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Radio National: What makes Shakespeare so special anyway?

Few literary figures are as widely revered as William Shakespeare. But just how did this glove-maker's son grow to become the greatest writer of the English language? Explore the extraordinary appeal of Shakespeare with John Bell, Australia's pre-eminent Shakespearean actor and director. If you like this clip, listen to ...

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Heywire: Spanning the generations in an unlikely friendship

Do you think strangers with 60 years of age between them can become friends? When eighteen, George Baker found out that they can when he befriended Geoff, a man in his eighties. Could you write or record a story about yourself and/or your community? The ABC's Heywire competition calls for stories from 16-22-year-olds in ...

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Heywire: Hip hop against waste dump

Many hip hop artists have expressed concerns about the world through their music. The Northern Territory's Kylie Sambo is no exception. Listen to her protest against the construction of a nuclear waste dump on her people's lands in Muckaty, near Tennant Creek. Could you write or record a story about yourself and/or your ...

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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: Autobiography of a flood survivor

Imagine if the town or suburb you live in came under threat due to a natural disaster. How would you react? Shelby Garlick from Kerang, Victoria, was a finalist of the 2012 Heywire storytelling competition for young people. Listen to her inspiring story and explore the lessons she learnt as a result of working with her ...

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Radio National: The original pronunciation of Shakespeare

Have you ever been in a situation where someone is speaking to you in English but you cannot understand them? William Shakespeare wrote in English but sometimes it is difficult to understand his English. In 'Lingua Franca' the linguist David Crystal talks about mounting a production of 'Romeo and Juliet' using Shakespeare's ...

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Radio National: Was Shakespeare psychic, or just a smart guy?

Shakespeare's plays are strangely relevant to today's world. Could he see what the world would be like 400 years into the future, or is it just that humans haven't changed much? Hear Phillip Adams and John Bell (actor and director of the Bell Shakespeare company) discussing Shakespeare's enduring relevance, as well as his ...

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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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Anzac Day analysis from The Conversation

This is a collection of short articles about Anzac Day, including history, preparation for centenary celebrations, cultural interpretations of remembrance, relationship with Remembrance Day, and wars not remembered such as Tasmania’s Black War. The articles are written in plain language and are authored by experts from ...

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The Mahabharata

This is the story of The Mahabharata, one of the world’s longest poems that was composed over 2,500 years ago in India. It is a story of family and friends and embodies Hindu mythology and philosophy. The message of the story is that rivalry leads to destruction. The story is 21 web pages long and includes text, illustrations, ...

Online

Whose Country: exploring First Nations peoples languages map (13-18yrs)

This activity introduces the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Nations peoples of this Country. They are the traditional custodians of the lands, waterways and skies across Australia and that it is important for us to recognise that. Learning about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages ...

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Identity and Cultural Diversity

This resource is a professional development package which focuses on global education concepts of identity and cultural diversity through the subject of English for Years 7-10. It provides a range of activities that support cross-curriculum integration, with syllabus programming, quick lesson ideas,a series of lessons, ...

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Animal Farm

This web page provides chapter by chapter synopses, commentary and short answer questions to support a study of George Orwell's novel Animal Farm.

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The Language of Connection- A resource for Global Education

This resource is for teachers of English, from Years 7-10, focusing on the identification and practice of the language of connection. It provides language activities which can be embedded in existing units of work, as well as individual units of work.

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Science Fiction: Radio Dramas

This resource for students is one in a series of three on science fiction. The introduction contains links to old radio dramas as great examples of story telling. Students are then asked to produce their own two minute science fiction radio drama. A link is provided to Celtx, an application which allows you to write the ...

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The Conversation - poetry collection

This collection of short articles is about poetry, and its role, relevance and meaning in contemporary Australia and the modern world. It includes commentary about the point of learning poetry, the role of poetry in understanding history (e.g. WW1, Arab Spring, the moon landing), and the role of a Poet Laureate. The articles ...

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The Conversation - Aesthetics and beauty

A series of articles that examine historic and modern constructs of beauty. Articles include historic understanding of Greek beauty; if there is an “ideal body shape” for women; questions of beauty and blackness; body image; and the beauty of scientific theories such as general relativity. Articles are authored by recognised ...

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Through a child's eye: an especially joyous exhibition of mandalas

This is a presentation of seven slides displaying a small exhibition of children's stories, related drawings and background information about mandalas. The stories and drawings illustrate selected fables as an expression of Buddhist teachings. The presentation was created as a result of an art project to commemorate the ...

Online

Tet: let's get ready to celebrate

This is a teaching activity that explores the celebration of New Year in Vietnam (Tet Nguyen Dan). Included in the resource is an enlargable image, inquiry questions, suggested lesson materials, student activities and information about the importance of the full moon at New Year. There is a poster design extension activity ...

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'Miyuki: the imperial outing and hunt', 1600-10

This is a pair of six-fold screens, painted during the Momoyama period (1573-1615) in Japan, depicting chapter 29 of the epic Japanese novel ‘Tale of Genji’. The screens are shown as an enlargeable image. Text onscreen gives detailed information on the history of the novel, the period it was written and an extensive visual ...