Elvis (Teacher Pack)

This complete teaching unit focuses on the biopic Elvis (Baz Luhrmann, 2022). The film makes a representation of the legendary life of musician and performer Elvis Presley with a spotlight on the influence of Colonel Tom Parker.

This comprehensive Teacher Pack equips educators of middle/upper secondary students to deliver high-quality student learning experiences (for the English/Media learning areas) to examine how representations are made in a biographical film text. Learning culminates in two possible assessment modes – analytical (six options) or imaginative (six options).

Contents (5 digital/editable/printable files ready for immediate download and use):

1. Teacher Guide (38-page PDF)
• Unit overview
• Teaching and Learning Outline – lesson-by-lesson planning
• Teacher Answer Guide to Student Booklet
• Assessment options – analytical mode and imaginative mode (including support resources)
2. Student Booklet (30-page PDF and DOCX)
• Pre-viewing activities
• Viewing activities
• Post-viewing activities
• Assessment task options and support resources
3. Teaching Presentation (40-slide PPTX and KEY [for macOS users])
• Discussion starter
• What is biographical film?
• Archetypal narratives
• Representations in the film
• About the director – Baz Luhrmann
• The Era – historical, social and cultural context
• Fun facts
• Narrative film conventions
• Active film viewing strategies
• Character, symbolism and film devices
• Sequence close analysis – question and sample answer
• Assessment options – analytical mode and imaginative mode

Unit duration: 20–24 lessons (including assessment)

Curriculum Links:

The Teacher Pack can be linked to the following areas within the Australian Curriculum:

• English
• Media

In addition, the Teacher Pack relates directly to the cross-curriculum priority of Sustainability and to the following General Capabilities within the Australian Curriculum:

• Literacy
• Critical and Creative Thinking

Features:

• Digital/editable/printable files delivered in a single ZIP file (2× PDF, 1× DOCX, 1× PPTX, 1× KEY)
• Professionally designed by an experienced educator
• Highly visual and engaging
• Suited to all learners
• Crisp, clean layouts
• A range of whole-class, group, and individual learning resources

The film has a running time of 159 minutes and is classified M (mature themes and coarse language) in Australia / PG-13+ in the USA / 12A in the UK. Please check your country's classification prior to use with students.

Please note: Access to view the film is not included in the resource pack.