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Creating an Indigenous plant-use garden: vision

Planning for an Indigenous plant-use garden is a good way to develop a connection with and respect for First Nations people's perspectives. Use this learning activity to explore exciting ideas, create goals and understand more about successful Indigenous plant-use garden projects. Outcomes of this learning activity are ...

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Astronomical knowledge in art

In the Visual Arts Indigenous narratives are shared through symbols and with materials made from and of country. The artworks in this resource show how Aboriginal artists represent astronomical knowledge and stories in different ways. Take students through the work of two Indigenous artists, exploring the traditional techniques ...

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Film it! Screenwriting

Screenwriting is the act of writing what's known as a script or screenplay for film, television and web series. It involves a special set of rules that makes it different from a book or play. This module of Film It covers formatting, scene writing, script structure, themes, and character. Writing the script is part of ...

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Mirror: Unit of work

This unit of work has been written to support Mirror, a picture story book set in Morocco. It explores themes of family, identity, and cultural interactions. This unit provides practical teaching ideas, an assessment task and an essay by Robin Morrow.

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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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Find advice as to how to help your students learn to creatively critique each other's work

Find advice as to how to help your students learn to creatively critique each other's work. The resource includes useful questions that can be used as a structure for critique and review.

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Us Mob Walawurru: Unit of work

This unit of work has been written to support the book Us Mob Walawurru. The book is set in the 1960s in an Aboriginal community in Central Australia and follows the life of a young Luritja girl. It explores the cultural challenges faced by both the community members and non-Indigenous people. The story touches on various ...

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Creating art and meaning from waste

Welcome to Marina DeBris's exhibition, "Beach Couture: A Haute Mess". How would you describe Marina's art? What are the ideas she communicates through her artworks? How do the processes, materials and techniques Marina works with contribute to the creation of meaning in her art? Do you agree with Marina's belief that art ...

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Eugene von Guérard: 'North-east view from the northern top of Mount Kosciusko' 1863

In this landscape Eugene von Guérard blends topographical accuracy with the grandness of a mountain top view which he witnessed in 1862 as a member of a geographical survey led by scientist Georg von Neumayer. The artist has taken some liberties with the depiction of the boulders in the foreground to demonstrate the enormous ...

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Emma Boyd: 'The quail shooter' 1884

In this work Emma Boyd depicts the landscape near her home, ‘The Grange', in Victoria. See how the landscape dominates the single human figure? What do you think this suggests? What is the artists trying to say by creating this sense of scale?

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Conrad Martens: 'View from Rose Bank' 1840

Many early artists romanticised the Australian colonial landscape and did not always strictly paint what they saw. In this example Martens has given the landscape a decidedly Italian atmosphere, softening the colour palate and creating a more ‘civilised' view. Can you think of why the artist may be interested in changing ...

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Developing script ideas with Hannie Rayson

How do you come up with ideas to write about? Watch this clip to find out how Australian playwright and screenwriter Hannie Rayson begins her writing process. She begins with a "big question" - if you were writing a play, what big question would you ask?

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What is Music?: What makes an effective AFL club song?

AFL songs are among the most widely recognised and popular pieces of music in Australia, sung proudly year after year. Would it surprise you to find out they’re rarely original? Discover the early 20th-century origins of most of Australia’s football chants and the stylistic features that make them so effective in energising ...

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Kindred spirits: dancing our identity

Who are we and where do we belong? What and who decides our identity? People often ask these questions, and some may seek to discover the answers to them. In his dance piece entitled 'ID', choreographer Stephen Page explores what makes us similar, what makes us different and what gives us a sense of belonging. The clip ...

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John Eyre: (print after) 'Port Jackson Harbour NSW' 1812

This panoramic view of Port Jackson shows the fledgling European settlement taking shape. Part of a set of 12, this print was drawn by convict artist John Eyre who was transported for breaking and entering. The intended clientele included local trading ships and members of the British military and naval forces. The series ...

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The Sydney Bird Painter: 'The white gallinule' c. 1791-92

Can you imagine what it would have been like to arrive in Australia and see its unique flora and fauna for the first time? Scientific drawings of Australia's flora and fauna emerged with the arrival of the first European settlers who were fascinated by how unusual they were. Sadly, even as they documented these extraordinary ...

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Can you clap the cymbal part from Carmen?

Get your clapping hands ready and join the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra as they play some music from the opera Carmen, by composer Bizet. Follow along with host Paul Rissmann and see if you can keep up with the orchestra! How does this piece of music make you feel? Why do you think it has that effect?

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Dancing The Torres Strait winds to Life: Zey

Torres Strait Islander choreographer Elma Kris created the dance 'About' as an expression of the effects of the winds (Gub) on the land, sea and community. The four seasons in the Torres Strait Islands relate directly to the type and direction of the winds. Kris has explored the effects of the Zey (pronounced Zay) - cool ...

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John Lewin: 'Reed warbler' 1805

Natural history illustrator John Lewin was the first professional artist to come to Australia as a free settler. His collected illustrations of native birds became the first non-government book published in the colony. How difficult do you think it was to identify and illustrate so many different birds?