Unit+Rationale

We are introduced to literacy in a variety of ways, through writing, reading, listening, film and visual signs, just to name a few. It is essential to leading a successful and fulfilling life. It is important to note however, that the meaning behind text is not always obvious to the reader, watcher or listener. The writer and film maker introduce us to a variety of categories, which can form a fictitious mindset, as does the advertising market. This unit is designed to broaden the students understanding of the advertising world and become skilled in analysing text visually and creatively, in order to be competent with the multi-literate society that we have become. 

The units first lesson will identify the knowledge that students possess to clarify their understanding of the advertising world. Although advertising material may be familiar to many, the assumption should not be made that all students have encountered or understood this visual text. As with any new unit the initial observation will stipulate how to design or redesign a unit to support students learning more effectively, ‘we don’t always get it right and we should be prepared to review and reconstruct our plans on the basis of both needs and interest’ (Murdoch & Hornsby, 1997, p. 2). The unit has been designed to be diverse enough that it can be taught at different understanding levels.

The critical literacy lesson is to enforce the practices of deconstructing texts to interpret the function, features and purpose for the audience. Students need to critically analyse and understand that text is not neutral. With such diverse communities in Australia today the importance of different answers and opinions in regards to analysis can create strategic thinking, reasoning and problem solving. Critical literacy ‘means engaging with issues that are often controversial, decisions need to be made as to how far to push or enable students to push a critique of texts, practices and institutions’ (Knobel & Healy, 1998, p. 4). Students will be challenged during activities to think deeper than the surface issues of advertising and start to think about advertisings effect on people and what this means.

As this unit comprises of visual technology, the encouragement of creativity will be relevant, which shows the students that “we perceive the world through the senses, and sort into order and harmony with welter of stimuli from outside us and within us, to create meaningful reality’ (Sinclair, Jeanneret & O’Toole, 2009, p. 4). Activities such as describing the different elements that make up an advertisement, is motivating and challenging but also shows that students understand what is needed to make an effective advertisement.

The advertising world has the physical attractiveness and charm that aims to please the eye of the beholder through the use of simple text and visual aids. By year four students will be able to comprehend the relevance of advertising, therefore it is important that development of critical literacy skills produce meaning within a text. ‘Understanding the purpose of texts and using texts for different social and cultural function includes knowing the function of texts used both in and outside school’ (Tasmanian Ed. Dept, 2004). Advertising is relevant to most cultures and therefore is an inclusive subject which all students should be able to relate to. Text requires more than just reading and writing. At an early age many students are given the opportunity to become visually literate, from watching television to parents reading books with relevant illustrations. Simpson points out that ‘visual literacy is particularly important in a world that relies so much on interpretations of visual communication’ (Simpson, 2008, p. 23). Advertising effects all students who watch television, read magazines or look at catalogues. It is important that students understand the meaning behind these advertisements and the elements that make them influential, so that students can make informed choices when reading or watching them. It is important that students of this age group promote opportunity and fairness within the classroom to differentiate what is real within the advertising world.

Drawing support materials from the Tasmanian Literacy Curriculum and the Victorian Essential Learning Standards has assisted in the decision making of activities specifically designed for the cohort in question. Through this unit of work students will discover that literacy empowers individual opinions through voice and visual elements which are important for students of this age to gain confidence in.

The assessment tasks incorporated into this unit have been included to encourage assessment for learning. Marsh (2007) suggests that assessment for learning assists in motivating students to learn as well as creating an environment where students are encouraged to comment on the their own work. This has been included throughout the lesson plans by giving opportunities for students to give feedback to each other and themselves. Authentic assessment has also been integrated into the unit, whereby students not only learn what is required through the curriculum but what is also important in their own lives (Marsh, 2007). This is demonstrated by students being required to understand the effects that advertising have on people and how it is used to acquire sales. Through the use of creating their own video presentation of an advertisement, students are able to show their understandings of the unit through a creative process that is motivating, interesting and dynamic, allowing students to work to their strengths, offering choice and freedom. Assessment tasks have been developed not only to assess students literacy skills but to assess literacy skills within a meaningful context that includes the assessment of knowledge, skills, strategies, values, attitudes and the ability to work with other students (Murdoch and Hornsby, 1997). This helps create a learning environment where students are able to express themselves, develop skills and feel confident in their own abilities.

Learning outcomes are goals that describe what students are going to be able to do or understand at the end of a planned unit or lesson. This means that the learning outcomes designed for unit plans can be rather broad. Learning outcomes are very important for teachers to use as they show the direction of the content needed to be taught, they determine the learning experiences and teaching strategies that will help students learn, they are a useful tool for assessment and are useful for evaluating the unit of work (University of Tasmania, 2009). Learning outcomes are not only useful to teachers but also to students. Learning outcomes provide students with a focus and framework to their learning allowing them to for fill their potential (University of Tasmania, 2009). The specific learning outcomes for the inquiry unit of ‘Why is there advertising in the newspaper?’ are: 1. Students will create and edit a written script that will be assembled into a one minute video presentation of their advertisement and present it to the class. 2. Students will be able to identify the different elements of an advertisement, explaining what makes it effective or ineffective. 3. Students will be able to demonstrate the different types of language used in advertisements compared to other forms of expressions, such as poetry, novels or a television show. 4. Students will make informed judgements about advertisements and the impact they have on the reader/viewer/listener. These learning outcomes were designed to hopefully provide teachers and students with the direction they need to gain an understanding of ‘why are there advertisements in the newspaper?’ [] Teaching and learning/ unit outlines.

