Exploring Setting Impact

Year Level: 9

Duration: 50 minutes

Class Size: 20 students

Subject: English

Unit: Exploring Intersectional Narratives

Lesson No: 23 of 30

Lesson Title: Exploring Setting and Its Impact

Curriculum Alignment

Victorian Curriculum Content Descriptions (English Year 9)

VCELT448: Analyse and evaluate how text structures and language features work together in literary texts to support the author’s purpose and engage the audience.
VCELT442: Examine how authors develop characters, settings, and events in literary texts by using language features.
VCELY368: Use comprehension strategies to interpret, analyse and discuss texts, comparing content, context and textual features across a range of texts.
VCELY371: Create imaginative, informative and persuasive texts that present a point of view and incorporate stylistic devices to engage the audience.
VCELT439: Analyse and explain the effect of technical and symbolic features in narrative texts, including setting, characterisation, and point of view.

Learning Intention (WALT)

We Are Learning To:

Understand the role of setting in narratives and how it shapes characters and plot development.
Analyse the impact of setting in a selected text.
Express our interpretations of setting through written and oral responses.

Success Criteria

Students will:

Describe elements of setting in a narrative text with specific examples.
Explain how setting influences character actions, mood, and themes.
Use appropriate metalanguage to discuss setting and narrative impact.
Demonstrate critical thinking through analysis and independent responses.

Lesson Plan Outline

Time	Activity	Description	Differentiation / Notes
0-5 min	Do Now (Engage)	Students write 2-3 sentences describing their favourite setting from a book, film or story they know.	Provide sentence starters or graphic organisers for students needing writing support.
5-15 min	Explicit Instruction (Explain)	Teacher-led discussion: What is setting? Why is it important? How does setting influence narrative elements?	Use multimodal examples (video clips, images, excerpts) showing diverse settings.
15-25 min	Guided Analysis	As a class, examine a short story extract (chosen for diverse intersectional themes, e.g., culture, place).	Select a dyslexia-friendly version of text; print copies in larger font; read aloud to support all learners.
25-40 min	Independent Practice	Students analyse the setting of a chosen story/passage (provided or own choice relevant to their interests).	Provide scaffolding sheets with guiding questions for varied ability levels; extension task for advanced learners: propose an alternative setting and predict narrative change.
40-47 min	Sharing & Reflecting	Students share one insight about how setting shapes the story with a partner or small group.	Encourage students to use metalanguage. Sentence stems: “The setting impacts the character because…”, “The mood is influenced by…”
47-50 min	Plenary & Exit Ticket	Quick written or oral response: Identify one way the setting changed the story’s course or characters’ actions.	Use thumbs-up/down or emoji cards for quick formative assessment.

Teaching and Learning Activities in Detail

1. Do Now: Favourite Setting (5 min)

Prompt: "Describe a setting from a story or book you really liked. What made it memorable?"
Supports self-expression and engages prior knowledge.
Visual prompts or word banks may assist some students.

2. Explicit Instruction: Setting's Role (10 min)

Teacher explains setting elements: time, place, socio-cultural context, environment.
Discuss the intersectionality of setting — how setting intersects with culture, identity and social issues.
Show excerpts/video examples to illustrate varied settings and their effects on mood and plot.
E.g., urban vs rural settings; historical/cultural settings affecting characters' experiences.

3. Guided Text Analysis (10 min)

As a class, read and annotate a short story extract illustrating key setting features and intersectional layers.
Focus questions: Where and when is the story set? How does the setting affect the characters? What mood does it create?

4. Independent Practice: Setting Analysis (15 min)

Students select a short story or passage (digital or print) and analyse using a scaffold:
- Identify features of setting (time, place, mood, cultural context).
- Explain how setting impacts characters and events.
- Record responses in structured worksheet.
Extension for advanced students: Imagine the story in a different setting; predict how narrative or characters might change.

5. Sharing and Reflection (7 min)

Pair or small group discussion sharing insights and using relevant literary terms such as ‘atmosphere’, ‘context’, ‘social setting’.
Teacher facilitates use of metalanguage and provides feedback.

6. Plenary: Exit Ticket (3 min)

Students write or say one way the setting changes the story.
Informal assessment to inform following lessons.

Differentiation Strategies

Provide audio versions or read-aloud for dyslexic learners and those with reading difficulties.
Use graphic organisers to help structure analysis.
Sentence starters and metalanguage glossaries to support ESL and emerging writers.
Visual aids and relatable examples for neurodiverse learners.
Flexible grouping to provide peer support and challenge.

Extension Opportunities

Create a multimodal presentation or digital collage representing the setting of the analysed story.
Write an alternative ending influenced by changing the setting.
Research a cultural setting unfamiliar to them and present how narratives are shaped by that context.

Resources

Selected story excerpts or short stories with rich, diverse settings reflecting intersectional perspectives.
Dyslexia-friendly texts (clear fonts, spacing).
Graphic organisers for analysis.
Projector or screen for multimedia examples.
Metalanguage glossary (e.g., setting, mood, context, atmosphere).

Teacher Reflection Prompts

Were students able to identify and explain the impact of setting in diverse narratives?
Did the activities engage all learners, especially those with learning difficulties?
Were metalanguage and analytic skills effectively developed and applied?
How did independent practice reveal students’ critical thinking?

This lesson plan closely follows the Victorian Curriculum English standards for Year 9 with focus on analyzing narrative elements, specifically setting, and its impact on character and plot, incorporating cultural and social dimensions consistent with an intersectional lens in narratives . It offers scaffolded supports, dyslexia-friendly options, and extension tasks suitable for a diverse classroom in Victorian secondary schools, especially for teachers integrating English with Humanities and VCE VM contexts.

Teaching Instructions