Reflecting Intersectional Narratives

Year Level

Year 9

Duration

50 minutes

Class Size

20 students

Lesson Overview

This final lesson in the "Exploring Intersectional Narratives" unit encourages students to reflect thoughtfully on their peers' presentations and the key learning from the whole unit. It incorporates writing, group discussion, and explicit teaching about reflection as a critical learning skill, aligned with the Victorian Curriculum English standards for Year 9.

Victorian Curriculum Alignment

Victorian Curriculum: English (Year 9)

VCELT439 – Reflect on learning to improve understanding and skills.
VCELY368 – Analyse how text structures, language features, and cohesion achieve specific purposes and effects.
VCELY370 – Draw on a range of strategies to interpret, analyse, and critique texts.
VCELY369 – Use interaction skills to discuss ideas and perspectives in groups.

General Capabilities: Critical and Creative Thinking, Personal and Social Capability.

WALT (We Are Learning To)

Reflect on and articulate our learning from peers’ presentations.
Understand the role and importance of reflection in learning and personal growth.
Share key takeaways from exploring intersectional narratives.

Success Criteria

I can write clearly about what I learned from others' presentations.
I can explain why reflection is a valuable part of learning.
I can participate respectfully and thoughtfully in group discussions.
I can identify and share meaningful insights from the unit.

Materials and Resources

Student laptops or notebooks for writing.
Whiteboard and markers.
Prepared prompt questions for guided discussion.
Dyslexia-friendly printed reflection templates (with clear fonts, plenty of spacing, and visual organisers).

Lesson Structure and Timing

Time	Activity	Details
0–5 mins	Do Now: Individual Written Reflection	Students write a short paragraph responding to: “What did you learn from your peers’ presentations about intersectional narratives?” Provide dyslexia-friendly templates with prompts such as sentence starters (e.g., "One thing I learned was...", "Something that surprised me was...", "I now understand more about..."). This primes thinking and encourages self-expression.
5–10 mins	Explicit Instruction: Importance of Reflection	Teacher discusses with the class: What is reflection? Why do we reflect on learning? Explain how reflection helps deepen understanding, helps us connect ideas, and supports growth personally and academically. Use real-life examples (e.g., sports practice, musicians rehearsing). Link to curriculum objective VCELT439 about reflecting on learning.
10–35 mins	Guided Practice: Group Discussion	Divide class into four groups of five students. Each group discusses these questions:

What were some common themes we noticed in the presentations?
How did learning about intersectionality broaden your understanding of identity and diversity?
Can you share an example from a presentation that challenged your thinking?
How can reflection continue to help us learn in other subjects and life situations?
Teacher circulates, guiding and probing with questions to deepen discussion. Groups nominate one person to record key takeaways on a shared whiteboard or chart paper. | | 35–45 mins | Whole Class Sharing and Synthesis | Groups share their key takeaways. Teacher facilitates synthesis and emphasises the importance of understanding multiple perspectives, which is central to intersectional narratives. Reinforce that reflection is a continuous cycle of learning. | | 45–50 mins | Lesson Closure and Exit Slip | Students write a short ‘exit slip’ answering: “Why is reflecting on our learning important for understanding complex topics like intersectionality?” Collection of exit slips to inform teacher of student understanding and to plan any follow-up. |

Differentiation Strategies

For Diverse Learners:
- Dyslexia-friendly writing templates with scaffolded sentence starters and visual organisers.
- Provide audio recording option for reflections for students who struggle with writing.
- Allow use of speech-to-text technology if available.
- Small group sizes to encourage participation and reduce anxiety.
For Advanced Learners:
- Encourage elaborated reflections incorporating metacognitive insights on how their perspectives changed.
- Challenge them to make connections between intersectional narratives and current social issues or literature.
- Invite to lead discussion points or summarise group insights.

Extension Activities

Create a personal reflective journal documenting the unit's impact on how they view identity, culture, and society, using multimodal formats (video, art, writing).
Research a contemporary author or activist who uses intersectional narratives and prepare a presentation or essay.
Facilitate a peer-to-peer mentoring session to teach reflection skills in other subjects.

Notes for Teacher

Model reflection by sharing your own learning journey through this unit.
Emphasise respect and openness during discussions, as topics may be sensitive.
Use real examples from students’ presentations to personalise the discussion.
Keep language accessible and clear to engage all learners.

This lesson plan, rooted in the Victorian Curriculum English Year 9 learning objectives, nurtures critical reflection, respectful discussion, and deeper understanding of complex social narratives, ending the unit with meaningful student engagement and assessment of learning. It uses explicit instruction on reflection, supported writing activities, collaborative dialogue, and differentiation for diverse learners to maximise achievement and inclusion.