1. Vocabulary building: Investigate vocabulary typical of extended and more academic texts and the role of abstract nouns, classification, description and generalisation in building specialised knowledge through language (ACELA1537) ( ACARA, 2012).
2. De-code images, text in advertisements and multi modal texts: Students evaluate and integrate ideas and information from texts to form their own interpretations. Analyse how point of view is generated in visual texts by means of choices, for example gaze, angle and social distance (ACELA1764) (ACARA,2012).
The Australian National Curriculum (2012) for Year 8 mentions that students should read different texts for enjoyment and listen to, read, view, interpret and evaluate written and multimodal texts to inform and persuade. The Australian National Curriculum states that by the end of Year 8, students should be able to “integrate topic and textual knowledge and develop strategies, including selecting, navigating, monitoring meaning and crosschecking to read and view learning area texts” (ACARA, 2011).The Australian National Curriculum, general capabilities, states the need for students to develop critical and creative thinking through discussions, analysis of texts and create their own written, visual and multimodal texts.
According to Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, children in Year Eight are in the ‘formal operational’ stage of learning (Marsh, 2010, p.20). Piaget emphasises that strategies for teaching students at the formal operational level should include: the use of concrete-operational materials (eg. computer based simulations), opportunities for students to hypothesise (eg. writing view points on controversial topics) and inquire (individual and group projects), and activities that interest them (ibid). Kalantzis and Cope (2012, p.71) recommend effective pedagogy should employ ways that draw the knower to the knowable by ‘experiencing’, ‘conceptualising’, ‘analysing and ‘applying.’ Vygotsky suggests teachers should extend students’ learning beyond their own capabilities and allow them to complete tasks independently, which will lead the learners through a learning route to construct knowledge and apply it in real life (My Read, 2002). Based on Vygotsky’s theory of zone of proximal development, learning of ESL students can be promoted by questioning, prompting and suggesting strategies (Berk, 2006, p. 260).
The reading needs of students link to the National Curriculum for English in Year 8. Two reading needs of the students have been identified and linked to the Socio-cultural Model of Reading. The Critical Pedagogy Theory of Freirie (1970, in Burbules & Berk, 1999) involving “reading the world” as well as “reading the word” will be applied. The tasks chosen comply with the teaching strategies mentioned by Piaget (in Marsh, 2010), Kalantzis and Cope (2012) and Freirie (1999) as they offer meaningful investigation, student-based interaction, problem solving and a content related to student’s own lives.