Year 6

Title

Animalation - Talking Texts 

Team members

Tony Brown (UNE support)

Elizabeth Jarvis (Pre-service teacher)

Lauren Nay (Pre-service teacher)

Robyn McCarthy (In-service teacher)

Neil Druce (In-service teacher)

Peter Voysey (In-service teacher)

Curriculum area

Enrichment/English

Learning outcomes

It is envisaged that this Enrichment unit will encompass most Key Learning Areas and, as such, address a set of generic outcomes (as outlined by the Board Of Studies). These Generic Outcomes illustrate, in very broad terms, how the Key Learning Area syllabuses collectively contribute to the students' learning.

As well as these Generic Outcomes, the following KLA specific outcomes will also be addressed:

ENGLISH

TS3.1 Communicates effectively for a range of purposes and with a variety of audiences to express well-developed, well-organised ideas dealing with more challenging topics

TS3.3 Discusses ways in which spoken language differs from written language and how spoken language varies according to different contexts

TS3.4 Evaluates the organisational patterns of some more challenging spoken texts and some characteristic language features

RS3.7 Critically analyses techniques used by writers to create certain effects, to use language creatively, to position the reader in various ways and to construct different interpretations of experience

RS3.8 Identifies the text structure of a wider range of more complex text types and discusses how the characteristic grammatical features work to influence readers' and viewers' understanding of texts

WS3.9 Produces a wide range of well-structured and well-presented literary and factual texts for a wide variety of purposes and audiences using increasingly challenging topics, ideas, issues and written language features

WS3.10 Uses knowledge of sentence structure, grammar and punctuation to edit own writing

WS3.11 Spells most common words accurately and uses a range of strategies to spell unfamiliar words

WS3.12 Produces texts in a fluent and legible style and uses computer technology to present these effectively in a variety of ways

WS3.13 Critically analyses how own texts in terms of how well they have been written, how effectively they present the subject matter and how they influence the reader

WS3.14 Critically evaluates how own texts have been structures to achieve their purpose and discusses ways of using related grammatical features and conventions of written language to shape readers' and viewers' understanding of texts

MATHEMATICS

MS3.5 Constructs timelines (storyboards)

WMS3.2 Selects and applies appropriate problem-solving strategies, including technological applications, in undertaking investigations

WMS3.4 Gives a valid reason for supporting one possible solution over another

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

DMS3.8 Develops and resolves a design task by planning, implementing, managing and evaluating design processes

UTS3.9 Evaluates, selects and uses a range of equipment, computer-based technology, materials and other resources to meet the requirements and constraints of investigation and design tasks

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

COS3.1 Communicates confidently in a variety of situations

DMS3.2 Makes informed decisions and accepts responsibility for consequences

INS3.3 Acts in ways that enhance the contribution of self and others in a range of cooperative situations

PSS3.5 Suggests, considers and selects appropriate alternatives when resolving problems

CREATIVE ARTS

VAS3.1 Investigates subject matter in an attempt to represent likenesses of things in the world

VAS3.2 Makes artworks (animation sets) for different audiences, assembling materials in a variety of ways

MUS3.2 Improvises, experiments, selects, combines and orders sound using musical concepts

DRAS3.3 Interprets and conveys dramatic meaning by using the elements of drama and a range of movement and voice skills in a variety of drama forms

DRAS3.4 Responds critically to a range of drama works and performance styles

Learning experience description

Use and interpret text and story lines, from Graham Base picture books, to create scripts and produce short animations using a variety of ICT tools.

ICT application(s) to be used

• Motivation
• Creativity
• Collaborative problem solving
• Resourcefulness
• Excitement
• Success

Implementation timeline

Implementation to begin in Week 3, Term 2 (Week 2 of the 14-day timetable). Lead-up class activities will include the study of four picture books, written and illustrated by Australian children's author, Graeme Base: Animalia, The Waterhole, The Sign of the Seahorse and The Eleventh Hour.

Week 3 - 15th May

• Before the session: Students read Animalia and identify/discuss language features (e.g. alphabetical order, alliteration, parts of speech etc). Students familiarise themselves with the book and search illustrations for other objects beginning with the same letter of the alphabet.
• Friday 15th May (90 mins): Students watch Episode 1 of the animated children's television series, Animalia. Discuss how this compared to/contrasted with the children's picture book, Animalia, and how the text was adapted for television. Students select a page from the picture book, Animalia, and search the illustration for an object that could be used as the subject for a new alliteration focus of that letter of the alphabet. (e.g. Instead of "crafty crimson cats carefully catching crusty crayfish", students could write "colourful crabs consuming creamy coffee cake..."
• Teacher provides brief tutorial of the new features in Kahootz 3 and shows examples (Tony to provide resources) of what can be achieved using this software (NB Some students have had experience with Kahootz 3, some students have not used any Kahootz software before. Students may need to be grouped according to experience) Students are given an opportunity to explore and use Kahootz 3 software (or begin their Animation Task #1: outlined below)

Week 4 - 21st and 22nd May

• Thursday 21st May (45 mins): Animation Task #1 (Individual Task): Using the animation software, Kahootz 3, create an animation scene based on a new Animalia alliteration. 
• Friday 22nd May (45 mins): Add your alliteration to the Kahootz scene, either in the form of TEXT or RECORDED NARRATION (use tutorials from Tony to see how to do this, or use Frazer & Max). Animation Time Limit: max 30 secs

• Before the session: Students read The Waterhole and identify/discuss language features (e.g. onomatopoeia, verbs, type face, direct speech, font size etc). Students familiarise themselves with the book and identify the famous landmarks/different continents illustrated on the various pages. Discuss alternative animals, settings, landmarks, onomatopoeic words, verbs that could be used etc.
• Friday 29th May (90 mins): What makes a good animation? Tony to show students examples of his EDIT312 class' animations on YouTube and "Alice_web" (using data projector). Using Inspiration (whole class or individual), brainstorm the elements of a good animation.
• Making a stop motion animation. Look at, and discuss, the different types of stop motion animation. Teacher explains basic principles of how to create a stop motion animation. Students are given an opportunity to explore and use FrameByFrame, iStopMotion, still digital cameras or built-in laptop cameras to create a short stop motion animation (or begin their Animation Task #2: outlined below)

Week 6 - 4th and 5th June

• Before the session (perhaps in Visual Arts lesson): Students select a famous landmark from somewhere in the world (it may be from The Waterhole) and print out an image of it, to be used in the backdrop of the set for their next animation task. Sets/backdrops can be designed and made, using a small, opened-up cardboard box, paints, collage etc.
• Thursday 4th June (45 mins): Animation Task #2 (Pair Task): Using one of the above methods, re-create (or adapt) a scene from The Waterhole and create a stop-motion animation. Students may use the following media to produce the animation (lego, plastic animals/inanimate objects, cut-outs, silhouettes or puppets). 
• Friday 5th June (45 mins): A NARRATION and SOUND FX must be included in the scene. Animation Time Limit: max 30 secs

Week 7 - 12th June

• Before the session: Students read The Sign of the Seahorse and identify/discuss language features (e.g. written like a play with Cast list, Prelude, Acts, Scenes and Epilogue etc). Students familiarise themselves with the book, characters and storyline.
• Friday 12th June (90 mins): Teacher explains final 
   (Group Task 3-4 students): There are ten animations needed to create a complete movie of The Sign of the Seahorse. Each group is to script (using template from Pages), storyboard (using template from Pages), make and film a claymation of their allocated scene from the book. Show students the following example from 2007. 

The claymation scene must include:

• a Title Slide (indicating the Act number, Scene number and Name of Scene)
• a voice recording of the different characters, speaking their "lines" in the scene
• an original instrumental soundtrack (and relevant Sound FX), composed using Garage Band

•  Student groups are allocated one of the following scenes from The Sign of the Seahorse: 
• PRELUDE: The Disappearance of the Seahorse
• ACT 1, SCENE 1: The Seahorse Cafe
• ACT 1, SCENE 2: Down at the Wreck
• ACT 1, SCENE 3: Back at the Seahorse Cafe
• ACT 1, SCENE 4: The Groper's Hide-out
• ACT 2, SCENE 1: The Deep
• ACT 2, SCENE 2: The Source of the Poison
• ACT 2, SCENE 3: The Discovery of Paradise
• ACT 2, SCENE 4: The End of the Groper
• EPILOGUE: The New Seahorse Cafe
• Groups begin re-writing their scene in the form of a script/screenplay (using the template from Pages) and design their group storyboards (also using the template from Pages). Photographs of the illustrations may be taken and used in their storyboards.

Week 8 - 18th and 19th June (NB Some extra class time may be needed)

• Thursday 18th June (45 mins): Students continue working on Animation Task #3 - sharing the jobs to design & make the sets, props and plasticine characters.
• Friday 19th June (45 mins): Students continue working on Animation Task #3 - sharing the jobs to design & make the sets, props and plasticine characters.

Week 9 - 26th June

• Friday 26th June (90 mins): Students film their stop motion claymations, recording narrations and composing instrumental soundtracks.

Week 10 - 29th June to 2nd July

• Student groups complete claymations, combining all the elements and exporting them as QuickTime movies.
• QuickTime movies are added to student webpages.
• Individual weblogs are written, reflecting on the task, problems/frustrations encountered, successes, learning experiences etc.
• Viewing of group claymations (Teacher may wish to join all claymation scenes together to create a complete movie of the story)