Tuesday - Period 3

Assessment Task

In class discussion essay on two poems studied in the poetry unit.

Friday - Period 5

In preparation for your discussion essay assessment task next week, we will today look at the scaffold for the task.  Each dot point in the scaffold has been demonstrated in the exemplar below which addresses 2 poems we have not studied in class.

Discussion Essay Exemplar

Monday - Period 2 & Wednesday - Period 3

Our final 'Australian Voices' poem will be Midnight Oil's song lyric, 'Blue Sky Mine'.  Because of time constraints, the annotated version is found below and needs to be summarised in the poetry table we have used for each poem.


Blue Sky Mine

Friday - Period 4

Group A:  On your Weebly create subpages for each of the poems we have studied so far ('Then and Now' & 'Flies, Damn Flies and Ballistics', & 'Life Cycle').  For each poem answer the following questions in detail.

Group B:  You will begin looking at Bruce Dawe's poem, Life Cycle, that reflects on the fanaticism of AFL supporters. 

Thursday - Period 1

Group B:  On your Weebly create subpages for each of the poems we have studied so far ('Then and Now' & 'Flies, Damn Flies and Ballistics').  For each poem answer the following questions in detail.

Group A:  You will begin looking at Bruce Dawe's poem, Life Cycle, that reflects on the fanaticism of AFL supporters. 

Monday - Period 2, Friday - Period 5 & Tuesday - Period 3

Flies, damn flies and ballistics

We will turn our attention to the second poem for study by looking at Gabriell Bryden's poem about the bane of most Australians - flies.  To begin with you will attempt to deconstruct the poem on your own as revision of our last guided poem, 'Then and Now'.  Then you will be in groups to specifically concentrate on varying elements of the poem that you will eventually share with the rest of the class.

See 'How to look at a poem' below or refer to your copy in your book.

Next we will annotate the poem before transferring your notes to the summary table.

Homework:  On Tuesday you borrowed the short story booklet, Ten Out of Ten.  This week you are to read the story, 'Going for Kebabs' and then create a character profile for the characters of Carmina and the narrator on your Weebly.

Wednesday - Period 3

'Then and Now' - Oodgeroo Noonuccal

In this lesson we will discuss this poem, having deconstructed it in our last lesson.  In particular we will consider:

• the voice contained in the poem
• the mood and tone 
• the voice's feelings about modern Australian civilisation
• the indigenous connection to the environment
• the aim of the poet

Monday - Period 2

Handouts to be kept in your book:

1. Poetry Mind Map
2. Poetry Glossary & Deconstruction Process
3. Poetic Forms

We will begin our look at Australian poetry by studying the poem of Oodgeroo Noonuccal (Kath Walker).  This will comprise all the steps listed on the second handout above - 'How to look at a poem' (see below).

Group A: complete the activities on the last page of the poetry booklet

Group B: deconstruction of the poem with Mrs Lans

Wednesday - Period 3, Friday - Period 5

Poetry Unit: 'Australian Voices'

Today we will begin our next unit on Australian poetry.  First we will look at the subject specific terminology relevant to the unit and revise these terms.  To begin we will spend time defining what it is to be Australian.  Use the 'Poetry Resources' tab above to locate a variety of videos that represent varying images of Australia and Australians.

View these videos with another student, discussing what type of Australian identity is expressed in each.  Additionally, consider if there are images of Australia not present.  

Then ... on your Weebly compose a profile of what constitutes Australian identity?  

1. What makes us uniquely Australian?
2. Do these identities represent you?  
3. Do they represent all Australians?  
4. What do they say about us and how we live?

Weeks 1-4 Term 2

Since returning in Term 2 our lesson schedule has been as follows:

27/04/11:  'An ANZAC's Dream' annotation and deconstruction
29/04/11:  'An ANZAC's Dream' continued
03/05/11:  Speech writing for assessment task
04/05/11:  Speech writing for assessment task
05/05/11:  Speech writing for assessment task
09/05/11:  Assessment Task due.  'Then and Now' reading and annotation
11/05/11:  'Then and Now' tasks
13/05/11:  'Then and Now' tasks continued
17/05/11:  Mrs Lans not in class - School Certificate poetry activities
18/05/11:  Mrs Lans not in class - School Certificate writing activities
19/05/11:  Assessment Task speech presentations.

Wednesday - Period 5

We will conclude our study of Mary Gilmore's poem, Old Botany Bay today.  Make sure all tasks have been completed and published on your Weebly.

Consider this poem in terms of the assessment task question:


How do Australia poets use language to convey unique views of Australia?

Wednesday - Period 4, Friday - Period 5 & Tuesday - Period 2

We will begin our look at 'Australian Voices' poetry by studying a poem of Mary Gilmore's - 'Old Botany Bay'.

This will involve:

• small group work during initial reading
• annotation of poem
• completion of deconstruction sheet
• Weebly responses (including research on Mary Gilmore and reading questions)

Finally ... we will brainstorm the 'unique view of Australia' that Gilmore presents in this poem.

Monday - Period 3

Assessment Task # 2 issued.

Today you will need to complete your Wallwisher brainstorm on 'what it is to be Australian'.  When you have completed this you will need to embed it on your Weebly.

Wednesday - Period 5

POETRY

Today we will begin our study of poetry by revising poetic terms on the glossary and mind map that is to be glued in your book.

Watch the video below and take note of the ideas that Anthony "K-Swift" expresses in his poem, "What is Poetry?".  On your Weebly (under a new tab titled 'Poetry'),  make a list of his answers using dot points.

Monday - Period 5

School Certificate Preparation:  To consolidate our examination of poetry in preparation for the School Certificate, you will annotate an unseen poem under time conditions, as well as complete the short answer questions from the 2006 School Certificate Examination.

Wednesday - Period 1 & Friday - Period 3

School Certificate Trial Feedback - papers returned and teacher feedback given.

• Letter to the Editor - student checklist completed.
• Narrative - marking criteria examined, areas for consideration discussed.
• Poem, 'Circular Breathing' - initial reading in anticipation of review.  Group analysis of a stanza, shared with entire class.  Short answer questions and marking scheme revisited following our analysis.

The aim of this feedback and revision is for you to recognise where you did not achieve marks.  You need to reflect on whether this was an oversight, misunderstanding of the question, or insufficient knowledge.  When you can pinpoint where you lost marks, you can strategise on how to ensure you get them in the School Certificate exam in November.

Monday - Period 5

"There comes at time when excessive speeding
Takes over the driver at the wheel..." - Momentum

Deconstruction and short analysis of Bruce Dawe's poem, 'Momentum'.  This poem is Dawe's political view of the war in Iraq and is in contrast to the other poems we have studied (subject matter, extended metaphor).

Core ideas found in Dawe's poetry collated:

• female experiences/gender roles
• minutae of life
• relationships
• human psyche

Wednesday - Period 1 & Friday - Period 3

Activities:

Study of Bruce Dawe's poem, 'Drifters'. Annotate, deconstruct and complete summary table. After shared deconstruction you are to compose a paragraph in response to the question: Analyse how Bruce Dawe represents human experiences in his poem, 'Drifters'.

Wednesday - Period 1 & Friday - Period 3

By the end of term you need to have completed the following to consolidate this term's study of Bruce Dawe's poetry:

1. Complete summary tables for each poem (The Tackle Box, Up the Wall, Going).
2. Complete a paragraph for each poem using the paragraph scaffold.
3. Discuss, using the 'comments' link below, the idea that Dawe's poems demonstrate both social and emotional awareness.  

(25/06/10) Friday - Period 3 & (28/06/10) Monday - Period 2

'Up the Wall' by Bruce Dawe - Annotation and analysis.

This sympathetic poem explores the world of the lonely housewife and the pathos of her tedious and unfulfilling role as wife and mother.

Dawe's understanding of the female experience and the social conditions created by gendered roles is expertly and clearly revealed in this poem.