CONTEXTTECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATION

Student Study Guide

Unit 1 - 2 EnglishSimonds Catholic College

2012

Name: _____________________

Contents

Contents Page number

Area of Study 2 VCAA Study design 2Criteria sheet 3Context – Technology and Communication 4Technology brainstorm 5Science Fiction genre 6Definitions – creative writing techniques 7Quick creative writing activity 8 – 9Professor Panini – Matthew Grigg 10 – 11Narrative arc 12The Pedestrian – Ray Bradbury 13 – 14Science Fiction short film – Legacy by Grzegorz Jonkajtys 15Science fiction writing task 16 - 19

Course overview

Outcome 2

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On completion of this unit the student should be able to create and present texts taking account of audience, purpose and context.

To achieve this outcome the student will draw on knowledge and related skills outlined in area of study 2.

Key knowledge

This knowledge includes• the structures, features and conventions of a range of print, non-print and multimodal texts created for different purposes; for example, personal and imaginative, informative, instructional, argumentative or persuasive;• the effects of form, context, audience and purpose on the author’s choice of structure and language;• the visual, auditory and digital features used by authors to make meaning;• strategies for planning and revising text responses for coherence of form, language, structure, audience and context;• the metalanguage necessary to be able to discuss structures, features and forms of their own and others’ texts;• the conventions of spelling, punctuation and syntax of Standard Australian English.

Key skills

These skills include the ability to• use accurately the structures, features and conventions of a range of print, non-print and multimodal texts;• select text type, subject matter and language to suit a specific audience, purpose and context;• draw on content suggested by set texts to develop and support ideas and arguments;• experiment with visual, auditory and digital features, where relevant, to make meaning;• plan and revise for coherence of form, language, structure, audience and context;• use appropriate metalanguage to discuss structures, features and forms of their own and others’ texts;• use the conventions of spelling, punctuation and syntax of Standard Australian English.

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Simonds Catholic CollegeEnglish Unit 1 2012Area of Study 2: Creating and Presenting

Outcome 2Draw on ideas and/or arguments suggested by the chosen Context Technology and Communication and the Science Fiction genre, to create written texts for a specified audience and purpose; and to discuss and analyse in writing their decisions about form, purpose, language, audience and context.Mark Range DESCRIPTOR: typical performance in each range

25 - 30 marks Skilful shaping of ideas, arguments and language appropriate to the chosen form, audience, purpose and context. Sophisticated understanding of complex ideas and/or arguments relevant to the chosen Context and presented in selected text/s; a demonstrated ability to draw on and develop these in the creation of own text/s. Highly expressive, fluent and coherent writing. Use of appropriate metalanguage to present an insightful, highly expressive and coherent written explanation of personal authorial choices.

19 - 24 marks Considered use of ideas, arguments and language appropriate to the chosen form, audience, purpose and context. Thorough understanding of ideas and/or arguments relevant to the chosen Context and presented in selected text/s; a demonstrated ability to draw purposefully on these in the creation of own text/s. Expressive, fluent and coherent writing. Use of appropriate metalanguage to present a considered, expressive and coherent written explanation of personal authorial choices.

13 - 18 marks Suitable use of ideas, arguments and language appropriate to the chosen form, audience, purpose and context. Clear understanding of basic ideas and/or arguments relevant to the chosen Context and presented in selected texts; a demonstrated ability to draw on these to some degree in the creation of own text/s. Generally expressive, fluent and coherent writing. Use of metalanguage to present a clear, coherent and general explanation of personal authorial choices.

7 - 12 marks Use of ideas, arguments and language generally appropriate to the chosen form, audience, purpose and context. Some understanding of basic ideas and/or arguments relevant to the chosen Context and presented in selected texts; some evidence of an ability to draw on these in the creation of own text/s. Clear expression of ideas in writing. Use of limited metalanguage to present a general explanation of personal authorial choices.

1 - 6 marks Little evidence of an ability to use ideas, arguments and language appropriate to the chosen form, audience, purpose and context. Limited understanding of basic ideas and/or arguments relevant to the chosen Context and presented in selected texts; little evidence of an ability to draw on these in the creation of own text/s. Simple expression of ideas in writing. Little use of metalanguage and minimal discussion of authorial choices.

Comments

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Technology and Communication

This context explores the different technologies available in society today, and the way that they are used to aid in communication. This may include the use of the internet, communication devices, social networking and other forms of technology.

There will also be a focus on the way that technologies have changed over time, and will continue to evolve in the future.

The context is studied over Unit 1 and Unit 2, where key areas like science fiction and social networking are covered. The context is broken up into the following areas of response-

Unit 1 Science Fiction imaginative writing

Unit 2 Persuasive writing Expository writing

Technology brainstorm

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Below, brainstorm a list of all of the technologies that exist in our world today.

Now, brainstorm a list of technologies that you think may exist in the future.

Science Fiction genre1. Read the definition of the ‘science fiction’ genre from the ‘Read, Write, Think’

website. Highlight the key features of a science fiction story.

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Science fiction is a genre of fiction in which the stories often tell about science and technology of the future. It is important to note that science fiction has a relationship with the principles of science—these stories involve partially true-partially fictitious laws or theories of science. It should not be completely unbelievable, because it then ventures into the genre fantasy.

The plot creates situations different from those of both the present day and the known past. Science fiction texts also include a human element, explaining what effect new discoveries, happenings and scientific developments will have on us in the future.

Science fiction texts are often set in the future, in space, on a different world, or in a different universe or dimension.

http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson_images/lesson927/SciFiDefinition.pdf

2. Write out a list of science fiction books that you have read and films or TV shows that you have seen.

3. From this list, brainstorm the key features of a science fiction story.

Definitions – creative writing techniques.For each of the examples given below, highlight the use of the particular creative writing technique.

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Adjective - A word or phrase naming an attribute, added to or grammatically related to a noun to modify or describe it.

e.g. The girl bounced lightly out of the craft and onto the platform, her fiery red hair flowing weightlessly around her in the anti – gravity. The heavy magnetic boots she was wearing were brand new – state of the art, and left Myka wondering why this gorgeous and seemingly rich new girl had chosen his school, of all the ones in this vast star system, to attend.

Simile - A figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind. Uses ‘like’

e.g. The creature sprung out of the burning wreckage of the ship and charged at me like a bull, fangs dripping with venom. It leaped forward with a screech that sounded like nails on a chalkboard, flying through the air to attack. It was quick, but I was quicker. I raised my particle beam gun and took aim, the ray hitting the creature right in the chest. It exploded like a water balloon, covering me from head to toe with sticky gloop.

Metaphor - A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable. Says something ‘is’ another.

e.g. He had to save her! She was his sun, moon and stars!

Alliteration - The occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.

e.g. “You feeble-minded, fumbling fools!” the captain voraciously roared as he tried to steer the ship around the fast approaching meteor belt.

Personification - A figure of speech in which inanimate objects or abstractions are endowed with human qualities or are represented as possessing human form.

e.g. The stars danced and the moon smiled at him from the purple night sky.

Onomatopoeia - The formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named and the use of such words for effect.

e.g. Harvey awoke with a start to the buzzing of his hologram phone. He could hear his mum downstairs, high heels clacking on the metal floor of their 750th floor apartment. Outside, Harvey noticed the muted whirring of the hover cars above and guessed that it was the beginning of peak hour; about 6:30am.

Quick creative writing activity

This task is to write a story based upon technological objects used for communication.

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Your teacher will hand you an envelope with an image inside. Have a look and reseal your envelope – don’t let anybody else see what image you have! Using this image you will be given 2 to 3 minutes to write the beginning of a short story.

Now you will switch envelopes with someone else in the classroom. You will be given another 2 to 3 minutes in which you need to incorporate the new piece of technology into your story.

This can be repeated 3 or 4 times until you have a complete story. Share your stories with the class!

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_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ActivityRead the following story and highlight the key features of imaginative writing.

Professor PaniniMatthew Grigg

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Before my many years' service in a restaurant, I attended a top science university. The year was 2023 and I was finishing the project that would win me my professorship. In the end, it resulted in my becoming a kitchen employee.

     My forty-second birthday had made a lonely visit the week before, and I was once again by myself in the flat. Like countless other mornings, I ordered a bagel from the toaster. 'Yes, sir!' it replied with robotic relish, and I began the day's work on the project. It was a magnificent machine, the thing I was making - capable of transferring the minds of any two beings into each other's bodies.

     As the toaster began serving my bagel on to a plate, I realised the project was in fact ready for testing. I retrieved the duck and the cat - which I had bought for this purpose - from their containers, and set about calibrating the machine in their direction. Once ready, I leant against the table, holding the bagel I was too excited to eat, and initiated the transfer sequence. As expected, the machine whirred and hummed into action, my nerves tingling at its synthetic sounds.

     The machine hushed, extraction and injection nozzles poised, scrutinizing its targets. The cat, though, was suddenly gripped by terrible alarm. The brute leapt into the air, flinging itself onto the machine. I watched in horror as the nozzles swung towards me; and, with a terrible, psychedelic whirl of colours, felt my mind wrenched from its sockets.

     When I awoke, moments later, I noticed first that I was two feet shorter. Then, I realised the lack of my limbs, and finally it occurred to me that I was a toaster. I saw immediately the solution to the situation - the machine could easily reverse the transfer - but was then struck by my utter inability to carry this out.

     After some consideration, using what I supposed must be the toaster's onboard computer, I devised a strategy for rescue. I began to familiarise myself with my new body: the grill, the bread bin, the speaker and the spring mechanism. Through the device's rudimentary eye - with which it served its creations - I could see the internal telephone on the wall. Aiming carefully, I began propelling slices of bread at it. The toaster was fed by a large stock of the stuff, yet as more and more bounced lamely off the phone, I began to fear its exhaustion.

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Toasting the bread before launch proved a wiser tactic. A slice of crusty wholemeal knocked the receiver off its cradle, and the immovable voice of the reception clerk answered. Resisting the urge to exclaim my unlikely predicament, I called from the table: 'I'm having a bit of trouble up here, Room 91. Could you lend a hand?'

     'Certainly, sir. There's a burst water pipe on the floor above, I suppose I'll kill two birds with one stone and sort you out on the way,'

     The clerk arrived promptly, leaving his 'caution, wet floor' sign in the corridor. He came in, surveying the room in his usual dry, disapproving fashion. I spoke immediately, saying I was on the intercom, and requested that he simply press the large button on the machine before him. 'This one, sir?' he asked, and before I could correct him, the room was filled with a terrible, whirling light, and he fell to the ground.

     A minute later he stood up again, uncertainly, and began moving in a manner that can only be described as a waddle. The duck, meanwhile, was scrutinising the flat with an air of wearied distaste. I gazed at the scene with dismay. Suddenly an idea struck the clerk, and with avian glee he tottered towards the window. I spluttered a horrified warning to no avail. He leapt triumphantly from the balcony, spread his 'wings' and disappeared. I would have wept, but managed only to eject a few crumbs.

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*

Hours of melancholy calculation and terrible guilt gave no progress, and left me with a woeful regret for the day's events. Determined not to give up hope, I began to burn clumsy messages into slices of bread, and slung these desperate distress calls through the window. I sought not only my own salvation, but also to account for the bizarre demise of the clerk, who must no doubt have been discovered on the street below. I soon found my bread bin to be empty, and sank again into a morose meditation.

     A large movement shocked me from my morbid contemplation. Before me, having clambered up from the floor, stood my own body. It regarded me with dim cheer.

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     'I have been upgraded,' it announced in monotone. The room was silent as I struggled to cope with this information. Then:

     'Would you like some toast?'

     The truth dawned on me, and I wasted no time in seeing the utility of this revelation. I informed the toaster, which was now in control of my body, that I wished it to fetch help. It regarded me warily, then asked if I would like that buttered. Maintaining patience, I explained the instruction more thoroughly. I watched with surreal anticipation as my body of forty-two years jerked its way out of the flat. It rounded the corner, and there was a hope-dashing crash. It had tripped up on the 'caution: wet floor' sign. To my joyous relief, however, I heard the thing continue on its way down the corridor.

     Minutes passed, then hours. I entertained myself flicking wheat-based projectiles at the cat. On the dawn of the third day, I concluded that the toaster had failed in its piloting of my body, and that help was not on its way. Gripped by the despair of one who must solve the puzzle of toaster suicide, I resigned myself to my fate.

     Pushed on by a grim fervour, I began igniting the entire stock of bread. As the smoke poured from my casing, and the first hints of deadly flame flickered in my mechanisms, I began the solemn disclosure of my own eulogy.

     Suddenly the fire alarm leapt into action, hurling thick jets of water across the flat, desperate to save its occupants. A piercing wail erupted from all sides, and a squabbling mixture of annoyance, relief and curiosity filtered into my mind.

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Once the firemen had visited and deactivated the alarm, I was identified as the fault, unplugged and hauled away to a repair shop. The staff there, finding nothing to remove but a faulty speech chip, apparently put me up for sale. I only know this because, on being reconnected to the mains, I found myself in a shiny, spacious kitchen. Missing my electronic voice, I could only listen to the conversation of the staff, discussing the odd conduct of their new cook. The end of their hurried discussion heralded his arrival. I gazed at the door in silent surrender, as my body stepped proudly on to the premises, displaying its newly designed menu. At the top of the list I could discern 'Buttered bagel'.

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Narrative arc

Draw your own narrative arc for the story Professor Panini.

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- Setting- Character development

- Falling action- Resolution

- Climax

- Problem- Rising action

The Pedestrian

Ray Bradbury

To enter out into that silence that was thecity at eight o'clock of a misty evening in November, to put your feet upon that buckling concrete walk, to step over grassy seams and make your way, hands in pockets, through the silences, that was what Mr. Leonard Mead most dearly loved to do. He would stand upon the corner of an intersection and peer down long moonlit avenues of sidewalk in four directions, deciding which way to go, but it really made no difference; he was alone in this world of A.D. 2053, or as good as alone, and with a final decision made, a path selected, he would stride off, sending patterns of frosty air before him like the smoke of a cigar.Sometimes he would walk for hours and miles and return only at midnight to his house. And on his way he would see the cottages and homes with their dark windows, and it was not unequal to walking through a graveyard where only the faintest glimmers of firefly light appeared in flickers behind the windows. Sudden gray phantoms seemed to manifest upon inner room walls where a curtain was still undrawn against the night, or there were whisperings and murmurs where a window in a tomblike building was still open.Mr. Leonard Mead would pause, cock his head, listen, look, and march on, his feet making no noise on the lumpy walk. For long ago he had wisely changed to sneakers when strolling at night, because the dogs in intermittent squads would parallel his journey with barkings if he wore hard heels, and lights might click on and faces appear and an entire street be startled by the passing of a lone figure, himself, in the early November evening.On this particular evening he began his journey in a westerly direction, toward the hidden sea. There was a good crystal frost in the air; it cut the nose and made the lungs blaze like a Christmas tree inside; you could feel the cold light going on and off, all the branches filled with invisible snow. He listened to the faint push of his soft shoes through autumn leaves with satisfaction, and whistled a cold quiet whistle between his teeth,

occasionally picking up a leaf as he passed, examining its skeletal pattern in the infrequent lamplights as he went on, smelling its rusty smell."Hello, in there," he whispered to every house on every side as he moved. "What's up tonight on Channel 4, Channel 7, Channel 9? Where are the cowboys rushing, and do I see the United States Cavalry over the next hill to the rescue?"The street was silent and long and empty, with only his shadow moving like the shadow of a hawk in midcountry. If he closed his eyes and stood very still, frozen, he could imagine himself upon the centre of a plain, a wintry, windless Arizona desert with no house in a thousand miles, and only dry river beds, the streets, for company."What is it now?" he asked the houses, noticing his wrist watch. "Eight-thirty P.M.? Time for a dozen assorted murders? A quiz? A revue? A comedian falling off the stage?"Was that a murmur of laughter from within a moon-white house? He hesitated, but went on when nothing more happened. He stumbled over a particularly uneven section of sidewalk. The cement was vanishing under flowers and grass. In ten years of walking by night or day, for thousands of miles, he had never met another person walking, not once in all that time.He came to a cloverleaf intersection which stood silent where two main highways crossed the town. During the day it was a thunderous surge of cars, the gas stations open, a great insect rustling and a ceaseless jockeying for position as the scarab beetles, a faint incense puttering from their exhausts, skimmed homeward to the far directions. But now these highways, too, were like streams in a dry season, all stone and bed and moon radiance.He turned back on a side street, circling around toward his home. He was within a block of his destination when the lone car turned a corner quite suddenly and flashed a fierce white cone of light upon him. He stood entranced, not unlike a night moth, stunned by the illumination, and then drawn toward it.

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A metallic voice called to him:"Stand still. Stay where you are! Don't move!"He halted."Put up your hands!""But-" he said."Your hands up! Or we'll Shoot!"The police, of course, but what a rare, incredible thing; in a city of three million, there was only one police car left, wasn't that correct? Eversince a year ago, 2052, the election year, the force had been cut down from three cars to one. Crime was ebbing; there was no need now for the police, save for this one lone car wandering and wandering the empty streets."Your name?" said the police car in a metallic whisper. He couldn't see the men in it for the bright light in his eyes."Leonard Mead," he said."Speak up!""Leonard Mead!""Business or profession?""I guess you'd call me a writer.""No profession," said the police car, as if talking to itself. The light held him fixed, like a museum specimen, needle thrust through chest."You might say that, " said Mr. Mead. He hadn't written in years. Magazines and books didn't sell any more. Everything went on in the tomblike houses at night now, he thought, continuing his fancy.The tombs, ill-lit by television light, where the people sat like the dead, the gray or multi-coloured lights touching their faces, but never really touching them."No profession," said the phonograph voice, hissing. "What are you doing out?""Walking," said Leonard Mead."Walking!""Just walking," he said simply, but his face felt cold."Walking, just walking, walking?""Yes, sir.""Walking where? For what?""Walking for air. Walking to see.""Your address!""Eleven South Saint James Street.""And there is air in your house, you have an air conditioner, Mr. Mead?""Yes.""And you have a viewing screen in your house to see with?""No.""No?" There was a crackling quiet that in itself was an accusation.

"Are you married, Mr. Mead?""No.""Not married," said the police voice behind the fiery beam, The moon was high and clear among the stars and the houses were gray and silent."Nobody wanted me," said Leonard Mead with a smile."Don't speak unless you're spoken to!"Leonard Mead waited in the cold night."Just walking, Mr. Mead?""Yes.""But you haven't explained for what purpose.""I explained; for air, and to see, and just to walk.""Have you done this often?""Every night for years."The police car sat in the centre of the street with its radio throat faintly humming."Well, Mr. Mead," it said."Is that all?" he asked politely."Yes," said the voice. "Here." There was a sigh, a pop. The back door of the police car sprang wide. "Get in.""Wait a minute, I haven't done anything!""Get in.""I protest!""Mr. Mead."He walked like a man suddenly drunk. As he passed the front window of the car he looked in. As he had expected, there was no one in the front seat, no one in the car at all."Get in."He put his hand to the door and peered into the back seat, which was a little cell, a little black jail with bars. It smelled of riveted steel. It smelled of harsh antiseptic; it smelled too clean and hard and metallic. There was nothing soft there."Now if you had a wife to give you an alibi," said the iron voice. "But-""Where are you taking me?"The car hesitated, or rather gave a faint whirring click, as if information, somewhere, was dropping card by punch-slotted card under electric eyes. "To the Psychiatric Centre for Research on Regressive Tendencies."He got in. The door shut with a soft thud.The police car rolled through the night avenues, flashing its dim lights ahead.They passed one house on one street a moment later, one house in an entire city of houses that were dark, but this

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one particular house had all of its electric lights brightly lit, every window a loud yellow illumination, square and warm in the cool darkness."That's my house," said Leonard Mead.No one answered him.The car moved down the empty river-bed streets and off away, leaving the empty streets with the empty side-walks,

and no sound and no motion all the rest of the chill November night.

Science Fiction short film

Watch the science fiction short film Legacy by Grzegorz Jonkajtys on YouTube and complete the following:

Adjectives and Onomatopoeia

Describe the blue planet in the opening shot

Describe how the spaceship approaches the planet

Describe the creature

Describe the landing

Describe earth

Describe the creature again

Describe the creatures face

Use three onomatopoeic words to describe the scene where the creature lays the ‘body’ down

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Task: Write a short story that explores the theme of “Technology and Communication”.

Your story should be located within the science fiction genre that were recently discussed in class and must explore technology and communication.

Planning

1. Think about what kind of science fiction short story you want to write. Science fiction is an extremely diverse genre. Some science fiction stories address issues of technology and its implications for society. Other stories use fantastic worlds as a way to explore complex social issues. Other Sci-Fi stories have a horror emphasis, while others deal with militaristic futures and space battles.

A good starting point is to brainstorm an aspect of technology that you could write about in your story and how this might fit into the Sci-Fi genre. Think back to the short stories we read in class, Professor Panini and The Pedestrian as a guide. Keep your ideas interesting but not too complicated. Don’t try and do too much in the space of one short story!

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TECHNOLOG

2. The next step involves creating the bare bones to your story. Answer the following questions to get you started:

CHARACTERS

Who is your protagonist (main character)?

What does he/she want?

What happens to him/her?

What does his world look like (draw a picture if this will help you)?

SETTING

Where and when is your story set?

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PLOT

Make a plan for your story

a) Orientation (Who? When? Where? What? Why? How?)

b) Rising Action (include a problem/complication)

c) Climax

d) Falling action

e) Resolution

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LANGUAGE

Point of View (Whose perspective is the story from? Is it in the first/second/third person?)

In the space below practise using the creative writing techniques you will employ in your writing. Create examples of similes, metaphors, alliteration, personification, etc. that work to describe your chosen aspect of technology, protagonist or setting.

Simile

Metaphor

Alliteration

Personification

Onomatopoeia

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