The English Playbook: Engaging Learners Through Film

Here is the third blog post on teaching The Final Quarter , we have previously discussed the importance of teaching to student interests, using different activities to promote learning and collaboration and how significant public figures can gain the interest of disengaged students. The provision of varying resources throughout lessons is dynamic and thought-provoking, with an emphasis on creating meaningful experiences within the classroom. ( EN5-URA-01 ) Resource 2: PPT This interactive PowerPoint is a great tool to utilise in the classroom, the ability to share it on the board or upload it to Google Classroom is an effective and dynamic way to share information to students. As effective as a post-viewing activity, the PPT titled ‘ Analysing how Meaning is Constructed and Represented in the Documentary ‘The Final Quarter ’ is a great way to engage struggling students as they can relate the documentary to their real-life experiences. The blend of auditory, visual and collaborativ...

Let’s build upon our previous blog post utilising Ian Darling’s The Final Quarter documentary in your classroom. For Year 10 students, this valuable resource can connect them with modern Australian society whilst sparking engagement of crucial literary skills. With a focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People’s perspective, it will be important to incorporate a warning for any Indigenous student in the room. This can be simply having a conversation at the beginning of the lesson that the content may be triggering and the video contains the voices/images of deceased First Nations People. Group work and reflection will be a key component in teaching this documentary, as the themes can be difficult to interpret individually.  Resource 1: Film Worksheet The first resource available is a film comprehension worksheet , a 4-page document that should be printed on 2-pages double-sided. This comprehension worksheet is an effective tool for students to deepen their understa...

Attempting to find appropriate and enjoyable texts for Year 10 students can be tricky, especially when they are disengaged or need assistance to find English interesting. Traditional literature often can feel daunting for today’s teenagers, whilst valuable, it is crucial to acknowledge that student interests are important and can be a powerful tool in growing their literary knowledge and mindsets.   (Nichols and Baron, 2024)   The incorporation of Ian Darling’s 2019 documentary The Final Quarter can be a powerful teaching tool to both engage the student and develop their foundational writing, analysing and researching skills. Tim Hetherington states that documentaries are constructions, alike journalism. This is why The Final Quarter is an effective choice as it delves into media representation and how opinions can be easily strayed and constructed depending on the stories point of view. The career of AFL legend, Adam Goodes , is in the spotlight of this film, a proud Adny...