Interactivity in Digital Texts

Lesson overview

• Year Level: 10
• Class Size: 15 students
• Duration: 60 minutes
• Unit: Navigating Digital Texts (Lesson 7 of 30)
• Learning Area: Other (Digital Literacy focus within Victorian Curriculum Digital Technologies and English)

Learning Intentions (WALT)

We Are Learning To (WALT):

• Understand the concept of interactivity in digital texts.
• Explore how interactivity enhances user experience.
• Identify and describe different types of interactive elements in digital texts.

Success Criteria

By the end of the lesson students will be able to:

• Describe what interactivity means in the context of digital texts.
• Explain how interactivity improves engagement and user experience.
• Identify examples of interactive elements in a range of digital platforms.
• (Extension) Design a simple interactive element for a digital text.

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Victorian Curriculum Alignment

Digital Technologies

• VCDTDI041: Explain how digital systems use hardware and software to communicate and follow a sequence of steps (algorithms) to create solutions.
• VCDTDI042: Design, modify and follow simple algorithms involving branching, iteration and user input to create interactive digital solutions.
• VCDTDI044: Evaluate how well a digital solution meets the needs of each user.

English

• ACELY1757: Plan, create and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts, choosing digital technologies as appropriate to task, purpose and audience.
• ACELY1758: Create texts for imaginative, informative and persuasive purposes that incorporate multimodal elements.

These standards support the focus on understanding, analysing, and creating interactive digital texts to enhance user experience and engagement.

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Lesson Breakdown

Time	Activity	Description	Differentiation & Engagement
0–5 min	Introduction & WALT

• Briefly introduce the lesson's focus: Interactivity in digital texts.
• Write WALT and Success Criteria on board/projector.
• Activate prior knowledge: Ask students what interactive digital texts are and where they experience them daily (e.g. websites, apps, games). |
  For diverse learners: Use visual examples and simple language; provide sentence starters for contributions.
  For advanced learners: Encourage elaboration on different types of interactivity. | | 5–15 min | Teacher-led Exploration |
• Explain interactivity: interaction between user and digital content where the user’s choices influence the text experience.
• Show examples of interactive digital texts (e.g. interactive websites, digital games, augmented reality, quizzes, hyperlinked texts).
• Discuss how these elements (buttons, choices, hyperlinks) enhance user engagement. |
  Use multimedia presentation with videos/screenshots.
  Use real-world examples to contextualise. | | 15–30 min | Group Task: Analyse Interactive Features |
• Students work in small groups (3-4) to investigate an assigned digital text type (e.g. digital storybook, interactive website, e-learning module).
• Each group lists identified interactive elements and describes how they enhance user experience.
• Groups prepare a 2-minute presentation for the class. |
  Provide scaffolding worksheets with guiding questions.
  Support EAL/D students with vocabulary lists.
  Challenge advanced learners to include the accessibility benefits of interactivity. | | 30–45 min | Class Presentations & Discussion |
• Groups present findings.
• Facilitate discussion on similarities/differences of interactive elements and their purposes.
• Emphasise how interactivity personalises and improves engagement with texts. |
  Encourage peer feedback norms.
  Use graphic organiser to record key points visually. | | 45–55 min | Individual Extension Task: Design an Interactive Element |
• Students individually design a concept for an interactive element within a digital text of their choice (e.g., clickable map, quiz, branching story).
• Include a sketch or diagram and explanation of user interaction and benefit.
• Students can use paper or digital tools (e.g., drawing software). |
  Offer differentiated entry points: simple design vs. complex interaction.
  Encourage creative freedom for advanced learners. | | 55–60 min | Reflection and Exit Ticket |
• Recap: Revisit Success Criteria, asking students to self-assess their understanding.
• Exit ticket prompt: "One way interactivity enhances digital texts is…"
• Collect exit tickets or use quick digital poll. |
  Use thumbs up/down for instant feedback.
  Provide sentence stems for reluctant writers. |

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Resources Needed

• Projector or large screen for presentation
• Examples of interactive digital texts (videos/screenshots)
• Worksheets with guided questions for group task
• Drawing materials or digital drawing tools (tablets/laptops) for extension task
• Exit ticket slips or digital polling tool

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Differentiation Strategies

• Support: Use visuals, sentence starters, vocabulary lists, peer support, and verbal instructions.
• Challenge: Encourage deeper analysis of accessibility and user experience, and more complex design ideas for interactive elements.
• Engagement: Connect tasks to students’ digital experiences and interests. Use tech tools familiar to students.
• Inclusion: Allow verbal or visual presentation options; flexible grouping.

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Assessment

• Observation during group work and presentations to assess understanding of interactivity concepts.
• Evaluation of individual interactive element designs for creativity, clarity of purpose, and user experience enhancement.
• Exit tickets to monitor individual understanding and areas needing reinforcement.

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Teacher Notes / Tips to Impress

• Emphasise real-world application: how interactivity informs web design, gaming, e-learning.
• Use engaging multimedia examples (interactive story apps, websites with embedded quizzes).
• Allow students to explore accessible design aspects, such as keyboard navigation or screen reader compatibility if possible.
• Suggest students consider First Nations storytelling digital forms respecting Victorian Curriculum cross-curriculum priorities and cultural inclusiveness.
• Use open-ended questioning to stimulate critical thinking about user experience.

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This lesson plan seamlessly integrates the Victorian Curriculum’s Digital Technologies and English standards by focusing on interactive digital texts, enhancing student engagement and literacy in digital environments. It also offers structured differentiation, clear learning intentions, and opportunities for creative extension, tailored specifically to Year 10 learners in Victoria.