English / Year 8 / Literature / Creating literature

Curriculum content descriptions

Create literary texts that draw upon text structures and language features of other texts for particular purposes and effects (ACELT1632)

Elaborations
  • creating literary interpretations of short stories based on understanding and analysis of their context, narrative structure (including the twist at the end), layers of meaning, themes, point of view and style
  • combining visual and digital elements to create layers of meaning for serious and humorous purposes
General capabilities
  • Literacy Literacy
  • Critical and creative thinking Critical and creative thinking
ScOT terms

Text structure,  Literary styles,  Imaginative texts,  Literary devices

Interactive

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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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.

Text

Sci-Fi and Fantasy Worldbuilding

In this lesson, students will explore the intersection of science fiction and fantasy from the works of Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time Trilogy. Students will create an original character, thing, ability, and/or place using worldbuilding elements. Students will choose between dramatizing, making a book trailer, or ...

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Beach safety: video campaign

Look at the importance of water safety and skin protection at a beach. Talk with a lifeguard and beach goers about safety tips. Build a video for a public awareness campaign. Choose animated clips to illustrate responsible behaviour. Examine differences between formal and informal language. Select text for the script that ...

Video

What's With Poetry?, Ch 5: Visual language

When someone is telling you a story, do you visualise that story? You're not alone! A good storyteller or a poet knows exactly how to use certain words so the listener will visualise the story or poem in the way the storyteller or poet intends. A few well chosen and crafted words can allow readers to visualise a whole world. ...

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Sally Rippin on sculpting stories

Watch this clip to learn where Sally Rippin finds inspiration for her writing. What does she say about where story ideas come from? Sally talks about noting down ideas in a notebook and remembering how particular experiences made her feel. What does she say about turning ideas into stories? Why not try keeping a notebook ...

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Interviews With 10 Australian Authors, Ch 2: Draw with Bronwyn Bancroft

How do you draw a giant rainstorm? Bronwyn Bancroft loves Australian nature. She knows how to paint the weather, the land, and the animals. In this interview she speaks about what it's like to live in a country town when a storm hits.

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How to write about what you love

Many of us enjoy writing when it is about something we care passionately about. Watch Lili Wilkinson describe her love of gardening and how she incorporated that love into her book, 'Green Valentine'. Can you think of something you care passionately about to create a story around?

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Interviews With 10 Australian Authors, Ch 6: Gary Crew's Strange Objects

How do you use research in a fiction novel that is based on historical events? What is the real symbolism of the ring? Why should a writer have a ‘day job'? Listen to Gary Crew answer these questions about Strange Objects in this interview.

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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.

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Rebecca Lim's advice for writers

Do you want to be a writer? Watch this clip to get some tips from author Rebecca Lim. What are some of the things she suggests? Find out about writing competitions - and enter one!

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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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Editing with Alice Pung

In addition to being a writer, Alice Pung has experience as an editor. What was the advice her own editor gave her when she started editing other people's work? Alice believes that good editors ask writers good questions. How else can editors help writers? Next time a friend or classmate asks you to give them feedback on ...

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How to Build Stories, Ch 2: Creating characters for your story

Great characters help us fall in love with stories. Characters need to keep readers excited, but they also need to think and feel in ways we can all understand, and they need to remind us of people in our own lives. Follow these fantastic tips to create interesting, relatable characters!

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Andy Griffiths' tips for starting your story

Get some tips from Andy Griffiths on what to think about when you start to write a story. What does he say about plot? Why not take Andy's advice and start a story by thinking about something that has happened to you and then exaggerate it somehow. Concentrate on writing a short, dramatic moment by using lots of detail ...

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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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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 ...

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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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Rebecca Lim's spooky themes

Do you enjoy reading spooky stories? Listen to Rebecca Lim as she describes how her half-memories, reading experiences and imagination come together to inspire her.

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This Place: Birian Balunah - the birthing of the rivers

Paula Nihot shares a story told to her by Yugambeh Elder Patricia O’Connor. It's the story of Wanungara, queen of the mountains, and her daughters Princess Toolona and Princess Caningera, and how their complicated relationships and choices explain the geography of the region.