Lesson 2: Context, Audience and Purpose

In this lesson, we are learning to:

Examine how texts reflect the contexts in which they were created.
Identify the audience and purpose of a text.
Explain reasoning when drawing conclusions.

Preparation: Print copies of the Creative Statement PDF ahead of the lesson.

Engage

Begin this lesson by watching the Barrumbi Kids trailer as a class.

Explore

In a class discussion, ask students to reflect on and discuss the trailer.

What main ideas or themes were shared in the trailer?
What were your responses as an audience member? What did you feel or think while watching?
What might these answers tell us about the audience and purpose of the series?

Explain

Explain to students that – as with written texts – the creators of screen texts always have intended audiences and purposes for their work.

The writers, directors and/or producers of a television series often prepare a Creative Statement to share their context and their goals for the series, including the intended audiences and purposes. Below is an abridged version of the Creative Statement prepared by production companies Ambience Entertainment and Tamarind Tree Pictures for Barrumbi Kids.

This document reveals information about:

Context: Who made the series? When and where was it made?
Purpose: Why was it made?
Audience: Who was it made for?

Barrumbi Kids_lesson 2_worksheet 1

( application/pdf, 376.92 KB)

Elaborate

Depending on your students, the Creative Statement could be examined as a class or in student groups. If working together, share the document on the whiteboard and draw students’ attention to words and phrases that reveal information about the context, and the intended purpose and audience of the series.

If students are working in groups, provide a copy of the Creative Statement and assign each group a reading focus. Ask each group to highlight words or passages that reveal information about the context or purpose or audience.

Students could also circle unknown words in the document and jot down their wonderings to share with the class.

Evaluate

In a class discussion, have students share their findings about the Barrumbi Kids series. Encourage reflection on how these conclusions were reached. Which words or phrases in the Creative Statement support students’ reasoning?

Students’ suggestions could be recorded on an anchor chart for later reference. Their findings might include:

Context

The Barrumbi Kids series was based on Leonie Norrington’s book series.
The series was made between 2018 and 2022.
It was produced by Ambience Entertainment and Tamarind Tree Pictures.
The series was filmed on the lands of the Jawoyn, Dagoman, Wardaman and Mangarrayi peoples.
The creators changed the storyline to provide gender balance and a more contemporary view of the story and world.

Purpose

To tell the story of children living in an Indigenous community in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory.
To tell the story from an Indigenous person’s perspective.
To collaborate with the Berwick and Barrunga communities where the series was filmed.
To share an authentic story and world in the series.
To create a series that First Nations children can identify with and be proud of.
To excite and inspire children around the world.
To make a screen story about changing friendships and identity, and the experience of growing up on Country.

Audience

People living in the Beswick and Barrunga communities.
First Nations children in Australia.
Children all around the world, especially Indigenous children.

Reflecting on the trailer or episodes that students may have seen, do they believe the creators achieved their aims? How did the contexts differ for the Barrumbi Kids books and series? Do students have any unanswered questions about the context, audience or purpose?

To encourage reflection and enable students to demonstrate their understanding, have students independently complete the Context, Purpose and Audience worksheet below.

Burrumbi Kids_lesson 2_worksheet 2

( application/pdf, 278.53 KB)

Australian Curriculum Links

	Year 3	Year 4	Year 5	Year 6
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures
Culture	A_TSIC1 First Nations Australian societies are diverse and have distinct cultural expressions such as language, customs and beliefs. As First Nations Peoples of Australia, they have the right to maintain, control, protect and develop their cultural expressions, while also maintaining the right to control, protect and develop culture as Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property. A_TSIC3 The First Peoples of Australia (Aboriginal Peoples) belong to the world’s oldest continuous cultures. First Nations Australians demonstrate resilience in the maintenance, practice and revitalisation of culture despite the many historic and enduring impacts of colonisation, and continue to celebrate and share the past, present and future manifestations of their cultures.
People	A_TSIP3 The significant and ongoing contributions of First Nations Australians and their histories and cultures are acknowledged locally, nationally and globally.
Critical and Creative Thinking
Develop questions	Questions developed support the process of improving knowledge and understanding about a topic or investigation.		Questions developed focus on improving understanding about a topic and clarifying information about processes or procedures.
Draw conclusions and provide reasons	Draw conclusions and make choices when completing tasks, using observation and prior knowledge to provide reasons and construct arguments for choices made.		Draw conclusions and make choices when completing tasks, using discipline knowledge to provide reasons and evaluate arguments for choices made.
Thinking about thinking (metacognition)	Reflect, describe and reflect on the thinking and learning strategies and processes used when completing activities and drawing conclusions.		Identify and reflect on thinking and assumptions when completing activities or drawing conclusions.
English
Literature and contexts	AC9E3LE01 Discuss characters, events and settings in different contexts in literature by First Nations Australian, and wide-ranging Australian and world authors and illustrators.	AC9E4LE01 Recognise similar storylines, ideas and relationships in different contexts in literary texts by First Nations Australian, and wide-ranging Australian and world authors.	AC9E5LE01 Identify aspects of literary texts that represent details or information about historical, social and cultural contexts in literature by First Nations Australian, and wide-ranging Australian and world authors.	AC9E6LE01 Identify responses to characters and events in literary texts, drawn from historical, social or cultural contexts, by First Nations Australian, and wide-ranging Australian and world authors.
Texts in context	AC9E3LY01 Recognise how texts can be created for similar purposes but different audiences.	AC9E4LY01 Compare texts from different times with similar purposes and audiences to identify similarities and differences in their depictions of events.	AC9E5LY01 Describe the ways in which a text reflects the time and place in which it was created.	AC9E6LY01 Examine texts including media texts that represent ideas and events, and identify how they reflect the context in which they were created.
Analysing, interpreting and evaluating	AC9E3LY03 Identify the audience and purpose of imaginative, informative and persuasive texts through their use of language features and/or images.	AC9E4LY03 Identify the characteristic features used in imaginative, informative and persuasive texts to meet the purpose of the text.	AC9E5LY03 Explain characteristic features used in imaginative, informative and persuasive texts to meet the purpose of the text.	AC9E6LY03 Analyse how text structures and language features work together to meet the purpose of a text, and engage and influence audiences.
Media Arts
Exploring and responding	AC9AMA4E01 Explore where, why and how media arts is created and/or distributed across cultures, times, places and/or other contexts. AC9AMA4E02 Explore how First Nations Australians use media arts to communicate their connection to and responsibility for Country/Place.		AC9AMA6E01 Explore ways that media languages and media technologies are used in media arts works and practices across cultures, times, places and/or other contexts. AC9AMA6E02 Explore ways First Nations Australians use media arts to continue and revitalise cultures.

Lesson 2: Context, Audience and Purpose

Engage

Explore

Explain

Elaborate

Evaluate

Australian Curriculum Links

Year 3

Year 4

Year 5

Year 6

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures

Culture

People

The significant and ongoing contributions of First Nations Australians and their histories and cultures are acknowledged locally, nationally and globally.

Critical and Creative Thinking

Develop questions

Questions developed support the process of improving knowledge and understanding about a topic or investigation.

Questions developed focus on improving understanding about a topic and clarifying information about processes or procedures.

Draw conclusions and provide reasons

Draw conclusions and make choices when completing tasks, using observation and prior knowledge to provide reasons and construct arguments for choices made.

Draw conclusions and make choices when completing tasks, using discipline knowledge to provide reasons and evaluate arguments for choices made.

Thinking about thinking (metacognition)

Reflect, describe and reflect on the thinking and learning strategies and processes used when completing activities and drawing conclusions.

Identify and reflect on thinking and assumptions when completing activities or drawing conclusions.

English

Literature and contexts

Discuss characters, events and settings in different contexts in literature by First Nations Australian, and wide-ranging Australian and world authors and illustrators.

Recognise similar storylines, ideas and relationships in different contexts in literary texts by First Nations Australian, and wide-ranging Australian and world authors.

Identify aspects of literary texts that represent details or information about historical, social and cultural contexts in literature by First Nations Australian, and wide-ranging Australian and world authors.

Identify responses to characters and events in literary texts, drawn from historical, social or cultural contexts, by First Nations Australian, and wide-ranging Australian and world authors.

Texts in context

Recognise how texts can be created for similar purposes but different audiences.

Compare texts from different times with similar purposes and audiences to identify similarities and differences in their depictions of events.

Describe the ways in which a text reflects the time and place in which it was created.

Examine texts including media texts that represent ideas and events, and identify how they reflect the context in which they were created.

Analysing, interpreting and evaluating

Identify the audience and purpose of imaginative, informative and persuasive texts through their use of language features and/or images.

Identify the characteristic features used in imaginative, informative and persuasive texts to meet the purpose of the text.

Explain characteristic features used in imaginative, informative and persuasive texts to meet the purpose of the text.

Analyse how text structures and language features work together to meet the purpose of a text, and engage and influence audiences.

Media Arts

Exploring and responding

Explore where, why and how media arts is created and/or distributed across cultures, times, places and/or other contexts.

Explore how First Nations Australians use media arts to communicate their connection to and responsibility for Country/Place.

Explore ways that media languages and media technologies are used in media arts works and practices across cultures, times, places and/or other contexts.

Explore ways First Nations Australians use media arts to continue and revitalise cultures.