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Video

Story development and plot holes with Andy Griffiths

How do you move your characters forward in a story? A trick Andy Griffiths uses is asking a lot of questions. His favourite question to ask is "what's the worst thing that can happen next?" Try asking yourself that question if you get stuck when writing your next story. In this clip Andy also talks about plot holes. What ...

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BTN Podclass using podcasts in school video

Have you ever used a YouTube video or podcast on the internet to learn a new skill? Perhaps to learn how to play the guitar or to do new skateboard tricks or dance moves? Find out how one school in Italy uses podcasts to jazz up its lessons.

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Feathers, Fur and Fins: Observing a flying fox

Take a close look at the flying mammal called the flying fox, or fruit bat. Watch these furry flyers as they leave their roosts to find food. Discover how and why they climb trees. See how these animals fly like birds but are not birds.

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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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Feathers, Fur and Fins: Observing a koala

Join Don Spencer as he talks about one of Australia's most popular animals. Observe koalas as they walk, climb and jump to find food in the bush. Discover why koalas rarely drink.

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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: A Song about a sulphur-crested cockatoo

Do you know any songs about Australian animals? Listen to this song about sulphur-crested cockatoos performed by Don Spencer. Get a close up look at a sulphur-crested cockatoo and see the antics (funny actions) it gets up to.

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Testing the 5-second rule

When it comes to dropping food, have you heard of the 5-second rule? Or the 3-second rule? Watch this video to learn what really happens when you drop food. In order to cause disease, what must bacteria do? What circumstances allow bacteria and viruses to contaminate food more successfully?

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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 ...

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Sustainability of a historic community garden

Discover the history of a local community garden and find out about some of its new sustainable features. View this clip called 'Sustainability in Edinburgh', created by young reporters from North Fitzroy Primary School, Victoria. The clip was developed as part of the ABC Splash Live 'Making the news!' project, which featured ...

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BTN: Daily bread

Do you eat bread? How often? Discover why bread has been important for human survival for thousands of years. Find out how to find the healthiest types of bread to eat. See how you can make your own bread at home.

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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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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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Feathers, Fur and Fins: Observing a wombat

Take a close look at two different types of wombats in this short clip. Don Spencer introduces a Common Wombat called Winifred, then shows us a Hairy-nosed Wombat foraging in the desert.

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For the Juniors: Picking and processing fresh apples

Discover the story of apples, from picking and pressing to processing in a factory. Learn how juice, cider and vinegar are made from apples. See how many other things are made from apples.

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Researching with Gary Crew

When authors write stories involving historical events, they often spend time doing research. Why do you think they might do this? What are some of the primary source documents Gary Crew used to inform his book, Strange Objects?

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English Year 2 with Mr Meissner: Writing a non-fiction text video

In this lesson, you will learn how to write a type of non-fiction text about an animal. Mr Meissner demonstrates the important features of writing a factual animal text, and he provides the opportunity for you to write about your favourite animal.

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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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Narrative structure with Gary Crew

Listen as Gary Crew talks about the narrative structure of his book, Strange Objects. What are the reasons he gives for incorporating so many different sorts of texts (from newspaper articles to diaries and archeological reports) into his narrative?

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Interviews With 10 Australian Authors, Ch 8: Experience colonial Australia with Tom Keneally

Thomas Keneally likes to put himself in the shoes of figures from history, whether it's as a member of the SS or an Indigenous man treated unjustly, and ask ‘What would I have done?' In this interview he discusses why he was drawn to the Jimmie Governor story and the significance of the looming Federation of Australia.