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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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What is the biggest lesson Andy Griffiths has learnt?

Listen as Andy Griffiths reveals the biggest lesson he's learnt as a writer. What did he once think he needed to do to be successful? And what did he discover? Why does Andy believe that being yourself when you write is the most important thing?

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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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BTN: Internet privacy

Imagine if 60,000 people turned up to your birthday party! How would you convince your parents that it wasn't your fault? A good way would be to use evidence to make your argument credible, or believable. Watch how this clip, a news story about Facebook and internet privacy, carefully selects sources of information to make ...

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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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Changing the ending with Michael Gow

Have you ever watched a play or read a book and been dissatisified with the ending? Michael Gow talks about how he changed the ending to his play Away once and how angry his audience was. What do you think about authors and playwrights re-writing their stories and plays to give them different endings?

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Radio National: Learning Dharug, Aboriginal language of Sydney

Imagine a time when the Aboriginal language Dharug was the official language spoken in the Sydney area. During this audio clip, reflect on how the language was considered almost 'lost', but (and) discover how Richard Green and others are piecing the Dharug language back together. Find out about how it is being taught at ...

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BTN: What is debating?

Well, come along to round six of the 2015 National Schools Debating Championships to find out! What are the rules of debating? And what are the speakers judged on? As BTN reporter Carl Smith explains, in order to make a good argument, you need to try to prove that your ideas are right and your opposition's ideas are wrong. ...

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Thinking about settings with Leigh Hobbs

As Leigh Hobbs says, the great thing about inventing a character is that you also have the power to choose where they live. What's your character's world like? Describe your character at home. Where do they live? And what do they do there? Now choose a completely different location and plonk your character there. Think ...

Online

Trade and Investment at a Glance

Using an illustrated report from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, this Teacher guide provides ten learning sequences that engage students in the analysis and interpretation of data about Australian imports and exports. Students: identify Australia's major exports and imports; investigate international trade ...

Online

Australia's Trade through Time

Using an interactive timeline created by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, this Teacher guide provides 12 series of learning experiences that engage students in the analysis and interpretation of data about Australian trade from 1900 to the present day. Students study videos, tables, images and texts in order ...

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Letter of Introduction

This resource for students explains how to write a letter of introduction for your English teacher

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Adventure Stories

This resource for students discusses the conventions of action and adventure stories, suggests some possible scenarios, how to plot the story and examples of descriptive writing techniques, as well as suggestions for proofreading and revising.

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Analysing Persuasive Language

This resource for students is a comprehensive explanation of how to analyse a persuasive article, from how to identify the contention and tone, to how persuasive techniques are used to position the reader. Techniques discussed, with examples, include the use of adjectives, adverbs, alliteration, appeals, anecdotes, everyday ...

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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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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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They're Pests but Cruelty is Inexcusable

This is an example for students of an analytical essay on the persuasive techniques used in a feature article

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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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Science Fiction: Short Stories

This resource for students presents information on how to respond to short answer questions on texts. Using textual evidence is discussed, with details on the use of ellipses and full stops. A sample answer is provided to a short answer question on Louise Lawrence's story 'Extinction is Forever'. Students are then asked ...

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When to use 'me', 'myself' and 'I'.

This short video for secondary students explains the different roles in a sentence that 'me', 'I' and 'myself' play, and where each belongs.