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Film it! Screenwriting

Screenwriting is the act of writing what's known as a script or screenplay for film, television and web series. It involves a special set of rules that makes it different from a book or play. This module of Film It covers formatting, scene writing, script structure, themes, and character. Writing the script is part of ...

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Work sample Year 8 English: Creative responses to a poem

This work sample demonstrates evidence of student learning in relation to aspects of the achievement standards for Year 8 English. The primary purpose for the work sample is to demonstrate the standard, so the focus is on what is evident in the sample not how it was created. The sample is an authentic representation of ...

Interactive

Poetry from the Poetry foundaton - iTunes app

View poems from classic and contemporary poets. From William Shakespeare to T.S. Eliot to Emily Dickinson this app turns your device into a mobile poetry library. Free when reviewed 5/6/15.

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Different views

This resource will encourage students to develop their understanding of the first contact of the Aboriginal people of Kamay Botany Bay and the men aboard the HMB Endeavour in 1770. This resource is one part of the 'Endeavour – eight days in Kamay' resource.

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 ...

Online

Australia's Trade through Time

Using an interactive timeline created by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, this Teacher guide provides 12 series of learning experiences that engage students in the analysis and interpretation of data about Australian trade from 1900 to the present day. Students study videos, tables, images and texts in order ...

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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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Descriptive Writing

Here are some techniques for students to use to make their writing more vivid and interesting, including metaphors, similes, personification, adjectives and sensory imagery. This resource also includes a descriptive writing activity, as well as a short test on the techniques.

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Journal Writing

This resource provides tips for students on journal writing, including the rules and 51 suggestions for writing, covering fiction, non-fiction, story starters, instructional writing, reviews, descriptive writing, persuasive writing and personal writing.

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Reading with Rebecca Lim

Watch this clip to find out what author Rebecca Lim liked to read when she was younger. How have these early interests influenced her writing as an adult? Do you get creative inspiration from books you read? What advice does Rebecca give to people who want to be writers?

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Thinking about story themes

Noa and Francis are two young writers who've had their stories published. Listen as they talk about the main ideas they chose to explore in their stories. Find and watch the clips of Noa and Francis reading their pieces at the Melbourne Writers Festival (also found on Splash). How did they build their stories around the ...

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Heywire: Sussing out the similes in a footy game

If you've ever tried to describe an experience to a friend and said, 'It was just like', you were using a simile. Similes and their close pals metaphors are figures of speech that writers of all sorts of texts use. As you listen to this Heywire audio story, explore Taylor Smith's use of them in his recount of a Saturday ...

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Hannie Rayson on writing complex roles for women

Watch as Hannie Rayson describes her early desire to write multidimensional, complex roles for women in her plays. What was this in response to?  Why is it important for audiences to see female characters as well as male characters driving drama in plays? 

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Can We Help?: Efficient speech: the process of language change

Wassup, bro?Well 'pparently I ain't speakin' right.Will thou ha' the truth on't?We often think that only young people speak in abbreviated forms, but the truth is people have been doing this since Anglo-Saxon times! In this clip discover with Professor Kate Burridge some words that belong to the 'zero plurals' group, why ...

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Dorothea Mackellar's 'My country' as a song

Do you know a poem with the line 'I love a sunburnt country'? The poem is 'My country' by Dorothea Mackellar. Find out what inspired Mackellar to write this famous poem and how she felt about teenager Christine Roberts basing a song on it. This is a black-and-white clip from a 1967 current affairs program This Day Tonight.

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Sculpting ideas into stories with Andy Griffiths

Watch this clip to learn how Andy Griffiths turns his ideas into stories. In particular, listen to the way Andy describes how his collaboration with illustrator Terry Denton works. Now team up with a friend or family member and take on the roles of author and illustrator. What ideas can you come up with by working together? ...

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Rebecca Lim's spooky themes

Do you enjoy reading spooky stories? Listen to Rebecca Lim as she describes how her half-memories, reading experiences and imagination come together to inspire her.

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Heywire: Crocodiles, jellyfish and self-expression

Have you ever sat through a classmate's oral presentation and nearly fallen asleep in the middle of it? Often this is because the speaker isn't using their voice in a way that gets your attention and keeps you interested. In this Heywire audio story, explore how Alpha Capaque, a young woman from the Northern Territory, ...

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David Malouf on short story writing

Some writers can write a short story in one sitting, whereas for others – like David Malouf – it can sometimes take a bit longer to figure out where a story is going. Watch as David explains that although writing is about an "enthusiastic rush", it is also about patience.  Have you ever written a story that you didn't know ...

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Tom Keneally and 1960s Australia

Have you heard of the 1967 Referendum, Vincent Lingiari or the Freedom Ride? The late 1960s was a period of great social upheaval with many young Australians unhappy with the treatement of Indigenous Australians and with Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War. How effective is Thomas Keneally's parallel between the ...