formal and informal texts
poem (commas, full stops, indented lines, semi colons). Teacher explains that annotations that only identify
(ACELA1532, ACELA1544)
poetic techniques are not useful unless such identification helps the reader understand the meaning of the
 recognise and use appropriate metalanguage
in discussing a range of language forms,
features and structures
poem. Direct students to make a connecting note, using abbreviated form, to explain how the punctuation
here shapes meaning. (eg slow pace = city half asleep, fast pace = city alive and active.)
Journal response: How does punctuation in this poem help to mimic the increasing activity of this city as it
"wakes"?
Teacher explains that Clark's poem is about an unnamed city and makes generalisations about urban
images. Teacher challenges students to identify ONE city in the world where Ross Clark's images would NOT
apply. Using this city, in eight minutes, students write a quick prose poem, applying their new knowledge of
personification, visual imagery, punctuation and verbs. Teacher may provide students with Clark's poem with
key words/phrases redacted so students can add their own words, rather than writing a whole poem alone.
Optional: Students may, at this stage, be encouraged to write a poem which uses a negative framework of
what would not happen in the selected city. For example "In Kandahar, you will not see tardy neon lights
flashing brightly on bunting".
Stage 4 - Outcome 5
 compose texts using alternative, creative and
Cities and Greens
Teacher allocates students to pairs. Partner "A" reads "The city, the Tree" by John Tranter
imaginative ways of expressing ideas,
(http://www.poetrylibrary.edu.au/poets/tranter-john/the-city-the-tree-0241004 last accessed 21/09/14).
recognising, valuing and celebrating originality
Partner "B" reads "City Trees" by Edna St Vincent (http://www.poetryatlas.com/poetry/poem/2596/city-
and inventiveness
trees.html last accessed 21/09/14).
 discuss aspects of texts, for example their
Students highlight strong visual images in their allocated poem. Question to stimulate paired discussion:
aesthetic and social value, using relevant and
"How does your poem inform you about the place of trees in cities? Teacher instructs students to create a
appropriate metalanguage (ACELT1803)
pamphlet/poster/radio jingle which encourages city-dwellers to care for the trees in their city. Students
MUST use imagery and phrases from both poems to achieve this purpose. Students share compositions
This unit of work was written by Alison Aitken, TARA Anglican School for Girls. Copyright © of the unit of work is owned by AISNSW.
NSW syllabus content prepared by the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW for and on behalf of the State of New South Wales is protected by Crown copyright.
11
Content
Teaching, learning and assessment
Stage 4 - Outcome 1
with class. Students make verbal assessments of the way their peers have used the poetic imagery to
 recognise when information is presented
persuade an audience.
objectively and subjectively by examining the
Students use the internet to Investigate how various cities around the world have made new attempts to
language of opinion, including modality, bias,
integrate natural elements into their urban design processes (eg the "green belt" in London, vertical
personal pronouns and other semantic cues
vegetation, urban forests, vertical farming). Students
 respond to and compose imaginative,
informative and persuasive texts for different
audiences, purposes and contexts for
understanding, interpretation, critical analysis,
imaginative expression and pleasure
may use http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/vision/towards-2030/sustainability/greening-the-city or
http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/vision/sustainable-sydney-2030/strategic-directions/a-leadingenvironmental-performer/greening-the-city/green-roofs-and-walls (last accessed
21/04/14), http://eprints.qut.edu.au/28173/1/c28173.pdf. (last accessed
21/09/14) and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nFQOkzEjxQ (last accessed 21/09/14). Students paste
images and make notes on their findings in their journal under the heading "Cities: Going Green".
Students, taking on the role of urban planners, invent imaginative ways to incorporate as much greenery into
an urban space as possible. Individually, students draw and label a three dimensional cityscape (real or
imagined) which shows how they would integrate natural elements into a city. Students place images in
their journal.
Cross-curriculum possibility: Geography
Stage 4 - Outcome 1
 recognise, reflect on, interpret and explain the
Sydney, Australia
A student reads "William St" by Kenneth Slessor (http://www.tooraktimes.com.au/showthread.php/8057-
connections between their own experiences
William-Street-Kenneth-Slessor last accessed 21/09/14) aloud. Teacher and students annotate the poem's
and the world in texts
structure using questions such as "How many stanzas make up this poem? How many lines in each stanza?
 apply increasing knowledge of vocabulary, text
How might you describe the form of this poem? Is there a pattern or rhyme?
This unit of work was written by Alison Aitken, TARA Anglican School for Girls. Copyright © of the unit of work is owned by AISNSW.
NSW syllabus content prepared by the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW for and on behalf of the State of New South Wales is protected by Crown copyright.
12
Content
Teaching, learning and assessment
structures and language features to understand
Teacher defines "free verse" form and instructs students to annotate the use of a refrain (repeated line) "you
the content of texts (ACELY1733)
find this ugly, I find this lovely".
 respond to and compose imaginative,
informative and persuasive texts for different
audiences, purposes and contexts for
understanding, interpretation, critical analysis,
imaginative expression and pleasure
 compare the ways that language and images
Students annotate use of first person "I" and second person "you" and discuss the way Slessor
juxtaposes his persona's view of William St with the way he assumes the reader ("you") views William St.
Define alliteration, using examples from the poem ("rich" and "rasping", "fat" and "fish", "puffs" and "parrafin",
"hunger" and "heels"). Students discuss how these repeated, harsh sounds add to the vivid, but
dissonant, feel of William St. They annotate all the alliteration in this poem, using their preferred method of
annotation. Students also annotate Slessor's use of colours, visual images and olfactory images (smells).
are used to create character, and to influence
Teacher reiterates the importance of annotating features in a way that explains HOW these features shape
emotions and opinions in different types of
specific meaning.
texts (ACELT1621)
Students add refrain, first person pronoun, second person pronoun, alliteration, and olfactory imagery to
glossaries.
Journal entry: Do you find Slessor's representation of William St to be "ugly" or "lovely"? Students write a two
minute persuasive speech, using evidence from the poem to support their point of view. Alternatively,
students may change/adapt/subvert the poem's representation so that "ugly" is replaced with "lovely", or vice
versa.
Students add "William St" to world map and make a personal evaluation of this poem (5 stars = brilliant, 1
star = awful), providing THREE reasons for their judgment with evidence from the text.
Stage 4 - Outcome 3
 develop a sense of personal style and taste in
composition and response
 recognise and use appropriate metalanguage
Spotlight: Similes
Teacher explains similes as "comparing one thing to another thing using "as" or "like"" noting the way the
word ‘simile’ sounds like ‘similar’. Teacher explains the nature of effective similes - that the first noun must
have similar qualities to the second noun it is being compared to. Teacher also explains that a simile is NOT
This unit of work was written by Alison Aitken, TARA Anglican School for Girls. Copyright © of the unit of work is owned by AISNSW.
NSW syllabus content prepared by the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW for and on behalf of the State of New South Wales is protected by Crown copyright.
13
Content
Teaching, learning and assessment
in discussing a range of language forms,
a literal comparison such as "he is as bald as my father" but a non-literal comparison such as "he is as bald
features and structures
as a bowling ball".
Teacher uses an example of an ineffective simile to illustrate this point with an image of a man with white hair
to aid visualisation. Source: http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-138058271/stock-photo-portrait-of-an-attractivemature-man.html?src=cKcXaIFthyp5Z9lFrAfSzA-1-31 (last accessed 21/09/14, royalty free image)
His hair (first noun) was white like bathroom tiles (second noun).
Students write down the characteristics of the man's hair (soft, wispy, curly, fluffy, light).
Students write down the characteristics of "bathroom tiles" (glossy, shiny, hard, slick, ceramic).
Students evaluate why the simile is ineffective and rewrite this line using a more effective simile (eg his hair
was white like cotton wool).
Students complete CLOZE exercise by filling in the blanks with their own phrases:
 "The city sky-scrapers looked like __________________ (eg. "stakes driven into the earth: - adapted from
Robert Gray's "Flames and Dangling Wires)
 "The man's back was as ___________ as a __________ (eg. "as straight as a brick wall")
Students read their lines to the class in a round.
Assessment for Learning:
Students write a short paragraph reflecting on their learning about effective similes. Teacher encourages
students to use labels, diagrams and own examples to assist explanation.
AND/OR
Teacher provides students with an "exit card" on which they have to explain the difference between an
effective and an ineffective simile before the leave the classroom at the end of the lesson. (See example
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14
Content
Teaching, learning and assessment
provided below.) Teacher uses exit cards to determine whether any further teaching is required for some/all
students.
Name:
Date:
1. In your own words explain the difference between an effective simile and an
ineffective simile.
2. Give an example of each.
Stage 4 - Outcome 1
 explore and appreciate the aesthetic qualities
Sydney: Another Perspective
Students read "Late Ferry" by Robert Gray (http://tojourneyornottojourney.webnode.com/late-ferry/ last
in their own and other texts and the power of
accessed 21/09/14) and make verbal observations about the form/structure of the poem using terms like free
language to communicate information, ideas,
verse and quantifying the number of lines and stanzas. They circle and define unfamiliar words (snare drum,
feelings and viewpoints
fluorescence, ceaseless, chromosomes, tuberous).
 interpret the stated and implied meanings in
Teacher annotates the word "now" in the opening line, “The late ferry is leaving now” and writes a
This unit of work was written by Alison Aitken, TARA Anglican School for Girls. Copyright © of the unit of work is owned by AISNSW.
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15
Content
Teaching, learning and assessment
spoken texts, and use evidence to support or
connected explanation of how present tense adds to the poem's sense of immediacy. Instruct students, in
challenge different perspectives (ACELY1730)
pairs, to use square brackets to annotate Gray's use of colour, (orange, redness, white), underline all words
which have negative connotations (dark, nervously, blackness, ice, empty).
 apply increasing knowledge of vocabulary, text
Students add own explanations of "immediacy", and "connotations" to glossary. Teacher annotates all FOUR
structures and language features to understand
similes in poem. Teacher elaborates in annotations, using student responses about how these similes help
the content of texts (ACELY1733)
the students make specific meaning about the city of Sydney in this poem.
 use increasingly sophisticated verbal, aural,
In groups of three students fold a piece of A3 paper into 6 "frames" and create visual representations of each
visual and/or written techniques, eg imagery,
of the six stanzas of Gray's poem, paying particular attention to the connection between visual imagery in the
figures of speech, selective choice of
poem and their own representations of these images (Two stanzas/frames per student). Teacher displays
vocabulary, rhythm, sound effects, colour and
representations around the classroom.
design, to compose imaginative texts for
pleasure
Optional extensions:
Students view clips of Busby Berkeley productions on YouTube. Students write descriptive images and
similes to describe the geometric shapes and other choreographic features that make these such spectacular
productions. In their journals they write a reflection on the effect of this intertextual reference on the meaning
in Gray’s poem.
Students assess whether Gray's similes are effective or ineffective, using the evaluation processes modelled
earlier. The following question may prove useful:
 Are the characteristics of the first noun, truly like the characteristics of the second noun it is being
compared to?
1.
"street lights' fluorescence/over the dark water/a ceaseless activity/like chromosomes/uniting and dividing"
2.
"the palm tree tops/make a sound like touches/of the brush on a snare drum"
3.
"neon/redness trembles down in the water/as if into ice"
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16
Content
Teaching, learning and assessment
4.
"the longer white lights/feel nervously about in the blackness,/towards here, like hands/after the light
switch"
Students add "Late Ferry" to world map and make a personal evaluation of this poem (5 stars = brilliant, 1
star = awful), providing THREE reasons for their judgment, using textual evidence from the poem.
Assessment for Learning
Students complete 100 word journal entry, using reflective stems such as "Today I have learnt that the city of
Sydney can be... I have come to this interpretation because the poet... "
Assessment AS Learning
Students swap journals and make a written assessment of whether their peer has used relevant textual
evidence from the poem to support their ideas. Students may make suggestions about how their peer might
resolve any gaps in these processes.
Stage 4 - Outcome 3
 identify, discuss and reflect on the ideas and
information in a range of texts
 describe and analyse the purpose, audience
and context of texts
 explore texts that include both Standard
Australian English and elements of other
languages, including Aboriginal English
 recognise and use appropriate metalanguage
in discussing a range of language forms,
Tokyo, Japan
Students read "Tokyo" by John Tiong Chunghoo
(http://www.poetryatlas.com/poetry/poem/2553/tokyo.html last accessed 21/09/14) and use the internet to
decode and define all Japanese words used in the poem.
Students write a response to the following questions: How does Chunghoo's use of Japanese words add
authenticity to his perceptions of Tokyo? Do you think the poet is a native inhabitant of Tokyo or a tourist?
Justify your ideas using two quotes from the poem.
Teacher draws upon students’ knowledge of "free verse" form to annotate it and explain its effect in this
poem.
Students explore how the poet juxtaposes Tokyo's "past" with its "present" using a table headed "past" and
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17
Content
features and structures
 understand how coherence is created in
Teaching, learning and assessment
"present". Students select quotes which refer to Tokyo's past and present in relevant columns. Teacher
directs students to define "juxtaposition" in their glossaries, using their own words.
complex texts through devices like lexical
Students write a 50 word response in their journals to the following question: How does the poet juxtapose
cohesion, ellipsis, grammatical theme and text
the past and present to communicate that Tokyo has changed dramatically over the last century?
connectives (ACELA1809)
Stage 4 - Outcome 7
 draw on experience to consider the ways the
Students add "Tokyo" to world map and make a personal evaluation of this poem (5 stars = brilliant, 1 star =
awful), providing THREE reasons and textual evidence from the poem.
Students choose a place they are intimately familiar with such as their school/home/town/city and research its
'real world' is represented in the imaginary
past using the internet or local knowledge. Students create a "past" and "present" table for their selected
worlds of texts, including imaginative literature,
place, adding phrases or words to the relevant columns. Using these ideas, students formulate a poem, using
film, media and multimedia texts
at least THREE poetic techniques they have learnt about during this unit, to compose a free verse poem
 respond to and compose sustained texts in an
increasingly wide range of forms that reflect
their broadening world and their relationships
within it
using Tokyo as a model.
Assessment AS Learning
Students swap poems and annotate their peer's use of juxtaposition and poetic techniques, making a written
assessment of how their peer has used juxtaposition of the past and present to communicate that the place
has changed over time.
Assessment for Learning
Journal entry: What have you learnt about the city of Tokyo from reading Chunghoo's poem? Use quotes
from the poem to support your ideas. Would you like to go there? Why or why not?
Stage 4 - Outcome 3
 identify, discuss and reflect on the ideas and
information in a range of texts
London, United Kingdom
Teacher asks a willing student to do a performance reading of William Dunbar’s "In Honour of the City of
London” (http://www.bartleby.com/101/19.html last accessed 21/09/14) using a "poetic" persona. Class
discusses use of archaic language and lofty tones. Ask students to guess when the poem was written and
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18
Content
 use interaction skills for identified purposes,
using voice and language conventions to suit
different situations, selecting vocabulary,
modulating voice and using elements such as
music, images and sound for specific effects
(ACELY1804, ACELY1808)
 explore texts that include both Standard
Teaching, learning and assessment
justify using textual evidence (1465 - 1530).
Teacher explains "metaphor" as "when one thing is described as being something else". Students add
metaphor to glossary in journal.
Students discuss: What does the poet mean when he says London is "the flour (sic) of cities all"? Elaborate
on the difference between literal and metaphorical meanings with questions such as "is London REALLY a
flower?" Students may write and swap literal and non-literal phrases and test their knowledge by identifying
Australian English and elements of other
the phrase as "L" (literal) or "M" (metaphorical)
languages, including Aboriginal English
Teacher defines tone as "attitude to subject" and asks students to use adjectives to describe Dunbar's tone
 recognise and use appropriate metalanguage
(examples might include romantic, loving, reverent).
in discussing a range of language forms,
Optional extension: Allocate one stanza to each group of 4. Students rewrite the stanza using modern urban
features and structures
"gang slang" and perform to class for comedic effect.
 understand how rhetorical devices are used to
Students compare their knowledge of contemporary cities to Dunbar's representation of the city of London.
persuade and how different layers of meaning
Students describe how cities have changed over the last 400 years and write a 50 word response in their
are developed through the use of metaphor,
journals using the stem "Today I have learnt that cities like London used to... as conveyed when Dunbar
irony and parody (ACELA1542)
refers to..."
Stage 4 - Outcome 5
 critically consider the ways in which meaning is
Teacher provides students with a visual montage of contemporary London. Using the montage students write
a 21 word poem using one stanza made up of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 word line structure. (Teacher may prescribe
shaped by context, purpose, form, structure,
any line length pattern, or allow students to come to their own patterns of word length. Examples might
style, content, language choices and their own
include 2, 4, 2, 4, 6 or 1, 2, 3, 2, 1).
personal perspective
Example:
Stage 4 - Outcome 1
 compare the ways that language and images
1.
wet
2.
the eye
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19
Content
are used to create character, and to influence
emotions and opinions in different types of
texts (ACELT1621)
 experiment with language forms and features
to compose texts for pleasure and enjoyment
Teaching, learning and assessment
3.
climbs in a
4.
grey sky powdered with
5.
smog, city lights twinkle in
6.
twilight, the Thames - still like mud.
Comparative Poetry Activity
Number alternating students 1 or 2. Students form two queues ("1s" and "2s"). Provide 1s with “London” by
William Blake (http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/london/ last accessed 21/09/14) and 2s with “Upon
Westminster Bridge” by William Wordsworth (http://www.online-literature.com/donne/543/ last accessed
21/09/14).
Facing each other in lines, students find their partner and pair up.
Students read their allocated poem and annotate how specific meaning is made, with reference to particular
poetic features. Students converse with their partners to create a shared Venn diagram (similarities and
differences) about these two very oppositional representations of London.
Students undertake individual task comparing the negative tone in Blake’s version of London to the positive
tone of Wordsworth’s poem. Students use quotes to support their ideas. [Teacher may provide a scaffold of
two paragraphs with comparative/transitional phrases such as "on the other hand..."]
Students add "London" and "Upon Westminster Bridge" to world map, and make a personal evaluation of
these poems (5 stars = brilliant, 1 star = awful)
Students listen to Seamus Heaney read “The Underground”
(http://www.poetryarchive.org/poetryarchive/singlePoem.do?poemId=1394 last accessed 21/09/14) and
list all the words with negative connotations. How does Heaney use the city underground in London to evoke
feelings of loss and despair? How does he signal the end of a relationship using the city setting? How does
This unit of work was written by Alison Aitken, TARA Anglican School for Girls. Copyright © of the unit of work is owned by AISNSW.
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20
Content
Teaching, learning and assessment
his use of the intertextual reference to Hansel and Gretel fairytale add to the meaning of this poem? Students
add "intertextuality" definition to glossary.
Students add "The Underground" to world map, and make a personal evaluation of the poem (5 stars =
brilliant, 1 star = awful) providing TWO reasons for their judgment and using textual evidence from the poem.
Stage 4 - Outcome 1
 explore and appreciate the aesthetic qualities
American Cities – a differentiated Jigsaw Activity
Teacher creates list students in order of ability (highest to lowest ability) to help form groups for the Jigsaw
in their own and other texts and the power of
Activity. Using this list, allocate the first four students to "1s", second group of four students to "2s", 3rd group
language to communicate information, ideas,
of four to "3s" and so forth, depending on number of poems selected and class size. Then, select ONE
feelings and viewpoints
student from each group, to make up HOME GROUPS, so that each home group is comprised of students of
 apply increasing knowledge of vocabulary, text
structures and language features to understand
the content of texts (ACELY1733)
 identify and evaluate devices that create tone,
for example humour, wordplay, innuendo and
parody in poetry, humorous prose, drama or
visual texts (ACELT1630)
Stage 4 - Outcome 3
varying abilities with each member having a different number assigned to them. (ie in each group there is a
student 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
Teacher directs students from HOME GROUPS to create “expert groups” with others who have same
number as them. Allow at least ONE lesson for the Expert Group phase.
Provide numbered students with corresponding poems below:
1.
(http://www.poetryatlas.com/poetry/poem/931/chicago.html last accessed 21/09/14)
2.
 identify, discuss and reflect on the ideas and
information in a range of texts
Broadway, Walt Whitman (short, moderate difficulty, archaic English)
(http://www.poetryatlas.com/poetry/poem/801/broadway.html last accessed 21/09/14)
3.
 develop a sense of personal style and taste in
February Evening in New York, Denise Levertov
(average) http://www.poetryatlas.com/poetry/poem/2293/february-evening-in-new-york.html (last accessed
composition and response
 describe and analyse the purpose, audience
Chicago, Carl Sandberg (longer, high ability)
21/09/14)
4.
Autumn Dusk in Central Park, Evelyn Scott (short,
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21
Content
Teaching, learning and assessment
and context of texts
easy) http://www.poetryatlas.com/poetry/poem/2298/autumn-dusk-in-central-park.html last accessed
21/09/14)
 recognise and use appropriate metalanguage
in discussing a range of language forms,
5.
features and structures
 understand the use of punctuation conventions,
From Brooklyn, Evelyn Scott (very easy, but meaningful)
(http://www.poetryatlas.com/poetry/poem/2310/from-brooklyn.html last accessed 21/09/14)
6.
Hollywood, Holllywood, Hollywood, Oresto Flavio Perdomo (literal, relatable,
including colons, semicolons, dashes and
amateur) (http://www.poetryatlas.com/poetry/poem/2546/hollywood%2C-hollywood%2C-
brackets in formal and informal texts
hollywood.html last accessed 21/09/14)
(ACELA1532, ACELA1544)
Stage 4 - Outcome 5
 share, reflect on, clarify and evaluate opinions
and arguments about aspects of literary texts
(ACELT1627)
 critically consider the ways in which meaning is
shaped by context, purpose, form, structure,
style, content, language choices and their own
personal perspective
 discuss aspects of texts, for example their
aesthetic and social value, using relevant and
appropriate metalanguage (ACELT1803)
Teacher provides generic "speak sheet" to all students. Students discuss and annotate their poems
together. Each expert should have a fully annotated copy of their poem to share upon return to their home
group. Students may like to pass a “conch” around to facilitate orderly questions and responses.
 The city in this poem is located in... (use world map in journals)
 The form of this poem can be described as...
 The overall meaning of this poem is...
 The persona's attitude to the city is best described as.... as evidenced by....
 I believe this poem is written in approximately... because...
 Punctuation is used in the poem to...
 Colours are used...when...to...
 Verbs are used...when...to...
 Particularly effective poetic techniques include...
 The sense are appealed to when... which adds to my experience of the poem because...
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22
Content
Teaching, learning and assessment
 I rate this poem ?/5 because...
Allow at least ONE full lesson for the “Return to Home Group” phase. Students read their poem aloud to
group and use their "speak sheet" to present their findings to the group. Group members take notes and
annotate the poems as they listen. By the end of the Jigsaw Activity, every student should have annotated
their own copies of every poem.
Students add all of the titles/authors of these poems to their world map and make rate each poem using the
1-5 star rating system. In their journals, students must provide THREE reasons for their judgment of the
poem, using textual evidence to support their ideas.
Stage 4 - Outcome 1
 explore and appreciate the aesthetic qualities
in their own and other texts and the power of
language to communicate information, ideas,
feelings and viewpoints
 apply increasing knowledge of vocabulary, text
structures and language features to understand
the content of texts (ACELY1733)
 identify and evaluate devices that create tone,
for example humour, wordplay, innuendo and
parody in poetry, humorous prose, drama or
visual texts (ACELT1630)
 identify and discuss main ideas, concepts and
Paris, France
Teacher instructs students to use their preferred method of annotating to annotate "Paris I" by Alan
Seeger (http://www.poetryatlas.com/poetry/poem/733/paris-i.html last accessed 21/09/14)
Students annotate, among other poetic devices selected by the teacher, words with positive connotations,
rhyme, metaphors, colours and visual imagery.
Students write a 150 word response explaining how Seeger perpetuates ideas about Paris being the "city of
love".
Students add "Paris I" to world map, and make a personal evaluation of this poem, providing THREE reasons
for their judgement and using textual evidence to support their views. (5 stars = brilliant, 1 star = awful).
Assessment for Learning
Students submit annotated poem to teacher who evaluates students' ability to annotate a poem. Teacher
uses this information to revisit any inconsistencies or gaps in student knowledge and understanding.
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23
Content
Teaching, learning and assessment
points of view in spoken texts to evaluate
Students who are annotating effectively may be instructed to annotate poems independently from this point
qualities, for example the strength of an
forward. Teacher may provide extra support to students who require it, using the "camp leader" (teacher help
argument or the lyrical power of a poetic
required), "campfire" (peer assistance) or "cave" (I can do it by myself) system to meet the various needs of
rendition (ACELY1719)
students.
Stage 4 - Outcome 3
 identify, discuss and reflect on the ideas and
information in a range of texts
 develop a sense of personal style and taste in
composition and response
 describe and analyse the purpose, audience
and context of texts
 recognise and use appropriate metalanguage
in discussing a range of language forms,
features and structures
Optional extension: Students conduct brief research into the French Revolution and read "Beautiful City" by
Lord Alfred Tennyson (http://classiclit.about.com/library/bl-etexts/atennyson/bl-aten-beautiful.htm (last
accessed 21/09/14) and answer the questions which follow:
 How does the poet use alliteration to mimic its theme of chaos?
 How do the words "centre" and "crater" oppose each other? Make a list of the various connotations and
meanings associated with these two opposing words. (eg centre = important, hub, middle whilst crater =
deficit, void, hole). How do these word choices shape your understanding of the way Paris was in the time
of the French Revolution?
 How does the poet characterise Paris as a city whose attempts at revolution have failed?
 How does the poet establish an accusatory tone in this poem?
Students add "Beautiful City" to world map, and make a personal evaluation of this poem. In their journals,
students must provide THREE reasons, using textual evidence to support their ideas (5 stars = brilliant, 1 star
= awful).
Stage 4 - Outcome 1
 experiment with language forms and features
to compose texts for pleasure and enjoyment
Stage 4 - Outcome 3
Spotlight: Rhyme Scheme
Teacher models rhyme scheme using the following line numbers/letters:
1) In summer she looked pretty (A)
2) When the sunlight was so bright (B)
This unit of work was written by Alison Aitken, TARA Anglican School for Girls. Copyright © of the unit of work is owned by AISNSW.
NSW syllabus content prepared by the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW for and on behalf of the State of New South Wales is protected by Crown copyright.
24
Content
 engage with the language and structures of
texts in meaningful, contextualised and
authentic ways
 use interaction skills for identified purposes,
using voice and language conventions to suit
different situations, selecting vocabulary,
modulating voice and using elements such as
music, images and sound for specific effects
(ACELY1804, ACELY1808)
 recognise and use appropriate metalanguage
Teaching, learning and assessment
Ask students to complete lines 3 and 4 (ie line 3 rhymes with "cat" (A) and line 4 rhymes with "day" (B) )
3) But winter in this city (A)
4) Makes me want to fight (B)
Students complete their own version of this poem in their journals by changing the rhyme scheme to AABB
over the four lines. (In summer she looked pretty/ But now the wind is gritty/ And the ground is wet and
white/ And it makes me wanna fight). Students use clapping process to identify the number of syllables in
each line.
Teacher allocates students to circular groups of four. Provide each student with paper. Teacher allocates
students as 1 (flats), 2, (shops), 3 (cars) or 4 (tower). Instruct students to write the first line of poetry about
in discussing a range of language forms,
their item, using six syllables only. Ring a bell and instruct students to pass their paper on in the circle.
features and structures
Students add a second line to their peer's poem adhering to the ABBA rhyme scheme (or others) as
illustrated on the board. Students continue passing papers until the quatrain is complete.
Teacher and students discuss how rhyme and the number of syllables add to the overall rhythm and feel of
the quatrain. Students add "rhyme scheme", "syllables" and "quatrain" to their glossaries.
Stage 4 - Outcome 1
 experiment with language forms and features
to compose texts for pleasure and enjoyment
 apply increasing knowledge of vocabulary, text
structures and language features to understand
the content of texts (ACELY1733)
 recognise that vocabulary choices contribute to
the specificity, abstraction and style of texts
Bombay, India
Students read "To the City of Bombay" by Rudyard Kipling (http://www.daypoems.net/poems/1825.html last
accessed 11/04/14) together.
Teacher selects individual students to annotate each line of the poem using the rhyme scheme processes as
previously modelled by teacher.
Teacher explains "gender/gendering". Using a visual/graphic organiser, class brainstorms the connotations of
"masculine" (eg. strong, protective, decisive) and "feminine" (delicate, motherly, nurturing,
organic) stereotypes. [Be sure to emphasise that these ideas are not "truths" but common assumptions
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25
Content
(ACELA1547)
 respond to and compose imaginative,
informative and persuasive texts for different
audiences, purposes and contexts for
understanding, interpretation, critical analysis,
imaginative expression and pleasure
Stage 4 - Outcome 5
 critically consider the ways in which meaning is
shaped by context, purpose, form, structure,
style, content, language choices and their own
personal perspective
Teaching, learning and assessment
constructed by society. ]
Students annotate all feminine pronouns in "To the City of Bombay". Teacher provides students with
redacted/blanked out copy of "To the City of Bombay" and instructs them to change the city's "gender" from
feminine to masculine, using some of the stereotyped ideas from the board as starting points. Students
change the poem in any way (ripping, cutting, redacting, editing) they like to make it feel more "masculine" or
"fatherly". Students paste their adapted version into their journal with a heading "my first response poem".
Journal entry: Explain how the changes you made to the gendering of the city of Bombay affected the overall
feeling and atmosphere of the city conveyed in the poem.
Students add "Bombay" to world map, and make a personal evaluation of this poem (5 stars = brilliant, 1 star
= awful). In their journal, students must provide TWO reasons for their judgment, using textual evidence to
support their perspective.
 use imaginative texts as models to replicate or
subvert textual conventions to create new texts
Stage 4 - Outcome 1
 experiment with language forms and features
to compose texts for pleasure and enjoyment
 respond to and compose imaginative,
informative and persuasive texts for different
Athens, Greece
In groups of 6, students create and perform a mime of John Milton's
"Athens"(http://www.poetryatlas.com/poetry/poem/3083/athens.html last accessed 21/09/14), using a visual
PowerPoint backdrop (or, alternatively, drawn images and props). Roles include: Director, Narrator, Images,
Props and Mime Performers.
audiences, purposes and contexts for
Students use the internet/library resources to look up (in brief) the following historical figures: Plato,
understanding, interpretation, critical analysis,
Alexander, Phoebus, Macedon, Artaxerxes.
imaginative expression and pleasure
Stage 4 - Outcome 3
How does the poet’s use of classical allusion here help to convey that Athens is a place with a proud history
of oration, academics and arts? How do we know that Athens has a long history and links to ancient times?
This unit of work was written by Alison Aitken, TARA Anglican School for Girls. Copyright © of the unit of work is owned by AISNSW.
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26
Content
 use interaction skills for identified purposes,
Teaching, learning and assessment
Optional extension: Read “Athens” by Algernon Charles Swinborne
using voice and language conventions to suit
(http://www.poetryatlas.com/poetry/poem/3087/athens.html last accessed 21/09/14) and "Athens" by
different situations, selecting vocabulary,
Nicholas Michell (http://www.poetryatlas.com/poetry/poem/3089/athens.html last accessed
modulating voice and using elements such as
21/09/14), noting the similarities in references, themes and attributes. Do these ideas become clichéd or do
music, images and sound for specific effects
they continue to be effective? Which poem about Athens gives you the best understanding of Athens? Why?
(ACELY1804, ACELY1808)
How is Athens characterised as unique to other cities? Students add "cliche" to glossaries.
 recognise and use appropriate metalanguage
in discussing a range of language forms,
features and structures
Stage 4 - Outcome 3
 recognise and use appropriate metalanguage
Students add "Athens" poem/s to world map, and make a personal evaluation of this/these poems (5 stars =
brilliant, 1 star = awful). In their journals, students provide THREE reasons for their judgment and provide
textual evidence to support their ideas.
Beirut, Lebanon
Students read “Beirut, Ornament of our World” by Faiz Ahmed Faiz
in discussing a range of language forms,
(http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/4717/beirut_ornament-of-our-world-faizs-1982-poem-on-be last
features and structures
accessed 21/09/14). Students use two different colours to highlight all negative words and all positive words.
Instruct students to annotate poem in "camp leader/camp fire/cave" groups.
Teacher facilitates a class discussion of this poem, using the following questions to check understanding:
 How does Faiz allude to the conflict which has marred Lebanon’s history?
 How does the poet use such negative images (blood, ruin, shattered) to achieve, ultimately, a positive and
triumphant tone?
 Explain the effect of repeating the city's name, “Beirut” time and time again.
 How does Faiz suggest that Beirut is a city of strength which will last forever?
 What is a biblical allusion, and where can we find it in the poem? (Paradise's garden)
This unit of work was written by Alison Aitken, TARA Anglican School for Girls. Copyright © of the unit of work is owned by AISNSW.
NSW syllabus content prepared by the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW for and on behalf of the State of New South Wales is protected by Crown copyright.
27
Content
Teaching, learning and assessment
 Who is Alexander? Who is Laila? Who is Darius? What is a citadel? How do these references add to the
meaning?
Stage 4 - Outcome 3
 recognise and use appropriate metalanguage
Kabul, Afghanistan
Students read and annotate “Kabul” by John Tranter (http://www.poetrylibrary.edu.au/poets/tranter-
in discussing a range of language forms,
john/kabul-0660010 last accessed 21/09/14) and create a graphic-novel style opening which depicts the
features and structures
narrative of this poem. Students further explore the notion of distancing/immediacy. Students compare
how Faiz’s poem is written from an "insider's" perspective whilst "Kabul" is written from the perspective of an
"outsider". Direct students to the pronouns (“our” and “they”) used in these poems.
Optional extension: Locate Kabul and Tashkent on the map. Read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tashkent (last
accessed 21/09/14) to come to an understanding of Tashkent’s history in relation to Russia.
Stage 4 - Outcome 1
 experiment with language forms and features
to compose texts for pleasure and enjoyment
Imaginative Poetry Activity
Students research ONE global city that, for their own reasons, beckons them to visit. Students compose an
"outsider's" poem where they imagine themselves as observers of a city, using the following first person
scaffold:
1.
Time of Day ("just before daybreak", "the afternoon glow", "the darkness of dusk descends"
2.
Reference to weather ("icy, thin air", "thick fog" or "wobbling heat hits")
3.
The persona's location ("on a train", "a hotel lobby", "a fibreglass yacht")
4.
Reference to the persona's "otherness" through their appearance, clothing or behaviour ("my tie, tight" or
"Nike Air Max, plastic and white")
5.
Describe the "locals" in terms of dress, appearance and behaviour ("heads bowed in unison")
6.
Include a line of dialogue between the "locals" using, dialect, phonetics or language of the region.
This unit of work was written by Alison Aitken, TARA Anglican School for Girls. Copyright © of the unit of work is owned by AISNSW.
NSW syllabus content prepared by the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW for and on behalf of the State of New South Wales is protected by Crown copyright.
28
Content
Teaching, learning and assessment
Return to an image of difference.
7.
Students place their "visitor's poem" in their journals and reflect on which TWO elements they are most proud
of.
Stage 4 - Outcome 3
 identify, discuss and reflect on the ideas and
information in a range of texts
 describe and analyse the purpose, audience
and context of texts
 recognise and use appropriate metalanguage
in discussing a range of language forms,
features and structures
Ankara, Turkey
Students read "Ankara" by Alan Gould (http://www.poetrylibrary.edu.au/poets/gould-alan/ankara-0486015
last accessed 21/09/14) and annotate in groups or pairs. Students individually answer the following
questions:
 How does Alan Gould establish that Ankara has a long history?
 How does he bring his poem to the present?
 What is a missionary?
 What is an Evangel?
 Why might “tact” be important for missionaries in Ankara?
 How does the poet suggest that people of differing faiths should be able to get along, with reference to the
final line of the poem (“where deer and lion once drank from the forest-lit stream”)
 What is the poet’s experience of Ankara?
 How does Alan Gould suggest that Turkey’s capital city is a dangerous place?
 How does the poet suggest that the city is in a time of transition?
 In what ways is the poem a “lament” (ie "passionate expression of grief, loss, mourning or regret")?
Individually, students find ONE city which is experiencing or has experienced a transition or a change.
Students may like to draw on cities where an ancient civilisation once existed or where urbanisation,
This unit of work was written by Alison Aitken, TARA Anglican School for Girls. Copyright © of the unit of work is owned by AISNSW.
NSW syllabus content prepared by the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW for and on behalf of the State of New South Wales is protected by Crown copyright.
29
Content
Teaching, learning and assessment
gentrification, and/or abandonment have changed the city. Students compose a lament poem which uses a
nostalgic tone to mourn the city's loss of an old culture and characteristics. Students place their poem in their
journal with an appropriate title. Students may verbally explain why they used TWO particular features to a
partner, small group or the whole class.
Stage 4 - Outcome 5
 use imaginative texts as models to replicate or
subvert textual conventions to create new texts
Stage 4 - Outcome 7
 respond to and compose sustained texts in an
increasingly wide range of forms that reflect
their broadening world and their relationships
within it
Stage 4 - Outcome 1
 apply increasing knowledge of vocabulary, text
structures and language features to understand
the content of texts (ACELY1733)
 recognise that vocabulary choices contribute to
the specificity, abstraction and style of texts
(ACELA1547)
 experiment with language forms and features
to compose texts for pleasure and enjoyment
 use increasingly sophisticated verbal, aural,
Response Poems
Teacher allocates students to pairs, providing one partner with "To go to Lvov" by Adam Zagajewski
(http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/177929 last accessed 21/09/14) and the other partner with "To go to
S'apore" by Alvin Pang (http://www.poetryatlas.com/poetry/poem/3233/to-go-tos%26%23039%3Bpore.html last accessed 21/09/14) Students annotate individual poems and answer the
questions that follow in full sentences, using textual evidence from the poem.
“To go to Lvov”- Questions
 How does the structure and punctuation of this poem mirror its repeated line “there was too much of Lvov”?
 Find three lines from this poem which help to convey that there “was too much of Lvov”.
 How is colour used here to conjure strong visual images?
 What is suggested by the poet’s use of harsh, destructive verbs such as “scratched”, “cut” and “shortened”?
 How does the poet evoke a surreal, dream-like quality for the city of Lvov?
 How is a sense of loss created in this poem?
 How does the poet manage to end this poem with a sense of hope?
“To go to S'apore” - Questions
 How does the structure and punctuation of this poem mirror its repeated line that there "was too much of
This unit of work was written by Alison Aitken, TARA Anglican School for Girls. Copyright © of the unit of work is owned by AISNSW.
NSW syllabus content prepared by the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW for and on behalf of the State of New South Wales is protected by Crown copyright.
30
Content
visual and/or written techniques, eg imagery,
figures of speech, selective choice of
vocabulary, rhythm, sound effects, colour and
design, to compose imaginative texts for
pleasure
 respond to and compose imaginative,
informative and persuasive texts for different
audiences, purposes and contexts for
understanding, interpretation, critical analysis,
imaginative expression and pleasure
Teaching, learning and assessment
Singapore?
 How does the poet use smells to bring this city alive for the reader?
 How does the poet evoke a surreal, dream-like quality for the city of Singapore?
 How is colour used to create strong visual images?
 Write a list of all the visual images used in this poem.
 Why does the poet shift from present tense to past tense in this poem?
 How does the poet compare modern Singapore evenings to the evenings of the past?
 How is a sense of loss created in this poem?
Students then compare the two poems side by side, using a self-designed key to annotate the elements
which remain the same and those that have been changed. Students create a Venn diagram of the
similarities and differences between the city of Lvov and the city of Singapore.
Students compose a 100 word written response in journals justifying whether they would prefer to go to Lvov
or Singapore using evidence from both poems to support their perspective.
Optional Extension: Brussels, Belgium
In pairs, students read “Brussels” by Arthur Rimbaud
(http://www.mag4.net/Rimbaud/poesies/Brussels.html last accessed 21/09/14) followed by “Brussels” by
John Tranter (http://www.poetrylibrary.edu.au/poets/tranter-john/brussels-0658005 last accessed 21/09/14)
Students discuss the similarities and differences between poems using a visual organizer to collate them.
Students write a poem in response to any poem they have studied during this unit. Students cut the original
poem up and insert their own phrases and lines to form a new, cohesive poem about a place they are familiar
with. Teacher encourages students to use their glossary of terms to help them apply poetic devices in their
This unit of work was written by Alison Aitken, TARA Anglican School for Girls. Copyright © of the unit of work is owned by AISNSW.
NSW syllabus content prepared by the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW for and on behalf of the State of New South Wales is protected by Crown copyright.
31
Content
Teaching, learning and assessment
own writing.
Stage 4 - Outcome 1
 experiment with language forms and features
to compose texts for pleasure and enjoyment
 recognise that vocabulary choices contribute to
the specificity, abstraction and style of texts
(ACELA1547)
 use increasingly sophisticated verbal, aural,
visual and/or written techniques, eg imagery,
figures of speech, selective choice of
vocabulary, rhythm, sound effects, colour and
Assessment for learning
Teacher provides students with Gustave Flaubert's statement that “Poetry is as exact a science as
geometry”. Students use their knowledge of poetic devices to create a parody, limerick, ballad, or rap entitled
“Recipe for Being Urbane and Poetic". Humour is mandatory as are specific examples from ONE or TWO
poems studied in this unit.
An example might be: “Aww yeah, to be Poetic/Is really not that hard/Put on your poshest accent/And act like
a bard/Take a bit of time/To add a dash of rhyme/and make the poem sing/as does Kip-ling/he drops "pride"
with "bride" and "each" with "beach"..."
Students may like to film their responses as an end of unit show and tell.
design, to compose imaginative texts for
Assessment AS Learning
pleasure
Students write a reflective journal response using the following stems (about 50 words for each response)
 identify and evaluate devices that create tone,
for example humour, wordplay, innuendo and
parody in poetry, humorous prose, drama or
visual texts (ACELT1630)
 respond to and compose imaginative,
informative and persuasive texts for different
audiences, purposes and contexts for
understanding, interpretation, critical analysis,
imaginative expression and pleasure
 My favourite TWO poems studied during this unit are...
 I like the first poem because...
 I like the second poem because...
 I have learnt that cities...
 My favourite learning activity in the unit was . . . because . . .
 My method of annotating can be written as a procedure:
Optional Creative Task
Teacher provides students with a variety of urban images of cities which have NOT been included in this unit.
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32
Content
Teaching, learning and assessment
Students choose ONE image as a stimulus and apply their knowledge of poetic form and features to
compose an imaginative poem about ONE city.
Assessment of Learning Task - 15%
Students annotate TWO poems using their preferred method of annotation, to demonstrate their
understanding of how poetic forms and features shape their interpretations of meaning about cities.
This unit of work was written by Alison Aitken, TARA Anglican School for Girls. Copyright © of the unit of work is owned by AISNSW.
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33
Year 8 English Assessment Task
URBAN LINES POETRY UNIT
Context for the task: Students have experimented with a range of methods of annotation. Students
have been applying annotation skills to come to a deeper understanding of the various ways poets
use forms and features of poetry to shape meaning and to represent cities of the world.
Outcomes to be assessed:
EN4-1A: responds to and composes texts for understanding, interpretation, critical analysis,
imaginative expression and pleasure.
EN4-3B: uses and describes language forms, features and structures of texts appropriate to a range
of purposes, audiences and contexts.
Weighting:
Date issued:
15%
15th April, 2014
Due date:
1st May, 2014
Task:
A local publisher has commissioned you to provide complete annotations of TWO poems for
a poetry textbook entitled “City Dreaming”. The annotations must be clearly organised and
provide secondary school students with examples of effective annotation processes to help
them come to a deeper understanding of the poems’ meaning/s and the ways these
meanings have been shaped by poetic form and features.
The annotations for each poem cannot exceed one A4 sized piece of paper (i.e. 2 x A4
papers in total for the task.)
You are not permitted to use poems which have been analysed in class.
You must choose TWO poems from the list provided (see next page).
Optional: With approval from your teacher, you may choose poems which do not appear on
this list.
This unit of work was written by Alison Aitken, TARA Anglican School for Girls. Copyright © of the unit
of work is owned by AISNSW.
NSW syllabus content prepared by the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW for and on behalf of the
State of New South Wales is protected by Crown copyright.
34
“Storm Over Sydney”, John Tranter
http://www.poetrylibrary.edu.au/poets/tranter-john/storm-oversydney-0658026 (last accessed 21/09/14)
“This is Delhi”, Pankaj Prasoon
http://www.poetryatlas.com/poetry/poem/2558/this-is-delhi.html
(last accessed 11/04/14)
“Clark Street Bridge”, Carl Sandberg
http://www.poetryatlas.com/poetry/poem/934/clark-streetbridge.html (last accessed 21/09/14)
“Nuremburg”, Kenneth Slessor
http://www.poemhunter.com/best-poems/kennethslessor/nuremberg-2/ (last accessed 21/09/14)
“City Nightfall”, Kenneth Slessor
http://www.poemhunter.com/best-poems/kenneth-slessor/citynightfall/ (last accessed 21/09/14)
“To Moscow”, Edna Dean Proctor
http://www.poetryatlas.com/poetry/poem/3189/to-moscow.html
(last accessed 21/09/14)
“A London Thoroughfare”, Amy Lowell
http://www.poetryatlas.com/poetry/poem/745/a-londonthoroughfare.-2-a.m..html (last accessed 21/09/14)
Marking Criteria:
You will be assessed on how well you:

Organise your ideas using a system of annotation

Demonstrate an understanding of how forms and features operate in poetry

Make meaning from selected poems
Agreed Conditions:
Students will be allowed ONE lesson to prepare their annotations and ONE lesson to provide
each other with peer feedback. Students are advised to bring their annotated poems and the
marking criteria to these lessons, so their work can be evaluated against it.
This unit of work was written by Alison Aitken, TARA Anglican School for Girls. Copyright © of the unit
of work is owned by AISNSW.
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State of New South Wales is protected by Crown copyright.
35
Glossary:
Poetic forms: refers to the structure and shape of a poem such as free verse,
number of stanzas, rhyming couplets, rhyme scheme, prose poetry
Poetic features: refers to any poetic technique used to shape meaning such as
simile, metaphor, imagery, alliteration and punctuation.
System of annotation: a system of annotation is any process used to help you
organise your ideas in a clear and meaningful fashion around a text. There are many
different systems you can choose from including using highlighters, colour keys, text
boxes, comment features, speech bubbles, sub-headings, written explanations,
arrows, lines, squiggles and so on.
This unit of work was written by Alison Aitken, TARA Anglican School for Girls. Copyright © of the unit
of work is owned by AISNSW.
NSW syllabus content prepared by the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW for and on behalf of the
State of New South Wales is protected by Crown copyright.
36
Marking Guidelines – Year 8 English Poetry unit – Urban Lines
Criteria
Organise your
ideas using a
system of
annotation
5 marks
4 marks
Demonstrates sophisticated
Demonstrates a well
ability to organise ideas using
developed ability to organise
an ordered and detailed system
ideas using an ordered
of annotation. Uses a variety of
system of annotation. Uses a
visual signifiers to connect
number of visual signifiers to
elements of the poem to
connect elements of the
meanings in a clear and logical
poem to meanings.
fashion. Meanings are easily
Meanings are accessible for
accessible for audience.
the audience.
3 marks
2 marks
Demonstrates a competent
Demonstrates a basic ability to
ability to organise ideas using
make some notes around the
a system of annotation. Some
poems. May be disorganised
use of visual signifiers to
with little use of visual
connect elements of the
signifiers. Features of the
poem and meanings.
poems and meanings may be
Meanings are mostly
disconnected Little awareness
accessible to the audience.
of audience.
1 mark
Demonstrates little or no
ability to make notes around
the poems. Disorganised with
no use of visual signifiers.
Elements and meanings are
disconnected. No awareness
of audience.
Demonstrates a well
Understanding of
how poetic form
and features
operate in poetry
Demonstrates a sophisticated
developed understanding of
Demonstrates a competent
and insightful understanding of
how poetic forms and
ability to identify and explain
the complexity of how poetic
features operate in poetry.
how some aspects of poetic
forms and features operate in
form/s and features operate
poetry.
in poetry.
Demonstrates a basic ability to
Labels poetic features in a
identify simple poetic forms and
tokenistic fashion.
features. Some terminology
Terminology is often used
may be used incorrectly.
incorrectly.
Demonstrates an elementary
Ability to make
meaning from
poems
Demonstrates a sophisticated
and insightful ability to make
complex meanings
(metaphorical, inferential) about
cities in TWO poems
Demonstrates a competent
ability to identify few meanings
Demonstrates a well
ability to make some
about cities in TWO poems.
developed ability to make
meanings about cities in
Explanations restate rather
valid and detailed meanings
TWO poems. Interpretations
than deepen meaning of
about cities in TWO poems.
may be literal or obvious in
poems. Some
nature.
misunderstanding may be
Demonstrates little or no
ability to make meaning
about cities in TWO poems.
Brief. Misunderstanding and
inaccuracies are evident.
evident.
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NSW syllabus content prepared by the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW for and on behalf of the State of New South Wales is protected by Crown copyright.
37
Evaluation
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AISNSW.
Except as set out below or permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced, stored or communicated without the approval of AISNSW.
Not for profit organisations may reproduce, store in a retrieval system and communicate the whole or any part of the materials without payment of a fee or other
remuneration provided:
a) The institution does not sell, hire or otherwise derive revenue from such reproduction, storage or communication
b) B) the copyright of AISNSW is noted on any part which is copied or noted
If any other licence is sought, inquiries should be directed to the Executive Director of AISNSW.
This unit of work was written by Alison Aitken, TARA Anglican School for Girls. Copyright © of the unit of work is owned by AISNSW.
NSW syllabus content prepared by the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW for and on behalf of the State of New South Wales is protected by Crown copyright.
38
This unit of work was written by Alison Aitken, TARA Anglican School for Girls. Copyright © of the unit of work is owned by AISNSW.
NSW syllabus content prepared by the Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards NSW for and on behalf of the State of New South Wales is protected by Crown copyright.
39