Resources
Resource 1 - ACMI film it
https://www.acmi.net.au/education/school-program-and-resources/film-it-resource/
ACMI’s Film It! is a dynamic, interactive resource designed to teach secondary students the technical and creative principles of cinematography and editing. It combines instructional videos, visual examples, and guided activities that break down complex media skills into accessible, hands-on learning tasks. The resource is structured to be used flexibly by teachers and students, either in class or as part of a flipped learning approach.
Alignment with the Curriculum: This resource supports the Australian Curriculum for Media Arts at Level 7-8, particularly ACAMAM067 and ACAMAR071. It enhances students' technical and creative skills in cinematography, editing, and digital storytelling (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA], 2023).
Discipline-Specific Knowledge and Skills: Students develop competencies in camera techniques, lighting, framing, movement, and composition. The editing component teaches sequencing, pacing, and narrative cohesion, essential for storytelling across media platforms (Bordwell & Thompson, 2021).
Engagement and Pedagogical Value: The interactive nature of this resource encourages hands-on learning. It incorporates professional instructional videos and guided exercises, making abstract concepts tangible. Research by Bordwell and Thompson (2021) emphasizes the impact of cinematography and editing on audience perception, reinforcing the resource’s value.
Implementation in Teaching: Teachers can use this resource to facilitate filmmaking tasks, group discussions on visual storytelling, and student-led experiments with digital media. Students can analyze how cinematography and editing choices influence audience engagement. Additionally, flipped classroom strategies can be employed where students engage with the instructional content before applying the concepts in a practical setting (Mayer, 2021).
Resouce 2 - Let's Animate! (Vic Education and Training)
https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/school/teachers/teachingresources/literacynumeracy/media-arts-levels-7-and-8-let%27s-animate.docxLet’s Animate! is a government-curated resource that introduces students to the fundamentals of digital and stop-motion animation. It provides scaffolded instructions, classroom examples, and project templates to guide learners through the animation process, from concept development to final product. The resource emphasises storytelling through movement and technical skills such as frame-by-frame sequencing, digital editing, and visual effects.
Alignment with the Curriculum: This resource aligns with ACAMAM067 and ACAMAM068 by supporting students in exploring animation as a storytelling medium. It develops technical proficiency in digital animation software and frame-by-frame movement techniques (ACARA, 2023).
Discipline-Specific Knowledge and Skills: Students gain hands-on experience in animation techniques, visual effects, and the relationship between technical and aesthetic elements in media arts (Wells, 2020).
Engagement and Pedagogical Value: Research by Wells (2020) highlights animation as a powerful medium for creative expression and technical development. This resource fosters both through guided activities and experimentation. It also promotes student autonomy by enabling learners to explore different animation techniques at their own pace (Ryan & Deci, 2020).
Implementation in Teaching: Teachers can use this resource for stop-motion or digital animation projects, engaging students in discussions about motion, timing, and visual effects. It encourages inquiry-based learning by allowing students to test and refine animation techniques. Collaborative learning approaches can be incorporated, where students work in teams to create animated sequences (Bruner, 2009).
resource 3 - Lockie Leonard for Teachers (Scootle)
https://www.lockieleonard.edu.au/index.html
https://www.scootle.edu.au/
Summary:
This teaching resource is based on the Lockie Leonard television series, adapted from the novels by Tim Winton. It provides video excerpts, classroom activities, and discussion prompts that guide students in exploring character development, identity, youth culture, and the construction of meaning in media texts. The resource is designed to support media literacy through critical engagement with narrative structure and representation.
Alignment with the Curriculum: This resource aligns with ACAMAR071 and ACAMAM069, focusing on media representations, narrative structures, and audience engagement. It enhances media literacy by analyzing character development and youth culture portrayals (ACARA, 2023).
Discipline-Specific Knowledge and Skills: Students critically engage with media narratives, comparing representations across different texts. They develop an understanding of how media portrays identity and cultural issues (Bazalgette, 2019).
Engagement and Pedagogical Value: Research by Bazalgette (2019) underscores the importance of media narratives in shaping cultural identity and fostering analytical skills. The inclusion of video clips and student worksheets supports differentiated instruction. The resource also encourages critical thinking by prompting students to question how media constructs reality (Buckingham, 2003).
Implementation in Teaching: Teachers can use this resource to facilitate discussions on representation, assign comparative media analysis tasks, and guide students in deconstructing narrative techniques. Worksheets provide structured activities for deeper engagement. Furthermore, multimodal literacy strategies can be used to help students analyse how text, image, and sound work together in media narratives (Kress, 2010).
conclusion
These three resources offer high-quality, curriculum-aligned support for Media Arts teaching at Levels 7-8. They provide engaging, hands-on experiences that develop students’ technical, analytical, and creative skills. By incorporating these resources, teachers can create dynamic, inquiry-driven learning experiences that align with the Australian Curriculum while fostering students' critical engagement with media texts.