Annotating Youth Media

Overview

In Lesson 8 of 24 in Representations of Australian Youth, students apply annotation skills to a written media text about Australian skateboarder Arisa Trew. They identify language features, audience and purpose, then support observations with evidence from the article.

Learning intentions

• WALT apply annotation skills to a written media text.
• WALT identify language features that shape meaning.
• WALT explain how an article represents Australian youth.
• WALT connect language choices to audience and purpose.

Success criteria

• I can identify and label language features in the article.
• I can use colour-coding to show different types of evidence.
• I can explain how a language choice affects the reader.
• I can support my ideas with accurate words or phrases from the text.

Curriculum links

• Evaluative language and substantiating judgements with evidence from texts and other sources.
• Analysing how language features shape meaning for different audiences and purposes.
• Exploring representations, ideas and points of view in literary and media texts.
• Identifying how text structures and language features vary according to purpose.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Hook and retrieval. Display the opening question in the hook and retrieval slides: “How can a news article make a young person seem inspiring, ordinary or exceptional?” Students silently write one response, then share a remembered annotation strategy from the previous lesson with a partner. Invite two responses and clarify that today’s focus is applying, not simply naming, techniques.

2. 5–13 min · Vocabulary and purpose. Use the vocabulary and purpose slides to introduce or revisit representation, audience, purpose, evaluative language, achievement, perseverance and emotive language. Students match each word to a brief definition on the annotation practice worksheet, then predict the likely audience and purpose of the Arisa Trew article. Ask: “What might the writer want readers to think or feel about Arisa?” Record several defensible predictions.

3. 13–23 min · Modelled annotation. Project the first paragraph of the teacher-provided Arisa Trew article through the modelled annotation slides. Read it aloud, or play the audio reading option, while students follow on their worksheet. Think aloud as you highlight one factual detail, circle an evaluative word, underline a powerful verb and bracket a sentence that reveals the article’s purpose. Model a margin note: “The word ___ presents Arisa as ___, encouraging readers to ___.” Emphasise that an annotation must explain the effect, not merely name a feature.

4. 23–43 min · Independent annotation practice. Distribute the annotation practice worksheet with the article passage and colour key. Students annotate individually, using blue for facts or statistics, yellow for evaluative or emotive language, green for language describing Arisa’s qualities or actions, and pink for evidence of audience and purpose. They complete at least six annotations, including two effect explanations. Circulate and ask: “Which exact words support your idea?” and “What response might this create in the intended audience?” Students who finish early identify one feature that contributes to a positive representation of Australian youth.

5. 43–53 min · Evidence discussion and refinement. Display the discussion prompts in the pair-discussion and refinement slides. In pairs, students compare one annotation and read the relevant phrase aloud. Each partner decides whether the explanation is supported, then improves it using the frame: “The phrase ‘___’ is ___ language because ___. It shapes the reader’s view of ___ by ___.” Students add or revise one annotation in a different colour. Select two contrasting examples for brief whole-class discussion, accepting multiple interpretations when evidence is sound.

6. 53–60 min · Plenary and exit check. Return to the opening question using the plenary slides. Students complete the final box on the annotation practice worksheet: “The article represents Australian youth as ___ because the writer uses ___ in the phrase ‘___’ to make readers ___.” Ask three volunteers to share. Collect worksheets to check whether students can link a quoted detail, language feature, effect and purpose.

Resources

• the complete annotation practice slide deck
• the annotation practice worksheet
• Teacher-provided Arisa Trew written media article
• Audio recording or text-to-speech version of the article
• Projector or interactive whiteboard
• Four-colour highlighters or coloured pencils
• Word wall or displayed vocabulary list

Assessment

• Listen to predictions and vocabulary explanations to check understanding of audience, purpose and evaluative language.
• Confer with students during annotation, checking that labels are attached to precise textual evidence and explanations address reader impact.
• Use the completed annotation and exit response to assess whether students can connect language features with representation, audience and purpose.

Differentiation

• Provide the colour-coded annotation guide, a reduced number of required annotations and sentence starters such as “The word ___ suggests…” and “This makes the reader…”.
• Offer dyslexia-friendly access through audio reading, text-to-speech, a clear sans-serif font, increased spacing, short sections and permission to annotate a larger-print copy.
• Pre-teach vocabulary with student-friendly definitions and allow students to discuss ideas orally before writing.
• Support students who need it by highlighting two possible evidence points; extend confident students by asking them to compare the article’s representation with another text from the unit and evaluate which is more convincing.