Unit Introduction

Monica Sharpe- 18795006

The following is a 4-week unit of work exploring the genre of speculative fiction
through a close study of the novel A Single Stone by Meg McKinlay. This unit is aimed at
an all-girl Year 8 class of moderate to high ability because of the challenging nature of
the themes and structure of the text. As a class set novel for Stage 4 students, A Single
Stone best suits an all-girl class because of the female issues explored in the text to
which male students may find it difficult to relate. A Single Stone would be provided to
the students two weeks before this unit begins and students would be encouraged to
have read a substantial amount of the text before beginning the unit. They would be
expected to have finished reading by the end of the first week. This reading timeline and
expectation is suitable because of the higher ability students at which this unit is
pitched.

The first section of this unit (Lessons 1-3) focuses upon the concerns, themes and
features of speculative fiction as a genre. Students are encouraged to consider
particularly the ways in which authors and composers use imaginative texts in this
genre to explore concerns they may hold about the world in which they live. Students
will use this as a lens through which to consider A Single Stone. During this section of
the unit students are also given time in class to finish A Single Stone.

The second section of this unit (Lesson 4-6) focuses on the broad elements of the novel,
including the characters, setting and events. Students will consider the way these
broader elements of A Single Stone conform to features of conventional speculative
fiction. This section of the unit also allows students time to fully comprehend and
explore the text as a whole before a closer analysis of the language forms, features and
structures is attempted.

During the third section of this unit (Lesson 7-11) students begin a closer analysis of the
language forms, features and structures employed by McKinlay in A Single Stone.
Students will investigate narrative perspective, narrative voice, specific literary devices
such as imagery, and non-linear and multi-strand narrative structures, through close
reading of the text. During this section of the unit, students will also be given
opportunities to experiment creatively with these narrative forms and features.

The final section of the unit (Lesson 12- 20) encourages the students to make
connections between the thematic concerns of the text and their own worlds. During
this portion of the unit students will be supported in developing their own opinions
about attitudes and ideas presented in the text. Time is also provided in this final
section for students to begin work on their assessment task.

Students learning within this unit will be formally assessed through a creative writing
assessment task.

References

McKinlay, M. (2015) A single stone. Sydney: Walker Books Australia Pty Ltd
 Week 1 Lessons

EN4-6C Lesson 1: Introduction to Speculative Fiction Resources;

A student 1. Fast writing activity: Students are presented with a series of What If? questions about the world, for example, What if a PowerPoint slides
identifies and meteorite hit earth? As they are presented with each question, they are given a couple of minutes to write the beginning of an of definition and
explains imaginative piece in response to the question. (15 minutes; whole class/individual) elements of spec.
connections fiction
2. Inform students that they have just written some speculative fiction. Work through a definition of speculative fiction and some
between and
among texts of its generic conventions. Students should take notes in their workbooks. (10 minutes; whole class)
Class set of novel
3. Students are given 10 minutes of silent reading to continue reading of A Single Stone. (10 minutes; individual)
- categorise
texts by
Lesson 2: Speculative Fiction: Hunger Games film trailer
1. Brainstorm with the students the features of speculative fiction that were discussed in the previous lesson (10 minutes; whole Theatrical trailer
content,
class) for The Hunger
composer
2. Watch the theatrical trailer for The Hunger Games. Conduct an expert/novice group activity. Students are broken into groups of Games:
and genre
https://www.you
consider 5. In these initial groups they are given a number from 1-5. All the 1s, all the 2s etc. congregate to form new groups. These are
tube.com/
language expert groups and they are given an element of speculative fiction to focus upon, for example, new technology. They discuss if and watch?v=2s_7Dxh
forms, how this element was dealt with in The Hunger Games trailer. Students then return to their original groups and report back the lA20
features and findings from each of their expert groups. (20 minutes; group work)
structures of 3. Students are given 10 minutes of silent reading to continue reading A Single Stone. (10 minutes; individual)
texts
Lesson 3: Speculative Fiction: own choice
1. In the previous lesson students would have been instructed to think of a movie or novel that they enjoy and think is an example
of speculative fiction. The students are now broken into pairs and must present their example to their partner, outlining how it
conforms to the speculative fiction genre. (10 minutes; pairs)
2. In the same pairs, student now write a compare/contrast paragraph identifying the similarities and differences between their
two texts, framed by the elements of speculative fiction. (20 minutes; pairs)
3. Students are given 10 minutes of silent reading to continue reading A Single Stone. (10 minutes; individual)
EN4-1A Lesson 4: A Single Stone: Setting
A students 1. Explicit teaching and whole class discussion: Provide students with a definition of setting, and have them copy into their books. Setting PDF for
responds to definition
and composes Conduct a class brainstorm about the importance or significance of setting in speculative fiction. (10 minutes; whole class)
texts for 2. Think-pair-share activity: Have students consider what they already know about the setting of A Single Stone. How is it similar or
understanding, different to the setting of other speculative fiction texts they have encountered? (5 minutes; pairs/whole class)
interpretation, Butchers paper
3. Group task: Students are placed in groups and are asked to visually represent the setting of A Single Stone. This could be in the for visual
critical
analysis,
form of a sketch, a map, a labeled diagram etc. (15 minutes; group work) representation
imaginative 4. Students are given 10 minutes of silent reading to continue reading A Single Stone. (10 minutes; individual)
expression and
pleasure Lesson 5: A Single Stone: Characters
- recognise and 1. The society of A Single Stone is hierarchal. As a whole class, identify the different groups in the society, and how they are ranked Names of
analyse the according to value. Discuss how this gives us insight into what is considered valuable in the society. (15 minutes; whole class) characters cut
ways that into strips and
characterisatio 2. The teacher has a hat with the names of the minor and major characters cut up in it. The students each pick one name out of the
placed in hat
n, events and hat. They are to construct a character profile on that character. This profile is then to be uploaded to the class Weebly page so that
settings are all students can access information about all characters. (15 minutes; individual) Student devices
combined in 3. Students are given 10 minutes of silent reading to continue reading A Single Stone. (10 minutes; individual)
narratives, and and access to
Weebly
 Week 2 Lessons
discuss the Lesson 6: Narrative Events
purposes and 1. Students are broken into groups and given a number of chapters from the novel. Students will make a comic strip summarizing the Paper on
appeal of which to
different events of those chapters. They are to use a maximum of six frames to tell the story. This encourages them to focus on the most
important events. The teacher will collect the comic strips, collate them and upload them to the class Weebly so that all the class has draw comic
approaches
access to a complete visual summary of the novel. (40 minutes; group work)
Lesson 7: Narrative Perspective
1. Read the opening of the text (about 5 pages) out aloud with the students. The teacher could read, or students could read a paragraph
each. Ask; whose perspective, or point of view, is displayed? How does Jena feel about being inside the mountain, and her role in the
line? How does McKinlay create this perspective? These questions can be answered in a class discussion. (15 minutes; whole class)
EN4-3B
2. Students will now re-write the opening (just a few paragraphs) from the perspective of Min or Kari. (20 minutes; individual)
A student 3. Students reflect with a partner how this changed the tone of the opening, and what techniques they used to create perspective. (5
uses and minutes; pairs)
describes Lesson 8: Narrative Voice
language 1. Define narrative voice and introduce students to the different elements of narrative voice that we can analyse, i.e. first or third Narrative
forms, person, level of omniscience, reliability, tone of voice. (10 minutes; whole class) voice
features and 2. Identity that A Single Stone uses third person narrative voice. Ask students to determine whether it is third person omniscient or PowerPoint
structures of third person limited narrative voice. With a partner have them find three examples from the text of how we know the narrative voice is
texts limited to either Jena or Lias mind. (15 minutes; whole class/partners)
appropriate
3. In the first chapter the narrative voice shifts from third person limited from Jenas viewpoint, to third person limited from Lias
to a range of
viewpoint. Contrast the two narrative voices. Is the tone of the voices different? How has McKinlay created this difference in tone? Why
purposes,
audiences do you think McKinlay has used two different narrative voices? The students should write a paragraph answering these three
and contexts. questions. This will be collected by the teacher as an informal piece of assessment to check students progress. (15 minutes; individual)
- recognise Lesson 9: Characterisation- Jena
and use 1. Ask students; did they like Jena? Why or why not? What are some words you would use to describe Jena? Introduce the idea of Jigsaw
appropriate characterisation. (10 minutes; whole class) activity
metalanguage 2. Conduct a jigsaw group activity. Students are broken into groups of 4 and decide on one word they think best describes Jena. Each worksheet
in discussing a member of the group focuses on a different way McKinlay has given us this information about Jena (i.e. from her actions, what she says,
range of
what other characters say about her). Each member finds three examples from the text. At the end each member shares with the whole
language
forms, features group. (30 minutes; groups)
and structures Lesson 10: Inside the mountain
1. Ask the students how reading the passages when the girls are inside the mountain made them feel. Have them brainstorm some Appendix A
words they would use to describe that feeling. (5 minutes; individual)
2.Throughout the novel, an atmosphere of anxiety and claustrophobia is created in the passages where the girls are inside the
mountain. During this lesson the students will closely analyze the language used to create this atmosphere. As a whole class work
through the extract from chapter 13 (see Appendix A). Here the teacher will model how to closely analyze a text and explicitly teach
certain meta language relevant to the extract (present participle verbs, lexical chain, truncated sentences etc.) Students will have the
extract in front of them and will annotate as teaching occurs. (15 minutes; whole class)
2. In pairs, students will choose another passage of the text that takes place inside the mountain and focus on the same question, How
is an atmosphere of anxiety and claustrophobia created inside the mountain? (10 minutes)
3. The pair now pairs up with another pair. They take turns going through the extracts together, teaching each other what they have
analyzed in the extract. (10 minutes)
 Week 3 Lessons
EN4- 2A Lesson 11: Structure
1.Students open up the class Weebly to the comic strip the class created last week. Ask; how many stories are there in the comic strip? Students Student
effectively share their answers with the class, with the teacher revealing that there are three stories; Jenas main story, the flashbacks of Jenas childhood devices and
uses a and Lias story. (10 minutes; whole class/pairs) access to
widening Weebly
2. Explain to students the idea of non-traditional narrative structures, focusing upon flashbacks and multiple narrative threads. Students should
range of
processes, write notes on these in their workbooks. (10 minutes; whole class)
skills, 3. In groups assign students sections of the novel where the different stories meet. Ask; what are the similarities and differences in the way
strategies and McKinlay has written the different narratives? Did you find this structure confusing? What difference would it have made if the structure was
knowledge more linear? Students discuss in groups, and then choose a representative to report back to the class. (20 minutes; groups)
for Lesson 12: What do you think?
responding to 1. The next two lessons will be dedicated to students forming their own opinion about the society of A Single Stone. Present students with the
and following statement: The Mothers were justified in adjusting the girls and manipulating the pregnancies. In their situation they had no other
composing choice. Have the students go to one side of the room if they agree with the statement, and the other side if they disagree. If they are unsure they
texts in can stay in the middle. (5 minutes; whole class)
different
media and
2. Break the students into groups of four based on whether they agreed or disagreed with the statement. The students who stayed in the middle
technologies can be used to even the groups. Explain to the students that in this lesson they will be constructing an argument, arguing either that the Mothers
actions were justifiable or unjustifiable. They will be presenting their arguments in a debate format next lesson. (5 minutes; whole class)
- reflect on 3. The remainder of the lesson is spent preparing their argument. (30 minutes; group work).
ideas and Lesson 13: Class debate
opinions 1.This lesson is dedicated to the class debate. Affirmative groups are paired with negative groups. Each group has a minute to present their main
about argument, and then one minute at the end to rebut the other groups main points. Depending on the class this activity could be done as a whole
characters, class, or in smaller groups if the teacher assesses that the public speaking will cause too much anxiety. (30 minutes; whole class/groups)
settings and 2. Students will reflect on the activity and if their opinion about the Mothers changed during this debate. Students write this reflection in a short
events in
paragraph. (10 minutes; individual)
literary texts,
identifying Lesson 14: What If?
areas of 1.Remind the students that at the beginning of the unit we learnt that speculative fiction is about asking What If? questions. Have students list
agreement some of the What If? questions that McKinlay could be answering in A Single Stone. This list will be used to begin considering the connections
and between the students worlds, and the world of the text. (10 minutes; whole class/individual)
difference 2. Write a list of all of the students questions on the board. Ask students to try and group the questions into themes (i.e. questions about the
with others natural world, questions about interfering with girls bodies, questions about people being isolated from the world etc.) (15 minutes; whole
and justifying class)
a point of 3. Explicit teaching: These groups of questions can be thought of as the themes of the text. In our exploration of themes we are exploring the
view meaning of a text, or the ideas that the author is trying to communicate. In speculative fiction, authors are often trying to communicate ideas or
concerns about our world.
4. In pairs, ask students to discuss what concerns about our world McKinlay may be exploring in A Single Stone. Why is speculative fiction a good
genre for these concerns to be explored? (10 minutes; pairs)
Lesson 15: Assessment task introduction
1. Hand out the assessment task that will be due one week after this unit of work is finished. Copies of
2. Discuss with students the parameters and expectations of the task, and explicitly demonstrate the ways that they would use the work they assessment
have already completed in this unit to assist them with their creative writing. Answer any questions. (15 minutes; whole class) task
3. The rest of this lesson can be spent beginning to work on the task. Students can begin making a profile for their main character, plotting out
the events and structure of their story, or thinking about the main theme they want to explore.
 Week 4 Lessons
EN4-7D Lesson 16: Sustainability
A student 1. In chapter 9, Jena recounts the myth of the Seven and the rock fall that caused the village to be isolated from the outside world.
demonstrates Students are asked the read this section of the text and consider the way the mountain is personified as a living entity that seeks
understanding revenge on the village. Students should find specific language techniques and quotations as examples. (10 minutes; individual)
of how texts
2. Brainstorm with the whole class what issues from our world McKinlay may be exploring through her representation of the
can express
aspects of their natural world in A Single Stone. How does the book make a comment about the importance of sustainable practices? (10 minutes;
broadening whole class)
world 3. Students imagine that they are in Jenas village and are asked to write a letter that will travel back in time to convince the past
and their members of the village that they should not be so greedy in mining the mountain. Students should consider how they would
relationships convince the miners to have more sustainable practices. (20 minutes; individual)
within it Lesson 17: Body Image
1. The girls in A Single Stone are under a great deal of pressure to control their bodies. In pairs, write a list of all the things the
- draw on girls in the novel do to try and control their bodies. (10 minutes; pairs).
experience to
2. Imagine you were a girl in the village who was trying to make it on to the Line. Write a diary entry explaining your daily
consider the
ways the 'real activities and also how you feel about your body. (15 minutes; individual)
world' is 3. As a whole class, discuss the way modern society also makes young girls feel that they need to control their bodies. How does
represented in McKinlay use A Single Stone to make a comment on the issue of body image? Why is using speculative fiction to make this
the imaginary comment more powerful than writing an opinion piece in the newspaper? Use these questions to conduct a robust class
worlds of texts, discussion. Students conclude by writing a paragraph summarising the class discussion. (15 minutes; whole class/individual)
including Lesson 18: Visual representation
imaginative 1.In this lesson students are asked to create a visual representation of what they found to be more the most powerful idea Student devices
literature, film,
explored in A Single Stone. If students are struggling to think of an idea, ask them to first consider what issue from our world
media and
multimedia texts McKinlay was speculating about, or what What if? she was asking.. They are free to use the two issues already explored in class;
sustainability and body image. (5 minutes; whole class instructions)
2. Students are free to use whatever form of visual representation they would like, they can draw, make a digital collage, a
Powerpoint etc. Emphasise to the students that they can use some words, but they should try and use more pictures, and colours
to communicate their ideas. (35 minutes; individual)

EN4-2A Assessment Task Preparation

- consider and 1. This lesson is dedicated to students working on their assessment task. Inform students that in the next lesson they will be self Assessment task
apply a range of and peer editing sections of their creative writing so they need to have a at least the first few paragraphs completed and
strategies to uploaded to the class Weebly for next lesson. (40 minutes; individual)
improve their
texts, including Self and peer editing session
editing by 1. Students self-edit the paragraphs of creative writing they completed in the previous lesson. They are asked to recognise the Student devices and
rereading and access to Weebly
strengths and weaknesses of their paragraphs, and identify the way they have used specific language devices to communicate
peer editing,
their ideas. (10 minutes; individual)
2. Peer editing; Students are placed into groups of four and access each others creative writing samples through the class
Weebly. They take turns peer-editing each other works, recognising the strengths and weaknesses of the writing and identifying
specific language techniques used. They are also asked to offer suggestions. (30 minutes; group work)
 Year 8 Assessment Task

Unit: Stage 4 Speculative Fiction: A Single Stone

Activity: Opening scene of own speculative fiction story

DUE DATE: 10 APRIL

Context

In this unit, students have been exploring features of speculative fiction through a
close study of A Single Stone by Meg McKinlay. Students have developed an
understanding of specific language choices made by McKinlay to shape meaning.
Students have also explored the way which speculative fiction comments upon and
investigates issues in our own world.

Description of task

Part 1: Students will compose the opening of their own piece of speculative fiction
(500 words). They should consider the What if? question they wish to explore, the
specific language techniques they will use, and the way their piece addresses a
concern they have about their own world.

Part 2: Students will compose a blog post explaining the purpose of their story, and
justifying the specific language choices they have made. (300 words)

Assessment is to be submitted through the assessment portal of the online

classroom.
Outcomes

EN4-1A responds to and composes texts for understanding, interpretation, critical

analysis, imaginative expression and pleasure
EN4-3B uses and describes language forms, features and structures of texts appropriate
to a range of purposes, audiences and contexts
ENG4-7Ddemonstrates understanding of how texts can express aspects of their
broadening world and their relationships within it

Criteria for assessing learning

Students will be assessed on their ability to;

Compose an engaging imaginative piece through
- Construction of a believable and engaging narrative voice
- Using of specific language techniques to shape meaning
- Exploring a relevant What If? question
- Accuracy in spelling, punctuation and grammar

Justify their choices in a blog post by;

- Demonstrating an understanding of the unique conventions and
purpose of speculative fiction
- Articulating the purpose of their story
- Identifying and justifying specific language features they have used to
shape meaning

Feedback

- Students will undertake self-assessment of their learning based on the

marking criteria.
- Students will receive formal feedback from the teacher in the form of
an evaluation sheet, and an individual oral feedback session with the
teacher in the weeks following the task.
Assessment Task format based upon:

NESA (2015) Sample Assessment for Learning Activities. Retrieved from

http://syllabus.nesa.nsw.edu.au/assets/global/files/english_710_sampleafl.pdf