This activity is a pre-reading activity on analysis of book covers. The analysis focuses on colour, people, content and critical response. The skills being taught are elements of visual literacy including deconstruction of visual images to draw conclusions in support of the text.

Mark is the protagonist and the character through whom the reader takes on a journey of questioning basic personal and social values. this activity provides a visual summary of his character and asks the student to imagine they are a movie talent scout who must select the suitable actor according to the summary and then brief him on the character of Mark.

Anna is the narrator of the story of Hitler's daughter, a story that she has made up. But the sights, smells and sounds are just a little too real. Students are provided with a summary of her background, personality and key quotes. They are then asked to imagine they are staying with family in Wallaby Creek and they meet Anna. They must think of 5 complex questions you would like to ask Anna about herself. They then think of 5 ways that they would change Anna's story to make it more dramatic or romantic or historical. The last activity asks them to imagine that the narration of The Story is made by another character and they must think of how this would change the story of Heidi.

Activity asking students to find the chapter in which the given events occur.

Activity asking students to find the chapter in which the given events occur.

This poster was part of a series made for a New England NSW high school to promote the importance of visual literacy across the curriculum and to scaffold how a visual image (in this case an advertisement) can be used to elicit short- and long-responses from students. The techniques of visual literacy are outlined in the diagram on the second page.

This Visual Literacy poster demonstrates how the techniques behind visual literacy can be used by students studying Dramatic Arts. It was part of a whole school Visual Literacy campaign in a New England NSW high school. In this poster students are introduced to the concepts of pose, mood & atmosphere, texture and style. Examples of each of these elements are provided in the image (a Game Boy cover). The second page has an excellent template developed by the English Teachers Association of NSW. This can be used for students to analyse their own image in Dramatic Arts.

Background notes, passage from the text and student activities on the theme of the relationship between animals and people.

Activity requiring students locate the chapter that various events that place in the text, Stasiland.

Set of activities exploring the theme of childhood trauma, its impact on later life and the concept of resilience.

Activity requiring students to locate the chapter that key events occur in the text, Romulus, My Father.

Activity requiring students locate which chapter key events occur in the text, Romulus, My Father.

Activity requiring students to identify the character from Stasiland from the profile description provided.

Playing Beatie Bow - Crossword

Key words and concepts mix and match activity for Ruth Park’s novel, Playing Beatie Bow.

Key word and concepts mix and match activity for the text, Mister Pip.

The authors mother, Christine is a complex character who suffers increasingly from a serious mental illness as the narration of the memoir proceeds. At times she is highly depressed and neglects her children. At other times she is promiscuous and manic. 1950s rural Australia is neither the time nor the place for others to understand her condition, nor provide support. This set of activities includes background notes and passages from the text that relate to Christine’s true personality, her relation with Romulus, her interraction with members of the Anglo-Celtic community, the effects of her illness on her life and relationship and the views of Christine from other character’s hindsight. Students are asked to list the positive and negative influences of Christine on the author, Raimond Gaita.

Word Search using metalanguage from the novel Mister Pip.

Romanian migrant, Hora is arguably the strongest character in Raimond Gaita’s memoir. he is certainly the most loyal family friend. This set of resources includes background notes on Hora, key passages from the text and student activities based on these. the last activity asks students to develop a mind map of incidents from the text in which Hora is a friend and mentor to Romulus and Raimond.

Another tragic character whose choices in life become his ultimate undoing. This set of resources and activities on Mitru includes background notes, passages from the text and student activities relating to his personality, his respect for Romulus and love for Raimond, his troubled relationship with Christine and his death. The last activity asks students to describe his relationship with the four main characters in the text.