20895 ACE Language (Yr 6) Structures and Language Features

Text structure
and organisation
Understand how authors often innovate on text structures and
play with language features to achieve particular aesthetic,
humorous and persuasive purposes and effects (ACELA1518)
© Australian Curriculum: Assessment and Reporting Authority 2012
Activities to
develop the
content description
E1. Analyse and compare some elements of the text structure and language features of a range of
texts, to identify the reasons for the writers’ choices. (continued)
• Windfarms: how good are they? (page 22) and There are monsters … (page 23)
These two texts are about windfarms and there are two related activity pages. (See pages 24 and 25.)
The fi rst text is a discussion. The title poses a question and provides the reader with a subject and a context for the discussion. The introduction
gives some background information about harnessing and using of the wind’s power in the past. Then, as some readers may not be familiar with
windfarms, and may not know what they look like and what they do, further background information is provided, supported by an illustration. The
writer then presents some discussion. Some information and claims about the positive features of windfarming are discussed, then this is balanced by
some more negative ones. The writer’s concluding statement suggests more information is needed before any true evaluation about how good they
are can be made.
The writer chose to present the positives fi rst and not to challenge them. However, this information is prefaced with ’It is claimed ...’ which on careful
reading is signifi cant. When discussing some of the negatives, the writer challenged some of them in a manner which suggested some hard cold facts
about the matter are needed. This is reiterated in the concluding comments.
The second text is a poem. It is one person’s emotional response to windfarms. There is no attempt to discuss the issue or to achieve any balanced
view in this text. It simply states the author’s negative, fearful and somewhat fanciful response to windfarms. The metaphor of them as monsters is
sustained throughout the poem. The repetition of ’There are monsters out there’ creates a sense of fear and expresses the author’s belief that he/she
is being threatened by them and unable to escape the whirling, dancing ’swordsmen’.
Interrelated English links: See page 57.
E2. Examine works which include humour and pathos to look at strategies the author used to tell the
reader about the characters’ feelings or build empathy with their point of view or develop concern
for them.
• Ensure students have the opportunity to listen to or read humorous texts such as books by Roald Dahl or Paul Jennings, or A series of unfortunate
events by Lemony Snicket (pen name of Daniel Handler). Books written for younger children such as And to think that I saw it on Mulberry
Street by Dr Seuss may be read to the students and used as a basis for a writing activity where the students change characters, events or situations.
Short texts such as knock knock jokes may also be included.
• Humour in texts (pages 26 and 27)
Some background information about humour in texts is provided to assist teachers. Writing humorous texts can be extremely diffi cult for adults as
well as students. The information on these two pages may offer some ideas for times when students need to write their own texts. Remember: humour
in texts (or anywhere) is extremely subjective, and what one person feels is funny may just make another cringe.
• Humorous language (pages 28 and 29)
Before expecting students to read and understand longer texts of a humorous nature, make sure students are familiar with common literary devices
such as similes, metaphors and hyperbole in shorter texts.
• A visit to Dr Paul White (pages 30 and 31)
Ordinary situations with a comical twist can be humorous. Read and encourage students to write about ordinary things that happen to them with
changes for humour. Students may write about embarrassing incidents that happen to them, which others may fi nd amusing. The dental visit on page
30 is an example of an ordinary incident with humour. Encourage the students to look for interesting words and phrases such as ’erupt’, ’permeate’,
’buzzing bees fi lled his head’, ’hover in clouds’ etc. which create imagery and exaggerate feelings.
• The skateboard lesson (pages 32 to 35)
This text combines a number of different aspects of writing humorous texts—the unexpected happens, someone says something unexpected (at the
end), something embarrassing happens to the someone, and someone does something clumsy. Teachers should use one text for a number of different
teaching and learning activities. The two pages of questions dealing with this text cover both text structure and language features. Teachers should
encourage students to look for interesting vocabulary which has been used instead of more common words; for example, ’plummeting’ instead of
’falling’. The use of adjectives can add richness to a noun; for example, ’batty’ Great Aunt Mildred’, ’tangled limbs’, ’horrifi ed faces’, ’stricken face’ etc.
• The solitary troll and the three skinny goats (pages 36 to 39)
Fractured tales are stories which have been modifi ed in order to entertain the reader through unexpected characterisation, plot development or a
contrary point of view. Students will enjoy listening to, reading, and writing fractured tales. Some examples to share include The book that Jack
wrote by Jon Scieszka, The stinky cheese man and other fairly stupid tales by Jon Scieszka, The frog prince continued by Jon Scieszka,
Politically correct bedtime stories by James Garner or Seriously, Cinderella is SO annoying!; The story of Cinderella as told by the
wicked stepmother (Other Side of the Story) by Trisha Sue Speed Shaskan. Although fairytales are traditionally for younger children, older
students will enjoy revamping them. This may be accomplished by rewriting a story as a poem or rap, telling it from a different point of view, taking
a character from the story and telling another story concerning him/her, writing a different ending, making the main character a different type of
character or an animal, adding new characters to tell the story, having characters from different fairytales meet or combining two stories into one.
Australian Curriculum English – Language: Text structure and organisation (Year 6) www.ricpublications.com.au R.I.C. Publications ®
4