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 * Resource: Lesson 5: Visual Grammar**

Link: http://australianmuseum.net.au/image/Insect-Diagram

[[image:everywhere_what_insect-[Con.jpg]]


 * Explanation of resource **

This resource is a visual text of an insect thus is appropriate to utilise within a unit on 'Mini Beasts'. It is a scientific representation of the structure of an insect and is accompanied with written labels that provide further information on the parts of an insect. It is generic in nature, in the way that it is not specific to a certain 'mini beast' thus provides for a scaffold for an analysis of the visual features of a Conceptual Analytical Structured text. The written labels of the visual use scientific terminology and jargon. The resource supports the learning needed to create a documentary(rich multi-modal task) as students will need to create a Conceptual Analytical Structured visual of a specified insect, for the documentary.


 * Relevance to outcome **

The visual text is related to the focus outcome as it allows students to identify the structure of a living thing(i.e. an insect). The visual representation also allows students to observe the structure of an insect, which is an element addressed in outcomes related to Investigating Scientifically. In addition, the analytical nature of the text provides for a scientific perspective of the physical attributes of an insect, thus adhering to the outcome. Students will therefore be able to use the diagram to consider ways in which an insect may use the different parts of its body to interact with the environment and other living things.


 * Aspects of literacy to be explored **

The resource allows students to explore aspects of visual grammar and how composers represent meaning in analytical visual texts. Students will examine how “Analysis involves selection”(Kress & Van Leeuwen, 2006, p.88) and therefore involves selecting what to include and what to regard in a visual representation. Specifically, students will be exposed to learning about the experiential, interactive and compositional elements of a visual text, in specific relation to a Conceptual Analytical Structured text. Students will explore and discuss how these elements are combined to create a text that is characteristic of a Conceptual Analytical Structured visual. Moreover, students will explore images that represent the part/whole relationship, where the whole is referred to as the Carrier and the parts as Possessive Attributes(Kress & Van Leeuwen, 2006, p.88).

Particularly, the resource allows students to explore the part/whole relationship through the representation of an insect(Unsworth, 2001, p.84). Students will engage with the Experiential aspect of the visual text specifically. Students will be able to identify that the visual is not a narrative, rather is conceptual. The inclusion of the Carrier and Possessive Attributes of one entity, will inform the responder that the text is an analytical, rather than a classification or symbolic visual. In addition, concepts such as modality, social distance, salience, reduction of light and shade and the information value of the text will be explored via identifying these elements in the stimulus visual(Kress & Van Leeuwen, 2006, p.88). Students will explore how these features create meaning to a text when combined. Through analysing the stimulus visual, students will examine how Structural Analytical visuals usually have low modality, and always have labels indicating the Possessive Attributes of the Carrier( Kress & Van Leeuwen, 2006, p.88). In this way, students will be able to use the classifications derived from the stimulus text, to produce a Structural Analytical visual on a specified insect. This therefore links to the Science and Technology outcome of the unit.


 * References **

Kress, G., & Van Leeuwen, T. (2006). //Reading images: the grammar of visual design//. United Kingdom: Routledge.

Unsworth, L. (2001). //Teaching multiliteracies across the curriculum: changing contexts of text and image in classroom practice//. England: Open University.