Search results

Listed under:  Language  >  Text types  >  Imaginative texts  >  Narratives
Video

Eugene von Guérard: 'Purrumbete from across the lake' 1858

Lured to Australia by the discovery of gold, Eugene von Guérard was the lead painter in the first century of European settlement. This piece is one of a pair that was commissioned by land owners Peter and John Manifold. Von Guérard was known for his mastery of landscapes, and his attention to detail and interest in the ...

Video

First Tuesday Book Club: Lots to love about 'Cloudstreet'

Judging literature is highly personal. What one person loves about a book can drive someone else crazy. Some books, though, just seem to appeal to everyone! Well, almost everyone. Find out whether this is the case with Tim Winton's novel 'Cloudstreet'.

Video

First Tuesday Book Club: A moral minefield: Christos Tsiolkas's 'The Slap'

'The Slap', a novel from Australian author Christos Tsiolkas, created plenty of controversy when it was published. Why is it that some novels seem to stir people up more than others? Learn how the novel affected a group of panel members discussing popular Australian books.

Video

In My Blood It Runs: First Nations education

While watching this clip, consider Article 14 of United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP): 1. Indigenous peoples have the right to establish and control their educational systems and institutions providing education in their own languages, in a manner appropriate to their cultural methods ...

Video

Growing an organic edible garden

Find out about the roles that earthworms and other animals play in a sustainable organic garden. View this clip called 'Great pizzas', created by young reporters from Willunga Primary School, South Australia. The clip was developed as part of the ABC Splash Live 'Making the news!' project, which featured local sustainability ...

Video

The Book Club: Solving 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time'

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time' is described by the panellists as part quest and part detective novel. How do they explain this? What are the two 'cases' that the narrator and protagonist 'solves' in the novel, whether deliberately or inadvertently? What is the effect of having the reader know more than ...

Video

Wuthering Heights: Fantasy and realism

Do you think Wuthering Heights is a fantasy novel? Or is it all too realistic in its descriptions of hardship, cruelty and human frailty? John Bowen, Professor of Literature at York University notes, 'Gothic elements ... haunt the edges of the book.' Yet they never compromise the authenticity of the story. In this clip, ...

Video

Jane Austen: Marriage and inheritance

How important is the wealth of a potential marriage partner to you? Why was the estate of a potential husband important in Jane Austen's novels? Consider the significance of marriage in middle and upper class England, as explained by the University of Oxford's Professor Kathryn Sutherland. This clip from the British Library ...

Video

'Incy Wincy Spider' sung by Teddy Rock

Watch and listen to Buzz, Belle and Bop perform the traditional nursery rhyme 'Incy Wincy Spider' in this animated music video. Use the rhyme, sung with a rock beat by Teddy Rock, to discuss, order and retell events.

Video

Jane Austen: Expectations and aspirations of women

How liberated were the women in Jane Austen's novels? Were they encouraged to confront the social norms and gender roles of their times? Listen as Oxford University's Professor Kathryn Sutherland shares her thoughts on the aspirations and expectations of middle and upper class women in Ms Austen's works. This clip from ...

Video

Macbeth: Are you a man or a mouse?

Let's get inside the devious mind of Lady Macbeth! Bell Shakespeare's Kate Mulvany and John Bell explore the methods Lady Macbeth uses to manipulate her husband. This delightfully despicable character knows just which buttons to press! Listen in on the conversation with James Evans and see for yourself.

Video

a-Kuridi: The Groper

In this spectaular animation, the Groper travels around South West Island in the Gulf of Carpentaria, close to the Northern Territory mainland. She visits different Dreaming countries while creating waterways, plantations and rock formations. The Groper's story belongs to the Wuyaliya clan of the Yanyuma people. This story ...

Video

The Buyungurra who didn't listen

Listen as Bianca McNeair shares the story of "The Buyungurra who didn't listen". This is a traditional story that Bianca's mother told her when she was growing up. Bianca uses words from the Malgana language, which is spoken in the area around Shark Bay in Western Australia.

Video

John Lewin: 'Reed warbler' 1805

Natural history illustrator John Lewin was the first professional artist to come to Australia as a free settler. His collected illustrations of native birds became the first non-government book published in the colony. How difficult do you think it was to identify and illustrate so many different birds?

Audio

Radio National: Was Shakespeare psychic, or just a smart guy?

Shakespeare's plays are strangely relevant to today's world. Could he see what the world would be like 400 years into the future, or is it just that humans haven't changed much? Hear Phillip Adams and John Bell (actor and director of the Bell Shakespeare company) discussing Shakespeare's enduring relevance, as well as his ...

Video

Ngurdungurdu: The Tiger Shark

The Tiger Shark travels from the east to his country at the mouth of the Wearyan River on the Gulf coast of the Northern Territory. On his way he encounters the Rock Wallaby, who drives him from her country. The Rrumburriya clan of the Yanyuma people are the custodians of the Tiger Shark Dreaming. This story from the Yanyuwa ...

Video

Heywire: Life-changing moments: from basketball to guitar

Sometimes devastating events have a silver lining. Brendon Reynolds's life changed completely after a major injury during a basketball game. Hear how as you listen to his Heywire audio story.<br /><br />Could you write or record a story about yourself and/or your community? The ABC's Heywire competition calls for stories ...

Video

Listening for rhythm with author Tony Wilson

Tony Wilson says that listening to rhyming books is like listening to music. How are they similar? Read a rhyming book out loud or ask someone to read one to you, and see if you can hear the rhythm. Can you clap along to it? Think about rhythm when you write your next story. Can you write something that has a beat?

Audio

Radio National: Re-awakening Australian Aboriginal languages

Did you know that before colonisation there were about 250 distinct Aboriginal and Torres Strait lslander languages being spoken across Australia? Today, however, the majority of these languages are endangered. Listen to a number of significant Australians discussing the Aboriginal language situation in Australia today. ...

Video

Rebecca Lim and her writing process

How long does it take to write a YA book? Rebecca Lim fills us in and explains the role reading plays in the writing of her books. Why does she say that having an editor is important? Try challenging yourself to write a story in 100 words.