Curriculum into the Classroom
English
Year 9
Unit 1
Assessment task—Model response: Panel discussion
MODE
Spoken task
TYPE
Persuasive
TASK
Participate and interact in a panel discussion about language and visual features suitable for
inclusion in a promotional brochure that represents Australia’s peoples, histories and cultures.
CONDITIONS




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Persuasive speech of 250 to 300 words must be prepared BEFORE participating in the panel
discussion.
Multimodal elements to support presentation of persuasive speech must be prepared BEFORE
the panel discussion.
Panels are made up of 3 to 4 students.
Time requirements:
- 1 minute for each person to share their persuasive speech;
- 5 to 10 minutes to interact in the panel discussion and make decisions about how to
represent Australia’s peoples, histories and cultures in a promotional brochure.
Task A. Gather Ideas
Representation Ideas
1. Brainstorm key words, phrases and images that represent your personal understanding of
Australia’s peoples, histories and cultures. Record your ideas on the Y-Chart below.
2. Choose two texts that convey ideas about Australia’s peoples, histories and/or cultures:
Literary text:
‘True Blue’, John Williamson
Non-literary text:
‘Apology Speech’, Kevin Rudd;
‘Nothing like it’, television ad
3. Read and analyse each of the texts to complete the Representation Ideas Chart:
a. Identify and record key words and phrases that convey ideas about Australia’s peoples,
histories and/or cultures. Look for the use of evocative language, allusions, metaphors,
extended metaphors, metonymy, icons and/or symbolism.
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b. Identify and record images that convey ideas about Australia’s peoples, histories and/or
cultures. Look for the use of symbols and/or icons.
Task B. Prepare for the panel discussion
Panel discussion: Step 1
4. Write a persuasive speech of 250-300 words outlining your opinion about language and visual
features that represent Australia’s peoples, histories and cultures. Use the template below to
guide your writing:
Representing Australia – My Opinion
Hey – ‘True Blue, I'm asking you...
True Blue, is it me and you?
Is it Mum and Dad, is it a cockatoo?
Is it standing by your mate
HOOK
Make an engaging
statement that
encapsulates your opinion
about what it means to be
Australian.
This could be:

a quote

a definition

statistics

a short anecdote

other?
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When he's in a fight?
Or will she be right?
True Blue… True Blue’
(from ‘True Blue’ by John Williamson)
Interaction skills to
enhance delivery
Play chorus of the song
‘True Blue’ by John
Williamson, sing along
with positive tone of
voice and enthusiasm to
capture audience
attention.
Representing Australia – My Opinion
What does it mean to be Australian? - that’s the question
we’re facing today. What language choices will entice
Interaction skills to
enhance delivery
Slight pause at the end
of each question
people to visit our great nation? What visual images will
INTRODUCTION
Summarise the key
language and visual
features you believe best
represent Australia’s
peoples, histories and
cultures.
make people stop, take notice and say, ‘Wow – Australia
– there’s nothing like it!’ My well-considered selection of
language and visual features will create a positive
representation of modern day Australia. Devices will
include evocative vocabulary, metaphors, allusions,
For example:
evocative vocabulary

metaphors
people to experience all the unique qualities that our

allusions

exceptional nation has to offer.
icons

symbols

other?
Identify, analyse and
explain examples of
language features that
represent Australia’s
peoples, histories and
cultures.
Australia is country rich in history and we should
celebrate this by alluding to the lyrics of the National
Anthem. For example, we can encourage audiences


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integrating personal
ideas and ideas
from other texts
emphasising how
they will work
directly and
indirectly to express
ideas and create
representations that
are inclusive,
positive and suitable
for inclusion in a
promotional
brochure.
Show, in turn, flash cards
featuring the underlined
words and phrases at
appropriate stages
during the presentation.
using a metaphor to ‘turn to a new page’ or ‘start a new
chapter’ in their lives by visiting our land and its people. I
Justify choices by:
Emphasise words in
bold
metonymy, icons and symbols. These will work to entice

PARAGRAPH 1
Very expressive
pronunciation of quote
believe a core idea associated with understanding the
Australian people is their relaxed, casual, down to earth
nature. This can be indirectly represented and
emphasised using slang and colloquialisms. Vocabulary
like ‘mate’, ‘fair dinkum’ and ‘true blue’ (from the song
‘True Blue’ by John Williamson) should feature in the
brochure as being part of the living language of the
Australian people overtime.
Each flash card will be
added to a poster.
Emphasise words in
bold
Representing Australia – My Opinion
The language features must be combined with visual
features for persuasive effect. For example, if the
brochure features the rhetorical question ‘Time for a
holiday?’, the positive metonymic associations with the
PARAGRAPH 2
word ‘holiday’ can be indirectly expressed through
Identify, analyse and
explain examples of visual
features that represent
Australia’s peoples,
histories and cultures
photos. Images would feature Indigenous and non-
Justify choices by:



integrating personal
ideas and ideas
from other texts
emphasising how
they will work
directly and
indirectly to express
ideas and create
representations that
are inclusive,
positive and suitable
for inclusion in a
promotional
brochure
explaining how they
will work in
combination with
language features to
express ideas and
augment meanings.
Indigenous Australians from a diverse range of cultural
backgrounds participating in a variety of leisure activities
Interaction skills to
enhance delivery
Show, in turn, flash cards
featuring images
depicting the double
underlined words and
phrases at appropriate
stages during the
presentation.
These image flash cards
will also be added to the
same poster as above.
such as surfing, road tripping, barbequing and bush
walking (as seen in the ‘There’s nothing like it’ television
advertisement). These would work in combination with
colloquialisms and slang to represent Australia’s casual,
relaxed cultures and lifestyles.
Photos of colourful, exploding fireworks above the iconic
Sydney Habour Bridge and Opera House (also a visual
feature in the ‘There’s nothing like it’ television
advertisement) can be included to symbolise
celebrations, momentous occasions and new
beginnings. These images would indirectly position
audiences to believe that coming to Australia would help
them start a new chapter in their lives that would be
worth celebrating because of the unique opportunities,
sights and experiences on offer.
This combination of language and visual features,
including evocative vocabulary, metaphors, allusions,
metonymy, icons and symbols, would promote a very
positive representation of Australia’s peoples, histories
CONCLUSION
Review the combination of
language and visual
features that represent
Australia’s peoples,
histories and cultures.
Make a link to your initial
hook.
and cultures. When used in a promotional brochure it
would not be long before we would have people lining
our shores and singing our praises… or at least
singing…
Hey – ‘True Blue! I'm asking you...
True Blue, is it [for] me and you?’
YES! Cause there’s nothing like it!
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Refer to the completed
poster, which visually
depicts a combination of
ideas that work to
represent Australia’s
peoples, histories and
cultures.
Finish by singing some
slightly altered lines from
the song combined with
the slogan from the
‘There’s nothing like it’
television advertisement.
Panel discussion: Multimodal elements
5. Plan and prepare multimodal elements that will support and enhance your persuasive
presentation.
For example:

a poster with key quotes from your speech,

examples of images to support your explanation of icons and symbols
Multimodal elements I plan to use are:
6. Indicate how and when the multimodal elements will be used by recording ideas in the
‘Interaction skills to enhance delivery’ column on the Panel discussion: Step 1 template.
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Task C. Participate and interact in the panel discussion
Panel discussion: Step 2
7. Participate and interact in a panel discussion:
a. Share your persuasive speech, using multimodal elements to support and enhance
your delivery.
b. Listen to other panel members’ persuasive speech and record notes about their
understanding of Australia’s peoples, histories and cultures in the ‘Other panel
members’ ideas’ columns below.
c. While listening and recording notes, indicate what you think about other panel
members’ ideas in the final column below.
Other panel members’ ideas
My opinion
about
about
language features
Similar ideas
about features that
represent Australia’s
peoples, histories and
cultures
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visual features
other panel members’
ideas
Different ideas
about features that
represent Australia’s
peoples, histories and
cultures
Representing Australia
7. Participate and interact in a panel discussion (continued):
d. After listening to all panel members, use notes recorded on the Panel discussion:
Step 2 template to participate actively in a discussion and to compare, contrast and
evaluate representations of Australia’s peoples, histories and cultures.
e. Make decisions as a member of the panel about how to represent Australia’s people,
histories and cultures in a promotional brochure.
f.
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Record the panel’s decisions about words, phrases and images that represent
Australia’s peoples, histories and cultures on the Representing Australia chart below.
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English — Year 9 Unit 1: Examining representations of Australia’s peoples, histories and cultures
Guide to making judgments
Purpose of assessment: To participate and interact in a panel discussion about language and visual features suitable for inclusion in a promotional brochure
that represent Australia’s peoples, histories and cultures.
Comprehending texts
(Receptive)
Knowledge and understanding
(Productive)
Creating texts
(Productive)
Selects, evaluates and integrates ideas from texts about
language and visual features that create representations
(TASK A)
Uses understanding of language and visual features to develop
representations of Australia’s peoples, histories and cultures
(TASK B)
Creates a spoken text to present and discuss ideas about
representations of Australia’s peoples, histories and cultures
(TASK C)

investigates how the combination of language and visual
features create representations indirectly and augment
meanings

combines language and visual features in purposeful ways to
create representations of Australia’s peoples, histories and
cultures that express ideas indirectly and augment meanings

makes decisions about combinations of language and visual
features suitable for inclusion in a promotional brochure that
represent Australia’s peoples, histories and cultures

draws conclusions about representations of Australia’s
peoples, histories and cultures in texts by making connections
with a personal understanding of the world and significant
human experiences


integrates a personal understanding of Australia’s peoples,
histories and cultures with ideas from other texts to create
representations
engages and influences panel members, selecting persuasive
language and varying voice tone, pitch and pace

enhances credibility and persuasive effect of delivery through
the selection and sequencing of content and use of multimodal
elements (e.g. images) for aesthetic purposes

makes a presentation about language and visual features that
represent Australia’s peoples, histories and cultures

compares personal interpretations about representations to
various responses of others

contributes actively to a panel discussion evaluating ideas
about representations
A
B

selects evidence from texts to analyse and explain how
language and visual features create representations and
influence an audience

understands how to use a variety of language features to
create different levels of meaning about representations of
Australia’s peoples, histories and cultures

evaluates and integrate ideas and information from texts to
form personal interpretations about representations of
Australia’s peoples, histories and cultures

manipulates language features and images to interpret and
integrate ideas from texts that represent of Australia’s peoples,
histories and cultures

identifies language and/or visual features that convey ideas
about peoples, histories or cultures in texts

selects language and/or visual features to convey ideas about
peoples, histories or cultures

presents information about language and/or visual features that
convey ideas about peoples, histories or cultures
D

identifies ideas about peoples, histories or cultures in texts

uses language and/or visual features to convey ideas about
peoples, histories or cultures

presents information about peoples, histories or cultures
E
Feedback:
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C