The VM Literacy Handbook 1

THE
VM
LITERACY
HANDBOOK
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THE VM LITERACY HANDBOOK
Copyright © Ticking Mind 2023
All rights reserved.
Except under the conditions described in the Copyright Act 1968
of Australia and subsequent amendments, no part of this publications
may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any
form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording
or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner.
First Published 2023 by: Ticking Mind Publications, Thornbury.
ISBN 978-0-6455181-1-5
Design by Tasha Hassapis
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The VM Literacy Handbook
4
Contents
Unit 1:
Understanding and using different types of texts
01. Information texts 12
• Job ads ......................................................................................................................................................14
• Work wanted ads..................................................................................................................................16
• Health Posters.......................................................................................................................................18
• Workplace video...................................................................................................................................22
• Workplace email..................................................................................................................................24
• Public transport timetables and disruption alerts.................................................................26
• Workplace rights website................................................................................................................28
• Searching the Internet.......................................................................................................................30
• Fake news...............................................................................................................................................32
02. Texts that interest and entertain 36
• Biographies............................................................................................................................................38
• Recount....................................................................................................................................................42
• Genres......................................................................................................................................................44
• Plot summaries.....................................................................................................................................46
• Choosing a show to watch...............................................................................................................48
• Stepping out of your comfort zone..............................................................................................50
• Song lyrics..............................................................................................................................................52
• Computer game review.....................................................................................................................54
• Podcasts..................................................................................................................................................58
• Interview podcasts..............................................................................................................................60
03. Texts that communicate and connect 62
• Emails.......................................................................................................................................................64
• Forums and chat groups...................................................................................................................66
• Communicating in teams..................................................................................................................68
• Housemate interviews.......................................................................................................................70
• Community social media page.......................................................................................................72
• Community webpage.........................................................................................................................74
• Online meetings...................................................................................................................................76
• Online employment profiles............................................................................................................78
• 18th Speech...........................................................................................................................................80
• Scams.......................................................................................................................................................82
• Recruitment Ads..................................................................................................................................84
• TAFE Ads ................................................................................................................................................86
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5
Unit 2:
Understanding and responding to issues and opinions
04. Community Debates and Discussion 90
• Community protest poster...............................................................................................................92
• Community campaign poster.........................................................................................................94
• Posting rules for online communities..........................................................................................96
• Online reviews.......................................................................................................................................98
• Political advertising..........................................................................................................................100
05. Liveability issues 102
• Housing affordability for young people...................................................................................104
• Living with a disability.....................................................................................................................106
• Public health campaigns................................................................................................................108
• Transport issues..................................................................................................................................110
• Generational conflict........................................................................................................................ 112
• Classification rules.............................................................................................................................114
06. Workplace issues 116
• Minimum wage.....................................................................................................................................118
• Women in Construction...................................................................................................................120
• Work related injuries........................................................................................................................ 122
• How to ask R U OK?.......................................................................................................................... 124
• Mental health in the work place..................................................................................................126
• Break time.............................................................................................................................................128
• Compulsory vaccinations...............................................................................................................130
• The 4 day week...................................................................................................................................132
07. Persuasive words and phrases 134
• Positive and negative action words............................................................................................134
• Positive and negative describing words...................................................................................135
• Phrases to link arguments.............................................................................................................136
• Rebutting opposing arguments...................................................................................................137
• Words to write about statistics and research........................................................................138
• Linking sentences and adding extra details..........................................................................139
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6
Overview of Unit 1
The detailed version
In Unit 1, there are two different Areas of Study:
→ Area of Study 1: Literacy for personal use
→ Area of Study 2: Understanding and creating digital texts
But in this book, we’ve kinda collapsed them, because you’ll be using many of the same literacy
skills for ‘old-school’ texts on old-timey paper that you would for new-fangled digital texts that
pop up on the interweb.
Essentially, this Unit (which takes a whole semester of study to finish), helps you to think about
why literacy is important, and how we use literacy skills for a whole range of things, such as
for entertainment, to find out information and really just to communicate with other humans.
When you study this unit, you’ll be asked to do a whole range of things, like:
• watch and read texts that you find interesting
• watch and read texts that you find boring
• discuss different ideas and texts
• get information from texts
• compare texts and think about them
• evaluate the effectiveness of different texts
• write your own texts for funsies, to communicate or to provide information
• take notes, annotate, journal, draw doodles in the margin
• interview people
• research weird and wonderful stuff
• create infographics like mind maps, charts or stick-figure comic strips.
The 5-second version
So, during this semester you’ll be doing a whole range of reading, watching, listening, discussing
and critiquing – and hopefully you’ll be doing a fair bit of laughing, too. Because literacy shouldn’t
be all about serious, silent, shushing work in the library.
Stuff you need to hand in to pass
At the end of the unit, you will have to produce at least two assessment tasks.
They might be something like:
Area of Study 1
¨ Write a story, an explanation or an
informative piece of some kind.
¨ Produce a reflective journal.
¨ Create and produce some kind
of performance.
Area of Study 2
¨ Create a digital presentation.
¨ Write some kind of online report,
explanation or article.
¨ Produce a video or podcast.
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7
Overview of Unit 2
The detailed version
In Unit 2, once again, there are two different Areas of Study:
→ Area of Study 1: Understanding issues and voices
→ Area of Study 2: Responding to opinions
But just as we did for Unit 1, we’ve smushed the units together, because it’s really difficult to think
about issues and voices without having some kind of opinion about them. Unless you’re a robot.
And if you’re a robot, this course is probably not for you.
Once again, this unit will take a whole semester, and it’s designed to help you to think about why
humans have different opinions from each other, and how debate and disagreement happen across
a whole range of areas – in the community, in workplaces and basically anywhere you have more
than one person. It’s also designed to help you engage in discussion and disagreement thoughtfully
and respectfully.
When you study this unit, you’ll be asked to do a whole range of things, like:
• watch and read texts that you agree with
• watch and read texts that you disagree with
• watch and read texts that you really struggle to have an opinion about
• discuss different ideas and how different people have different perspectives
• think about how people are influenced by bias and prior experiences
• compare arguments
• engage in respectful disagreements with your classmates and teacher
• write your own persuasive texts
• try to convince people that you are right
• take notes, annotate, journal, draw doodles in the margin
• think about your own biases and how your life experience impacts on your opinions
• explore how eye contact, tone and body language influence us.
The 5-second version
So, during this semester you’ll be discussing, thinking, disagreeing, agreeing and you’ll be unsure
about a lot of opinions and ideas – because that’s what it’s like to engage in issues. Confusing,
but interesting.
Stuff you need to hand in to pass
At the end of the unit, you will have to produce at least two assessment tasks.
They might be something like:
Area of Study 1
¨ Write a case study of some kind of issue
or disagreement.
¨ Respond to questions.
¨ Create and produce a digital presentation
of a point of view.
Area of Study 2
¨ Produce an oral report of an issue.
¨ Provide a recorded debate or discussion.
¨ Create a video or podcast of an issue.
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8
Using this textbook
To make this textbook into an AMAZING learning experience that you’ll want to share with your
friends and parents and will make you say things like, “I’ve got the most amazing textbook ever”,
we’ve used … icons. Yep, throughout this textbook are icons that help you work out what you need
to do and where you should do it (hint, it’s not the back of your hand).
Here’s a cheeky guide to how they work.
Information to read
This is boring information that we spice up with some gags. You’ll need to read
this stuff BEFORE you do something else so you know why it’s important.
What do you already know
This icon shows that there is an opportunity to share how much of an expert
you already are on the topic.
Example text to read
Read this
Yes, you need to read stuff. Joy! This icon points out what you need to read.
View online
Sometimes you’ll need to view cat videos serious stuff online. This will be
accompanied by a link you need to visit.
Writing to do in this workbook
Throughout this textbook, this icon indicates that there is an activity and space
for you to share your AWESOME response in this actual book!
Activity to do somewhere else
Of course, you’ll also have to do stuff in other places apart from this textbook,
like in an old-school exercise book or on your computer. This icon tells you when
you need to do this.
Find your own example
Lots of activities throughout this textbook require you to show you’ve become
a BLACKBELT in the topic by finding your own examples.
Discuss
Regularly throughout this textbook, this icon will prompt you to turn to another
student and share your thoughts about how right you are and how wrong
they are.
Create your own text
Oooh … this icon is super serious. It tells you that you need to create your own
version of a text that you’ve been studying. Your teacher might even ask you
to submit what you do as an assessment.
Tip
This icon will be accompanied by some great advice about how to find buried
treasure or do the activity you’ve just been asked to do.
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9
Writing Journal Entries
Like A Pro
One of the super fun activities you’ll often be asked to do throughout this course is to write in
a journal. In your journal, you’ll be asked to share your thoughts and feelings about a particular
text you’ve watched or read, compare two texts, or find your own example of something and
reflect on it.
For example, in Unit 1, you might be asked to write a journal entry in response to a task like this:
Reflect on a show, book, magazine or computer game that is your go-to ‘comfort viewing’.
Your journal entries could be one of the main things your teacher asks you to hand in as an
assessment task throughout the course. This means you might return to journal entries you did some
while ago and ‘polish’ them up to make them literally sparkle like diamonds better.
To help in this process, journal entries should always include:
• the date
• the title of the thing you’re writing about
• at least five sentences (could be more).
Here’s an example journal entry that shows a basic structure you can follow:
27/04/2023
Why I’ll always love Lemonade Stand
Ever since I started playing computer games, there’s been so many
great ones: like Minecraft and Roblox. But there’ll always be a
special place in my heart for Lemonade Stand. This is definitely
my ‘comfort viewing’ computer game because it’s simple and nice.
My mum first showed my how to play it as a bit of joke, because
she used to play it as a kid. But now I play it whenever I’m bored
and don’t know what else to do or I’m just feeling down. Getting
the lemonade formula right and selling stacks of drinks makes me
hugely happy!
First sentence is like a ‘mini
intro’ that introduces the topic.
Last sentence is like a ‘mini
conclusion’ that sums up your
feelings.
Middle sentences provide details
and examples about why you
think what you think.
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10
Unit 1
Understanding and using
different types of texts
Boring list of stuff that’s in this chapter
Information texts 12
Texts that interest and entertain 36
Texts that communicate and connect 62
Over the course of your long and award-winning life, you are going to need to
engage with a whole lot of different texts: hilarious internet posts, TV shows,
songs, stupid tattoos your friends get, bus timetables, ads and spam from
scammers. Oh, and you might need to read some stuff at work. Understanding
texts will be an AMAZING LEARNING ADVENTURE and (guess what?) you
already do a lot of it. Fill out the survey on the opposite page to see how.
This chapter will look at ‘old-school’ texts, such as posters, pamphlets, song lyrics
and TV shows as well as digital texts like web pages, social media and videos.
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Unit 1 Understanding and using different types of texts 11
Why you’re already acing this
(circle A, B or C)
1. Do you ever binge-watch a TV series and talk about it with other people?
A) all the time; B) sometimes; C) never.
2. Have you ever seen an ad that seems to be everywhere?
3. Have you ever got information from a poster?
4. Have you ever read something for work?
5. Have you ever created a Spotify playlist?
6. Do you ever wonder what a particular emoji means in a text message?
7. Do you ever read instructions to help you set up or assemble something?
8. Have you ever read handouts given to you by an expert (like a doctor or career adviser)?
9. Do you ever check tickets or invites so you know what date and time you’re supposed to
turn up? A) all the time; B) sometimes; C) never.
10. Do you ever learn things from a TikTok or YouTube video?
11. Do you ever forward hilarious pictures of something (like a seal wearing sunglasses)?
If you answered:
¨ Mostly As: You’re basically a text pro, and you’re going to love this course.
¨ A combination of As and Bs: You’re already pretty awesome at this, and you’re going to
love getting to pro-level.
¨ Mostly Bs: You know a lot about different text types and how to use them, but you’re going
to love learning more.
¨ A combination of Bs and Cs: You’re going to get so much out of this unit – what an
AMAZING LEARNING JOURNEY you have ahead of you! You’re going to love it.
¨ Mostly Cs: What have you been doing? Living under a rock? You really need this course.
¨ Mostly Ds: There were no Ds!! What, did you think this survey was a total invasion of your
privacy and beneath you? Come on, some of those lame jokes were hilarious.
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12
Informative features
¨ Headings and subheadings signpost big ideas
¨ The most important information goes first
¨ Small, simple sections of writing break down long and detailed ideas
¨ Linking words and phrases show the connection between ideas and elements
(i.e. firstly, secondly, however, moreover)
¨ Explanations of technical terms
(i.e. with brackets in a sentence or glossaries at the end)
¨ Examples
¨ Pictures, diagrams or visuals
¨ Suggestions about places to find further information (i.e. links to websites, lists of other
information texts to read, contact information for people or organisations)
Information texts
Unit 1 Understanding and using different types of texts
Posters, pamphlets and job ads are all kinds of old-school information texts – they’re
the kind of thing that will help you understand how to get into a TAFE course,
check your moles or start your own cult. Throughout your life, you’ll need to engage
with a lot of information texts in order to achieve your dreams of ruling the world.
You’ll probably even need to create information texts of your own.
Informative pieces usually don’t use all of these features. On the opposite page is an example
of some information about doing homework. The annotations show how it uses some
informative features.
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Unit 1 Understanding and using different types of texts | Information texts 13
How to get homework done
Many students report that they don’t
have time to do homework because
they’re too busy hanging out with
friends or trying to destroy their
enemies on PUBG. And when they
do actually sit down to do homework,
students often waste time creating
playlists, messaging their friends or
wondering what’s for dinner.
So here are the top tips to get homework done:
1. Create a timetable and stick to it
You brush your teeth every day (hopefully) because you have a specific
time for it. You don’t think much about it, you just get on with it. It’s the
same for homework: if you have a regular time slot set aside for doing
homework, you are much more likely to use that time.
2. Make goals
When you sit down to do homework, decide what it is you want to
achieve. Are you going to make fluorescent flashcards that glow in
the dark? Are you going to answer three questions from a particular
subject? A good study goal will keep you on track and help you make
the most of the time you have set aside.
3. Do the hardest stuff first
Most students start with the homework they find easiest. But that
means that you leave the hard stuff for when you’re tired and your
amazing playlist is almost at an end. And then the hard stuff seems
harder, and then you don’t want to do it, so you leave it to the end again
next time, and the whole cycle continues … Do the hard stuff first. Then
you can reward yourself with something easier. Like having a snack.
4. Reward yourself
Study is hard (shock). So have a good plan for what you will do when
your session comes to an end. Like sleep. Or have a unicorn ride. That
way you’ll feel good about what you’ve done. And feeling good about
getting homework done is freakish, but awesome.
diagram
examples
Tell people I
have to study
Actually
study
5%
95%
Things I do when I have
to study
headings
sub-
heaings
signpost
ideas
the most
important
info goes
first
small,
simple
sections
of text
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14
Job ads
List three businesses in your local area where you have seen job ads.
1.
2.
3.
Seaside
Fish and Chips
We have a part-time kitchen hand
We have a part-time kitchen hand
position available for Friday and
Saturday nights. Experience is not
necessary, but if you have some that
would be great.
Contact Tran to enquire:
0427 340 789
What information could a job ad include to interest you?
1.
2.
3.
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What is one reason Seaside Fish and Chips might think it’s more effective to advertise with
a poster in its shop, rather than online?
One reason:
What is one useful feature of this information text?
One useful feature is because

What is at least one way this ad could be better?
The ad would be better if

so that
Find your own example
Find at least two examples of job ads in your local area. Take a picture of them.
Reflect on local job ads you find. Write about one you are interested in and one you are not
interested in and explain why.
Use the words in the table below to help you.
relevant
interesting
related
exciting
fascinating
authentic
boring
unrelated
tedious
demeaning
pointless
easy
simple
relaxing
piece of cake
manageable
challenging
difficult
hard
strenuous
invigorating
close
convenient
near
accessible
handy
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16
🚲Sarah’s Superb Bike Repairs 🚲
Got a flat tyre you can’t be bothered fixing?
Do your brakes make an annoying squeaking sound?
Having trouble changing gears?
Sarah is a bike-fixing whiz – she can fix your bike and make it like new!
One happy customer has said,
“Sarah is a real pro. I’d get her to fix my bike again”.*
Sarah charges $20 for small fixes and $40 for larger ones.
Call or text on: 0428 446 819
*Sarah’s mum
0428
446
819
0428
446
819
0428
446
819
0428
446
819
0428
446
819
0428
446
819
0428
446
819
0428
446
819
Work wanted ads
Work wanted ads advertise skills that people have. If you were placing a work wanted ad
somewhere in your local area, where are a few places you would put it?
Where would you put the ad?
Why would this be a good place to
advertise skills?
1.
2.
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Create your own ad for a service you could provide.
Use the example ad on the previous page as a model, but do at least one new and individual
thing in your ad. Your ad could be for a serious skill or service you can provide, or a humorous
one.
Here are some suggestions.
Serious Humorous
Babysitting
Dog walking
Pet feeding while people are away
Garden/House maintenance
Dragon-slaying
Magic healing
Predicting the future
Sarah has used a range of informative features in her ad. Circle and annotate three.
Use the list of features on page 12 and the example annotated text on page 13
to help you.
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18
Health posters
The example health poster below is from a workplace.
Provide two reasons why a workplace would want to give health information
to its employees:
1.
2.
Other than in a workplace, where are two other places you have seen health posters?
1.
2.
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Use these sentence starters to reflect on the informative features of the poster.
When I first looked at this poster, I noticed

I thought that this made the poster more

When I read through the poster, the information that most interested me was

and this is because
When I read through the poster, the LEAST useful information was

because
This poster expected me to
After seeing this poster, I am more/less likely to

Use words from the vocabulary list to help you sound super-sophisticated.
informative
provocative
clear
helpful
thought-provoking
useful
practical
convincing
unclear
limited
condescending
confusing
weak
unconvincing
Vocabulary The flu poster contains information that could have been emailed or messaged to employees.
What is one reason a poster might have more impact than emailing or messaging
the information?
One reason:

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20
Health fact sheet
What is an iron infusion?
An iron infusion is when medicine containing
iron is directly placed into your blood circulation
during a minor procedure.
This medicine uses ferric polymaltose (FPM)
and is in the form of an intravenous (IV).
Why do you need an iron infusion?
Your body uses iron to form haemoglobin, which
carries oxygen to your muscle tissues. Iron is an
essential element for healthy body functioning.
Low iron can lead to anemia, which may lead
to fatigue, breathlessness when exercising,
hair loss or other symptoms. It is particularly
prevalent in people who menstruate (blood
loss may lead to lower iron); vegans or people
who do not eat meat or those with high iron
requirements (athletes, growing children or
pregnant people).
Usually people with low iron are recommended
oral tablets, but occasionally doctors will
recommend an iron infusion because they
believe this is the best and safest option for you.
How is the iron infusion administered?
‘Intravenous’, ‘infusion’ or ‘IV’ all mean that
something is injected directly into your
bloodstream through your vein.
A needle is placed into your vein (usually on
the back of your hand or in your arm) and then
attached to a drip filled with the iron-containing
medicine. This means that the medicine slowly
enters into your body and mixes with your
blood.
What are the risks associated with an iron
infusion?
Your doctor has recommended an iron infusion
because they believe it is the best way to
treat you.
Some of the more common side effects are:
• a slight headache
• nausea
• dizziness
Less commonly, patients may experience:
• itching at the site of the infusion
• slight change in taste
• fever or chills.
Very rarely, some patients may have an allergic
reaction called “anaphylaxis”. This is a serious
condition and your doctors and nurses are
trained to look for it and treat it.
There is also a small risk of staining or
“tattooing” at the site of the injection.
How do I need to prepare for an iron
infusion?
You do not need to do anything special on the
day of your iron infusion, but you must present
on time to your appointment with:
• your referral and prescription
• your Medicare card
• your private health insurance card (if you
have private health insurance).
What happens after an iron infusion?
You should be prepared to stay in the clinic for
2-3 hours so that your health specialists can
monitor you and your reactions to the infusion.
Your specialist will tell you when you may
go home. You may drive yourself home and
you should go about your normal activities.
If you do have any significant symptoms
(such as breathlessness or chest pain), you
should contact your doctor or an emergency
department at once.
INFORMATION
SHEET
Your Iron Infusion
Victorian Haematology Services specialists providing safe, medically researched and friendly medical assistance
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Because the fact sheet on the opposite page is super nerdy, it’s filled with lots of
boring science words. To help you out, the lab nerds who wrote this fact sheet explain
what some of these tricky words mean. For example, it says “‘Intravenous’, ‘infusion’
or ‘IV’ all mean that something is injected directly into your bloodstream through
your vein”.
1 Circle one other example of a medical word the text uses and then explains. Underline
the explanation it provides.
2 The text doesn’t explain all of the tricky medical words it uses. Highlight two other
words it uses that you don’t understand.
Look up the definitions of these words and write them out.
Word Definition
1.
2.
The fact sheet gives information about side effects that can happen after having an iron
infusion. List two side effects in each of the categories below:
Side effects that there is
a small chance of happening
Side effects that are more
likely to happen
1.
2.
Imagine you suffered from low iron. Based on this fact sheet, do you think you would have an
iron infusion or do you think the procedure sounds too risky?
Explain your opinion in 3–4 sentences.

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22
Below is a link to a workplace video
that provides tips for people who work
in a call centre about how to deal with
angry customers.
Watch the video online and then do
the activities on the opposite page.
https://youtu.be/UuRfj5hWpXM
Workplace video
What types of things do you think a workplace video might give information about and why
might these things be important?
Something a workplace video
might give information about Why might this be important?
1
2
Can you think of an example workplace video you’ve watched?
Example:

Would you rather watch the latest Marvel movie or a workplace video?
Give reasons for your answer.
¨ Marvel movie ¨ Workplace video
Reasons:
1.
2.
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Watch the video twice, pause after each of the tips and take notes about tips 2–7.
When writing your notes, you’re aiming to write down information in a brief but
understandable way.
Make your notes brief and understandable by:
¨ using phrases instead of complete sentences
¨ using abbreviated words or symbols (that make sense to you!) instead of whole words.
Notes
Tip 1 • Not personal
• Customer = angry at co. not you
• Being calm → keeps call on track
Tip 2 •
•
Tip 3 •
•
Tip 4 •
•
Tip 5 •
•
Tip 6 •
•
Tip 7 •
•
→ Use the example notes for Tip 1 as well as the list of note-taking symbols below to help
you with this activity.
Use To write notes about …
(=) instead of is, are
→ to show something causes or leads to another thing
underline to show something is important
b/c instead of because
@ instead of at
Create your own presentation on how to deal with angry customers in a workplace
you are familiar with.
This could be somewhere where you actually work or simply a workplace you are familiar with,
like a shop or cafe you visit regularly. Think of a typical thing customers get angry about in this
workplace and write out five simple steps for how employees should deal with this situation.
Record yourself explaining these steps or act it out as a role play.
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24
Workplace email
What might be one advantage of putting detailed workplace information into an email for
employees rather than a video?
Advantage:

Employee mailing list
Some tips for dealing with complaints
Hi All,
Lately, a number of employees from different stores have told us about some unpleasant
experiences with angry and aggressive customers. If you’ve witnessed or heard about these
interactions, you might now be feeling anxious about dealing with angry customers.
At head office, we want to help our employees to have a better experience when they’re on the
shop floor, so we’ve put together a series of steps that we hope will help you deal with these
difficult customers.
1. Apologise straight away: No matter how ‘silly’ you think the customer’s complaint is, begin
by apologising and say something like, “I’m so sorry that this has happened to you. Thanks
for bringing it to my attention.” Showing the customer that you are on their side is important.
2. Ask the customer how you can help: We want our customers to feel that we are here to help,
so make that clear. You don’t have to agree to whatever the customer says but, once again,
this will make the customer feel that you are on their side.
3. Use words like “I see” or “of course”: When the customer talks to you, use active listening
phrases to show that you are focusing on what they are saying.
4. Use positive language: You want to appear as friendly as possible, so use some of the phrases
in the chart below to help you.
Avoid Say
Calm down … That sounds really frustrating/infuriating …
I don’t know … That’s a really good question, let me check …
You need to … Can I make a suggestion here …
I can’t … What I could do is …
5. Ask for help: we don’t want you to feel isolated on vulnerable on the shop floor, so if you feel like
a situation is getting out of hand, or you’re getting upset, tell the customer, “I think that … might
be better able to help you in this situation”. And then take the customer to the service desk at
the back of the store.
As always, we at Ubermart want to support you, our loyal employees. Happy employees are just as
important to us as happy customers. So please get in touch with us if you have any concerns.
Kind regards,
Jessie Singh
Employee Relations Director
Ubermart
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Identify and annotate informative features in Jessie Singh’s email. Use the double-page spread
on pages 12-13 to help you identify and annotate informative features.
1 Create a Venn diagram in your workbook, like the example below.
2 Make the circles as big as possible, and have a fair bit of overlap (the bit in the middle)
between them.
3 In one circle, list important informative features from the video. In the other circle, list
informative features from the email. In the overlapping part, list the features that both
informative texts have in common.
Video
Both
Email
Write a journal entry responding to this question:
In your opinion, which workplace text is better – the video or the email?
Use words from each column in this vocabulary box to help you write a kickass reflection.
more
better
stronger
clear
logical
simple
similar
much the same
compared to
in comparison with
different
less
worse
inferior
confusing
complicated
boring
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26
Public transport timetables and
disruption alerts
Imagine you’re travelling via dragon public transport to a place some distance away.
What type of information might you need to find out?
1.
2.
Where specifically might you find this information?

Public Transport Victoria Journey Planner:
Greensvale to City Central Station, April 12
Memorial Park/Main St Start
(Greensvale) 1:10pm
Regional coach to Alberton
6 stops – 1 hour 33 mins
Service information:
**Reservations required
Alberton Railway Station/High St
(Alberton) 2:43pm
Alberton Railway Station Start
(Alberton) 3:05pm
Regional train to City Central Station
10 stops – 2 hours 11 mins
Major delays:
Northern, Greensvale and Murray lines disrupted on April 12
Read more
City Central Station 5:16 pm
Disruptions information Northern, Greensvale and Murray lines
Passengers are advised that due to storm damage to rail lines, trains on the
Northern, Greensvale and Murray lines will be affected by delays.
It is not known at this stage when normal services will resume.
We encourage passengers travelling on this line today to plan ahead and allow
extra time for the journey.
Coach
V/Line
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Imagine you live in the amazingly named fictional country town of Greensvale. You
want to travel with your friends from Greensvale via Alberton into the city. There, you’re
basically going to do the same stuff you do in Greensvale – drink Slurpees and eat fried
food. You’re going to travel via public transport because your parents are too lazy and
won’t drive you. The date that suits all of your friends is April 12. Because of your superior
internet knowledge, you use the website of Public Transport Victoria (PTV) to plan a trip
on this date. You are an internet superhero! The timetable on the previous page shows all
the information you find out from the PTV website.
Do these annotations on the timetable (on the opposite page):
1 Circle the two types of transport you will use.
2 Highlight when your trip will depart and arrive.
3 Underline two other things that you think are important.
Plan your own DREAM HOLIDAY via public transport to somewhere in Victoria
at least 1–2 hours away.
Follow these steps to carry out your planning:
1 Pick a date on the weekend or school holidays.
2 Use the journey planning tool on the PTV website:
https://www.ptv.vic.gov.au/journey/
In your journal, summarise the information you find out, including any alerts to changes or
disruptions.
Based on the information you find out, reflect on how you feel about travelling via public
transport to this destination.
Write a 3–4 sentence summary of information from the timetable that you could send to your
friends as a text message:

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28
Workplace rights website
If you use the internet like a GENIUS, you’ll know that when you’re looking for
information on a website you can simply use the search function to type in what
you’re looking for. A slower way of finding the information you want is using menus
to click through different pages of a website until you find out what you want to know.
What might be one advantage of using menus to find the information you want rather than
using the search function?
1.

Let’s say that you work at a cafe and, because you’re not a robot, you want to know what
breaks you are entitled to if you work a 6-hour shift. You’ve been told that a good source
of information is the government website Fair Work.
Below is an image of the initial menu that comes up when you visit the website.
Circle the link you think you should click on first to find the information you want.
© Fair Work Ombudsman www.fairwork.gov.au (CC BY 3.0)
https://www.fairwork.gov.au
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Click through the menu links on the Fair Work website until you find out what breaks you are
entitled to on a 6-hour shift at a cafe.
Use the simple flowchart below to keep a record of the links you click on:
What breaks are you entitled to on a 6-hour shift at a cafe?

Click on at least two other links you found interesting on the website.
Write down three things you found out about workplace rights apart from break entitlements.
1.
2.
3.
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30
Searching the internet
The internet is truly awesome. You can find almost anything there – like pictures of
guinea pigs dressed in unicorn costumes, or old Facebook pages of your teachers. But
sometimes you will want to find boring and useful stuff on the internet too. Like the
dates of open days. Or the nearest doctor’s clinic.
Here are a few tips to help you get the most out of your
internet searches:
1 Use specific keywords: make sure your search is as quick as possible by using words
that hone in on what you are really looking for – like if you’re looking for the World
Cup scores, don’t just type in “world cup”, because you might get a history lesson
from Wikipedia; instead, type in “world cup scores, 2023”. Adding in things like
dates and locations can be useful for finding exactly what you want.
2 Take out pointless words: search engines will often give you too many results if you
put in words like “and”, “but”, “the”, “a” “to”, “in”, “of” or “on”. So take these out.
Use only words that describe or name what you are looking for.
3 Use quotation marks: these weird, flying commas help the search engine to know
exactly the thing you’re looking for. This is especially the case if you’re looking
for song lyrics or a quote that someone said. In this case, you DO want to use the
pointless words from above.
It’s also really important to remember that because the internet is a popularity contest,
it’s easier to find information from the US, or popular culture. So sometimes finding
important, boring information from Australia is a bit trickier.
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Internet scavenger hunt
Use the tips from the previous page and your own INTERNET NINJA skills, to find
information with as few clicks as possible.
Follow these steps:
1 Create the table below on a device of your choice
2 Find the information listed in the table
3 Record the information in the correct cells
4 Write down how many links you had to click on (including within a website) to find the
information. Just a few clicks show you have a black belt in searching the web, while lots
of clicks indicate that the information was hard to find, or that you need
to work on using more specific search terms.
Find this: Answer/evidence Website
# of
clicks
The open days for the
TAFE nearest your school
The number of albums
David Bowie produced
How much it costs to get
a tattoo that says
“I love learning”
The cost of a consultation
at your local GP’s
The laws for marijuana
possession in Victoria
How to apply for your
P plates
The most popular movie
in 1997
What a cross between a
tiger and a lion is called
How to get to Adelaide
via public transport from
where you live
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32
Fake news
Which of these statements do you think best explains what fake news is?
¨ Stuff your parents tell you
¨ Information or news stories you disagree with
¨ False news or information that is presented as real
¨ Unicorns are real
Dodgy pic - could be
from anywhere
www.truevapehealth.net
The Health Benefits of Vaping
If you’re looking to quit smoking this year and get in better shape, then vaping is a proven,
medically backed healthy alternative.
Producing only water vapour, vaping is free from the harmful chemicals that clog up
cigarettes and lead to lung cancer. Moreover, unlike cigarettes, vaping is not addictive.
So you can use vaping to get off the cancer sticks and shift to a chemical-free, healthy life.
Check out our great range of smart vape products here.
Prominent use of ‘true’
Climate protestors destroy park
http://www.theage.co
Yesterday’s climate protest at King’s Park,
attended by thousands of students from
across Victoria, has left behind mountain
loads of waste and even damaged trees.
Council workers picking up the rubbish
estimate that several tons of rubbish were
left strewn across the park, most of it
single-use plastic.
“It’s terrible,” a council worker said.
“These people call themselves environmentalists but look what they’ve done here.
Someone’s even spray-painted the oldest tree in the park! It might need to be chopped
down.”
The local council estimates it will take several weeks to clean up the mess.
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Some annotations have been made on each of the fake news pieces on the
opposite page.
Use the checklist below to write at least two more annotations on each piece.
Fake news checklist:
Fake webpage names Fake news sources are often published on websites or sent
from links that are variations of trustworthy information
sources. For example, abc.com.co might be used as a
variation of the Australian news site abc.net.au.
All caps Fake news is desperate to get your attention and seem real
– SO IT OFTEN HAS HEADINGS OR INFO IN ALL CAPS.
‘Truth’ claims Fake news often makes very prominent use of words
like ‘true’, ‘real’, ‘research’ or ‘new’ to present its false
information as genuine.
Photoshopped or false pics Fake news will change photos or use false photos that
have nothing to do with a story.
Lots of pop-ups, clickbait
and links to other dodgy
stuff
Fake news wants to keep you online to read other fake info
or buy stuff – so it will bombard you with links to click on.
No references, specific
details or links that can be
checked
Fake news makes up stuff by not including references,
quotes or specific information from sources or information
that you can check.
Exaggerated information ‘Facts’ in fake news are usually exaggerated to make
something seem better, worse or more interesting.
It just doesn’t seem right A combination of the above factors will often give you a
sense that something seems made up.
Which fake news story was the hardest to spot as a fake? Give a reason for your answer.
Hardest to spot as a fake:

Reason:

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34
Can you spot fake news in the wild?
Put your skills to the test by looking at the stories and information on the links below.
‘Silent weapons for the secret war on you’
http://bit.ly/3Yr1upe
‘FDA approves tranquilliser dart gun that puts children to sleep’
http://bit.ly/3DVP4gA
‘Texas man trapped in ATM’
http://bit.ly/3JVPsQ0
‘Humanity marches towards extinction’
http://bit.ly/3YlHnbF
‘Pickleball’
http://bit.ly/40H9SCm
‘Study disputes climate change’
http://bit.ly/3Xiuuy0
‘Head transplants’
http://bit.ly/3jHQTHk
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Look through each of the web pages listed on the opposite page and make a judgement about
whether it contains true or fake information.
Make some notes in the table below about why you think the webpage is true or fake. Use the
tips at the bottom of the page to help you work out if a webpage has true or false information.
Tips for spotting fake news and false information
¨ Is your gut reaction telling you that this seems crazy or made up?
¨ Do any pictures look faked or changed?
¨ Does the web address look strange or a rip-off of a real one?
¨ Copy key words from the headline and do a Google search. Do other trustworthy
sites have information about this?
¨ Is there specific evidence that is used that can be checked or does the piece use
vague and uncheckable examples?
True or
fake?
What helped you work out
if it was true or false?
‘Silent weapons for the
secret war on you’
‘FDA approves
tranquilliser dart gun that
puts children to sleep’
‘Texas man trapped in
ATM’
‘Humanity marches
towards extinction’
‘Pickleball’
‘Study disputes climate
change’
‘Head transplants’
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36
Texts that interest and
entertain
We all know that you are going to have to read, watch and listen to texts for work
and school. But this isn’t really the reason that most of us are interested in texts.
We love texts because they ENTERTAIN us – they’re FUN. We all love:
→ watching films and throwing popcorn at the screen
→ bingeing on TV shows
→ listening to music
→ some of us even love reading books, comics or playing computer games.
These are all texts. And throughout your life, you have loved a whole range of
different texts (sometimes really cringey and embarrassing ones).
Let’s pretend we’re all Boomers and take a trip down memory lane.
Create the table below on a device or in your workbook.
Try to put three examples in each box, but don’t worry if you can’t fill out every box – you’re
old now, and old people forget stuff.
Age
TV shows/
YouTube
channels Films
Books/
Comics
Music/
Songs Games
Preschool–
Prep
Grades 1–4
Grades 5–6
Years 7–8
Years 9–10
Now
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Unit 1 Understanding and using different types of texts | Texts that interest and entertain 37
So you’ve come up with some examples of texts you liked.
Follow the steps below to develop what you’ve brainstormed into a nerdy presentation
or reflection on ‘Texts That Have Changed My Life!’
1 Share examples of all the weird stuff you liked with the rest of your class.This should
trigger an avalanche of responses like, “Oh yeah, I really liked [insert name of strange
kid’s TV show here]”.This should help you fill in any of the blank spaces you have left.
2 Once you’ve brainstormed your heart out and recalled that you too loved the Teletubbies,
pick one text from each phase of your life and take some notes about it:
• What was the text about?
• What do you remember loving about it?
• Did other people – friends, family – like it as well?
• Why do you think this text was important at this point in your life?
3 Write a reflection or use a digital tool of your choice to create a presentation about ‘Texts
That Have Changed My Life’.The sentence starters below will help write a reflection or
record a voiceover for your presentation.
Introducing a text
• The first … I can remember that really made a big impact on me was …
• I remember being crazy about …
• The thing I loved most when I was … was …
• When I turned …, my interest in … stopped … and I got into …
• As I got older, my taste changed again and …
• I remember when I was …, there was a big craze for …
• When I hit …, everyone was into …
• During my first few years at …, I was obsessed with …
• Now, I’m most interested in …
Reflecting on what you liked about the text
• In …, there was a character who …
• … was about …
• … was a game where …
• What I most remember about … is …
• The thing that most sticks in my mind about … is …
• I used to love … and …
• … really helped me …
• I closely identified with …
• … used to make me laugh because …
• I was fascinated by …
• I was obsessed by …
• I remember that other kids loved it too because …
• My friends and I used to argue about how …
• My friends and I used to act out …
• I think I liked it more than other people because …
• No one else seemed to like … because …
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38
Biographies
Everyone loves Australian rap music, so let’s find out something about our biggest rap
star: The Kid Laroi. Because most of us use Wikipedia to find stuff out, we thought
you could use this real-life skill in school. Have you ever noticed that Wikipedia tries
to organise information in its biographies into a logical sequence for readers?
Before reading the Kid Laroi entry, number the sections listed below in the order you think
Wikipedia uses them. Then look through the Wikipedia article to check your prediction:
The order you predict
the sections will be in
The order the sections
actually were in
¨ Discography
¨ References
¨ Personal life
¨ Other ventures
¨ Persona and reception
¨ Other works
¨ Early life
¨ Tours
¨ Career
¨ Discography
¨ References
¨ Personal life
¨ Other ventures
¨ Persona and reception
¨ Other works
¨ Early life
¨ Tours
¨ Career
Wikipedia Kid Laroi Article
http://bit.ly/3E5mcCM
The aim of Wikipedia is to provide clear and accurate information, not entertain. This
sometimes means that its articles can be a snoozefest. Other places can be more interesting
sources of info. These are some of the references or sources Wikipedia used to write its article
about Kid Laroi.
Read through the one that has the heading that interests you most:
‘Everything you
need to know about
The Kid Laroi before
his tour’
http://bit.ly/3EyEM6H
‘Teen Aussie rapper
‘The Kid Laroi’
overtakes Kendrick
Lamar on Spotify’
https://bit.ly/43up4mw
‘From public
housing to the world
stage: The Meteoric
rise of The Kid Laroi’
http://bit.ly/3KaWTCY
‘Kid Laroi explains
why American fans
are confused by his
unique accent’
http://bit.ly/3S4H6Yv
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In your journal, reflect on how entertaining Wikipedia is compared with other texts that
provide biographical information.
Use the sentence starters below and the words in the box to help you:
→ The Wikipedia page on Kid Laroi started by …
→ In comparison to this, the article ‘ …’ grabbed attention with …
→ This made the … more engaging from the beginning, because …
→ The most informative part of the Wikipedia page was … since …
→ On the other hand, the article ‘ …’ had most of its information …
→ For me, this made the … more amusing and engaging, because I like …
→ The Wikipedia page ended with … and I usually … when I get to this part
of a Wikipedia page because …
→ However, the article ‘ …’ ended with … and I found this …
→ On the whole, I learned more from … than from …
→ When I think about it, I was engaged and entertained by … because …
interesting
thought-provoking
amusing
stimulating
engaging
fascinating
informative
explanatory
instructive
useful
boring
ordinary
dull
unexciting
tedious
tame
whereas
in contrast
as opposed to
in comparison
Do an internet search on a famous person who interests you.
Click on the link to the person’s Wikipedia page and look through it. At the bottom of the
page, scan through the list of ‘References’ or sources the Wikipedia page used for its article.
Click on a link that interests you.
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40
Interesting biographies or profiles don’t just list facts about a person, they often have
a ‘theme,’ like ‘how a love of knitting with dog hair’ saved one person’s life.
Darcy Vescio: AFLW Star
Darcy Vescio, champion AFLW player, has always loved football. Looking at
the broad grin on Vescio’s face now, it’s hard to imagine that they ever struggled
to participate in a sport that they are now so successful at. To begin with, they
started playing footy at the age of five, running around in the backyard of their
country home in Wangaratta. After this was Auskick and junior competitive
football. But when Vescio turned fourteen, they were no longer allowed to
participate in a ‘boy’s sport’. Throughout the rest of their high school years, as
the boys got to play the game they loved, Vescio had to watch from the sidelines
because the rules wouldn’t let them play.
It wasn’t until Vescio was eighteen, and had moved from country Victoria, that
they were able to play competitive footy again. The Victorian Women’s Football
League (VWFL) provided them with a real place to show their athletic abilities
on the football field. It wasn’t the first time the VWFL had launched the career
of a great footballer – Daisy Pearce and Shannon McFerran also started their
professional football careers here. In fact, Vescio played on the same team as
Daisy Pearce: the Darebin Falcons.
It was here, with the Darebin Falcons, that Vescio was really able to prove their
stunning football prowess and reveal a footballer who would come to dominate
the field in the future AFLW. Like the falcons that were their team mascot,
Vescio demonstrated superior speed and ability to swoop upon their prey (the
ball), outperforming and outmanoeuvring their opponents to get to the ball.
They won four premierships with this team and two Lisa Hardeman Medals for
best on ground during their premiership matches. It was clear, that Vescio was
destined to fly high.
Vescio has been with the AFLW since its inception. Here, as leading goal
kicker for Carlton, they have overcome the discrimination that prevented
them playing in their teens and have won award after award. In fact, the
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN) have described
Vescio as a “household name”, one of the more recognised sportspeople in the
Australia. Vescio’s professional sports career has been so successful, it’s hard for
many people to understand that they weren’t always able to play this sport.
Profiles
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What does this profile do at the beginning to introduce its theme of ‘overcoming
discrimination’?

Adjectives are describing words such as ‘green’, ‘massive’, ‘slow’ or ‘excellent’. List three
adjectives that are used to describe Vescio in the piece:
1.
2.
3.
A simile is where a person or thing is compared to something else to create a word picture.
Identify an example of a simile that is used in the piece about Vescio.
Describe what that simile shows us about them:
Example of a simile This simile shows us that Vescio is …
Identify someone you know who you could write an interesting profile about:
a family or community member or a friend.
What ‘theme’ might you focus on to tell this person’s story? Use the list below to help you
think of an idea:
• Thinking positively is powerful.
• Hard work creates opportunities.
• Family is the most important thing in life.
• Helping others leads to happiness and fulfilment.
• Creating communities helps everyone.
• Being different is hard.
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42
Recount
It was Mum’s turn to supervise my driving. I hated it when it was Mum’s turn. She’d
sit in the passenger seat, white-knuckled, flinching every time we approached a
corner, or a truck went past. To be fair to her, this was exactly how she behaved when
she herself was driving, so her reactions weren’t a judgement on me as a driver. But
still, it made me nervous.
Like most L-platers, I dreamed of the day I’d get my Ps and I’d be free. Free to drive
myself wherever I wanted to go. Free to get around at night. Free to take a road trip.
And yes, Mum, free to drive on a highway. But in order to get this freedom, I had to
pay the price of learning to drive with my over-protective mother in the front seat,
shouting instructions and flinching like she was performing in some B-grade action
car chase.
Today it was stopping distance. She kept correcting me every time I came anywhere
near a car in front.
“But that car is basically in another suburb!” I’d protest, never lifting my eyes from
the road. Trying to stay calm.
“You need to keep three seconds behind the car in front,” she’d shout back, gripping
the door handle in fear. “You never know when you might need to suddenly stop.
What if a toddler runs out onto the road?” This was classic Mum: toddler danger. As
if the world was overrun with thousands of chubby little people just waiting to jump
in front of unsuspecting motorists.
I clenched my jaw and gently braked.
“Gently, gently,” she shouted, “you don’t want the cars behind to run into you.” No,
but I wouldn’t mind a side-swipe that took you out, I thought. By now, my blood
pressure was rising and I was worried that I’d have a heart attack at the age of 17. I
was looking frantically all around for possible vehicular threats and lurking toddlers.
I vowed never to let Mum supervise me again.
I looked up: amber light. We were going downhill. I was going too fast. I panicked.
I hit the brakes. The car jerked to a stop. A truck ploughed into the back of the car.
Shoving us into the middle of the intersection. We froze. We’re dead, I thought.
Mum took a deep breath. Calmly, she reached down and pulled on the handbrake.
She unbuckled her seatbelt and leant across to take my hands from their death grip
on the steering wheel.
“Okay,” she said in her normal tone, “that truck did not keep a safe stopping
distance.”
It sounds funnier now, months later. But at the time I thought I’d never drive again.
I did though. Both of my parents made me get in a rental car the next day, and just
drive around the block first. And then, the day after that a little bit further. And then
a bit further. Until finally, when I turned 18, I got my Ps.
And it’s been fantastic. I’ve got the freedom of driving wherever I want. I’ve even
taken a road trip. But I have never, ever, not even once, driven my mother again. I’ve
learned my lesson.
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Telling a good story is not easy. Listening to a bad story is even worse. Especially if it’s at a
family gathering and your boring cousin keeps droning on and on about that one time when
they got an amazing run rate in cricket. Nobody wants to be that person. And you can avoid
this issue by having some structure to your story.
Draw rectangles around and label these five sections in the recount on the opposite page:
Orientation
This is the first part of a recount. It introduces and describes the key
people and location involved in the story.
Personal goals
In this part of the story, the writer describes what they hoped to
achieve from the situation they are writing about.
Problem Here, the writer describes how and why things began to go wrong.
Climax
This is the most dramatic part of the story where the biggest thing
goes wrong and everything falls apart.
Conclusion and
link back to
personal goals
At the end of a recount, the writer explains what happened after the
events in the story and reflects on what they learnt or realised.
Now have a go at structuring your own recount.
1 Think of an interesting moment in your life.This could be:
• a time when you had a near miss
• an epic fail
• a memory that always makes you laugh
• a time when you learned ‘the hard way’.
2 Create a blank version of the table above in your workbook or on your computer.
3 Fill in the table, structuring your memory into an interesting story.
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44
Genres
* It’s an educational term – it means you already know stuff
Genre (pronounce it jon-rah) is one of those fancy-schmancy words that English
teachers use. It seems pointless. But actually, it helps you choose texts that will
entertain you.
Let’s have a look at a list of really common genres:
→ action
→ romance
→ fantasy
→ horror
→ sci-fi
→ historical drama
→ mystery
→ comedy
Looking through that list, you probably instantly thought things like:
“Yep, that’s what I’d watch.”
OR
“I’d rather stick pins in my eyes.”
These are pretty normal reactions (that’s why we could predict them in this book), and that’s
because you already have a lot of PRIOR KNOWLEDGE* about these different genres.
Create a table on your device or in your workbook that looks a bit like this:
Action Romance Fantasy Horror
Sci-fi Historical drama Mystery Comedy
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Look at the tropes of your favourite genre.
Write a couple of sentences about what you like about these tropes. Then write a couple of
sentences about something you don’t like about this. Use at least one word from each of the
columns below in your writing.
enjoy
find familiar
escape into
am always
entertained by
irritated by
hate the way
don’t understand why
think there should be
less … and more …
and
because
but
also
so
although
while
despite
however
even though
in contrast
One of the predictable things about genres is that they have reliable tropes. Tropes
are kinda like cliches or stereotypes – they are things that happen or feature all the
time in stories. Like, action films regularly have the trope of a really buff guy who
speaks in a husky voice (this also happens in romances, and sometimes in mysteries,
and sometimes in basically any Hollywood movie …).
Look through the list of tropes below and sort them into the genre table that you created.
Some tropes can go into more than one category.
• detective explains everything
at the end
• nerdy girl gets a makeover
• time travel
• a wise old person
• the world is a dystopia
• guy with huge muscles
• the villain has an accent/scar/is albino
• someone walks into a room and doesn’t
turn the lights on
• skintight body suits
• the bully’s best friends are idiots
• evil robots
• an orphan is the secret heir
• dragons
• nerdy character helps heroic character
• opposites are attracted
• something needs to be resolved quickly
• girl needs to be rescued
• protagonist needs to go on a journey
• the person you don’t suspect did the
murder
• a car chase (or boat chase)
• an evil overlord/mastermind
• people fight
• people who hate each other are forced to
be close
• there is a ‘chosen’ one
• the hero’s best friend provides comic relief
• people fall over/stumble/are clumsy
• characters find themselves isolated or alone
• characters meet in a funny way
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46
You can use your knowledge of tropes to create plots for your own TV show.
Let’s say we were creating a TV show called Detective High that had the premise:
Lina Nguyen is a tenacious detective whose rogue behaviour gets her sacked from City Police.
Unable to find a job in any detective or security agency, she reluctantly agrees to teach a ‘True
Crime Podcasts’ subject at her local school. Working with her students, she begins to solve a
range of crimes in the local area.
What are two tropes that could be used in this show to make it popular?
1.
2.
Detective High – Pilot episode summary
Episode 1:
The episode begins with Lina in the office of Police Chief Brody.
Brody lists all the ways Lina has broken the law in her last
case. After Lina insults Brody, he sacks her and ensures that
no detective or security agency in the city will hire her. Lina’s
bills begin to build up and she is desperate for a job. Her aunt,
the principal of a local high school, offers her a job and Lina
reluctantly agrees to teach a class on ‘True Crime Podcasts’.
Her first lesson is a disaster because she teaches only from
the textbook and the students complain it’s boring. After
ungraciously accepting advice from a helpful fellow teacher,
Mike Tanton, to ‘make things real’, her next class goes well as
she sets them the task of investigating the robbery of a local
store, owned by Mike’s parents. With the help of Mike, she
accesses CCTV footage to discover clues about who committed
the crime. At the end of the episode, she and her podcast
students summarise the case in their first podcast.
grumpy person
wise old person
happy person
(attracted to
grumpy person?)
people who hate
each other forced
to be close
everyone gets
together at end
and detective
explains it all
Plot summaries
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Think of a genre of TV you like and create your own TV series for a streaming service that
belongs to this genre.
To figure out an idea for your show:
1 Think of real TV series that you like. Consider how you can change aspects of this or
combine elements of different shows to come up with your idea.
2 Discuss your TV show with a partner. Listen to their advice on how to improve your
show. Use the advice you find useful.
Using the example premise and episode summary on the opposite page, write a summary of
your show that includes:
1 an interesting name for your show
2 a 1–2 sentence summary of the whole series
3 a 6–7 sentence summary of the pilot (first) episode
4 a list of at least two tropes that your show will use.
Now that you’ve created your own TV series, why not try to pass it off as real?
Use the tool below to create a fake Netflix cover page for your TV series.
Fake Netflix cover creator
http://bit.ly/3kampOc
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48
Choosing a show to watch
Zombi e Hospita l
MA15+ HD
2023 1 Season
Top 10 - #3 in TV Shows Today
A team of young, smart and outrageously
attractive doctors at Gloomhaven General deal
with the everyday reality of a world where half the
population are zombies. Treating everything from
zombie diabetes to accidental dismemberment,
new challenges face the team at Gloomhaven
General every week.
Dramedy Ÿ Quirky Ÿ Notable Soundtrack
Sonja Flemming/CBS ©2016 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
You make decisions every week about what to watch. Some things will be more
important to you than others in deciding what to watch – like a desperate need to watch
what everyone else is watching. Or your genuine love of nostalgic Pokémon viewing.
Look at the information about the TV show below. Decide if you would watch the show or
not. Circle two things in the information that were most important in your decision.
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There are actually lots of methods you can use to help you decide what to watch.
Fill out the table below to identify what method you use most:
M = Most of the time / S = Some of the time / N = Never
Method of choosing
what to watch
How often
do you
use this
method?
Example show you’ve decided to
watch using this method
Using ‘Recommended for you’
suggestions from a streaming
platform
Liking the name
Reading the plot summary
Looking at the trailer
Looking at what actors are in it
Listening to recommendations
from friends
Reading a review
Picking a show from ‘trending
or popular now’ lists
Looking at shows in genres or
categories you like
Every way of choosing a film or TV show to watch has an advantage and a disadvantage.
Choose one of your usual methods for choosing a show and think of one advantage and
disadvantage of that method:
Advantage:
Disadvantage:
Looking at reviews can sometimes be a helpful way of choosing a film or TV show to
watch. Identify a show that you are interested in watching. Do a search for it at the review
website below. Read through one critic review and at least one audience review.
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/
Reflect on whether the reviews have helped you decide to watch the show.
Give reasons for your response.
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50
Stepping out of your comfort zone
Okay, so you know what you like to watch. You probably even collect figurines and
dress up in costumes from your favourite TV show. But here’s the thing: sometimes
you’ll meet new people (maybe even a potential partner) and they might like
something different from you . Instead of running away screaming and then curling
up in the foetal position, you could TRY SOMETHING NEW.
It’s a scary thought, but there are rewards – you might even end up watching a
hilarious sci-fi movie where one of the characters has hotdogs for fingers.
So, try this:
1 Go around the classroom and ask people about their favourite TV show.
2 Find the example that you think sounds THE ABSOLUTE WORST.
3 Watch it. One whole episode.
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Reflecting on what you just viewed
Write a thoughtful reflection on what you just watched.
One that doesn’t start with your gut reaction, but one that helps you to understand why your
classmate might love this show. It’s easy to think of things you hate (windy days, shouty people,
the kid in the corner who’s always picking their nose) – but that doesn’t help you understand
another person’s perspective. You need to dig a bit deeper for that.
1 Your first task is to think about why you normally hate something.
You can use some of the phrases below to help you get started:
I normally watch …
I tend to like …
My favourite TV shows are …
I’ve always thought …
I don’t want other people to think I like …
because
since
as
2 Then, you should try to think of something in the new TV show that was actually pretty
OK. Write a couple of things about it.
You can use some of the phrases below to help:
One of the things I didn’t mind was …
I thought the setting of … looked …
The costumes that … wore really made
me think …
My favourite scene was …
I was interested in …
… this is because …
… since it was …
… which reminded me of …
… and it made me think …
I liked the idea of …
I actually liked the character of …, who
I could kind of relate to …
Even though they were nothing like me …
… their dialogue …
… the way they related to others …
… they seemed …
3 Now you can really go to town on the things you didn’t like about the show. But you
can’t use four-letter words like s*^% or f#@ed or soup.
Try using some of the words below instead:
not my favourite
not something I
personally prefer
not my first choice
less entertaining than
dragged a bit when
felt slow when
seemed monotonous when
cliched
trite
overdone
predictable
shocking
offensive
distasteful
off-colour
4 Finally, have a conversation with the person who loved this TV show.
Try to use the words and phrases you practised here.
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52
Song lyrics
From American shows and books, what do you know about ‘Homecoming’ and being a
‘Homecoming Queen’?

What is one reason why Australian singers often use references to American things even
though we don’t come from America?

A fascinating thing about song lyrics is that they can mean quite different things to
different people. For example, the famous lyric “let it go”, from the Disney song of
the same name, could mean to emotionally let something go or could be a directive to
release a trapped inner gas bubble. It depends on who you talk to.
Thelma Plum is a First Nations indie-folk artist whose song lyrics are often personal
in nature and reflect on her experiences growing up Aboriginal. In her song
‘Homecoming Queen’, she uses references to the American high school tradition of
electing Homecoming Queens to sing about her own teenage experiences here in
Australia.
Listen to ‘Homecoming Queen’ on YouTube
http://bit.ly/3I6IjtJ
Read through the lyrics to ‘Homecoming
Queen’ on AZ Lyrics
http://bit.ly/3lJurxQ
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Throughout the song, Plum sings about how she felt as a teenager growing up in her town.
What do you think some of her lyrics might mean?
Plum sings … This could mean that …
“hard for me to dream”
“I’ll be the voice of this town”
“it was hard, to get used to me”
“I’ll be my own homecoming queen”
Plum sings a lot about putting on a “crown” during her song.
Circle two words from the list below that the crown could symbolise: Being …
special
better than others
powerful
rich
important
empowered
royal
beautiful
unique
Many teenagers feel different or ‘other’. Which one of her lyrics do you most connect with
and why?
Lyric:

Why do you connect with this?

Pick a song you like that has lyrics that mean something to you personally.
In your journal, reflect on the song and what the lyrics mean to you.
Use some of the sentence starters below to help you:
→ The song that has my favourite lyrics is …
→ It’s about … and …
→ In the song, some of the lyrics that mean the most to me are …
→ These words mean a lot to me because …
→ I really connect with the description “ …” because …
→ I love the idea of “ …” because …
→ Since I’m …, I connect with the feeling that …
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54
Computer game review
So, you’re interested in playing a game about a goose called Untitled Goose Game
because it’s about … well … a goose. But you also want to know if it’s actually any
good before you shell out sweet cashola for it. Wikipedia tells you that it “is a 2019
puzzle stealth game” where “players control a goose who bothers the inhabitants of
an English village”. This doesn’t really help you make your decision, so you decide to
look at a review.
What are two things you’d like a review to tell you about Untitled Goose Game to help you
decide whether to buy it or not?
1.
2.
Untiled Goose Game review by Good Game Spawn Point
(GGSP)
http://bit.ly/3Idq3yT
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The review is given by two presenters. Rad Yeo (the one with pink hair) and Will Yates (the
one without pink hair).
Take notes about what the presenters say about the game in each section of the review.
Use the advice about taking notes on page 23 to help you.
Angharad ‘Rad’ Yeo Will Yates
Introduction and
establishment
of connection to
audience and game
Outline of game
Review of game’s art
Review of game’s
controls/mechanism
Review of game’s
music
Review of game’s
missions
Overall rating
The review uses different techniques to be entertaining for its audience such as using footage
of Will playing the game and making jokes.
What are two other things it does to be entertaining?
1.
2.
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56
Computer game review
Review: The Untitled Goose Game
Like basically everyone I know, I’ve always wondered what life would be like if I was a
goose instead of a person. Obviously, I’d have a lot more time on my hands to dream
up various FOWL DEEDS to annoy all of the people around me. And that’s basically
the entire premise of the game The Untitled Goose Game: you’re a goose, waddling
around a small village, playing pranks on all of the villagers and generally having a
honking good time.
In order to finish the game, you have to complete a to-do list of actions, manipulating
the people around you and generally fowling up their lives so that you can have
a laugh. One challenge, for example, will have you tying up the shoelaces of a
hapless kid and watching him fall flat on his face. Another challenge gets you to
throw a gardener’s rake into the lake and watch as he rages at the edge. This is your
opportunity to prank everyone at will and then hide under your own wing.
The really great thing about this game is that your actions are basically only limited
by your own imagination: you can honk, flap and hide wherever you want. And you
can even zoom out to get a better gander at the whole scene. All of this means that
you’ll spend as much time honking with laughter as actually playing the game.
I particularly loved the simple graphics of this game – it felt nostalgic and childlike,
but was also filled with surprising details, like the harmonica that changed your honk
when you hold it in your beak, or getting villagers to break their own belongings, just
for the fun of it. I loved the little thought bubbles that popped up above the villagers’
heads, showing you what they were thinking about. These thought bubbles also
gave the hilarious impression that the goose was doing a lot more thinking than the
people.
Unfortunately, the simplicity of the graphics also made some actions a little bit
clumsy – it was sometimes difficult to pick an object up with your beak if it was beside
something else. But maybe that’s how it really is with beaks. I’m used to having
opposable thumbs, so maybe I really would find having a beak as tricky as this.
The other great thing about this game was the sound. I loved hearing the light patter
of my feet waddling around and getting faster when I ran away. It made for the best
kind of wild goose chase. The classical music playing in the background was pretty
boring, but I was so focused on my own victorious honking that I barely noticed it. In
fact, all of the sound was pretty low-key. Like the rest of this game, the real hero is
the goose.
Apart from the music, my other big roast for this game is that it was just too short. It
felt like I’d just mastered the art of being a goose when the whole game was over. It
took me only two hours and then my goose (game) was cooked. And I wasn’t ready
for it to be over. I really wanted to live as a goose for a bit longer. It was so much fun.
Although there were moments that I was worried I’d be Christmas dinner.
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Create your own written or recorded review (you might do this option with a partner
as a podcast or video) of a computer game, board game, book, film or TV show.
• Brainstorm things you can write or speak about in your review under these headings:
introduction, game/text outline, review of different elements (game elements, character or
plot elements), overall rating.
• Think of phrases you can use in your review that are puns or ‘dad jokes’about the thing
you are reviewing. For example, in a shoot-em-up game, you might joke that “It will blast
you away”or in reviewing a detective show you might say “There’s no mystery about why
this is a great show!”
• If you’re creating a recorded review, practise presenting the review before you record it.
Compare how much you liked the two reviews by discussing them with a partner.
Use the sentence starters below to help you compare them.
Did you prefer the written or video review of the game?
Introduction and
establishment
of connection to
audience and game
I thought that the … had a better beginning, because …
In contrast, the … started by …, which I found …
I liked the way the … review started because …
The other review also started by … but …
Outline of game Of the two reviews, the one that I thought gave the best outline
was … because …
The way … helped me understand …
I was confused by …, which made me …
Neither review really helped me to understand …
Both reviews gave an effective …
Review of individual
elements of the
game
The … review gave the most helpful review of different parts of the
game by …
The other review wasn’t as … because …
I was more interested in … so I liked this about the … review.
I hadn’t thought about … so it interested me that …
Overall rating I trusted the rating of … because …
The rating of … made me think …
Even though the written review didn’t really have a rating, it gave
me the impression that …
The written review tries to entertain its audience by using goose-related words. For example,
in the introduction it says ‘Fowl deeds’ (‘fowl’ is another word for a farm bird like a chicken or
goose) instead of the common phrase ‘Foul deeds’ (evil deeds).
Circle two other examples of goose puns or related words in the review.
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Podcasts
When you turn thirty, you’ll suddenly have a huge desire to listen to podcasts and
tell everyone you meet, “I’ve just listened to an interesting podcast about …”. So,
we’re preparing you for this future by making you listen to one of the all-time great
podcasts: Serial.
Serial is a podcast that investigates the 1999 murder of Mae Hin Lee – an 18-year-
old student at a US high school. Lee’s ex-boyfriend and fellow student Adnan Masud
Syed was found guilty of her murder. The podcast looks at whether or not he was
actually guilty.
The first episode is called ‘The Alibi’.
What things do you know about what an alibi is and why it’s important in investigating
a crime?

Casey Fiesler from Atlanta, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
https://serialpodcast.org/season-one/1/the-alibi
A GUIDE TO
PEOPLE IN SERIAL Rabia Chaudry
Attorney and family friend
who believes Adnan is
innocent
Saad Chaudry
Adnan’s best friend,
believes Adnan is innocent
Asia McLaine
Claims to have seen
Adnan in the library at
the time of murder
Derek
Asia’s boyfriend came to
pick her up at the library,
doesn’t remember if
Adnan was there
Stephanie
Adnan’s close friend, Jay’s
girlfriend, Jay says Adnan
threatened her
Kristina Gutierrez
Adnan’s troubled lawyer
Hae
Beloved honor student.
Murder victim.
Adnan
Hae’s ex boyfriend,
convicted of murder
Jay
Friend who implicated
Adnan in the crime
As you listen to the podcast, you might find the below reference useful to keep track of the
different people who are mentioned.
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Have you ever been in one of those one-way conversations where someone just talks at you
with a torrent of words and you don’t get a chance to say anything? Was it yesterday with one
of your friends?
Let’s practise NOT having that type of conversation.
As you listen to Serial, Episode 1, stop about every ten minutes and discuss your thoughts
with a partner or two other people. Use at least one of the sentence starters in each of the
columns below to take turns sharing and responding to the AWESOME ideas you and
others have:
Sentence starters to share your own thoughts
The thing that most interests me about … is …
When the podcast talked about …, I thought …
Something I don’t understand about … is …
I’d never really thought about … before.
I think it’s clear that …
I was really surprised by … because …
I’m not sure what I think about … On one hand … But on the other hand …
I bet … will happen, because …
Sentence starters to respond to someone else’s thoughts
Yeah, I agree because …
I’m not sure I agree … because …
So, what you’re saying is that …
I’m interested that you say … because …
Do you also think that …?
Why do you think that …?
What you said made me think of …
Really? I’m not sure I understand what you mean by … Can you explain that a bit more?
When you get to the end of the podcast, use at least one of these sentence starters
to discuss how you connected to the show:
→ I’m definitely interested to know … because …
→ Truthfully, I don’t really care about … because …
→ Even though this wasn’t the focus, I was most interested in … about the podcast because …
→ This podcast challenged me to think about how …
→ Honestly, this sort of story makes me feel a bit … since …
→ The kind of thing I thought this podcast could do better is … and I think …
→ It had never really occurred to me that … could happen and it made me …
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60
Interview podcasts
One popular podcast format is the interview because it requires the podcast producer
to do ABSOLUTELY NO WORK other than come up with some questions for
famous people. In the best interview-based podcasts, podcasters ask people questions
that lead to interesting and entertaining answers.
Think of a famous actor or musician you’d like to interview.
What are two boring, obvious questions this person is probably usually asked?
1.
2.
What are at least two more interesting questions this person could be asked that would lead to
entertaining answers?
1.
2.
Let’s Be Real With Sammy Jaye is a classic example of the interview-
based podcast. Look through the list of episodes at the podcast site
and listen to one episode that interests you.
https://ihr.fm/3xSrMER
What was one example of an interesting question that Sammy Jaye asked? What was
interesting about the response to the question?
Interesting question:

Interesting part of response:

© 2023 iHeartMedia, Inc
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You won’t have the time or resources in your class to organise a podcast interview with an
AMAZEBALLS and FAMOUS person like your school principal or Rihanna. But you can
do the next best thing: interview someone else in your class like the kid who normally sits next
to you. Keep in mind that most kids in your class probably haven’t made a number one selling
album or won a gold medal at the Olympics. They probably don’t even have a secret superpower
like being able to fart the alphabet. But they’ve all got interesting stories to tell about their
lives. Your job as a podcaster is to help them tell their story in an interesting way.
Follow these steps to create your own interview podcast:
¨ Team up with someone in your class. You will interview them for a podcast and they
will interview you for a podcast.
¨ List some things you know about this person. Circle things that you think would be
good to ask questions about.
¨ Use the tips and website included below to help you come up with questions.
¨ Write out a list of about 20 questions to ask.
¨ Read through your questions and change any that you think are boring.
¨ Practise your part of the podcast. Don’t forget to practise introducing yourself and your
interviewee. It’s important to make them sound interesting when you introduce them.
Interview tips:
→ Use question words like how or why. Don’t ask questions that can be answered with yes, no
or a quick fact.
→ Begin a question with an interesting fact or observation. For example: “Something I’ve
noticed about you, is that you like to wear clothes that make you look like a grandpa.
Can you tell me about your fashion philosophy?” or “In 2021 you broke your leg. What
happened and how difficult was it to recover?”
→ Use follow-up questions like: “That’s really interesting. Can you tell me more about …?” or
“What do you mean by …?”
Some websites to help you write interview questions:
https://riverside.fm/blog/
podcast-interview-questions
https://www.resound.fm/blog/
podcast-interview-questions
https://amplify.matchmaker.
fm/podcast-interview-
questions/
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62
Texts that communicate
and connect
Ways of communicating
It turns out that every communication method is a different text type. English teachers
actually do rule the world. To show how much of a SMARTY PANTS you already are
about communication methods, draw a line from each communication method on the left
to a definition that best describes it on the right:
Conversation
A social media page that is used to share links about conspiracy
theories, posts about what your dog is up to, and pics and videos.
Interview
People in the same space taking it in turns to say words to each other
out loud and with their mouths.
Speech
A social media page full of photoshopped pics and “inspirational”
quotes.
Phone call An uglier version of Instagram.
Facebook
A social media page that allows people to respond to complex ideas
with very short angry posts.
BeReal
One person asking lots of questions and another person answering
while trying to sound smarter and better than they really are.
Instagram
A messaging service that allows groups of people to send photos,
messages and panda GIFs to each other.
TikTok A more old-fashioned WhatsApp that you need a phone plan to use.
WhatsApp
For people who can be bothered writing long messages for other
people who actually have the time to read them.
Text message One person talking for a really long time … blah blah blah.
Email
A way to ask people to come to a party, but also showing them how
fancy you are because you used a pretty font on a fancy background.
Evites/digital
invitations
An online forum that allows people to share their own opinion
and tell people with different opinions how wrong they are.
Reddit
An online way of having a conversation with people while actually
doing something else on your computer.
Zoom/Microsoft
Teams
Using your phone in a really old-fashioned way to speak to a person
in a different room.
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63
Unit 1 Understanding and using different types of texts | Texts that communicate and connect
There are pros and cons for every communication method.
For example, Twitter is really good if you’re 45, angry at everyone and want to fight online
with other VERY ANGRY PEOPLE. It’s not so good if you’re 18 and want to share a funny
video about a hamster riding a tiny e-scooter while wearing a cape. What communication
method would you use for each of these situations below?
Name the communication method and provide a brief explanation.
Show people your latest
Harry Styles fan video
TikTok because it’s easy to use and share videos.
Advertise a meeting of your
Harry Styles fan club
Organise a trip to a Harry
Styles movie with your friends
Ask one of your relatives if
there is any work you can do for
money so you can go to a Harry
Styles concert
Tell people a story about why
your best friend is even better
than Harry Styles
Tell people the truth about how
a lizard queen rules the world
Ask your parents for money to
go to a Harry Styles concert
Invite people to your Harry
Styles themed 18th
Share photos of you at a Harry
Styles concert
Share moody, black-and-white
pictures of you and your friends
at 7-Eleven
Ask your nan for money to go to
a Harry Styles concert
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64
Unless you’re a psychopath with no feelings for anyone else, when you email someone,
you normally try to create a connection with the person you’re emailing. Let’s say
you’re emailing someone you don’t know to ask them if you can hire their beach house
for schoolies.
principal@ststephensprimary.edu.au
Hall
Hi,
Could I use your hall on the 18th of April for a party I’m having? There’ll be about 30-50 people there
and it will probably go for about 5 hours. I’d like to have it from 6.00. Let me know if it’s free.
Alex
info@joannespetshop.net
Job at Pet Shop
Hi Joanne,
I’m emailing you to apply for the sales assistant job at your pet store that you’ve got advertised in your
window. I’m a Year 11 student at Creekside High and I absolutely love animals. I’ve got three pets: a
Labrador, a tabby cat and a guinea pig. None of them has run away yet, so I must be doing something
right as a pet owner! I’ve got good animal handling skills and a fair bit of knowledge about pet care, so I
could offer a lot as an assistant. I also love your shop. I think you have interesting animals that you care
for and good quality products.
Thanks,
Ava Grigorio
gemma@luxuryhair.net.au
Advice about hairdressing award
Hi Gemma,
My neighbour Sandra Hawkins gave me your email address and said you’d be a good person to contact
about advice for hairdressing training because you started out in this town and now you run your own
business! I’d like to do hairdressing training, but really don’t know where to start. There’s only the one
hairdresser in town, and they’re not taking on any apprentices. I’ve done a bit of a Google search, but all
it comes up with is stuff about TAFE courses for TAFEs that are miles away. How did you start out? I’d
love some advice. Anything you could tell me would be much appreciated.
Regards,
Mustafa
Emails
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