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Listed under:  Language  >  Text types  >  Imaginative texts  >  Narratives
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Dancing life into traditional objects: 'Artefact'

'Weaving' is a segment from a longer dance piece called 'Artefact', a richly spiritual work about breathing life back into objects from ancient times. Choreographer Frances Rings is a descendant of the Kokatha people of South Australia. The 'Weaving' segment was inspired by the traditional knowledge and practices of the ...

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What words and illustrations convey

Have you ever read a book where the words tell you one thing but the pictures tell you something different? For example, characters in a scary situation might say aloud that they're not scared, but the illustration could show characters who are huddled in a corner. See if you can come up with a short story and an illustration ...

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Jennifer Byrne Presents: Anything's possible

What are writers of Young Adult (or YA) fiction seeking to achieve? What obligations do they have to their audience, if any? In this clip, listen as four successful authors share their ideas on these things.

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A school's history of sustainability

Discover the history of sustainability at a local primary school as two generations of past students reflect on their time at the school. View this clip called 'The past of our present', created by young reporters from North Fitzroy Primary School, Victoria. The clip was developed as part of the ABC Splash Live 'Making ...

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Writing from experiences

Where do you find inspiration for your writing? Watch this clip and learn where student writers Noa and Francis found the ideas for their stories. Why can writing from your own experiences make for powerful stories? Is there an event or experience from your life that you could use for the basis of your next story?

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In My Blood It Runs: First Nations education

While watching this clip, consider Article 14 of United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP): 1. Indigenous peoples have the right to establish and control their educational systems and institutions providing education in their own languages, in a manner appropriate to their cultural methods ...

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Changing ideas and discovering themes in stories

Have you ever started out with an idea for a story and later realised you wanted to change it? You're not the only one! In fact, changing your mind is all part of the process of writing. Listen as author Tony Wilson explains how the idea for his book 'The Cow Tripped over the Moon' changed over time. What was his initial ...

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First Tuesday Book Club: Sentencing 'The Book Thief'

People can express their opinions and attitudes in ways other than words. In this clip, join in the discussion about Markus Zusak's popular novel 'The Book Thief', and explore how verbal and non-verbal cues can add emphasis to your speech.

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First Tuesday Book Club: Savouring 'The Magic Pudding'

It's been nearly 100 years since Norman Lindsay's madcap tale of a bad-tempered pudding was published, yet it continues to remain popular with children and adults alike. Over the years it's been a puppet show, cartoon, play, film and even an opera. What are the reasons for its enduring popularity? Explore the real magic ...

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Finding beauty in the everyday

Lin Martin is passionate about the connections between science, nature, humanity and Buddhism, all of which come together in her art. Her photographs explore the beauty all around us, in our everyday natural surroundings. It is in these small moments captured by her work, where she draws attention to tiny details in nature, ...

Audio

Heywire: Hip hop against waste dump

Many hip hop artists have expressed concerns about the world through their music. The Northern Territory's Kylie Sambo is no exception. Listen to her protest against the construction of a nuclear waste dump on her people's lands in Muckaty, near Tennant Creek. Could you write or record a story about yourself and/or your ...

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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?

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'The Rajah quilt' 1841

The Rajah quilt was made by female convicts on route from England to the colony of Tasmania in 1841. It consists of 2815 pieces of fabric and was presented to the Governor's wife upon arrival as a testament to the women's industry. The women learned these skills on the long journey to Australia on board their convict ship ...

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Sculpting ideas into stories with Andy Griffiths

Watch this clip to learn how Andy Griffiths turns his ideas into stories. In particular, listen to the way Andy describes how his collaboration with illustrator Terry Denton works. Now team up with a friend or family member and take on the roles of author and illustrator. What ideas can you come up with by working together? ...

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Representing diversity with Sally Rippin

How important do you think it is for writers to represent a diversity of experiences and perspectives in their books? What does Sally Rippin say about the world she represents in her stories? Who are the characters she writes and illustrates?

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First Tuesday Book Club: The power of one book to captivate Australia

Bryce Courtenay's novel 'The Power of One' has sold millions of copies worldwide. But just how did a debut novel, set in South Africa and written by a South African author, end up on the list of '10 Aussie books to read before you die'? Find out more in this clip.

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Heywire: To disconnect or not to disconnect?

How often are you ever truly alone? Today's technology can mean that we're in constant contact with friends and family. In this Heywire audio story, Dayna Duncan shares a time when she both needed to be connected and to balance her use of social media with other priorities in her life.<br /><br /> Could you write or record ...

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Gubuluk

Listen as Anne Gela tells the story of "Gubuluk". Anne is a Mualgal woman from the St Paul community of Moa Island, which is in the inner-west Torres Strait group of islands. Can you find Moa Island on a map? Anne speaks Big Thap Creole/Yumplatok.

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'Sing a song of sixpence' sung by Teddy Rock

Watch and listen to Buzz, Belle and Bop perform the nursery rhyme 'Sing a song of sixpence' in this animated music video. Find out where the king was, what the queen was doing and what happened to the maid. Have fun retelling the story.

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The Book Club: Is 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time' a "perfect" book?

What makes 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time' by Mark Haddon such a "perfect" book for many of the panellists? If you have read the book, do you agree? If you haven't read the book, do you think you would feel the same way as the panellists based on how they've decribed the book? When you think of your ...