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BTN: Paying for the news, or not

Imagine a time before modern technology: no television, radio or computers. How did people find out about what was happening in the world? Through newspapers! Times are changing, however. With the internet at our fingertips, do we even need newspapers anymore? Watch this clip to find out how the internet is creating issues ...

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ABC News: Julia Gillard addresses misogyny in parliament

Former Prime Minister Julia Gillard's 2012 address to Parliament, in which she described the Federal Opposition's criticism of her support for controversial politician Peter Slipper as being misogynistic, proved to be one her most memorable. The speech went viral and was reported widely in international media, scoring over ...

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Heywire: Keeping the fat cats out of the dairy

Writers construct representations of people and events to suit their purposes. Once we understand this, we can evaluate the validity of those representations and decide whether we agree with them or not. In her Heywire audio story, Chelsey Landford speaks of the hardships facing dairy farmers. Explore her representations ...

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Monday Conference: Redefining marriage: analysing an argument

Why do people get married? Around the world, some people marry for love while others marry for social or pragmatic reasons, including economic ones. In this clip, filmed in 1973, explore the arguments of leading anthropologist Dr Margaret Mead as she challenges many of the ideas about marriage that were current at the time.

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Feathers, Fur and Fins: A song about snakes

Do you know any songs about Australian animals? Listen to this song about snakes performed by Don Spencer. Watch and listen, as the clip shows different types of snakes and even some trained people trying to catch a snake.

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For the Juniors: Breathing under the water

What would it be like to breathe under water? See the equipment humans use to help them swim under water. Find out about the special features fish have that help them 'breathe' under water.

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Can We Help?: Can seahorse dads really have babies?

Peter Rowsthorn visits Melbourne Aquarium to answer the question 'Do male seahorses give birth to their young?' Discover the answer as a marine expert describes Syngnathids, a unique family of fish. Learn what makes the seahorse and the sea dragon so unusual in the marine animal world.

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They're Pests but Cruelty is Inexcusable

This is an example for students of an analytical essay on the persuasive techniques used in a feature article

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Developing characters with Leigh Hobbs

How can drawings of characters give readers clues about who they are? What are some of the clues Leigh Hobbs gives us about Old Tom's character through his drawings of him? Do you have a character in your head that you've been thinking about for a while? As you draw or write about your character, remember what Leigh says ...

Online

Teaching Reading and Viewing - Comprehension Strategies and activities for Years 1-9

This resource developed by the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority provides teachers with a collection of strategies and activities for developing students’ comprehension. It is a companion document to the series of guides on teaching reading and viewing. The strategies are listed alphabetically in the table ...

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Ancient China: religion

This is a rich teacher resource about religious and funerary practices in ancient China. It contains: seven background information sheets; three lesson plans for whole-class discussions to introduce particular topics connected to tombs and the goods found within them; an inquiry-grid worksheet for gathering information ...

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Hannie Rayson on becoming a writer

Hannie Rayson is a playwright and screenwriter whose plays have been performed around Australia and internationally. Watch as she tells the story of how her writing career began. Try retelling the story from the point of view of her university teacher. How might he have remembered it?

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Hannie Rayson on the Australian voice in theatre

How important do you think it is to hear Australian stories told on stage? Listen as Hannie Rayson explains her early beliefs about where great drama comes from. After watching this clip, try writing a dramatic scene that takes place at a family barbeque.

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ABC Open: Australian Children's Laureate, Jackie French

Jackie French is the Australian Children's Laureate for 2014-2015, and the author of the famous Wombat series of books. Watch this video to find out how a wombat inspired and conspired against her literary ambitions! What are your inspirations when you write?

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Ramayana: an introduction to the great Indian epic

This is a resource that provides detailed information about the epic story Ramayana, with an enlargeable image and hyperlinks to further resources. Below the information there is space for readers to comment and contribute to a discussion about the story. Ramayana is a most important Hindu story from southern and south-eastern ...

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The Australian cotton story

This is a nine-minute video about cotton cultivation in Australia and cotton's importance for Australians. Intended for a mid to upper primary school audience, it depicts a family sowing, irrigating, spraying and harvesting cotton on their farm at Dalby, Queensland. It also illustrates the life cycle of the cotton plant ...

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What are microbes?

What are microbes? What are the four major groups that most microbes belong to? Listen as Dr Taghrid Istivan explains where microbes are found. What is the name of the group of microbes she describes as beneficial to our health? Can you explain what happens when people get food poisoning?

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Feathers, Fur and Fins: Observing a kookaburra

Watch a wild kookaburra being fed by hand. Don Spencer handles an injured kookaburra that is being nursed to health. It will be set free once it is well again. See where kookaburras make their homes. Listen to their laughing call.

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Voice of the People: The Aussie Accent: Whaddya reckon, mate?

Imagine a world where everybody sounded exactly the same when they spoke. What might that be like? Are there 'good' and 'bad' ways to speak? In this clip, listen to the opinions of many people about whether Australians have a bad accent.

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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 ...