What follows is a lesson I contributed to the Australian Curriculum Lessons web. I hope it is useful to you. Let me know if you want to know where things go from here.

Melanie

Summary:

This is a 1 hour introductory lesson in an 8 week Year 10 unit of work entitled ‘Eve to Lady Gaga: Woman’s Voice in Literature, Film and Song’. It is designed for a mixed ability class of both male and female students in a 1:1 learning environment. Students have wireless access to the internet and to the College intranet where they are able to post blogs and to ‘meet’ virtually outside school hours. They are already familiar with the Web 2.0 tools used in this lesson

Australian Curriculum Links: 

• ACELA1564 – understand how language use can have inclusive and exclusive social effects, and can empower or disempower people
• ACELA1565 – understand that people’s evaluations of texts are influenced by their value systems, the context and the purpose and mode of communication
• ACELT1639 – compare and evaluate a range of representations of individuals and groups in different historical, social and cultural contexts
• ACELT1640 – reflect on, extend, endorse or refute others’ interpretations of and responses to literature
• ACELY1813 – use organisation patterns, voice and langugage conventions to present a point of view, speaking clearly, coherently and with effect, using logic, imagery and rhetorical devices to engage audiences
• ACELY1752 – identifty and analyse implicit or explicit values, beliefs and assumptions in texts and how these are influenced by purposes and likely audiences

Lesson

Introduction

Bring up a series of images of recognisable national and international female public figures, asking students to raise their hands when they agree this person is a person of influence. Finish with a picture of Lady Gaga. Refer to the 2010 Times article which lists her as one of the top influential people of 2010. http://tinyurl.com/35w4jp8   Facilitate a discussion on why this may have been so and whether this is still the case.

Body

Students will be asked to move into their collaboration groups. (Collaboration groups consist of 5 students each of whom is directly responsible for an element of a task – roles may include collecting and adding images for a presentation, writing the script/voiceover for a presentation, finding and adding the sound/music for a presentation, managing the editing and sequencing of the presentation tool, presenting to the class. Students will work in their area of strength) Their task is to use their devices to discover the controversy surrounding Gaga’s song “Born This Way”.

Using one of the following tools, (iMovie, Final Cut Pro, Voicethread, Educreations, Prezi, Glogster, Animoto, Puppet Pals) they have the remainder of the lesson to develop a 1-2 minute presentation about the controversy

a) speculating how differing responses reveal values systems or worldviews

b) whether these responses might empower or disempower individuals

c) how social, cultural and historical contexts may influence responses to the song and

d) delivering the group interpretation and response to the song

Conclusion

Students are advised they will have 10 minutes at the beginning of the next lesson to organise themselves before presenting. They may have an online meeting in the evening to manage organisation if necessary. They may use the College Intranet or Facebook to collaborate.

Students are also advised that the following viewing is necessary for the lesson after next.

http://tinyurl.com/9fm28wt Alice Walker Reads Sojourner Truth

http://tinyurl.com/9xm9bhh Helen Reddy sings ‘I am Woman’

http://tinyurl.com/8c9y9c2 Tracy Chapman sings ‘Talkin bout a Revolution’

http://tinyurl.com/9lzyznr   Julia Gillard’s October 9, 2012 response to the Opposition’s motion to remove Peter Slipper

Assessment:

Individual contributions to class discussion and collaborative tasks.

Group presentation

Resources:

http://tinyurl.com/9fm28wtAlice Walker Reads Sojourner Truth

http://tinyurl.com/9xm9bhh Helen Reddy sings ‘I am Woman’

http://tinyurl.com/8c9y9c2 Tracy Chapman sings ‘Talkin bout a Revolution’

http://tinyurl.com/9lzyznr   Julia Gillard’s October 9, 2012 response to the Opposition’s motion to remove Peter Slipper