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Responsible fishing in Western Australia: write an article

Go fishing in Western Australia. Look at how and why laws restrict people from taking certain fish. Identify cases where laws apply: size limits, bag limits and closed seasons. Build a magazine article explaining the fishing laws. Use a model structure and persuasive text to support a responsible position. For example, ...

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World heritage: Kakadu information display

Look at descriptions of Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory. Help a park ranger to sort facts and pictures for an information display. Use a model structure, sample text and images to build a description for visitors. Include sections on the park's location, wildlife and cultural importance.

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Rainforest: read a brochure

Read a six-page brochure about the climate of a temperate rainforest in Victoria. Look at maps of Australia showing patterns of temperature and rainfall. Find out what clothing to bring and how to get to the rainforest from the airport. As you go, look up the meaning of tricky words.

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Read between the lines: park

Read signs around a park to gather information that will help you answer a question about the park. Analyse the information in each sign to work out the implied meaning, and to determine people's opinions, feelings and ideas about the park and whether it is a healthy place for children. Record your opinion of what each ...

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Can We Help?: Efficient speech: the process of language change

Wassup, bro?Well 'pparently I ain't speakin' right.Will thou ha' the truth on't?We often think that only young people speak in abbreviated forms, but the truth is people have been doing this since Anglo-Saxon times! In this clip discover with Professor Kate Burridge some words that belong to the 'zero plurals' group, why ...

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Can We Help?: Dude: American words and pronunciations

Where does the word 'dude' come from? Why do speakers of English often pronounce words differently depending on their country of origin - not only because of their accent? Find out with Professor Kate Burridge when she takes on these questions from viewers.

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Can We Help?: The keys to clearer explanations

G'day cobber! Are you a true-blue, dinky-di Aussie? Australian slang can be quite bewildering for anyone who is new to this country and even for those who've lived here quite a while. In this clip Professor Kate Burridge explores how to use verbal and non-verbal language to explain difficult concepts.

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Can We Help?: Why do we say the words the way we do?

What kinds of things might influence the way we pronounce words in English? Professor Kate Burridge explains why knowing when 'kilometre' came into English helps us to understand why it is pronounced differently from similar words such as 'kilogram' and 'centimetre'. She also explains what it means to 'barrack' for a team.

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Can We Help?: Conquest: the process of language change

When the Normans conquered England in 1066, they brought a lot more than fancy clothes and castles; they also brought the French language. Discover the impact that this momentous event continues to have today.

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Big Ideas: Evolving English and the impact of television

Imagine if the English language never evolved. What would we be speaking? Possibly Old English, the language of the Anglo-Saxon tribes, a language written down using runes known as the 'futhorc'. English continues to evolve, but it takes the media to bring new words into common usage. So which form of media is responsible ...

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Can We Help?: Word histories: how extraordinary!

Words can change over time and so can their meanings. The word 'extra' broke away from other words to become a word on its own. Professor Kate Burridge explains how this impacts on words like 'extraordinary'. She also explains the origins and meanings of the words 'hearse' and 'rehearse''.

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What's With Poetry?, Ch 3: Rhythm and metre

Have you ever had a song or a jingle that got stuck in your head? This can happen because of the rhythm in the song or the jingle. Rhythm helps us to remember a song, jingle or poem by reminding us of other songs, jingles or poems with the same rhythm. Once you get a rhythm stuck in your head it can be very difficult to ...

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Can We Help?: Golly gosh, what do those sayings mean?

Have you ever wondered where sayings like 'golly gosh', 'by gum' or 'drat' come from? In this video, Professor Kate Burridge explains the origins and meaning of these and other sayings. She also explains the history of the pronoun 'you'.

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Rebecca Lim on planning stories

How do authors plan their stories? Do they know how stories will end before they start writing them? Listen as Rebecca Lim explains how she plans her stories and crafts her characters. Next time you write a story, try jotting down a rough plan before you start. Does planning the story help you?

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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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Thinking about story themes

Noa and Francis are two young writers who've had their stories published. Listen as they talk about the main ideas they chose to explore in their stories. Find and watch the clips of Noa and Francis reading their pieces at the Melbourne Writers Festival (also found on Splash). How did they build their stories around the ...

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What's With Poetry?, Ch 5: Visual language

When someone is telling you a story, do you visualise that story? You're not alone! A good storyteller or a poet knows exactly how to use certain words so the listener will visualise the story or poem in the way the storyteller or poet intends. A few well chosen and crafted words can allow readers to visualise a whole world. ...

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Guulaangga, The Green Tree Frog

Listen to author and artist Aunty Gloria Whalan, as she tells the story of Guulaangga, the Green Tree Frog. Gloria is an elder of the Morwell community, though she grew up in Lithgow, NSW. Her people are the Wiradjuri, from around the Blue Mountains in NSW. This story is inspired by Gloria's experiences growing up on a ...

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Can We Help?: From possessive apostrophes to discombobulation!

People often worry about the use of apostrophes. See how Professor Kate Burridge answers a question about how to use the apostrophes after certain names, telling us how the rule has changed over time. She also explains the origins of the word 'discombobulate' and why the plural of house is not 'hice'.

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Can We Help?: Words and sayings over time

Have you ever wondered where sayings like 'hanging by the skin of your teeth' come from? Professor Kate Burridge explains the origin and meaning of this saying. She also explains the opposite word (antonym) to 'misogynist' (someone who hates or has a long and deep prejudice against women) and the origins of the word 'goodbye'.