Lesson Aim: Students look at the fundamental grammatical and structural features of travel guides and brochures. Throughout the teaching and learning activities, the students will discover important landmarks in particular Australian States and Territories. It will be through this discovery, that the student will be guided through the deconstruction of the written aspects of the travel brochure. This deconstruction process is vital, in the observation and analysis of key grammatical features, such as the presence of persuasive language. This analysis, is vital in the later construction of the students' multimodal texts (PowerPoint presentations on one Australian State or Territory).
Focus Outcome: HSIE-ENS2.5 Describes places in the local area and other parts of Australia and explains their significance. - Locates and names the capital city of Australia and of each State and major regional centres.
Lesson Outcomes: English– RS2.8 Discusses the text structure of a range of text types and the grammatical features that are characteristic of those text types. - Discusses the structure and features of a travel brochure and how these influence a reader. - Discusses the structures and features of texts such as a travel brochure.
English- TS2.1 Communicates in informal and formal classroom activities in school and social situations for an increasing range of purposes on a variety of topics across the curriculum. - Participates in class discussion on a variety of topics.English- WS2.14 Discusses how own texts have been structured to achieve their purpose and the grammatical features characteristic of the various text types used.
- Identifies action verbs and talks about how they are used in advertisements to persuade the reader.
- Talks about how different types of adjectives have been used to add information in own writing.
Resources: > Tri-fold Travel brochure. > Various single-page Australian Travel Brochures (collected from travel agents or hotels) enough for each pair. These are cut out (headings, text, dot points, images) and placed in an envelope.
Electronic version of a simple, double-sided (front and back) Australian Travel Brochure
Interactive White Board (IWB)
Students' English books
Blank A4 page for each pair
Lesson Outline:
Introduction (10 minutes): Ask the students to share their travel stories within Australia. - Where did they go? - How did they decide to go to these places? - What were their favourite moments in their travels? - What was the best place to eat? The best places to stay? The activity that was the most fun?
Next, ask the students if there are any places they would like to go in Australia. - Why would they want to go to that place? - What do they know about it already? - What would they want to know before they go? - Where would they look for that information?
With answers moving towards 'the internet' and 'travel guides/brochures', activity one can begin.
Teaching and Learning Experience:
Students will:
Teacher will:
Activity One (15 minutes): The purpose of this activity is to broadly look at the features of a travel guide using the IWB.
Sit on the floor, answering teacher's questions.
Look out for: Large writing Coloured/highlighted text Words that attract people (FREE) Exciting words or phrases (ultimate, journey of a lifetime) Dot points Guarantees Logos or brands Pictures Colour
Use the IWB to bring up the electronic travel brochure. Ask the students: - What can you see? (words or pictures) - How is the text presented? (Headings, paragraphs, dot points) - What kind of language and vocabulary is used? (adjectives like beautiful, green) - What are the pictures about? Why are they used? - Who do you think would read it: adults or children? Why?
Using the electronic travel brochure, point out several aspects of grammar related to the text to scaffold the students' understanding of the language features in travel brochures. Explain how each point is relevant to the text, and why they are important.
Activity Two (15 minutes): The purpose of this activity is to have students think critically about the different aspects of the travel guide and how they combine to form an informative text, yet be persuasive at the same time.
Form pairs, get English books, go to own tables and receive brochures.
In pairs, open the envelopes and order the cut-outs in the form of a tri-fold brochure. Use own knowledge to determine where the headings, text and images go.
In own English books: - Write where the brochure is promoting (location and state)and interesting features about the States and Territories. - Write down any adjectives that persuade the reader to go to the places (e.g. adventurous, wonderful, great) - Write down any verbs that command the reader to go or do something (e.g. take the plunge, step into, go and visit)
Discuss and compare own brochures and how they try to sell.
Stick the ordered pamphlets on the blank A4 page. Write names on the back.
Hand out the brochures and A4 sheet for each pair. Leave this on the IWB: - What can you see? (words or pictures) - How is the text presented? (Headings, paragraphs, dot points) - What kind of language and vocabulary is used? (adjectives like beautiful, green) - What are the pictures about? Why are they used? - Who do you think would read it: adults or children? Why? Show the students a tri-folded brochure and ask students to do the ordering activity.
Walk around and help out pairs, picking up words that they might have missed. Point out the importance of colours and verbs and adjectives – the purpose is to sell.
After the students are done, ask for some volunteers to discuss their brochure and their findings. Direct discussion to the features. Questions: - Is it packed with information like a text book? - Is it aimed at children, adults or both? - Is there a lot of describing words? - Is there a lot of doing words? Why? Teacher collects the sheets. Hangs these up around the room, in state categories later on.
Concluding Activity: (5 minutes) Gather students to the floor. Questions for class discussion: - What features might a travel brochure have? Do you think all travel brochures will have the same features? - Why it is not appropriate to have the guides in the form of a thick book, or to have no pictures in them? - Why do they use words like 'gorgeous', 'crystal-clear' and 'breath-taking'? Why don't they use those words in procedures or explanations?
Assessment: - Informally gauge students' understanding during discussions. During the ordering activity, walk around and note which students require help. Also note the students who have very few adjectives and/or verbs listed in their books.-Review of the worksheets
Any special considerations or contingency plans: For students with additional needs (*potentially slower learners), activity two can be modified to just the ordering activity, so that they can still learn about the general layout of the brochures such as large headings, pictures, and so on. Fast finishers can write a postcard (half A4 size), pretending to have a holiday at their brochure's location, complete with a drawn image at the front, and a short description of what he/she has done there. Use the IWB's internet access for a post card template.
Self-Reflection: Were the brochures too information-packed and hard to understand? Were students engaged with the lesson? Was time managed/allocated effectively? Was pair-work necessary? Would it have been better if it were done individually or in larger groups? Did the students understand the concept of dot points and short paragraphs? Were the students able to note the importance of emotive language, commands, and images? Were the outcomes addressed appropriately in the lesson?
Australian States and Territories
HSIE and English
Stage 2 (year 3)
2 of 10
What's in a travel guide?
Written Grammar
Students look at the fundamental grammatical and structural features of travel guides and brochures. Throughout the teaching and learning activities, the students will discover important landmarks in particular Australian States and Territories. It will be through this discovery, that the student will be guided through the deconstruction of the written aspects of the travel brochure. This deconstruction process is vital, in the observation and analysis of key grammatical features, such as the presence of persuasive language. This analysis, is vital in the later construction of the students' multimodal texts (PowerPoint presentations on one Australian State or Territory).
HSIE - ENS2.5 Describes places in the local area and other parts of Australia and explains their significance.
- Locates and names the capital city of Australia and of each State and major regional centres.
Lesson Outcomes:
English – RS2.8 Discusses the text structure of a range of text types and the grammatical features that are characteristic of those text types.
- Discusses the structure and features of a travel brochure and how these influence a reader.
- Discusses the structures and features of texts such as a travel brochure.
English - TS2.1 Communicates in informal and formal classroom activities in school and social situations for an increasing range of purposes on a variety of topics across the curriculum.
- Participates in class discussion on a variety of topics.English - WS2.14 Discusses how own texts have been structured to achieve their purpose and the grammatical features characteristic of the various text types used.
- Identifies action verbs and talks about how they are used in advertisements to persuade the reader.
- Talks about how different types of adjectives have been used to add information in own writing.
> Tri-fold Travel brochure.
> Various single-page Australian Travel Brochures (collected from travel agents or hotels) enough for each pair. These are cut out (headings, text, dot points, images) and placed in an envelope.
Ask the students to share their travel stories within Australia.
- Where did they go?
- How did they decide to go to these places?
- What were their favourite moments in their travels?
- What was the best place to eat? The best places to stay? The activity that was the most fun?
Next, ask the students if there are any places they would like to go in Australia.
- Why would they want to go to that place?
- What do they know about it already?
- What would they want to know before they go?
- Where would they look for that information?
With answers moving towards 'the internet' and 'travel guides/brochures', activity one can begin.
The purpose of this activity is to broadly look at the features of a travel guide using the IWB.
Look out for:
Large writing
Coloured/highlighted text
Words that attract people (FREE)
Exciting words or phrases (ultimate, journey of a lifetime)
Dot points
Guarantees
Logos or brands
Pictures
Colour
- What can you see? (words or pictures)
- How is the text presented? (Headings, paragraphs, dot points)
- What kind of language and vocabulary is used? (adjectives like beautiful, green)
- What are the pictures about? Why are they used?
- Who do you think would read it: adults or children? Why?
Using the electronic travel brochure, point out several aspects of grammar related to the text to scaffold the students' understanding of the language features in travel brochures.
Explain how each point is relevant to the text, and why they are important.
The purpose of this activity is to have students think critically about the different aspects of the travel guide and how they combine to form an informative text, yet be persuasive at the same time.
In pairs, open the envelopes and order the cut-outs in the form of a tri-fold brochure. Use own knowledge to determine where the headings, text and images go.
In own English books:
- Write where the brochure is promoting (location and state)and interesting features about the States and Territories.
- Write down any adjectives that persuade the reader to go to the places (e.g. adventurous, wonderful, great)
- Write down any verbs that command the reader to go or do something (e.g. take the plunge, step into, go and visit)
Discuss and compare own brochures and how they try to sell.
Stick the ordered pamphlets on the blank A4 page. Write names on the back.
- What can you see? (words or pictures)
- How is the text presented? (Headings, paragraphs, dot points)
- What kind of language and vocabulary is used? (adjectives like beautiful, green)
- What are the pictures about? Why are they used?
- Who do you think would read it: adults or children? Why?
Show the students a tri-folded brochure and ask students to do the ordering activity.
Walk around and help out pairs, picking up words that they might have missed.
Point out the importance of colours and verbs and adjectives – the purpose is to sell.
After the students are done, ask for some volunteers to discuss their brochure and their findings. Direct discussion to the features. Questions:
- Is it packed with information like a text book?
- Is it aimed at children, adults or both?
- Is there a lot of describing words?
- Is there a lot of doing words? Why?
Teacher collects the sheets.
Hangs these up around the room, in state categories later on.
Gather students to the floor. Questions for class discussion:
- What features might a travel brochure have? Do you think all travel brochures will have the same features?
- Why it is not appropriate to have the guides in the form of a thick book, or to have no pictures in them?
- Why do they use words like 'gorgeous', 'crystal-clear' and 'breath-taking'? Why don't they use those words in procedures or explanations?
- Informally gauge students' understanding during discussions. During the ordering activity, walk around and note which students require help. Also note the students who have very few adjectives and/or verbs listed in their books.-Review of the worksheets
For students with additional needs (*potentially slower learners), activity two can be modified to just the ordering activity, so that they can still learn about the general layout of the brochures such as large headings, pictures, and so on.
Fast finishers can write a postcard (half A4 size), pretending to have a holiday at their brochure's location, complete with a drawn image at the front, and a short description of what he/she has done there. Use the IWB's internet access for a post card template.
Were the brochures too information-packed and hard to understand?
Were students engaged with the lesson?
Was time managed/allocated effectively?
Was pair-work necessary? Would it have been better if it were done individually or in larger groups?
Did the students understand the concept of dot points and short paragraphs?
Were the students able to note the importance of emotive language, commands, and images?
Were the outcomes addressed appropriately in the lesson?