Exploring tense
Australian Curriculum: English sub-strands: Language – Text structure and organisation; Literacy – Interpreting, analysing, evaluating
Point out to students that the first 13 chapters of Mahtab's Story are written in past tense, before a change is made to present tense at the start of Chapter 14. Ask students to consider the impact of this shift and what reasons the author may have had for changing the tense of the story as the journey is coming to an end.
Students will: Focus on the length of time the journey actually took the family. Did they expect it to take this amount of time? How does Mahtab’s family feel in the final stage of the text? How have they all grown and changed as a result of the journey from Afghanistan all those months ago?
Summative assessment task 4 — creating a book trailer
Australian Curriculum: English sub-strand: Literacy – Creating texts
Find resources to support students in creating book trailers, such as those from the State Library of Victoria’s Inside a Dog website (archive), with book trailer examples, including student work samples. Ensure also that students are familiar with the technology requirements for this task.
Assessment criteria for book trailers
Ensure that:
- Key themes from the novel are included
- Language choices are effective and engaging
- Images and music selected enhance key concepts.
Provide oral feedback to students on their presentations related to the criteria.
Students will: Work in groups of four to create a book trailer that showcases Mahtab’s Story and what they have learned from the experience of reading the novel. Present their trailers to the class or at a school assembly to promote the book.