Why is literacy a critical skill and how can we develop it through the HASS curriculum?

Welcome back parents and carers to our third and final HASS blog 🌟

This week we will be taking a closer look at the importance of Literacy development and the ways in which it can be embedded in a Historical learning context through a fictional text. 

What knowledge and skills are the students gaining from literacy through history learning? 

Literacy development is a tool that develops many skills such as: comprehension, persuasive conversation and critical thinking (Gilbert & Hoepper 2014). Consequently, it is a General Capability of the Australian Curriculum and is expected to be a focus in most subject areas. Learning about Aboriginal Histories and cultures aids in reconciliation efforts, empathy and respect (ACARA 2015). Literacy is intrinsically connected to History learning as it enhances students' connection of History to their "lifeworlds" (Donnelly 2017). By learning Literacy skills through a historical fictional story, students can learn about narrative influences, such as textual and visual, metaphors which portray emotion and ideas (ACARA 2015). They learn to interpret and analyse texts in a specific subject area and how to listen and respond to a text from that area. Critically analysing fictional texts in History will aid in building your child’s intercultural understanding and help to build their literacy skills in every context (Gilbert and Hoepper 2014).

Figure 1: ACARA 

How are the students learning this term?

Your children will be delving into rich stories based on Australian History, including the incredible "The Rabbits" (Marsden and Tan 1998). Based on the Four Roles Model (Glibert & Hoepper 2014) they will decode the text, critically reflect on its intentions, compose their own text and use the text functionally. They will be answering questions in their roles as 'code breaker' and 'text user and participant' (Honan et. al. 2013) such as "how does this narrative make you feel?", "how does Shaun Tan use colour, size and other artistic methods to frame your understanding of the narrative?", "how does this story connect to real Australian Historical events? And what parts of the text and images can you use to show evidence of this?" and "why do you think Shaun chose rabbits and possums as the characters?". These questions seek to develop and assess both their HASS and literacy understanding (ACARA 2015). Your children will also write their own short story based on this Historical event, create an artwork or write and perform a dramatic retelling (ACARA 2016).

Figure 2: The Rabbits

How can you support your child's learning? 

You can read at home with your child and encourage them to choose and read books that interest them. You can also encourage them to read books based around real historical knowledge that you might think are engaging. Using events like Literacy Day to challenge them to see how many books they can read in September (UNESCO 2017). Listen to their questions about things they have heard in the media regarding to history and have open conversations that prompt their analytical skills. 

Figure 3: Literacy Day 

References 

ACARA. (2015). Australian Curriculum: General Capabilities: Literacy. Retrieved from: https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/general-capabilities/literacy/                   
      ACARA. (2015). Australian Curriculum: Humanities and Social Sciences. Retrieved from: https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/humanities-and-social-sciences/

                           ACARA. (2016). Naplan: Writing. Retrieved from: https://www.nap.edu.au/naplan/writing

                          Donnelly, D. (2017). Multi-platformed historical fiction: literacy, engagement and historical understanding. Retrieved from: https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/professional-learning/scan/past-issues/vol-36,-2017/connecting-beyond-the-classroom-move-from-local-to-global-learning-modes

                           Gilbert, R. & Hoepper, B. (2014). Teaching Humanities and Social Sciences: History, Geography, Economics and Citizenship in the Australian Curriculum. South Melbourne: VIC. Cengage Learning Australia.

                           Honan, E., Exley, B., Kervin, L., Simpson, A., & Wells, M. (2013). Rethinking the Literacy Capabilities of Pre-Service Primary Teachers in Testing Times. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 38(10).

                          Marsden, J. & Tan, S. (1998) The Rabbits. Port Melbourne: VIC. Thomas C. Lothian Pty Ltd.

                          UNESCO. (2017). International Literacy Day 2017. Retrieved from: https://en.unesco.org/commemorations/literacyday/2017

Appendix

                              Figure 1: ACARA. (2015). Australian Curriculum: Humanities and Social Sciences. Retrieved from: https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/humanities-and-social-sciences/

                            Figure 2: Shaun Tan. (2000). The Rabbits. Retrieved from: http://www.shauntan.net/books/the-rabbits.html

                            Figure 3: UNESCO. (2017). International Literacy Day 2017. Retrieved from: https://en.unesco.org/commemorations/literacyday/2017