Graphics are great for tackling sensitive and challenging topics with secondary students. I have used The Rabbits by Shaun Tan as an ebook displayed on a smartboard to deepen discussions about colonisation in Australia. The Rabbits is told from the viewpoint of the colonised so it is a worthwhile perspective on the topic.  I used this text in Year 7 English, however, it could be used in History lessons also.

Multiliteracies

Textual  Literacy: Encourage readers to unpack the deeper meanings behind the language. Students also need to investigate the relationship between the language and image. In class, students used the interactive whiteboard to annotate the ebook text together, which I then took photos of and uploaded to a class blog. In class, I noted the potentially problematic ending of the book – that is, in depicting the colonised as helpless or needing to be saved.  Small reading circles in the class discussed and challenged this and linked this debate to relevant contemporary issues such as the representation of indigenous people in the media.

Visual Literacy: The teacher can lead an in-depth visual analysis – of course, students will need to understand the relevant visual literacy vocabulary. Design elements and principles could be annotated for meaning: Shape, Colour, Value, Form, Texture, Space, Balance, Contrast, Emphasis, Movement Pattern, Rhythm and Unity.

Digital Literacy: Students could make connections to the meanings within the picture book by locating and evaluating relevant factual information. For example students could research colonisation in Australian history and create a fact file aligned with how the narrative depicts the historical facts.

Technological Literacy: Students could create a digital storyboard, comic strip, or digital book on a platform such as bookcreator.com .    This could be used as possible assessment task.