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Heywire: When I'm riding, I don't think about my Asperger's

Jordan Gyss, who was born with Asperger's syndrome, says he found life before cycling 'one giant pain'. In this Heywire audio story, he describes how competitive cycling helps him manage his condition while providing a source of excitement and challenge. Could you write or record a similar story about yourself and/or your ...

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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 ...

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Feathers, Fur and Fins: A song about platypus

Watch as a platypus emerges from its burrow on the bank of a billabong (small lake). As you watch, listen to Don Spencer's song as he describes seeing a platypus and explores its unusual looks.

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From sewage to reclaimed water

Discover the benefits of recycling sewage, or waste water, to create 'reclaimed water'. View this clip called 'Reuse your pooh!', 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 ...

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BTN: Internet privacy

Imagine if 60,000 people turned up to your birthday party! How would you convince your parents that it wasn't your fault? A good way would be to use evidence to make your argument credible, or believable. Watch how this clip, a news story about Facebook and internet privacy, carefully selects sources of information to make ...

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First Tuesday Book Club: The story behind 'Jasper Jones'

'Jasper Jones' is a novel that recently featured on a list of '10 Aussie books to read before you die'. Does it belong on the list? Many texts make connections to other texts but is this novel too close a retelling of the classic American novel 'To Kill a Mockingbird'? Explore the concept of 'intertextuality' in this clip.

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Libraries in decline

Did you know that libraries have been around for over 4000 years? For a very long time, you could only borrow books from libraries, but in recent years this has changed. You can now borrow magazines, DVDs, CDs and even download ebooks! How does Sarah, the reporter, feel about this? How does Debra, the librarian, feel about ...

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Radio National: Shakespeare sweated it!

Ben Jonson, a 17th-century playwright and critic, said of Shakespeare that 'a great poet is not just born, but made'. Enjoy this discussion between Phillip Adams and John Bell, Australian actor and director of the Bell Shakespeare company. They explore soliloquies, authorship and why Shakespeare came to be considered the ...

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Heywire: Perspectives of 'a copper's daughter'

What perspectives on life do you think the daughter of a policeman in a coastal town might have? In this Heywire audio story, Jordyn Royle reveals both how her her dad's job affects her and that not everybody shares her attitudes towards the police. As you listen, think about how Jordyn's attitudes and values, and those ...

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Radio National: Tragic love triangle in 'The Great Gatsby'

Who will Daisy Buchanan choose when she finds herself torn between the love of two men in F Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 classic novel, 'The Great Gatsby'? Draw on the discussion in this audio clip to improve your skills in developing character in creative writing. The clip from 'Books and arts daily' on Radio National is one ...

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This Day Tonight: Debating Vietnam: using counter-arguments, 1967

Imagine agreeing with your opponent in a debate. How could that possibly help your argument? Many successful speakers, however, realise that concession is an important persuasive technique. In this clip, explore how two speakers discussing the effectiveness of Vietnam War protest marches both use concession to improve their ...

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Jane Eyre: Tapping into childhood

How was childhood depicted in English literature in the mid-nineteenth century? In this clip from The British Library, two experts in the works of the Bronte sisters discuss the manner in which children were regarded in the 1800s and consider the significance of Charlotte Bronte's accounts of childhood in Jane Eyre. This ...

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Heywire: Visits from a Christmas Island crab

Discover the lush beauty and extraordinary wildlife of Christmas Island, a tropical paradise in the Indian Ocean more than 1,500 kilometres off the Western Australian coast. In this Heywire audio story, Isabelle Bolland shares some of her experiences of life on Christmas Island and reminds her audience that there is far ...

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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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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 ...

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Jane Austen: The secret meaning of the dance

Why did Jane Austen write about dancing in her novels? What could attendance at a ball or local dance tell us about the characters and their relationships? Professor Kathryn Sutherland explains the significance of dances in the late-18th and early-19th centuries and suggests why Ms Austen chose to describe them in great ...

Online

Trade and Investment at a Glance

Using an illustrated report from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, this Teacher guide provides ten learning sequences that engage students in the analysis and interpretation of data about Australian imports and exports. Students: identify Australia's major exports and imports; investigate international trade ...

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First Tuesday Book Club: Sentencing 'The Book Thief'

People can express their opinions and attitudes in ways other than words. In this clip, join in the discussion about Markus Zusak's popular novel 'The Book Thief', and explore how verbal and non-verbal cues can add emphasis to your speech.

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Analysing Persuasive Language

This resource for students is a comprehensive explanation of how to analyse a persuasive article, from how to identify the contention and tone, to how persuasive techniques are used to position the reader. Techniques discussed, with examples, include the use of adjectives, adverbs, alliteration, appeals, anecdotes, everyday ...

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Heywire: Running towards mental health

Would you accept someone's argument if you didn't think the person presenting it was credible? Explore Nakita Sobczyk's Heywire audio story and reflect on what makes her an ideal person to educate others about mental illness. As you do, consider the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle's discussion of how 'ethos' can be ...