Information Report on the text, Romulus, My Father. Students select one of the following themes: mental illness, moral philosophy, relationships between humans and animals, inter-personal relationships, experiences of migrants and write an information report. The task includes elements, language and structure of an information report and a marking guide (rubric).

Book review and student activities based upon the review. Students analyse teh features of an effective review.

Worksheet for the Deutsche Welle video clip, Talking Germany. Talk with Roland Jahn, Head of Stasi Archives. The interview looks at Roland Jahn’s role as a journalist and dissident in East Germany, his expulsion from the country, work to expose former-Stasi officers since the reunification of Germany and his work managing the Stasi archives. Excellent resource for teh teaching of Stasiland.

Analysis of the 2010 film review by Lyden Barber, ‘Unsettling echoes of yesterday, when the yellow peril hysteria began’.

Analysis of book covers of Lloyd Jones’ novel, Mister Pip using the principles of visual literacy.

Mister Pip - Activities for Sections 11-14

Timeline documentary, Uncle Hitler examines the family of Adolf Hitler, their relationship to him, what happened to them after the war and the controversy of who should benefit from royalties earned from sales of Mein Kampf. I have used the video and worksheet in teaching Jacqui French’s fictional text, Hitler’s Daughter.

The Narrow Road to the Deep North - Activities for Book 4 Chapters 8-13.

in Richard Flanagan’s novel, The Narrow Road to the Deep North the character of Ella Lansbury serves a number of purposes. She is a mirror through which the reader sees the protagonist’s many faults, she is demonstrative of a non-erotic love that ultimately blossoms more than the erotic love Dorrigo shares with Amy Mulvaney, she journeys with Dorrigo on the road of time and changes brought about by time. Ella, the unloved underdog of the novel, ultimately becomes the hero through loyalty and love - and how Australian is that!

Lecture by Anna Funder at the University of Reykjavik, 22 September, 2012, Daily life under communism. Funder gives an insight into her work, Stasiland, including the dissidents and Stasi men that she interviewed and what they revealed about life in East Germany, 1945-1989. This resource includes the YouTube video and worksheet to accompany the video.

Activities for Chapters 7-13 of Romulus, My Father.

Assessment task for the text Stasiland: It is not only the subject matter but also the use of different perspectives that makes Stasiland confronting. Discuss this statement making detailed reference to your prescribed text. (2017 Higher School Certificate). Included is an overview of the Discussion Text Type, how to answer a discussion question using correct language features and structure and a marking guide (rubric) to the task. The task is designed for Australian Stage 6 students of the VCE/HSC.

This resource gives an overview of the time context to the memoir, Romulus, My Father including the political, economic and social status of Australia in the 1950s and how the decade is reflected in the text. There are passages from the text that reflect the times and how the characters interact with the music, laws, discrimination and values of the 1950s. Students analyse these passages to look at these links.

Raimond Gaita uses beautiful descriptive language to evoke his childhood home, Frogmore. He choice of words and phrases transport the reader to another place and time. Unusually, he declines to pass judgment on the poverty-stricken conditions of the farm in which he was raised, indicating that our memories of childhood are predominantly positive as we accept the harshest of conditions as being the norm.

Newspaper article from The Sydney Morning Herald, Profile: Raimond Gaita. Includes focus questions.

Analysis of ezine article by Peta Yoshinaga, John Marsden, bestselling Australian author and educator, on schools, successes and latest novel South of Darkness, published on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation News site. The article examines Marsden’s life and inspirations and emphasises resilience in overcoming adversity. The resource is part of a unit of work on Tomorrow When the War Began, NSW Stage 5 English K-10 Syllabus for the Australian Curriculum.

Revision activity for Ruth Park’s novel, Playing Beatie Bow. Students decide if the statements about the text are true or false.

This resource includes a map of central Victoria with the key places discussed in the text. A student activity asks students to write the events that take place in 9 of these locations. The next activity provides passages from the text that describe Baringhup and the influence of the setting on the author.

Romulus, My Father - Activities for Chapters 1-6

Research task on Erich Mielke, head of the East German Stasi. Questions focus on using the information gained through research to make an assessment of his contribution to East German society and impact as head of the Stasi.