English / Year 7 / Literature / Responding to literature

Curriculum content descriptions

Reflect on ideas and opinions about characters, settings and events in literary texts, identifying areas of agreement and difference with others and justifying a point of view (ACELT1620)

Elaborations
  • exploring concepts about the criteria for heroism and testing these criteria in a range of texts, including more complex ones where the hero may be flawed
  • establishing forums for discussing the relative merits of fiction and film texts
  • comparing personal viewpoints on texts and justifying responses in actual and virtual discussions
General capabilities
  • Literacy Literacy
  • Critical and creative thinking Critical and creative thinking
  • Personal and social capability Personal and social capability
ScOT terms

Personal responses

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Refugees welcome here

This resource embeds the use of online collaboration tools and 21st century learning skills in a student-centered hands-on project designed to welcome refugees into their community. The syllabus outcomes are aligned to NSW Stage 4 English, Geography or Visual Arts but this could be used with older or younger students by ...

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Syllabus bites: Visual literacy

A resource with information, study guides and resources on visual literacy to support the English K-10 Australian Curriculum in English. It provides a series of activities, guidelines and tasks about visual texts from a variety of sources. Contains writing scaffolds, templates and proformas for responding and composing ...

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Tristan Bancks

This resource is a series of videos featuring writer Tristan Bancks talking about his writing. Related resources and teaching notes are included.

Video

Tom Keneally's anti-hero

Do you know what an anti-hero is? Jimmie Blacksmith starts off in Thomas Keneally's novel as a typical hero, but before long turns into an anti-hero. What is the effect of this?

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Dirrarn: Unit of work

This unit of work has been written to support the book Dirrarn. The book follows Mia as she finds herself at boarding school and the challenges of living thousands of kilometres away from home, family, and the big sky country she loves. Find themes relating to Identity, change, coming of age, bullying, Country and finding ...

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Work sample Year 7 English: Picture book

This work sample demonstrates evidence of student learning in relation to aspects of the achievement standards for Year 7 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 ...

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47 Degrees: Unit of work

This unit of work has been written to support 47 Degrees, an account of the experiences of writer Justin D'Ath during the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria. Explore themes of belonging, bravery, community, grief, resilience and the environment. This unit provides practical teaching ideas and an assessment task

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The Lost Thing: Unit of work

This unit of work has been written to support The Lost Thing, a quirky picture story book about finding your place in the world. It explores themes of belonging, bureaucracy, conformity, dystopia and friendship. This unit provides practical teaching ideas, an assessment task and an essay by Gary Crew.

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Just Macbeth!: Unit of work

This unit of work has been written to support the novel Just Macbeth!. Using a group of Australian teenagers as the main characters, the novel plays with the themes of Shakespeare’s play The Tragedy of Macbeth. It explores themes of ambition, guilt and forgiveness, humour, trust and betrayal. This unit provides practical ...

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Wide Reading

Good advice for students encouraging them to read widely beyond the classroom, with useful links to ways to finding a good book

Video

Importance of feedback in the writing process

According to Lili Wilkinson, feedback is very important but it is also one of the hardest things about being a writer. Why is this? Do you agree? She also says writing is always collaborative. What reasons does she give for this?

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Gary Crew and the role of objects

In some stories, writers use particular objects as symbols. In other stories, writers use objects as tools to help them shape their narrative. What does Gary Crew say about the meaning of the ring in Strange Objects? What is its purpose within the story?

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What's the moral of the story?

Have you heard of the expression, 'the moral of the story'? What does the interviewer think the moral of this story is? How does this compare to what the author and illustrator of the story, Leigh Hobbs, says the moral is?

Video

Why is it useful to have a big bad wolf character in stories?

Watch this clip to hear Andy Griffiths explain why it's good to have villains in stories. How can the "big bad wolf" character help to move the story along? Think about some of the stories you've read lately. Which characters were the "big bad wolf" characters and what did they add to the stories? 

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Ubby’s Underdogs: the Legend of the Phoenix Dragon: Unit of work

This unit of work has been written to support the novel Ubby’s Underdogs: the Legend of the Phoenix Dragon. The novel, set in Broome of the late 1940s, is mostly concerned with the activities of two teenage gangs and explores themes of courage and bullying. As a graphic novel, it offers opportunities to teach about symbolism, ...

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Syllabus bites: types of sentences

A web page resource with information, teacher guides and activities on types of sentences to support the Australian Curriculum in English K–10. It has detailed activities, links to resources and quizzes.

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Syllabus bites: Exploring Asia-related texts

This resource has information, links and study guides on Asia-related texts to support the Australian Curriculum in English for Year 7, 8, 9, 10.

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Syllabus bites – responding to literature

A web page with information, teacher guides and resources on responding to texts. This resource supports the NSW English K-10 syllabus.

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Secondary English: collaboration

These seven learning activities, which focus on 'collaboration' using a variety of tools (software) and devices (hardware), illustrate the ways in which content, pedagogy and technology can be successfully and effectively integrated in order to promote learning. In the activities, teachers provide students with opportunities ...

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Nicki Greenberg

This resource is a series of videos featuring writer Nicki Greenberg talking about her career and graphic novels. Related resources and teaching notes are included.