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Interactive

Samuel Wagan Watson

This sequence of videos is an interactive resource for Stage 4/5 English and or Stage 4/5 Aboriginal Studies. It assists students to develop knowledge and understanding about Indigenous cultures of Australia. Students will respond to the poet, his texts, and at least one other Aboriginal poet, as well as composing at least ...

Interactive

Truth be told

This resource embeds the use of online collaboration tools and 21st century learning skills in a Stage 5 English project. Students explore the English textual concepts as they collaborate to research and create a personal story. Tasks include analysing a variety of personal stories told in different media and exploring ...

Online

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, ...

Interactive

Tara June Winch

This resource is a series of videos featuring writer Tara June Winch talking about her writing and book 'Swallow the Air'. Related resources and teaching notes are included.

Text

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.

Text

Introduction to Shakespeare: Ten Things I Hate about You

This resource for students is the third in a series of three entitled 'Introduction to Shakespeare', which is mainly based on a study of 'The Taming of the Shrew'. This resource asks students to: write a plot summary of the film; contrast plot flow charts of the play and the film; discuss gender roles in Shakespeare's ...

Text

'Animal Farm' and the Russian Revolution

This resource for students is the first in a series of thirteen, focusing on a study of the novel 'Animal Farm'. This resource provides contextual information including short descriptions of Marx, the Tsar,Trotsky and Stalin; information about the political systems of democracy, totalitarianism, socialism, communism and ...

Video

Interviews With 10 Australian Authors, Ch 4: Poetry with Robert Adamson

Australian poet Robert Adamson speaks to Tom Tilley about his extraordinary life, including his experience of being sent to a boys' home as a teenager, of his life-changing discovery of Bob Dylan, and of the spiritual connection he feels with the Hawkesbury River. The Golden Bird is a collection of his poems written throughout ...

Video

Jennifer Byrne Presents: Anything's possible

What are writers of Young Adult (or YA) fiction seeking to achieve? What obligations do they have to their audience, if any? In this clip, listen as four successful authors share their ideas on these things.

Video

David Malouf on violence in literature

Do you think we live in a violent world? Do you agree with David Malouf when he says that violence is everywhere? Should stories reflect what is happening in the world? How do you feel about violence as a theme in literature?

Audio

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 ...

Video

Jane Eyre: Who is Bertha Mason?

What do Jane Eyre and Bertha Mason have in common? In what ways are they different? How do you react to Bertha's character? Listen carefully as Professor John Bowen shares his thoughts about the significance of Bertha in Charlotte Bronte's classic novel. This clip is one in a series of four.

Video

First Tuesday Book Club: Just for girls? Daphne du Maurier's 'Rebecca'

Gender and its representation is a significant concern for many writers, readers and critics. Some dismissed Daphne du Maurier's 1938 novel 'Rebecca' as a romantic novel, but du Maurier insisted that she was exploring deeper issues of jealousy and power in relationships. Explore these different readings in this discussion. ...

Video

First Tuesday Book Club: Navigating 'The Secret River'

Kate Grenville's multiple-award-winning novel 'The Secret River' explores an earlier period of Australian history. What is it that makes this novel so compelling and troubling for its many Australian readers? As you watch this clip, consider how this book encourages readers to re-evaluate their beliefs and values.

Audio

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 ...

Video

First Tuesday Book Club: A moral minefield: Christos Tsiolkas's 'The Slap'

'The Slap', a novel from Australian author Christos Tsiolkas, created plenty of controversy when it was published. Why is it that some novels seem to stir people up more than others? Learn how the novel affected a group of panel members discussing popular Australian books.

Video

Wuthering Heights: Fantasy and realism

Do you think Wuthering Heights is a fantasy novel? Or is it all too realistic in its descriptions of hardship, cruelty and human frailty? John Bowen, Professor of Literature at York University notes, 'Gothic elements ... haunt the edges of the book.' Yet they never compromise the authenticity of the story. In this clip, ...

Video

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? 

Video

Jane Eyre: The role of women

What does Jane Eyre tell us about the role of women in 19th century England? Charlotte Bronte's best-known character is, according to Professor John Bowen, an 'assertive heroine ... who speaks the truth'. How does this distinguish her from other women of her time, especially those who serve as governesses? This clip from ...

Video

Alice Pung on story settings

Watch this clip to learn how author Alice Pung thinks about settings in her writing. What does she say about they way they inform the characters she develops? Why does Alice think a high school is a good setting for a story? Write a short story that's set in a high school, paying special attention to the dramatic possibilities ...