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Listed under:  Language  >  Language modes  >  Creating texts
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Come to a poetry slam!

Do you love words and the way they sound out loud? Have you ever been to a poetry slam? The Bankstown poetry slam is a monthly spoken word competition that celebrates the cultural diversity of south west Sydney. Slam poets perform original poems on any subject in front of a live audience. Recently the first Poetry Slam ...

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Representing Sydney's suburbs, 1965

In this clip from the mid-60s, explore how words and images can be combined to encourage particular interpretations and influence audience response. Explore how some of the inner suburbs of Sydney have been represented in history.

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BTN: Write or type, that is the question!

Do you have to learn cursive writing at school? In Finland, instead of cursive, they are learning how to type! Do you think this is a good idea? Why/why not?

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What's With Poetry?, Ch 4: Sounds count!

In poetry every word, syllable and sound counts! Poetry is usually much shorter than stories so it is important for a poet to convey as much as possible using as little as possible. Sounds can be a very powerful tool in expressing mood and emotion when used correctly. Watch as Matt from the Sydney Story Factory gives examples ...

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The Navigators: Baudin arrives in New Holland

Imagine the excitement of Nicolas Baudin and his scientists when they reach 'New Holland'. After seven months at sea they can finally explore this strange new land. This clip describes the thrill and the tragedy of Baudin's first days in 'New Holland'.

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Dust Echoes, Ep 8: The Be

The stories we tell reveal a lot about our culture and what we value. Explore the story of the Be man, which comes from Dalabon country in the Northern Territory. This animated story is about two brothers who investigate a mysterious visitor to their home.

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BTN: Reporting from a war zone

Imagine what it would be like to report from an active war zone. How do reporters get access to these war zones and what rules do they follow to avoid becoming casualties? Find out how war zone reporters get their story.

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Feathers, Fur and Fins: A song about flying foxes

Have you seen a flying fox which is a type of fruit bat? Don Spencer uses descriptive words and phrases in his flying fox song to help us understand these animals and explore a day in their life.

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Teddy Rock's 'Twinkle, twinkle little star'!

Sing along with Buzz, Belle and Bop as they perform 'Twinkle, twinkle little star' in this animated music video. Then have some fun exploring rhyme and description as you create your own verse for this classic nursery rhyme.

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Can We Help?: Vanishing words: the process of language change

The English language is full of strange contradictions and vanishing words. Have you ever wondered why we sometimes put words together that contradict each other, such as 'pretty awful' or 'terribly good'? If we can be 'ruthless', can we be 'ruthly' as well? Watch as Professor Kate Burridge explains these curious irregularities ...

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The Navigators: Baudin arrives at Ile de France

Discover a surprise that waits for Nicolas Baudin on his voyage to explore 'New Holland'. Baudin visits Ile de France (Island of France), a French colony in the Indian Ocean. Baudin and his crew are desperate for rest and fresh supplies here. Imagine their distress when they find trouble instead.

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First Tuesday Book Club: Ruth Park's wicked, sweet, funny masterpiece

When Ruth Park wrote 'The Harp in the South', little did she know the storm of controversy it would cause. But why did it cause such outrage? And how did it go on to become one of Australia's best-loved novels? To find out, we need to go back in time � or just watch this clip!

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Research in creative writing

Research is not always necessary in creative writing if you write solely from your own experiences, but many writers find research helpful in creating settings and characters they may not have been exposed to in their own lives. How has Shamini Flint used both her own life experiences and research in her books?

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Heywire: Sussing out the similes in a footy game

If you've ever tried to describe an experience to a friend and said, 'It was just like', you were using a simile. Similes and their close pals metaphors are figures of speech that writers of all sorts of texts use. As you listen to this Heywire audio story, explore Taylor Smith's use of them in his recount of a Saturday ...

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Heywire: Razia's refuge

Australia welcomes thousands of refugees from around the world every year, and Razia Gharibi is one of them. Her Heywire audio story about a journey from Afghanistan to Shepparton provides a personal perspective on Australia's refugee program. You could consider it in any discussion about whether or not Australia should ...

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BTN: Paying for the news, or not

Imagine a time before modern technology: no television, radio or computers. How did people find out about what was happening in the world? Through newspapers! Times are changing, however. With the internet at our fingertips, do we even need newspapers anymore? Watch this clip to find out how the internet is creating issues ...

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Can We Help?: Can seahorse dads really have babies?

Peter Rowsthorn visits Melbourne Aquarium to answer the question 'Do male seahorses give birth to their young?' Discover the answer as a marine expert describes Syngnathids, a unique family of fish. Learn what makes the seahorse and the sea dragon so unusual in the marine animal world.

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Batavia shipwreck leads to mass murder

In 1629, the Dutch merchant ship Batavia was wrecked off the Western Australian coast near present-day Geraldton. What followed was a tale of mutiny and mass murder on the surrounding islands. Hear from two members of the 1963 expedition that first uncovered the ship's remains, as they visit one of the islands in 2013.

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Let's tell a story: everyday learning

This brief animation shares the story of a hamster as imagined by children. Hammie is a classroom hamster that finds new opportunity when his cage door is left open. Hammie does some exploring around the classroom and ultimately sneaks into a backpack looking for food. Three different children tell the story adding new ...

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 ...