VELS Unit Planner Team: Literacy Year Level: Year 8

Step 1
1. What is worthy and desiring of understanding? (Identify desired results)
2. What is evidence of understanding? (Determine acceptable evidences)
3. What learning experiences and teaching promote understanding, interest and excellence? (Plan learning experiences and instructions)
Key Concept Persuasive writing
(Generative topic / why? /
big idea)
Focus Essential Learning Domain:
Domain English

Dimensions:
Writing –
• Write arguments that state and justify personal viewpoint.
• Edit writing for clarity, coherence and consistency of style.
Reading
• Interpret, analyse, respond to text

Supporting Domain Domain:

Civics and Citizenship

Dimensions:
Respond to important social issues: attentiveness to other points of view before making decisions in group and
class activities

Supporting Domain Domain:

Personal Learning

Dimensions:
The Individual Learner: open-mindedness when considering alternative views and strategies for enquiring and
problem solving

Understanding Goals 1 2 3 4
(Written as essential
questions or statements) What are persuasive writing Analysing issues as Constructing persuasive
techniques? presented in the media letter.
Step 2
1. What is worthy and desiring of understanding? (Identify desired results)
2. What is evidence of understanding? (Determine acceptable evidences)
3. What learning experiences and teaching promote understanding, interest and excellence? (Plan learning experiences and instructions)
Sequence Understandin Performances of Understanding Ongoing Assessment Reference to
g Goals (Criteria, feedback & reflection) specific VELS
standards
Introductory 1, 2 Postcard activity – choose a photograph Creation of a postcard. • attentiveness to
Performances and try to ‘draw a picture’ with other points of
(Tuning in) emotive/persuasive language. view before
Fact or Opinion, Biased or Unbiased making decisions
in group and
worksheets
class activities
• open-
mindedness
when considering
alternative views
and strategies
for enquiring and
problem solving

Guided Inquiry 1, 2, 3 Identifying the features of newspapers, Collection of • identification of

Performances and comparing print media to other news commentaries/editorials/letters. strategies used
(Finding out / media. Analysis of news articles by authors to
sorting out / Focus in on opinionative/subjective writing persuade others
to share a point
going further) – editorials, commentaries, letters.
of view
Reading persuasive writing in newspapers.
• awareness of
Students choose articles to analyse grammatical
(worksheets available) highlighting conventions; for
persuasive language. example, tense
and subject–verb
agreement,
appropriate
punctuation
Culminating Choose an issue and organise argument to Letter to newspaper. • experimentation
Performances write a letter, have edited by classmate, with different
(Making type up and send to newspapers to Peer editing techniques to
conclusions / publish. influence
audiences and
taking action) Reflection
achieve the
intended purpose
of their writing
Step 3
1. What is worthy and desiring of understanding? (Identify desired results)
2. What is evidence of understanding? (Determine acceptable evidences)
3. What learning experiences and teaching promote understanding, interest and excellence? (Plan learning experiences and
instructions)

Weekly Overview
(Units may vary in length. A 6 week timeframe is not prescriptive)
Week 1 Language Features
Newspapers

Week 2 Choose issue – for and against

Issues concept map to organise ideas
Letter structure – blocking

Week 3 Handwriting letter

Peer editing

Week 4 Final Draft email to news publication

Reflection

Resources

Digital (intranet) and hardcopies of teacher notes and handouts/worksheets available.

Collect your own newspapers and specific examples of commentaries/editorials/letters (or set task for students to make their own collection).