Ask students if what they have seen and thought has triggered any puzzling questions. It is an odd combination of mechanical and organic parts, something it shares with other “things” in the book. In fact, it’s the most significant thing that’s ever happened to us. The rows beneath each theme are to identify different aspects of the text which are somehow connected or related to the theme. A group of young adults, who meet online, get hold of Utopia, a cult underground comic book, which not only pins them as a target of a shadowy organization, but also burdens them with the dangerous task of saving the world. In other words, what does each mode allow (or disallow) in terms of storytelling and reader/viewer interactions? Bandcamp New & Notable Oct 13, 2020, Inspired by climate change, Sanger's album of ambient electronic beeps and synths was created to sound like music from another planet. Different teachers may have placed varying degrees of emphasis upon these themes during the study so some guidance to students will be appropriate. Once identified, the categories can be used to stimulate more ideas for students. Monaco / Gentleman's Private Collection - BUNDLE. Students are invited to bring in picture books from their younger years, either from home or borrowed from the library. The double-page scans are pinned around the classroom, akin to an exhibition. The thing is a large, freakish creature that no one really notices. hand drawing (emulating Tan’s style or adopting their own); photography (including photographing plasticine/clay figures); montage (combining any of the above with found other media) . When working I often like to think of words and images as opposite points on a battery, creating a potential voltage through a ‘gap’ between telling and showing. Duration Four weeks, assuming four lessons per week (not including time allocated for completing major assessment pieces). Since students will have varying degrees of skill and confidence with any particular visual art form, they should be free to select their own preferred way to create the supporting visual components. This character is illustrated in a way to produce puzzlement and curiosity. This essay should be considered essential reading for any teacher embarking on teaching this book, as this extract about meaning and interpretation will attest. Offers a concise and extensive glossary of visual literacy concepts. The Lost Thing is most commonly considered a picture book, a form which connotes an audience of young children. Having guessed that it is lost, he tries to find out who owns it or where it belongs, but the problem is met with indifference by everyone else, who barely notice it's presence. Any real meaning is left to the reader to find for themselves, rather than overtly stated or implied, with an encouragement towards a close visual reading against quite minimalist text. This interview presents Tan’s detailed responses to questions about the way he thinks about his work and creativity. Find a summary table for Australian Curriculum: English content descriptions and NSW syllabus outcomes for this unit. In this sense the book invites a new book category to be considered – the graphic short story – which doesn’t narrow its perceived audience or diminish its ideas. The time given to each panel discussion should equate to an average speaking time of two minutes per student (that is, 10 minutes for a five-member group). For each of the features identified by students in the previous step, students write (on the index card halves) a brief explanation of how that feature “works” to encourage particular readings related to: character, setting (social or physical), theme, plot. The Scaffold for Reading Visual Images can be easily adapted and used for The Lost Thing. A utopia (/ j uː ˈ t oʊ p i ə / yoo-TOH-pee-ə) is an imagined community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its citizens. It can be useful to make these post-it notes a different colour to the earlier activity to clearly differentiate the before and after responses. A2) in half or join two A3 pages together; alternatively, the front and back of an A3 page could be used. This allows readers, by extension, to consider the rest of the urban physical and social setting as an example of dystopia. These examples demonstrate that in the years since The Lost Thing was published Tan has been building a diverse body of work that is cementing him as a serious and respected creative innovator in Australia and globally. The Lost Thing - Utopia Original Sound Design. The Singing Bones (2015) reveals Tan venturing into sculpture to re-imagine Grimms’ fairy tales. It could be read as a critique of economic rationalism, for instance, or the transition from childhood to adulthood; about the value of whimsy, our obsession with categories and bureaucracy, about alienation, claustrophobia, altruism, disability, entropy and the possibility of joy in places where this has been extinguished. This activity is intended for students to look closely at the images and simply observe before attempting any interpretations. The Lost Thing therefore represents a clear turning point in Tan’s career where he can take creative control of text in order to create an individual vision. A range of Shaun Tan images are presented here from various books, which can be useful when needing a projection for teaching objectives. Of course, the most significant adaptation is the animated short film which has won numerous awards around the world, including an Oscar for Best Animated Short (2011). The central human character in The Lost Thing is not named in the story itself, but the postcard-style blurb on the back cover identifies the narrator as Shaun. In Book One, Thomas More describes the circumstances surrounding his trip to Flanders where he has the privilege of meeting Raphael Hythloday. The Utopia represented in the text (below) is another world, hidden away from the rest of society and separated by a door. Hackpacker – Drawn Outsider: Shaun Tan Profile. Tan has written that he got the idea for The Lost Thing after making a sketch of a crab while at the beach. For this, the pros and cons for making the change could be brainstormed. Asking Around 6. and we still haven't stumbled upon that cure. A simple set of prompt cards can be created to stimulate discussion and should be placed face-down near the panel. Since the panel discussion requires students to synthesise knowledge and skills gained over previous lessons, extensive preparation time is not required. His non-fiction writing and speaking about his creative work reveal an insightful and generous contributor to the public discourse about art and literature, and where the two intersect. The nature of this society is elaborated upon in the Setting section below, but the contrast between it and the lost thing’s eventual sanctuary is striking. Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more. Some focus can be given to student responses by drawing their attention to character, theme, plot and so on. The influence of Jeffery Smart’s 1962 painting, Cahill Expressway, is clearly evident in The Lost Thing‘s cover (and a glimpse of a similar painting is seen on the wall of the Shaun’s family’s living room). Each of their contributions should be initialed for later use and to help facilitate discussion. Anyway, back to the Cafe- I was ready for some great home cookin and wasn't disappointed at all! Shaun Tan’s The Lost Thing: From Book to Film: This is a comprehensive resource by ACMI that offers many avenues to consider the book in conjunction with its film adaptation. Bandcamp New & Notable Feb 10, 2019, Burn:Cycle - Original Game Soundtrack (Remastered)by Simon Boswell & Chris Whitten, Simon Boswell's 1994 soundtrack to the video game Burn:Cycle is one of the most innovative uses of orchestral synths in game music. This site can be useful for teachers who want to extend their exploration of ‘belonging’ as a theme. Even though Shaun Tan himself acknowledges that this character is modeled to some extent on himself, it would unnecessarily complicate the reading of the book at a Year 7 or 8 level to bring in questions of auto-biographical relevance. Synopsis of Text: The Lost Thing is a humorous story about a boy who discovers a bizarre-looking creature whilst out collecting bottle-tops at the beach. Elissa Down) and The Waiting City (starring Joel Edgerton, dir. Actions: when we see the city crowds walking in the same direction in the page after the newspaper advertisement, or Pete conversing on the roof, these actions can symbolise larger ideas such as those relating to conformity, different perspectives, monotony and so on. The richness of detail, depth of ideas and cultural references and allusions enable adults to gain much from it, while the simplicity of narrative and quirky humour appeals to younger readers. An Interview Without Words: Illustrator Shaun Tan Draws Conclusions. The Development of Themes (PDF, 97KB) retrieval chart offers some themes in the columns to focus on, but can be modified at the teacher’s discretion (a blank column can be left for students willing or able to identify a different theme). In this interview, for instance (at 07:30), Tan relates the experience of showing The Lost Thing to friends and getting diametrically opposed responses such as “delightfully whimsical” and “it’s like a living nightmare”. In contrast, this Think, Puzzle, Explore activity promotes more open-ended, inquiry-style responses that invite speculation and tentative interpretations. Online Art Exhibition As part of Shaun Tan's The Lost Thing: From book to film exhibition, ACMI wants to tap into your creative talent. Teachers now return students’ attention to the initial Think, Puzzle, Explore  activity completed at the start of the unit (outlined in the Initial response tab of this unit). These depictions can include words, colours or images that relate to urban places, technology, people, relationships, values, nature, activities or food. Taken alone, the written text provides little detail about the narrative. Display these or store them until the focus of study is on the social and physical setting of The Lost Thing, which will involve a discussion of utopias and dystopias. The responses to this activity can then be used as a reference point for the conclusion of the unit, enabling students to reflect upon how their understanding of The Lost Thing has evolved. Objects in the text: there are so many symbolic objects, but interesting examples can include the metal flower in Shaun’s living room, the clusters of rules and signs, and the pile of pages required to be filled in at the Department of Odds and Ends. What aspects of it are familiar, and why? precision, growth, conformity, rules/order) and doesn’t value (e.g. Although this essay by Tan is quite lengthy for the intended age group of this program, it offers many ideas about his creative process and thought about visual storytelling that can stimulate discussion and student responses. Journal of Language & Literacy – Music, multiliteracies and multimodality: Exploring the book and movie versions of Shaun Tan’s The Lost Thing, New York Times – Shaun Tan’s Wild Imagination, ALMA – Shaun Tan breaks down the boundaries of storytelling, An analysis of Year 7 and Year 10 girls’ responses to Shaun Tan’s The Red Tree, Mad Arts Publishing – The Lost Thing (Full short film on YouTube). The symbols can be discussed in terms of different categories. As a group, the students select three or four “wonders” to share with the class. This makes a study of The Lost Thing an ideal opportunity to clarify the distinction between the physical and social settings of a narrative. For the moment, one possible reading of The Lost Thing that I’d like to suggest has to do with the theme of reading itself. The set of resources available here is based on Shaun Tan’s collaboration with Gary Crew in The Viewer. An interview mainly about the production of the film. A good example of this occurs on the double-page spread early in the book which contains the text, “I asked a few people if they knew anything about it…”. “Originality and Creativity” by Shaun Tan, Aust. Butcher’s paper or space on walls to assemble responses under the headings: Think, Puzzle and Explore. Students select a theme The Lost Thing explores that they would like to construct their own picture book around. The link provided here is of a virtual tour of the expansive painting and it needs to be noted that there is adult content which some teachers may find unsuitable for Year 7/8 students. This unit of work will have drawn attention to the way Shaun Tan took inspiration from various sources when constructing The Lost Thing. This is a picture book that works through such resonance rather than recognition, or any didactic imperative; ideas and feelings are evoked rather than explained. The centrality of the images to any reading of The Lost Thing is highly relevant in relation to the setting, both physical and social. Why not? Shaun Tan is a recognised artist as well as illustrator. These categories can be named during initial discussions about what students have included in the displays. By adding these new responses to the first set, teachers can facilitate a class discussion, set up small discussion groups, or ask for more formally written responses from each student that address their shifts in thinking and understanding. The Lost Thing is a 15 minute animated short film based on the highly acclaimed picture book by multi award winning author and illustrator, Shaun Tan, that says to have been influenced by Tim Burton, Francis Bacon and Rene Magritte. The success that followed The Lost Thing has allowed Tan to pursue a range of other projects and creative challenges, including murals and a digital app version of The Rules of Summer. Activity: After looking at the physical qualities of the lost thing and other “things” in the utopia scene, student can draw or construct their own “thing”; these creations can then be hung around the classroom to create a menagerie of “things”. Some guidance should be given about the purposes and conventions of panel discussion; principally, it is not a debate where points are given for diminishing the contributions of others in the eyes of the audience/assessor (as in a debate). Students will undoubtedly be keen to see this adaptation and is presents an excellent opportunity to examine different aspects of multimodality. This means coming prepared with questions to ask of each other and willingly responding to other members’ comments, whether to agree, disagree, elaborate, seek clarification, or support with other examples. While there are minor conflicts with other characters in the story, most obviously with Shaun’s parents, it is the conflict with society that is central to several themes. Watching an interview like this will give students confidence to interpret work in their own way because they hear Tan say he actively removes aspects that would otherwise narrow down possible interpretations. Would you like to go on a holiday to here? Concentrate on any “what if” or “it depends” kinds of statements during the placement of tugs and add these above the rope for later exploration. A group of young adults, who meet online, get a hold of a cult underground graphic novel, which not only pins them as a target of a shadowy deep state organization, but also burdens them with the dangerous task of saving the world. Michael Yezerski Utopia is not prescriptive; it renders potential blueprints of a world not quite here, a horizon of possibility, not a fixed schema. One of the introductory activities, in which students listed the attributes of perfect and oppressive places to live, can now be recalled in relation to The Lost Thing. Students can identify conventional aspects of narrative structure and plot within the basic detail offered by the written text. Year 7: (ACELA1529)   (ACELT1619)   (ACELT1620)   (ACELT1622)   (ACELT1803)   (ACELY1723)   (ACELY1722)   (ACELY1724)   (EN4-8D)   (EN4-2A)   (EN4-1A)   (EN4-5C)   (EN4-6C), Year 8: (ACELA1541)   (ACELT1627)   (ACELT1628)   (ACELT1629)   (ACELT1630)   (ACELY1735)   (EN4-8D)   (EN4-5C)   (EN4-6C)   (EN4-1A). For example: The are many interviews and written articles now available online that talk about this production process and several are listed on the additional resources page. Structurally and stylistically, The Lost Thing can be argued to more closely resemble a graphic novel, save for its length. One of the central themes teachers can explore is belonging. In the sanctuary image, the word “utopia” is written on a wall almost in the centre of the image. Matteo has coordinated language and literacy units for the University of Tasmania. While the content would suit older students, there are many activities and lessons that can be adapted to a Year 7/8 study of The Lost Thing. The Coast of Utopia is a 2002 trilogy of plays: Voyage, Shipwreck, and Salvage, written by Tom Stoppard with focus on the philosophical debates in pre-revolution Russia between 1833 and 1866. Rather, all members are responsible for the success of the discussion by maintaining the flow of ideas and elaborating them. Students are to depict a “perfect” world on one side/half while the other side/half will depict an oppressive world (definitions of oppressive should be examined). The reader’s action to turn the book sideways can be read as symbolising the importance of looking at things differently. ‘Viewing The Viewer‘: postmodern picture books for teaching and learning in secondary English education. This response to The Lost Thing will be the culmination of previous writing tasks that have given students opportunities to articulate their interpretations and understanding of theme. The most notable of these is the critically acclaimed and wordless The Arrival which is also featured as a Reading Australia text. Opening 3. The elements of exposition, climax and resolution are quite clear, but students may need support in identifying important conflicts. His essays in the Comments and Notes section are highly recommended for anyone teaching visual texts. Shaun Tan's The Lost Thing 1. There are many resources available which describe various visual language conventions, including: Beyond the visual literacy required to understand and interpret individual images, The Lost Thing requires readers to comprehend the types of transitions suggested between panels. The question of making meaning from The Lost Thing is addressed quite extensively by Tan in his essay “Picture books: Who are they for?”. There are many “clues” in the images which indicate the kind of society in which the story is set: what it values (e.g. The first two questions can be asked again, allowing students to reflect upon how their thinking and understanding has developed. Feeding The soundtrack to the Academy Award® winning short about a boy who finds a mysterious lost thing on a beach. Shaun’s artistic friend, Pete, serves as a contrast to the conformity of other characters and human figures in the book. Provide students with post-it notes to generate as many “tugs” on the rope as possible (evidence to support statement on the “yes” side, evidence to reject statement on the “no” side. These may include (but not limited to) conformity, dystopia/utopia, creativity, individuality, bureaucracy, modern life, art, friendship or belonging. As students respond to each of these questions they can attach their post-it notes under the appropriate heading. It would be sufficient to concentrate on Shaun’s (the character’s) ordinariness and conventionality that befits the uniformity and conformity of the society in which he lives. What does it remind you of, or make you think about? acclaimed Australian films The Black Balloon (starring Toni Collette, dir. You're invited to help us construct a fantastical gallery of Utopia filled with drawings of your own 'Lost Thing'. Interviews, speeches and panel discussion: The Guardian – In conversation: Neil Gaiman Talks to Shaun Tan, An ABC one-on-one interview with author Shaun Tan. One day, while collecting bottle tops near a beach, he discovers a strange creature, that seems to be … This can either be done on paper or, for those teachers wishing to employ digital learning tools, an online mind-mapping application like Bubbl.us or Popplet. In an interview with the ABC’s Lingua Franca program, Tan uses the metaphor of a battery to imagine the meaning-making dynamic between text and reader. Elissa Down) and The Waiting City (starring Joel Edgerton, dir. Tan shares many of his stand-alone artworks in his personal blog, The Bird King, which can be useful to show to students to see recurring ideas, themes and imagery. However, I disagree completely. presenting a day in the life of Shaun’s mother, imagining what happens in the “Utopian” world only glimpsed in the book (perhaps taking one of the. October 14, 2020 by Essay Writer. It is suggested the process is modeled with a shared image and then be done individually with subsequent sharing done in groups. The three men discuss a wide range of civil, religious and philosophical issues. Shaun Tan has written and spoken quite extensively about his approach to art, which respects what the reader or viewer brings to a work in order to create meaning. What is the lost thing? Following the first reading of The Lost Thing, students are given time to reflect on their initial response using the Think, Puzzle, Explore activity. Examples can include: This assessment is focused on students’ abilities in producing a thematically cohesive narrative, supported by visual elements. In the middle of the rope write the statement, “. Other artistic influences mentioned by Tan that relate more to the Utopia scene are those of Hieronymus Bosch and the Spanish Surrealists. Allow students time to examine one page silently on their own for two to three minutes (the page which begins, “This all happened a few summers ago…” is suggested – including the page backing the montage of mathematical/engineering cut-outs). Some teachers will recognise this process will be similar to the KWL activity (What I know, What I want to know, What I learned), which is focused on fact accumulation and knowledge. Burn:Cycle - Original Game Soundtrack (Remastered). When adapted to film, the story of The Lost Thing continues to explore a world where people... 3. MATTEO PANTALONE has been teaching English and Literature since 1999 in a range of educational contexts, including regional and urban, public and independent, and the training of teachers in their tertiary qualifications. After a few “tugs” (post-it notes) have been placed, students are to evaluate the relative strengths of the tugs, whereby the stronger points are placed closer at the farther ends of the rope. Should the panel members struggle to keep the discussion flowing, the top card can be selected to shift the discussion to that topic. By explaining the connection between the textual elements and the theme, students should be encouraged to make statements about the theme. The Lost Thing tells the story of a boy who discovers a bizarre lost creature at the beach and... 2. These cards can read or include: a particular image, themes, ideas, audience, visual style, dystopia/utopia, characterisation, social setting, physical setting. This follow-up to the soundtrack to the video game “Burn:Cycle” reconceives four songs as shuffling techno workouts. acclaimed Australian films The Black Balloon (starring Toni Collette, dir. describe if the element/s serve any other themes? Lost Maples Cafe is a must when headed to or from Lost Maples or Garner State Parks or whenever you choose to visit the small town of Utopia. This is a chapter from an English text book which offers a unit of work based on Shaun Tan’s The Arrival. A fruitful discussion can be facilitated around possible reasons for the decision to change Pete’s character in this way. This short profile taken from The Big Issue can serve as a comprehension/literacy exercise. The lost thing itself, for instance, could be read as a puppy-like creature if only the words were considered. This Reading Australia unit has utilised this text’s coverage of panel transitions in the Close study section. An argument might be made however, that The Lost Thing works as a graphic short story, in the same way a graphic novel suggests complexity of ideas that elevates it beyond a comic book. © Copyright Agency and contributors 2021 ABN 53 001 228 799, Receive updates in your inbox every month, Representations of belonging: Using the picture books of Shaun Tan, Do you encourage open interpretation of your work, range of other projects and creative challenges, State Library Victoria – Shaun Tan: Tell us about, INFRAME TV – Shaun Tan: Creative Process and Inspirations for, An analysis of Year 7 and Year 10 girls’ responses to Shaun Tan’s. . Cartoonist and comics theorist, Scott McCloud, identified in his seminal Making Comics (1993) six types of panel transitions which can be deployed to achieve different functions. Utopia 2. When the book is the central focus, the film allows students to consider the affordances offered by the printed version in comparison to the film adaptation. What is that strange place glimpsed through a doorway at the end of an anonymous alley? At the end of the unit, these responses can be revisited with a reflective activity, outlined in the Informed reaction section of this unit.