Map to Australian Curriculum - Year 5

Australian Curriculum

Meets Standard

Frog’s Princess

Language

Understand that patterns of language interaction vary across social contexts and types of texts and that they help to signal social roles and relationships (ACELA1501 - Scootle )

The medieval time period reflects a monarchy system which comes with different degrees of language choices to suit the formality of interactions. This is evident in the ways different characters interact with each other.

(e.g. Iron Henry towards Francis, the difference in language choice between the sisters and the way people address the King.)

Understand how to move beyond making bare assertions and take account of differing perspectives and points of view (ACELA1502 - Scootle )

The entire storybook cycles through different perspectives and players are engaged in referencing the different viewpoints when progressing through the story. This is particularly evident in the different focus points each character has – and the different situation each character is in.

(e.g. Francis looking for a princess at his father’s behest, his desire to help Henry at all costs which leads him to be self-serving and not considerate of other’s priorities. On the other hand, Princess Emma has her focus on protecting her kingdom and preserving the forest which is not considered by others throughout the story.)

Understand how texts vary in purpose, structure and topic as well as the degree of formality (ACELA1504 - Scootle )

The uniqueness of the interactive storybook being a script-based narrative exposes students to a different narrative structure than chapter books.

Investigate how the organisation of texts into chapters, headings, subheadings, home pages and subpages for online texts and according to chronology or topic can be used to predict content and assist navigation (ACELA1797 - Scootle )

The menu allows for chapter, scene and page navigation which is chronological and also provides insight to the different points of view along the timeline. This helps students revisit scenes and information.

Explain sequences of images in print texts and compare these to the ways hyperlinked digital texts are organised, explaining their effect on viewers’ interpretations (ACELA1511 - Scootle )

Teachers can engage students in discussion comparing and contrasting Frog’s Princess with other fairy-tales, graphic novels and video game storylines.

Graphic novels have a set sequence of images whereas hyperlinked digital texts have images which can be viewed in different orders. 

Frog’s Princess is a hybrid in this regard, in that students can access any page at any time, but the order is not hidden or disguised and there are only two sequences – the prince’s storyline and the princess’s storyline. 

Viewers feel they are witnessing the story from that character’s point of view, as they only visit pages where that character is present and conscious, and they experience events in the same order that that character does (enabled by one flashback scene).

Understand the use of vocabulary to express greater precision of meaning, and know that words can have different meanings in different contexts (ACELA1512 - Scootle )

The game features an expansive vocabulary for players to be exposed to, in turn, enriching their own vocabulary.

Specifically, Frog’s Princess uses tier 2 words (words that a reader knows but doesn’t use in writing and speaking – e.g. instead of cut you may use tier 2 words such as slice, dice, chop. Or, instead of run, you may use gallop, trot or strut.)

Tier 2 words bring greater precision to the description of an action or object.

Understand how to use phonic knowledge to read and write less familiar words that share common letter patterns but have different pronunciations  (ACELA1829 - Scootle )

The narrator element, along with the student reading the text allows for proper pronunciation of familiar and unfamiliar words.

Literature

Identify aspects of literary texts that convey details or information about particular social, cultural and historical contexts (ACELT1608 - Scootle )

The story takes in place in a different time period, using language features (such as sentence structure) to match the setting. These naturally provide details about the culture and how people spoke in that time.

Present a point of view about particular literary texts using appropriate metalanguage, and reflecting on the viewpoints of others (ACELT1609 - Scootle )

Suggested activities may include prompting questions for discussion like:

Would our current society think Francis a suitable prince?

 How does each princess’s talent become her weakness?

See suggested answers in the Synthesis category in the Joy Everafter website.

Recognise that ideas in literary texts can be conveyed from different viewpoints, which can lead to different kinds of interpretations and responses (ACELT1610 - Scootle )

The storybook features multiple points of view from Francis and Emma, and Francis as a frog. These perspectives also have different priorities, for example, Princess Emma’s priority is to her kingdom while Francis is to return to human form and save Henry. These perspectives come into conflict throughout the story.

Understand, interpret and experiment with sound devices and imagery, including simile, metaphor and personification, in narratives, shape poetry, songs, anthems and odes (ACELT1611 - Scootle )

Literary devices are used within the story, for example, alliteration in chapter five:

I’m not talking to an unfit long-legged lily-livered person from a pond like you

Assonance reversal: By doing what?  Watching dew dry?

Rhyme: A frog who can read.  One might suspect you were a prince indeed.

Suggested activities could include identifying, listing and comparing literary devices used within the story. Furthermore, comparisons can be made between the characters and their choice of vocabulary to convey their character. (e.g. the difference in vocabulary and literary devices used to distinguish the three different princesses.)

Further examples include:

The shapeshifting witch’s origin story includes a bird and Lorelei, reflected in her name, her bird-like shrieks and behaviour, and her ultimate fate.

The Song of Kassel hints at the secret at the heart of the kingdom, using ‘gold in our fruit trees’ as a metaphor for the strength of the kingdom.

When the King farewells his eldest daughter, he says: “For too long I’ve been blind to the real gold in our kingdom,” using a figure of speech as he has not been literally blind, and referring to his daughter as a treasure via metaphor.

Literacy

Show how ideas and points of view in texts are conveyed through the use of vocabulary, including idiomatic expressions, objective and subjective language, and that these can change according to context (ACELY1698 - Scootle )

Students engage with the character voices (voice actors reading their characters dialogue) as they progress through the story and interpret their points of views and emotions through tenses, tone and pitch.

By choosing different reactions, students have opportunities to react to these perspectives and contextual elements.

Secondary characters have unique ways of speaking, such as the learned princess’s long words, the bossy princess’s abrupt demands, the King’s explosive repetitions, Iron Henry’s God-like pronouncements, and Lady Lorelei’s sly innuendo.  These all deepen character and explicate story elements.

Use interaction skills, for example paraphrasing, questioning and interpreting non-verbal cues and choose vocabulary and vocal effects appropriate for different audiences and purposes (ACELY1796 - Scootle )

Students use interaction skills through reaction choices within the story, interpreting what the other characters are thinking and feeling and choosing the appropriate reaction to match the scene.

They also interpret non-verbal cues from animations and images to make decisions about their reactions. Through this exposure of reaction choices, as being read by voice actors, students gain knowledge about what each reaction sounds like. (e.g. how a sad reaction may affect the tone, pitch and pace of the sentence)

Identify and explain characteristic text structures and language features used in imaginative, informative and persuasive texts to meet the purpose of the text (ACELY1701 - Scootle )

Similar to level 4:

Frog’s Princess has several evident features of an imaginative text that teachers could use as a mentor text for modelling character development, settings, plot, genre, perspective and a familiar ‘Hero’s Journey’ plot line that players will recognise.

Navigate and read texts for specific purposes applying appropriate text processing strategies, for example predicting and confirming, monitoring meaning, skimming and scanning (ACELY1702 - Scootle )

Continued from level 4:

The interactive storybook provides opportunities for players to monitor their reading by comparing to the read-aloud element. Furthermore, as players must click ‘next’ to progress, there is further opportunity to think about their reading, rather than being rushed or pushed to another scene without being ready to move on.

In addition, there are several opportunities for instructional support to focus on developing specific reading strategies. For example, reading after the narrator reads to ensure proper intonation and fluency – or before the narrator to self-monitor and self-correct any miscues. Furthermore, reading along with the narrator (chorus reading) allows for the development of fluency.

In addition to lower primary levels,at level 5, students will engage in higher order research strategies that allow them to skim and scan a text for relevant information, use navigation tools to find specific parts and confirm predictions and questions.

Use comprehension strategies to analyse information, integrating and linking ideas from a variety of print and digital sources (ACELY1703 - Scootle )

Continued from level 4:

Whilst reading, students have multiple opportunities to use comprehension strategies to interpret and understand what is happening in the book. Depending on students’ abilities to actively use comprehension strategies whilst reading, a range of strategies can be used.

In addition to students developing their own comprehension strategies, with support, teachers can use the storybook to focus on specific comprehension strategies at various stages of the book.

e.g. making predictions before a student reads (or continues reading), provides tasks that asks students to actively make connections to themselves as they read or prompts students to activate their prior knowledge before reading.

In addition to level 4, students will also engage in comprehension strategies focusing on inferring, analysing, summarising and synthesising information. Activities will be needed to support these higher level comprehension strategies.

Australian Curriculum

Meets Standard

Frog’s Princess

Analysing, synthesising and evaluating reasoning and procedures element

Identify gaps in reasoning and missing elements in information

As students progress through the game, there are various situations where Francis acts impulsively and recklessly, showing signs of reasoning gaps.

Teachers can utilise this as an example to think before you act and reason when you decide to ensure you are making informed choices.

Examples are:

It is assumed by Francis that kissing a princess would bring him back to his human form, however, since that is not explicitly mentioned – it could be perceived as a gap in reasoning.

Moreover, there are missing pieces of information that players can pick up on and develop their ability to question and identify these, for example:

We are not told that Francis has ADHD, we are not told that Francis believes he will never live up to his noble father.  Lady Lorelei’s origin story is very brief and Mother’s reasons for not passing on knowledge to Emma sooner are not explained.

Explain intentions and justify ideas, methods and courses of action, and account for expected and unexpected outcomes against criteria they have identified

Teachers can engage students in tasks like:

Plan to create a whole scene using one prince personality and one princess personality, predict the expected difference in story tone and see if it eventuates.

This criteria could also be met if students answered questions like, “What would happen if all three sisters went to see Iron Henry on the first night?”  “What would have happened if they didn’t go to war with the witch?”

Reflecting on thinking and processes element

Assess assumptions in their thinking and invite alternative opinions

As every piece of hero dialogue has 10 options, showing alternative ways of thinking – students are regularly assessing the best way to respond to different interactions.

Furthermore, teachers can use different scenes as examples to ask students what might have happened if a different decision was made.

Gathering students in a group discussion will promote alternative opinions on how to react in different situations as well.

Evaluate and justify the reasons behind choosing a particular problem solving strategy

Some examples of particular problem solving strategies that teachers can use for students to evaluate are:

Was the King’s strategy of top-down decision making effective?

The eldest is considered the cleverest of the princesses.  Is her method of weighing all the facts and then acting, always superior to the second sister’s policy of immediate action?

Did the third princess go about ridding the kingdom of evil in the best way?

What could Francis have done rather than trying to force the issue?

Australian Curriculum

Meets Standard

Frog’s Princess

Understand relationships

Identify indicators of possible problems in relationships in a range of social and work related situations

There are several opportunities where students will develop an understanding about possible ‘problem indicators’ in different interactions between different characters. Depending on which character they identify with, players should be able to comprehend that certain issues arise from the behaviour and interactions of different characters.

For example:

Francis’s reckless actions have endangered his bodyguard and he only sees princesses as people who can transform him back into a prince so he can rescue Iron Henry – not considering the perspective of the princesses.

Emma’s loving elder sisters show no respect for her abilities or opinions – this leads to several indicators of problems with confidence and trust in the family.

The King loves his daughters but will not listen to them as his Kingship means he needs to make all decisions independently – therefore, not using the help of others causes him to make uninformed decisions.

Francis thinks he is a prince whom soldiers should obey, but the soldiers think he is a royal pest who should be eliminated.

Emma has lost faith in people listening to her, and she starts using her new power of Persuasion to get them to do what needs to be done – which is unethical in nature.

Make decisions

Assess individual and group decision making processes in challenging situations

Teachers can utilise situations within the game as modelled examples of decision making processes in difficult situations.

For example:

Under duress, the princess resorts to her magical power of Persuasion to force others to do her will.  She does this with the best of intentions: persuading her sisters to rescue a frog, persuading her lost father to come home, persuading the prince to let her take the reins so she can confront the Witch.  Only when the prince proves immune does she realise the enormity of her actions in depriving others of their free will.

Watching each princess make decisions shows their characters clearly: the elder princess muses and gathers information, then acts decisively, the second princess acts impulsively, the third princess dreams of a different future and refuses to act until the situation is dire, then she acts recklessly.

In the feudal setting of the storybook, decisions are officially made by the King.  However servants are heard muttering their concerns, princesses argue with their father, and in a dramatic moment in the war, the eldest princess left at home enters the battle against her father’s orders.

Negotiate and resolve conflict

Assess the appropriateness of various conflict resolution strategies in a range of social and work-related situations

Characters in the game are constantly in conflict and finding ways to resolve it, for example, Prince Francis’s attempts to persuade each princess to kiss him and the different outcomes.

Furthermore, other examples can be used for modelled samples such as:

The Witch has created a great army by bewitching innocent forest creatures.  The King sees no option but to take his soldiers out to fight her, even though he knows they will lose.  Emma begs and pleads with him not to go out and fight, as that is what the Witch wants, but no one will listen to her.  What other things could Emma have done to prevent the battle?

Ramona asks the Witch, “How could you stop good magic?” and the Witch replies, “Good?  You were trying to destroy me.”  The storybook is implying that categorising people as evil and trying to destroy them is not good.  But what other option did Ramona have?

The greatest conflict in the story is at the midpoint when the frog, desperate to transform and rescue his bodyguard Iron Henry, tries to force the princess to kiss him.  The princess throws him against a wall.  Both actions show how damaging interpersonal force is to resolving conflict.