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Lady Wenji and the lament of the nomad flute

This is a Chinese folk story called Lady Wenji and the lament of the nomad flute; it dates back almost 2,000 years. The story is about longing for something that cannot be: lamenting. The resource is 16 web pages in length and includes text, illustrations, arrows at the top of the resource to turn the pages forward and ...

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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, ...

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Panchatantra: the lion and the rabbit

This is a folk story titled The lion and the rabbit from the Panchatantra, a book that contains a collection of South Asian folk stories dating back at least 2,000 years. The message of the story is that intelligence is power. The story is eight web pages in length and includes text, illustrations, arrows at the top of ...

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Journey to the west - part 2

This is the second part of a Chinese folk story dating back 1,300 years called the Journey to the west: preparing for the great journey. The story is about finding three magical companions - a monkey, a pig and a strongman - for a monk who is going on a dangerous journey. The resource is 15 web pages and includes text, ...

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.

Online

TrackSAFE Education Primary School Resources: Year 5 and Year 6 English

This unit of work focuses on the influences that impact on safe behaviours in and around tracks, platforms and trains. Guided activities build students' rail safety vocabulary including grammar and word building. Modelled writing activities support students to shape a research-based inquiry investigating factors that impact ...

Video

Macbeth: Are you a man or a mouse?

Let's get inside the devious mind of Lady Macbeth! Bell Shakespeare's Kate Mulvany and John Bell explore the methods Lady Macbeth uses to manipulate her husband. This delightfully despicable character knows just which buttons to press! Listen in on the conversation with James Evans and see for yourself.

Online

What is Shakespeare Unbound?

Shakespeare doesn’t get any better than this. Actors from Australia’s famous Bell Shakespeare Company, including Artistic Director John Bell, present key scenes from six of Shakespeare’s best-known works before joining conversations to dissect the playwright’s use of character, plot and language. Custom-made for Australian ...

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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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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

Modernism and Woolf's 'Mrs Dalloway'

Mrs Dalloway' by Virginia Woolf is a modernist novel. What makes it so? Think of how it contrasts with Edwardian and even 19th century novels. How does consciousness, or internal reality, as well as multiple perspectives play a part in modernist literature like 'Mrs Dalloway'?

Interactive

Find your voice

Students learn about, compose and perform slam poetry.

Video

Heywire: Leaving home, leaving yourself

Leaving the only home you've ever known can be tough. For Janet Brown, it led to a serious case of depression. Although she was able to work through this, for a time Janet felt that she had lost everything, including herself. In her Heywire story Janet constructs a powerful image of her condition.<br /><br />To talk with ...

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Writing London: Discovery and rebirth

How do writers respond to, and write about, the great city of London. Listen as some of London's greatest writers, including Andrea Levy, Jeremy Reed, Ian McEwan and Bernard Kops, reflect on the experience of writing in and about London. Consider what Bernard Kops means when he asks, 'Where was I born after I was born?'

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What is spec fic? Rebecca Lim explains

Have you heard of the term 'spec fic'? What is speculative fiction? If you're interested in reading some, why not find out more about the books that Rebecca Lim refers to.

Audio

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 ...

Video

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, ...

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.

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Creating characters with Sally Rippin

Listen as Sally Rippin talks about how her characters come to life. What does she say about the link between the writer and the characters they create? Why does she say that imagination is like a muscle?

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Considering your audience when writing

Why is it important to think about who your readers will be when you write a story? In this clip author Alice Pung explains some of the things she had to consider when writing her 'Marley' books for young readers. What does Alice say about the way she used language? And how did she convey the historical themes in her stories? ...