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Task summary
The students watched a speech on gender equality and feminism by Emma Watson. They were then asked to discuss a series of questions relating to the persuasive devices used by the speaker.
Duration: 7 minutes 37 seconds
Level 9 Sample 1 transcript (docx - 54.54kb)
Level 9 English, Speaking and Listening achievement standard (extract only)
This speaking sample provides evidence of student achievement for:
… listen for ways texts position an audience … understand how interpretations can vary by comparing their responses to texts to the responses of others … contribute actively to class and group discussions, comparing and evaluating responses to ideas and issues.
For more information, please see:
Victorian Curriculum F–10: English – Level 9 – Speaking and Listening
Video with annotations against achievement standard extracts for Speaking and Listening only
The students:
Identify and paraphrase key points of a speaker's argument ('lots of people think that feminism is all about being anti-men, and that's not true'; '"feminism" isn't just an ugly word and uncomfortable to use. It's changed from what it used to be'; 'more than ever, the word "feminism" and feminism as a concept needs to come back'; 'she also discusses gender equality as a whole').
The students:
Evaluate strategies used by the speaker to elicit emotional responses (anecdote, emotive language)
Reference parts of the speech to add authority ('she used the word "isolating"'; 'like she said, at 14 she started to be sexualised'; 'she was leaving a very long pause')
Identify how speakers' language can be inclusive ('she used the words "I", "us" and "we" to create an inclusive environment')
Identify shifts in direction, line of argument or purpose made by the speaker ('at that point … she was leaving a very long pause between each adjective, as if to let the audience comprehend what she was saying and think about it …'; 'she was getting us to rethink where we stand …')
Deliver spoken text flexibly, allowing for questions and maintaining the flow of ideas.
The students:
Select vocabulary to intensify and sharpen the focus ('critical', 'accusing us', 'built that emotional value').
Planning the next stage of student learning
When planning the next stage of the teaching and learning program to progress these students' learning, focus on the following skills and knowledge:
Level 9
- Listen to spoken texts constructed for different purposes and analyse how language features in these texts position listeners to respond in particular ways, and consider the interaction skills used to present and discuss ideas, or to influence and engage audiences through persuasive language, varied voice tone, pitch and pace (VCELY455)
Level 10
- Understand how language use can have inclusive and exclusive social effects, and can empower or disempower people (VCELA483)
- Identify and explore the purposes and effects of different text structures and language features of spoken texts, and use this knowledge to create purposeful texts that inform, persuade and engage audiences, using organisation patterns, voice and language conventions to present a coherent point of view on a subject (VCELY485)