NSW DET Stage 2 & 3 genre.- Connotation, imagery and symbolism–IT'S THE SOUND OF THE THING by Maxine Beneba Clarke

Aligned with the NSW English syllabus and supports the teaching of Component B, providing teachers with a no-prep, high-quality learning experience that engages students while saving valuable planning time.

Why Choose This Resource?
✔ Time-Saving & Easy to Implement – Designed for busy teachers, this unit requires little to no preparation, allowing you to focus on teaching rather than planning.

✔ Multiple Flexible Formats – Available as a PDF for easy printing, an editable PowerPoint for customisation, and a Google Slides version for seamless online access.

✔ Professional & Polished Design – Includes Google fonts for consistent formatting, ensuring a professional presentation across all formats.

✔ Visually Engaging & Interactive – Colourful slides with embedded PowerPoint animations bring key concepts to life, keeping students actively engaged in learning.

✔ Aligned to NSW Curriculum – Explicitly mapped to the NSW English syllabus focus areas, covering:

• Oral language and communication
• Vocabulary development
• Reading comprehension
• Creating written texts
• Understanding and responding to literature

Unit Overview

In this 5-week unit, students will use the mentor text It's the Sound of the Thing to gain a deeper understanding of the textual concepts of ‘imagery, symbol and connotation’ and ‘perspective and context’. Students will explore how authors use imagery, symbol and connotation in poetry and how figurative language can influence meaning. Students will apply their understanding of structure and language choices to create a mini anthology of poetry.

Stage 2 Learning Intentions:

• Students are learning to identify figurative language in literature and how it can influence meaning.

Students can:

• identify the use of imagery, symbol and connotation in poetryidentify and use terminology associated with figurative language (onomatopoeia and metaphor)
• understand that poetry includes innovative use of punctuation for effect
• experiment using figurative language (onomatopoeia and metaphor) to enhance imagery in texts.

Stage 3 Learning Intentions:

• Students are learning to analyse how figurative language in literature can enhance meaning and engage the audience.

Students can:

• Identify and understand the use of imagery, symbol and connotation in poetry
• analyse and use figurative language, including onomatopoeia and metaphor to create imagery
• understand that poetic forms use punctuation, including innovative use of punctuation for effect
• describe multiple meanings of words, including their metaphorical uses.

Everything You Need in One Resource!

Editable PowerPoint with interactive slides
Google Slides version for online learning
Printable PDF for quick reference and hard copy distribution
Teacher Notes & Instructions throughout for effortless implementation
Engaging activities and discussion prompts

Perfect for Teachers Who Want:

✔ A hassle-free, engaging resource that requires no additional prep

✔ A high-quality unit mapped directly to the NSW syllabus

✔ A visually engaging, interactive PowerPoint to keep students focused and learning

Attribution is given to: © State of New South Wales (Department of Education), 2023.