Search results

Text

Character Sketches

What techniques do storytellers use to create characters? In this lesson, students will analyse how a character's personality traits, actions and motives influence the plot of a story. They will use their senses to create character sketches, then dramatize the character for an audience.

Text

Mythological Characters

How do Greek mythological figures inspire modern day characters? In this lesson, students will explore the connection between Greek mythology and modern culture. They will analyse Greek culture, mythological characters, and apply elements of mythology. They will design and paint original mythological characters with watercolours.

Text

Albert Namatjira: Unit of work

This unit of work has been written to support the book Albert Namatjira in which award-winning artist Vincent Namatjira tells the life story of his great-grandfather, Albert Namatjira, one of Australia’s best-known artists. This unit includes practical ideas for using this book in your classroom.

Text

The Mark of the Wagarl: Unit of work

This unit of work has been written to support the book The Mark of the Wagarl. The book tells the story of Maadjit Walken, the Sacred Rainbow Serpent, mother spirit and creator of the Nyoongar Country of south west Western Australia. The story shares how a young boy receives the Maadjit Wagarl for his totem. This unit includes ...

Video

The Swamp

This resource features the Yolngu-made film The Swamp. Students are provided with the opportunity to watch it and engage in a discussion exploring its genre, deviations from traditional documentary format, its impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander storytelling, challenges faced by the Yolngu people, and the film's ...

Text

Elements of Myth

In this lesson, students will read myths, discuss the elements of this literary form, and dramatize a myth of their choice. They will write scientific, research-based reports, as well as fantastical stories to explain the natural phenomena of the world.

Text

Performing a Haiku: How can spoken word transform a poem?

In this lesson, students will reflect on small moments of peace or happiness to write an original haiku. Students will demonstrate spoken word to perform a haiku for an audience.

Text

Character Building

In this teaching activity, students analyse popular characters and methods of characterization used by writers. They apply these methods to create a profile and illustration of an original character. They will then write a short script.

Text

Art and Poetry

How are surrealist techniques applied in art and poetry? In this lesson, students will analyse poetic devices in the poems and images of the surrealist movement. They will learn about artists including André Breton, Robert Desnos, Salvador Dalí, and Joan Miró. Students will write original poems using surrealist techniques.

Text

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 ...

Text

Steve Goes to Carnival: Unit of work

This unit of work has been written to support the book Steve Goes to Carnival. The book celebrates the festivals and culture of Rio de Janeiro as seen through the adventures of Steve the gorilla. This unit includes practical ideas for using this book in your classroom.

Text

Aesop’s Fables: Comedy and Tragedy Masks

In this teaching activity, students will explore how characters from fables express their thoughts and feelings in comedy and tragedy plays? The activity encourages insights into human nature and making connections between ancient Greek culture and contemporary cultures.

Text

The Boat: Unit of work

This unit of work has been written to support the short story collection The Boat. Identity is a significant theme along with definitions of place, concepts of home, emotional and geographical dislocation, and trust. This unit provides practical teaching ideas, an assessment task and an essay by Catherine Cole

Text

Shining a new (stage) light

In this learning sequence, students learn about how playwrights use the codes and conventions of drama to position audiences to accept, challenge or reject perspectives on the world. They explore how playwrights represent contemporary issues and investigate ways that contemporary texts use stories from the past to explore ...

Text

Overview of short films

The resources on this webpage are designed to build understandings of the characteristics of short films and the qualities that make them successful. The resources inform the development phase of film-making and/or assist in development of film analysis skills.

Text

Character and Creature Design Resource

This learning sequence explores how the television series The Deep incorporates some creatures based on real-life underwater animals, others that are works of fiction, and some that are a mix of both. The resource includes interviews with the designers from the series and worksheets that support research, design of a sea ...

Text

Documentary Filmmaking

This webpage provides advice and support resources for students wishing to make a documentary film.

Image

The Scent of Eucalyptus: Unit of work

This unit of work has been written to support the memoir The Scent of Eucalyptus. The book is a blending of fantasy and realism presenting a child’s rites of passage in Adelaide of the late 1940's and the 1950's. This unit provides practical teaching ideas and an assessment task.

Text

Exploring Gothic conventions in short animated film

In this learning sequence, students will extend their knowledge and understanding of the key conventions of the Gothic genre. They will critically apply this knowledge to a short animated film and films produced by their peers. They can also compose a personal response to a film text using metalanguage connected to genre.

Text

Crazy Fun Park

This resource supports the film series Crazy Fun Park. The series focuses on Chester and Mapplethorpe who are inseparable until Mapplethorpe dies in a tragic accident at Crazy Fun Park — an abandoned theme park on the edge of their small town. The major themes include grief, friendship, and adolescence. Find film clips ...