Criteria/Essential content: What is important in the asessment of this learning element

5.LA.3 Undertake a range of specific roles in formal groups or teams.

5.LA.8 Identify and negotiate group goals and priorities, set timelines and plan, matching the strengths and capabilities of group members for the most effective results.

Quality: What does it look like when it is done well

Participate in a range of specific roles in small groups.

The group identifies and negotiates roles and delegates tasks, they select and implement timely strategies to improve their own and the group’s achievement of a goal.

Criteria/Essential content: What is important in the asessment of this learning element

9.LA.10  Read and interpret a range of sophisticated information and argument texts in printed and electronic formats.   

9.LA.13 Draw conclusions about the main idea or position of information and argument texts, and identify and evaluate the quality of the supporting information, explanation or evidence.

9.LA.15  Respond to texts analytically.

Quality: What does it look like when it is done well

Effectively read sophisticated information and argumentive texts about social and cultural views of beauty. Compare, contrast, categorise and synthesise information from different texts to revise and refine your understandings and respond to texts analytically.

Criteria/Essential content: What is important in the assessment of this learning element

10.LA.9 Write for personal and reflective purposes.

Quality: What does it look like when it is done well

 Criteria/Essential content: What is important in the asessment of this learning element

15.LA.7    Question and evaluate cultural assumptions held by others.

15.LA.11  Temporarily set aside their own cultural frames of reference, including feelings, ideas and opinions, and use empathy to understand the perspectives of others.

Quality: What does it look like when it is done well

Students demonstrate an understanding of culture and how it shapes identity. They are able to consciously set aside their own cultural frame of reference in order to understand the perspectives of others. 

Criteria/Essential content: What is important in the asessment of this learning element

11.LA.12  Identify ways an event or issue is portrayed and discuss possible consequences.

11.LA.15  Create texts that deal with ideas and issues where they would like to effect change or persuade a general or specific audience to change their point of view or take action.

Quality: What does it look like when it is done well

The student evaluates the ways in which communication modes in texts are used to appeal to and influence different audiences. They evaluate and challenge cultural assumptions and power relationships in texts. They use these understandings to create original texts to present alternative viewpoints and portrayals of people, social issues and events and to persuade an audience to change their point of view or to take action.

Criteria/Essential content: What is important in the asessment of this learning element

10.LA.8 Structure information or argument texts with: an introduction stating their own position or the major perspectives on an issue and a preview of arguments or information to follow; appropriate selections of information synthesised from several sources and organised in a logical way with a major point and some elaboration to each paragraph; and a conclusion restating their position or a summary of the main arguments, issues or recommendations.

10.LA.11 Use concrete, technical, abstract and emotive words to argue, persuade or convey information.

10.LA.13  Reflect on their writing throughout the writing process, evaluate the clarity of their message and adjust the organisation of ideas and language, as necessary, to communicate their precise meaning to the intended audience. 

Quality: What does it look like when it is done well

Write a sustained information and argument texts that contains personal, social and cultural ideas related to their own lives, communities and expanding views of the world. Topics explored and developed in writing for an intended audience.  Information and ideas are synthesised from a variety of sources to support their views and persuasive devices are used to influence their audience. They undertake all aspects of the writing process to ensure subject matter, organisation and language, including grammar, spelling and punctuation, suit the purpose for writing and the needs of the intended audience.

Criteria/Essential content: What is important in the asessment of this learning element

8.LA.4      Listen and speak in discussions, conversations and oral presentations, including meetings, extended presentations, formal debates and group discussions

8.LA.9      Compare ideas, build on others’ ideas, provide other points of view and reach conclusions that take account of aspects of an issue.

8.LA.11    Identify and comment on omissions in information and identify and explore moral and ethical dimensions of an issue.

Quality: What does it look like when it is done well

Students listen and speak in discussions, using active listening strategies, monitoring their own attentiveness and responding thoughtfully to what speakers have to say. They compare ideas, build on others’ ideas, advance and refute arguments and draw conclusions based on evidence and reasoning. 

In small groups students rank a dataset of visual images in order; placing them on the table in a row to show the most beautiful image to least beautiful image.   Using the gallery walk strategy they then look at the rankings given by other groups in the class. Ask them to leave feedback for other groups, based on similarities, differences or interesting points that they notice.  

The data includes pictures of people from different age groups and cultures, art, the natural environment, acts of humanity, technology and built environments. 

After reading the feedback on their own cards, students write a journal reflection on the process.   Questions are framed to prompt studets to think about the different opinions and responses of others in the class.  As the purpose of this activity is to prompt students to notice that beauty is defined differently by different people.

With your group rank a dataset of visual images in order; most beautiful to least beautiful.   Look at the rankings given by other groups in the class.   Using the 'post-it' notes leave feedback for the other groups.   Identify similarities, differences or interesting points.  

Read  the feedback on your  cards and write a journal reflection about the process.   Consider: 

Which cards did you rank as most and least beautiful and why?

Why did your group define beauty in this way?

Why did your group's responses differ to that of the other groups in the class?

Using the silent card shuffle, students categorise the pictures into a least five different types of beauty.   These might include people, art, architecture and natural world.  

Students then record the categories in their books.  

Silent Card Shuffle - working in small groups, the students place the cards into categories.   They are not permitted to speak during this activity and must rely on non-verbal communication.  

This activity helps students develp a sense of the quality of beauty beyond the human physical form.   

Categorise the pictures into a least five different types of beauty.   These might include people, art, architecture and natural world.  

Record and define the categories in your books.  

Drawing on the thinking and discussions from previous activities, students create their own definiton of beauty.  

Using the think/pair/ share strategy they collaborate to write a group definition.  Each group definition can then be shared with the whole class.

Write your own definiton of beauty.  

Share your definition with your partner and then your group.   Work out a group definiton of beauty.  

Students view and discuss a Powerpoint presentation which introduces the study of beauty through aesthetics and and gives them an overview of different cultural perceptions of beauty.

Using the class wiki they share their responses to the topic by posting a definition of beauty and an example which they have found online.  They also respond to the posts of other students using the wiki discussion forum.  

This activity is designed to introduce students to the metalanguage of aesthetics and some of the philosophical issues and debates surrounding the search for a defined quality of beauty.

Watch and discuss the presentation about the study of beauty and different cultural perceptions of beauty.  

Reflect on this topic by sharing your own definition and example of beauty on the class Wiki.   Comment on the posts of at least three other students.  

Using the expert groups strategy students read and respond to a dataset about beauty practices from different cultural and historical perspectives.     

Each group is given a resource pack relating to a different practice.   By reading, discussing and taking notes on this information they become the class experts on that topic.   Topics covered by this activity could include:    

• Karan tribe neck rings
• Maori Tattoos
• Chinese foot binding
• African scarification
• Victorian corsets
• Modern body modification practices
• History of western beauty practices

New groups are then formed consisting of one person from each of the original groups.   The students then teach each other about their topics of expertise.  

This strategy is quick way to cover large areas of content and provide students with a broad overview of a topic.

With your group read and look at the information you have been given about a cultural beauty practice.   Your group is going to become the class experts on that practice.    Decide what you need to teach the rest of the class.   

When your teacher puts you into a new group you will become the expert on that practice.   Your job is to present what you learnt to the students in your new group.    

Using a PMI chart students discuss the purpose that these beautification customs have within the societies where they are practiced.

By thinking in terms of Plus, Minus and Interesting they have to think beyond their own personal viewpoints and identify reasons that different cultures adhere to different practices.

Discuss the purpose that these beautification customs have within the societies where they are practiced.   

Use the PMI chart to guide and record your discussion.

Using a split Y-chart students identify and define our society's cultural perceptions of human beauty from both positive and negative viewpoints.  

Use the split Y-chart identify to analyse the perceptions of human beauty in our culture.

What are the positive and negative sides of what it looks like, feels like and sounds like?

Students view a data set of images and short videos showing the way in which cosmetics and digital photography are used to enhance the appearance of models and celebrities.   

Analsye the way in which the visual texts have been constructed by using the metalanguage of field, mode and tenor.

The field includes the action, what’s going on, themes, topics, setting and processes. 

The mode is the mode of communication. It may be linguistic, visual, audio, gestural and spatial.

Tenor involves evaluating the text to understand how it impacts on an audience, especially how it might position an audience or make them respond with judgement or emotion.  

This activity makes the students look closely at the text to describe what they see and gives them a language to talk about the ‘grammar’ of the texts as we move later activities.  

View the data set of images and short videos showing the way in which cosmetics and digital photography are used to enhance the appearance of models and celebrities.  

Use the retrieval chart to analyse the field, mode and tenor of the images.   

After looking at the images students use a cause and effect map to consider why our society is presented with images of beautiful people that have been deliberately altered.  

This is a lead in to getting them to think critically about the issues in the next activity.  

Using the cause and effect map think about why our society is presented with so many altered images of people.  

What causes this practice and what is its effect on our society?

Students discuss our cultural view and pursuit of beauty, with a particular focus on who wins and who loses in a Socratic Dialogue.   

Using the causes identified in the previous activity the rank them in order from most to least powerful and most to least ethical.  

Discuss our cultural view and pursuit of beauty, with a particular focus on who wins and who loses in a Socratic Dialogue.   

Consider:Who has the most powerful influence on society?  Who how has the least influence?

Who acts least ethically?  

Remember that you must be able to justify your responses.  

Introduce essay topic "Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder".   Students discuss the meaning of the topic in groups, using a placemat to record their responses.   

When completing this activity students should be able to draw from the their thoughts and discussions from the previous activities.  

Using the placemat with your group, define the essay topic "Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder".  

Students create a concept map around the central theme "Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder".   Around the central theme they list broad points and ideas which relate to this topic.   From each broad idea they then list more specific points or subordinate concepts.  Concepts and and subordinate concepts are linked with lines and words to show their connections.   

This activity enables students to review and organise their ideas and knowledge.   The map is a useful reference that the students can use when planning their essays.    

Create a concept map around the central theme "Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder".  

Refer to this when planning and writing your essay.  

To revise essay writing strucure students work in small groups to construct a flowchart which identifies and outlines the essay writing process, the features of an essay and the functions of those features.   

The flow charts can be displayed around the room for use in subsequent lessons.    

Working in a small groups design and draw a flow chart which shows the steps that must be followed when writing an essay.   Remember to show each part of the essay and describe what its functions are.  

Students use their notes from class activities and the concept map constructed in the previous activity to plan and then write an essay based on the topic "Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder".

They can also refer to their flowcharts and where necessary use scaffolds to assist them formulate a strucured approach to the essay.

Students create a multimodal presentation about beauty and post it on the class wiki.   It can contain images, quotes, music, video and and comments about beauty.  

Each student must then comment of 5 or more presentations from other students.  

So what is beautiful to you?  

Can beauty be defined?

What important issues surround the concept of beauty?

What message about beauty do you wish to pass on to others?

Create a multimodal presentation about beauty and post it on the class wiki.  

Comment of 5 or more presentations from other students.  

Students use the class wiki to reflect on the ideas and concepts covered in class.   They must record their own reflections and comment on the reflections of at least three other students. 

Reflect on the concepts covered in class through the class wiki.   Read the responses of other members of the class and make sure that you leave comments for at least three of them.  

Use of graphic organisers to summarise, sort and categorise information.  

This includes the:

Silent card shuffle

Y-chart

Concept Map 

Use of graphic organisers to summarise, sort and categorise information.  

This includes the:

Silent card shuffle

Y-chart

Concept Map