Fantastical Senses Explored

Year Level

Year 8

Duration

51 minutes

Class Size

25 students

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Curriculum Links

Australian Curriculum Version 9 — English

• ACELY1805 Explore and explain how texts from different historical, social, and cultural contexts may reflect or challenge the values of contemporary society.
• ACELT1628 Analyze how the choice of language features, images, and vocabulary contributes to the development of character, setting, and plot in narratives.
• ACELY1711 Plan, draft, and publish imaginative, informative, and persuasive texts, selecting aspects of subject matter, language, and visual features to convey information and influence audiences.

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Learning Intentions (I can…)

• Explain how fantastical stories can challenge our senses and perceptions of reality.
• Analyse visual effects within fantastical stories and explain how they help tell the story.
• Identify and use at least five adjectives that describe fantastical elements, especially from Alice in Wonderland.

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Success Criteria

• I can describe elements in Alice in Wonderland that make the story fantastical.
• I can explain how visual and descriptive language effects influence the story’s meaning.
• I use adjectives accurately to describe characters and settings in a fantasy context.

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Lesson Outline

Time	Activity	Details	Resources
0–5 mins	Introduction: Setting the Context	Teacher introduces the term fantastical and asks students what makes a story feel ‘unreal’ or magical. Briefly discuss Alice in Wonderland as a familiar example.	Whiteboard, markers
5–15 mins	Read & Visual Analyse: Alice in Wonderland Extract	Read a selected vivid passage from Alice in Wonderland (choose a scene with visually rich descriptions, e.g., the Mad Hatter’s tea party). Show accompanying illustrations or film clips focusing on surreal visual effects. Ask: How do these visuals challenge what we expect from reality?	Book passage or film clip, projector
15–25 mins	Group Activity: Describing Fantasy with Adjectives	In small groups, students list adjectives describing the scene or characters (prompt at least five: e.g., curious, whimsical, gigantic, mysterious, colourful). Each group shares their adjectives, and teacher creates a collective word bank on the board.	Worksheet with extract, word bank resource
25–35 mins	Class Discussion: How Fantastical Stories Challenge Our Senses	Discuss scenarios in the text: How does Alice experience things differently? How do sights, sounds, or feelings in the story confuse or surprise the senses? Tie to the essential question: How do these techniques make the story more engaging or meaningful?	Visual aids from previous activity
35–45 mins	Creative Application: Visual & Descriptive Challenge	Individually or in pairs, students create a short visual or written description (one paragraph) of their own fantastical scene using at least five adjectives from the word bank. Encourage creativity and sensory detail to 'challenge the senses'.	Paper, coloured pencils or digital devices
45–50 mins	Share & Reflect	Volunteers share their descriptions or visuals. Teacher highlights use of adjectives and the way senses were challenged. Recap how Alice in Wonderland used these elements effectively.	Students’ work
50–51 mins	Plenary & Exit Ticket	Students write a one or two sentence response: “One way a fantastical story challenges my senses is…” Collect for assessment.	Exit tickets or sticky notes

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Differentiation: “Ethan Off the Couch” Options

• For Ethan, who may have difficulties with engagement or sitting still:
• Allow breaks with brief physical movement (e.g., short stretch or walk).
• Use a tactile, hands-on activity: allowing Ethan to handle props or illustrations representing fantastical elements to better engage his senses.
• Pair Ethan with a buddy for group activities to provide peer support.
• Provide sentence starters or a template for the creative writing task to scaffold ideas and reduce cognitive load.
• Use digital tools (e.g., voice-to-text apps) if writing is a challenge.

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Assessment Opportunities

• Observation of participation in group adjective listing and discussion.
• Review of creative writing/visual description to assess understanding of fantasy elements and use of adjectives.
• Exit ticket serves as formative evidence of the student’s ability to explain how fantastical stories challenge the senses.

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Notes for Teachers

• Select an appropriate Alice in Wonderland extract that vividly engages visual senses and includes clear fantastical elements.
• Emphasise the power of descriptive language and visual storytelling to stretch imagination.
• Encourage students to think beyond what they see and hear — how fantasy can reshape reality and perception.

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This lesson provides a rich, multimodal inquiry into fantasy using Alice in Wonderland as a scaffold. It meets Australian Curriculum (v9) Year 8 English content descriptors on analysing texts and creating imaginative responses, especially connecting language features, visual effects, and literary devices to audience experience.