6 key resources used in this unit include:
- The book, Ned Kelly by Barrie Sheppard
- L.I.F.E by Brisbane Catholic Education
- http://www.topmarks.co.uk/Flash.aspx?b=english/poetry
- http://www.poetrysoup.com/poems/ballad
- Costumes from the Arts department
- https://www.text2mindmap.com
Each of these resources are vital to the unit in different way.
- Ned Kelly by Barrie Sheppard is the 'theme' for this unit. It is how the English unit has context and therefore is highly necessary to the unit.
- Because this unit is begin taught to Year 5 students in a Catholic School, the program L.I.F.E is used. This program allows students to access homework and information at home. Not only this, but parents are also able to view what the students are learning. This is very important to this class as the teacher is desperate to get more parent helpers. It is hoped that by displaying the students work and keeping the parents updated, that more will feel obliged to come to the room to assist the teacher.
- "Top Marks" is an interactive website designed in the United Kingdom. This website allows students to work individually, as a class or in pairs to solve different questions about ballads. By having an interactive website it is hoped that students will feel more apart of their learning and their involvement will be greater. This is especially true for Michael who has ADHD. It was wanted to have activities that would be engaging both physically and mentally for him.
- Poetry Soup is a website that has thousands of different styles of poetry. Not only this, but the ability of the authors has a wide range range. Some poems on this site were written by famous poets and others by Year 5 students. It was hoped that by having this diversity, it would once again encourage the students to participate in this unit.
- The costumes from the Arts department will only be used in the final two lessons of this unit. Even though they are only used for a short amount of time, they are still vital to the students learning. Costumes allow students to transform themselves into the character they are portraying, it also allows shy students to step outside of their comfort zone.
- The reason the Mind Map website used for this unit is for several reasons, including that the website is very interactive and hands on for all students. It is also simple to learn and use which would assist students such as Sharrat and Collin. Also, students are able to come back to their previous work to edit or learn from. And finally, students can sync their registration with the teacher and that way the teacher is able to assess the students work privately.