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.

Key words and concepts in the topic, Romulus, My Father.

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.

Analysis of the author’s context vs. the reader’s context, social, historical, cultural and ideological context to Craig Silvey’s novel, Jasper Jones.

Deconstruction of an Iranian revolutionary wall poster.

This activity provides 4 scenes from the film version of Tomorrow When the War Began. Students analyse the scene in 4 ways: how each scene delivers the plot, creates the required atmosphere, aims to be visually appealing and delivers any subtle messages that contribute to the plot. Students must then change to scene in a way that further builds, tension, sadness etc. This activity is designed for students of the NSW English K-10 Syllabus for the Australian Curriculum.

This resource includes an excellent book review on Tomorrow When the War Began. The activities attached to it focus on characterisation, setting and themes. It is designed for students of the NSW English K-10 Syllabus for the Australian Curriculum. Stage 5 Outcome EN5-1A: responds to and composes increasingly sophisticated and sustained texts for understanding, interpretation, critical analysis, imaginative expression and pleasure

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.

Activities for Tomorrow When the War Begins Chapters 6-10.

Activities for Tomorrow When the War Begins Chapters 1-5. Includes issues in intertextuality and backstory.

Crossword to accompany John Marsden's novel Tomorrow When the War Began.

Word Search on John Marsden's novel, Tomorrow When the War Began.

Set of resources on handwriting that includes handwriting criteria and cross-curricular worksheets. I have used the resources in a New England NSW secondary school in my own classes and in a whole-school handwriting program. Bundle includes: + Handwriting criteria + Worksheet 1: Rise of sick internet trolls + Worksheet 2: Arctic ice melt + Worksheet 3: About grief + Worksheet 4: Facts about super trawlers + Worksheet 5: Body image worries plaguing young kids + Worksheet 6: Paying for your pet + Worksheet 7: Animated films + Worksheet 8: The Sapphires + Worksheet 9: The rise of tattoo remorse + Worksheet 10: Sexting + Worksheet 11: Does My Head Look Big in This? + Worksheet 12: Tiffs tagged as bullying + Worksheet 13: Big cat kingdom + Worksheet 14: How Facebook can land you in jail

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

Possibly the most traumatised character in Stasiland, Frau Paul carries guilt and shame. The irony, as Anna Funder points out, is that others see her as a hero for standing by her principles despite Stasi retribution. This set of activities includes background information, quotes from the text and a task involving collating information on Frau Paul and her life.

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.

Activity applying the principles of visual literacy to book covers and images from the film, Romulus, My Father.

Romulus, My Father - Activities for Chapters 1-6