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Little Red and the Big Bad Croc

This imaginative digital text is an innovation on the traditional tale of Little Red Riding Hood. It is an audio text with matching illustrations. The resource includes a teaching sequence related to the Big Six components of literacy development (oral language, phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension) ...

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'This old man' sung by Teddy Rock

Watch and listen to Teddy Rock perform the nursery rhyme 'This old man' in this animated music video. Then have some fun with counting and rhyme as you create and perform new verses for the song.

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Can you clap the cymbal part from Carmen?

Get your clapping hands ready and join the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra as they play some music from the opera Carmen, by composer Bizet. Follow along with host Paul Rissmann and see if you can keep up with the orchestra! How does this piece of music make you feel? Why do you think it has that effect?

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Andy Griffiths on writing songs and stories

What's the difference between writing song lyrics and writing a story? Andy Griffiths thinks they are quite similar. Why does he think this? How important is rhythm in Andy's stories? Next time you write a story, try reading it out loud and listen for the rhythm of the words. Can you make your story's rhythm sound even better?

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'Sing a song of sixpence' sung by Teddy Rock

Watch and listen to Buzz, Belle and Bop perform the nursery rhyme 'Sing a song of sixpence' in this animated music video. Find out where the king was, what the queen was doing and what happened to the maid. Have fun retelling the story.

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Hey diddle diddle' sung by Teddy Rock

Watch and listen as Buzz, Belle and Bop perform 'Hey diddle diddle' in this animated music video. Then try to create your own sentences that include pairs of words that sound the same at the end (rhyme).

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What's that mystery instrument?

Watch this video to learn about a spooky sounding instrument called the theremin. How is it played? Listen as it joins the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra to play music from the TV show Dr Who. Do you like the sounds it makes? Why or why not?

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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.

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'It's raining, it's pouring' sung by Teddy Rock

Watch and listen as Buzz, Belle and Bop sing the nursery rhyme 'It's raining, it's pouring' in this animated music video. Next, see if you can think of some other things that might happen to the old man.

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Changing ideas and discovering themes in stories

Have you ever started out with an idea for a story and later realised you wanted to change it? You're not the only one! In fact, changing your mind is all part of the process of writing. Listen as author Tony Wilson explains how the idea for his book 'The Cow Tripped over the Moon' changed over time. What was his initial ...

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What is a vibraphone?

Have you heard of the vibraphone? Learn all about this percussion instrument in this animation. What is it made of? How is it similar to other percussion instruments?

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Gubuluk

Listen as Anne Gela tells the story of "Gubuluk". Anne is a Mualgal woman from the St Paul community of Moa Island, which is in the inner-west Torres Strait group of islands. Can you find Moa Island on a map? Anne speaks Big Thap Creole/Yumplatok.

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Guulaangga, The Green Tree Frog

Listen to author and artist Aunty Gloria Whalan, as she tells the story of Guulaangga, the Green Tree Frog. Gloria is an elder of the Morwell community, though she grew up in Lithgow, NSW. Her people are the Wiradjuri, from around the Blue Mountains in NSW. This story is inspired by Gloria's experiences growing up on a ...

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How to get better at writing in rhyme

What does author Tony Wilson suggest doing to improve your rhyming skills? Why do you think reading might help? Are you familiar with the books and authors Tony mentions? Dame Lynley Dodd is the author of the Hairy Maclary books and Julia Donaldson is another successful author who uses rhyming in her books. Look them up ...

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Play School: How do people make sounds on musical instruments?

Do you like music? There are lots of different sorts of music and plenty of instruments to play it on. In this clip, watch and listen as an orchestra of young people perform well-known pieces of music. See if you can identify any of the instruments being played.

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Andy Griffiths' tips for starting your story

Get some tips from Andy Griffiths on what to think about when you start to write a story. What does he say about plot? Why not take Andy's advice and start a story by thinking about something that has happened to you and then exaggerate it somehow. Concentrate on writing a short, dramatic moment by using lots of detail ...

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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?

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Tony Wilson's advice for new writers

What does author Tony Wilson think the hardest thing for new writers is? What does he say is the best way to get better at writing? Tony mentions an Australian author called Sonya Hartnett. Do some research and find out how old Sonya was when she wrote her first book. If writing is something you have fun doing, perhaps ...

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Storyline Online: Sophie's masterpiece by Eileen Spinelli

Sophie's no ordinary house spider. She's an artist; and every web she spins is more wondrous than the one before. But don't mention that to the guests at Beekman's Boardinghouse, because they don't like spiders. This series of videos features illustrated stories read aloud by well-known US based actors supported by the ...

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Storyline Online: Harry the dirty dog by Gene Zion

Harry is a white dog with black spots who loves everything…except baths. So one day before bath time, Harry runs away.This series of videos features illustrated stories read aloud by well-known US based actors supported by the illustrations. Each book is supplemented with by guides for teachers and parents, aiming to strengthen ...