Unique resources created by an experienced Secondary English and History teacher. These are academically rigorous resources that target children between 13 and 18 years of age.
Unique resources created by an experienced Secondary English and History teacher. These are academically rigorous resources that target children between 13 and 18 years of age.
A worksheet for a viewing lesson designed to pique student interest in road laws at the beginning of a new unit. This resource includes the handout for students to complete and a modeled response (teacher answers).
The handout includes a retrieval chart for students to record information including: the result of the first breathalyzer test, the quantity and type of alcohol consumed, second reading, conviction etc. It also includes some short response questions and an extended response question which requires students to write a paragraph citing relevant QLD traffic laws which would be applied if this incident had occurred in QLD instead of NSW.
The episode is available on Click View and a link is included at the top of the handout.
Pedagogical Tip: I utilise the broadcast strategy approach (Barry & King, 1998) previewing the questions prior to playing the episode so that students know what to listen out for.
Part of a set of resources created for a senior Social & Community studies class in Australia (QCAA syllabus). The other resources are also available in my store - Aussie_Resources.
A worksheet for a viewing lesson designed to pique student interest in road laws at the beginning of a new unit. This episode included a few low range drink driving offences and one drug related offence.
This resource includes the handout for students to complete and a modeled response (teacher answers).
The handout includes a retrieval chart for students to record information including: the result of the first breathalyzer test, the quantity and type of alcohol consumed, second reading, conviction etc. It also includes some short response questions and an extended response question which requires students to write a paragraph citing relevant QLD traffic laws which would be applied if this incident had occurred in QLD instead of NSW.
The worksheet includes screenshots from relevant legislation which students must draw on in their response.
The episode is available on Click View and a link is included at the top of the handout.
Pedagogical Tip: I utilise the broadcast strategy approach (Barry & King, 1998) previewing the questions prior to playing the episode so that students know what to listen out for.
Part of a set of resources created for a senior Social & Community studies class in Australia (QCAA syllabus). The other resources are also available in my store - Aussie_Resources.
A recent episode of Australian Reality Television program Territory Cops (S3 Episode 7) available on 10 Play. The episode has 4 incidents and the handout has a retrieval chart for students to record key information from each event. Of particular interest is a serious crash that has resulted in the critical injury of one female driver. The investigative process the detectives use is outlined. There is also a hooning incident.
Beneath the retrieval chart are 4 short response questions about hooning.
The final activity is an extended response (paragraph) in response to the hooning incident. Students are required to cite relevant Queensland laws which would likely have been applied if this crime was committed here instead of NSW.
Links to QLD legislation are provided for students to access via laptops.
Pedagogical Tip: I utilise the broadcast strategy approach (Barry & King, 1998) previewing the questions prior to playing the episode so that students know what to listen out for.
Part of a set of resources created for a senior Social & Community studies class in Australia (QCAA syllabus). The other resources are also available in my store - Aussie_Resources.
A worksheet for viewing the Australian factual television series Highway Patrol. The episode (Season 3, Episode 8 “Head On”) is available on 7Plus streaming services.
The 2012 episode has 3 key scenarios (attending the scene of a head-on collision, apprehending a high-range drink driver and dealing with a P Plater who is speeding).
The worksheet includes questions about the processes police take to determine who was responsible for the crash. It also includes a retrieval chart for the 2 other incidents in the episode. (I have provided a teacher answer version of this part of the worksheet.)
The worksheet also includes an extended response (paragraph) question about the high-range drink driver and what punishment he would likely have received if he committed this offence in QLD instead of NSW. I have included screen shots of relevant legislation for students to refer to when crafting their response.
Pedagogical Tip: I utilise the broadcast strategy approach (Barry & King, 1998) previewing the questions prior to playing the episode so that students know what to listen out for.
Part of a set of resources created for a senior Social & Community studies class in Australia (QCAA syllabus). The other resources are also available in my store - Aussie_Resources.
A draft feedback which is used for achieving feedback consistency across classes. You can either highlight the feedback that applies to the student or delete out the comments that don’t apply. Feedback is organised under specific sub headings. Some of them are related to specific cognitive verbs being assessed.
Warm up worksheet – labelling cognitive verbs {Infer, Discuss, Interpret, Decide, Recommend, Apply, Select, Define}.
Handout – a series of sources about a break in to a business (Jb Hi Fi) – newspaper article, crime scene photograph, extract from Criminal Code Act 1989, a criminal history, victim impact statement, interview transcript & textbook excerpt. It includes a retrieval chart for planning a response to an extended response exam question.
A PowerPoint which I think Legal Studies / Civics teachers will find helpful. If you use it, and like it, please give me a positive star rating / review. It begins with a discussion of the criteria being assessed in their exam and what it means to ‘analyse’ and ‘evaluate’ in legal studies. Students are taught what to look for to determine the ‘nature’ and ‘scope’ of a legal issues. They are shown what a source might look like in their exam. As a class we go through the sources and complete the graphic organiser. Following this the structure for an extended response is explained. Students must write their response and if it is not completed in the lesson, it becomes homework.
NB: My lessons have been designed for use in Australian classrooms and will often feature examples from Queensland legislation.
A PowerPoint which I think Legal Studies / Civics teachers will find helpful. If you use it, and like it, please give me a positive star rating / review.
A PowerPoint which begins by showing the rule of law pyramid and explains it. Requirements for laws are explained. Some elements of the pyramid are further explained including ‘presumption of innocence.’ Subsequently the 3 levels of government and their responsibilities are explained. As are the three pillars of the rule of law (judicial, legislative & executive). Information is provided about who enforces the law and the court system. There are some graphs of crime trends in Queensland. This is followed by an explanation of ‘statutory interpretation.’ The terms ‘onus of proof’ and ‘standard of proof’ are explained. Information is provided about the difference between criminal and civil cases.
NB: My lessons have been designed for use in Australian classrooms and will often feature examples from Queensland legislation.
A 6 page end of term activity booklet for students to complete while some of their peers went on work experience.
It includes:
A match the definition activity for the following words: accessory, jury duty, summary offence, indictable offence, admissible evidence, white collar crime, burglary, bail, criminal intent (mens rea), prisoner and presumption of innocence.
A table for students to research the age of criminal responsibility for juveniles for each state and territory in Australia.
Some questions about driving laws for students to research the answers to.
An image of a courtroom with the various people labelled which students are to use to explain the key roles within a court.
Information about who can and cannot serve on a jury
A match the definitions for the following terms: doctrine of precedent, barrister, custodial sentence, prosecutor, non-custodial sentence, special order, concurrent sentencing, cumulative sentencing, the Penalties and Sentences Act 1992 (Qld), community service, recidivism, antecedent
Information about what bail is an da series of scenarios for students to read and decide whether they would grant bail in that case.
I have included a scan of my answers for the match the definitions pages.
NB: My lessons have been designed for use in Australian classrooms and will often feature examples from Queensland legislation.
The second of a series of lessons I created about the Murder of Allison Baden-Clay using evidence from documentaries, news articles and the 2017 book authored by David Murray.
The PPT began with a warm up activity for students to copy the definition of Manslaughter and Murder including information about the penalties for each offence under the QLD Criminal Code.
Following this – a key aspect ‘trial by media’ is introduced as the Baden-Clay case was highly publicised. There is an extract from an article that appeared in ‘The Conversation’ which suggests why it was so notorious. Information about the issues of posting information about cases on social media / the internet prior to the jury making a decision and the potential harm it can do to tainting a case is provided.
Info is provided about the police’s investigative process prior to arresting Gerard as well as how the arrest was conducted and what happened to his 3 daughters.
Also included are:
Details about the initial hearing on 14/07/2012
The lead up to the trial including the work performed by Dr Cordon Guymer at the Queensland Herbarium (regarding plant matter in Allison’s hair).
The defence’s ‘suicide theory’ and the prosecution’s rebuttal
The reasons behind the decision not to grant bail.
The prosecution’s strategy for the case 10/06/2014
How the jury was selected and cautioned
The order of evidence presented by the prosecution
The significance of Allison’s diary
A resource which I think Legal Studies / Civics teachers will find helpful. If you use it, and like it, please give me a positive star rating / review.
NB: My lessons have been designed for use in Australian classrooms and will often feature examples from Queensland legislation.
The third of a series of lessons I created about the Murder of Allison Baden-Clay using evidence from documentaries, news articles and the 2017 book authored by David Murray.
The PPT began with a warm up activity for students to copy the definition of ‘appeal.’ It included information about the Supreme court of Queensland and how it operates. There is also information about ‘natural justice’ (aka procedural fairness) and sentencing options including custodial sentences.
The lesson picked up where we left off with the 2014 trial. The defence had advised Gerard not to take the stand but he decided to do so anyway. There are excerpts from the court documents which I got students to read out (one person to be Gerard, the other to be the lawyer). Then information is provided about the prosecutions cross-examination of Gerard. Then a summary is provided about the Defense and prosecution’s closing arguments. Then the outcome of the case is explained including: the jury verdict, the delivery of victim impact statements and justice John Byrnes decision.
This is followed by information about:
Gerard’s appeal (August 2015)
Reactions to the outcome of the appeal (including protests in King George square in December 2015)
The prosecutions decision to appeal the Supreme Court’s Decision to the High Court
The outcome of the High Court Hearing (July 2016)
Information about how Allison’s daughters, sister and parents are faring including their advocacy work
Statistics regarding intimate partner homicide in Australia
NB: In my PPTs I typically underline the information that I want students to write. The rest I use as talking points / visual aids.
A resource which I think Legal Studies / Civics teachers will find helpful. If you use it, and like it, please give me a positive star rating / review.
NB: My lessons have been designed for use in Australian classrooms and will often feature examples from Queensland legislation.
The first of a series of lessons I created about the Murder of Allison Baden-Clay using evidence from documentaries, news articles and the 2017 book authored by David Murray.
This resource includes a PowerPoint and a document containing ‘Witness Statements’ which I created using details from Murray’s book but turned into first person for the purpose of giving students a role to play during the lesson.
The PowerPoint begins by introducing Alison – her interests, skills, occupations etc. as well as how she met her husband Gerard Baden-Clay (and some contextual information about him). Then information is provided about her disappearance including what Gerard said happened as well as the 10 witness statements from residents who had heard noises on the night (2012). To progressively introduce information about the case, I have included snipped excerpts of Foxtel’s ‘Crimes That Shook Australia’ episode about Gerard Baden-Clay along with photographs, news story excerpts and information from Murray’s book.
NB: In my PPTs I typically underline the information that I want students to write. The rest I use as talking points / visual aids.
A resource which I think Legal Studies / Civics teachers will find helpful. If you use it, and like it, please give me a positive star rating / review.
NB: My lessons have been designed for use in Australian classrooms and will often feature examples from Queensland legislation.
A resource which I think Legal Studies teachers will find helpful. If you use it, and like it, please give me a positive star rating / review.
Handout- sentence starters that I wrote to help students write their nature and scope paragraph {as they are in year 10 and it is their first time writing a legal report}. It has two columns – one for if they are writing about bad renters and one for if they are writing about bad landlords.
PowerPoint which I used in class to teach students: How to quote in a report and acknowledge it via in text referencing; gave them a planning framework to go through their sources and work out where they could be used within the report; Tips for writing the Nature and Scope section of the report
A copy of the graphic organiser for planning their report (flower structure)
A PowerPoint designed for the first check in with students to see if they have selected their topic and located possible sources. It includes an example of the table they need to complete in their inquiry booklet and example dot points of why it is useful. It also includes a reminder that students will have to hit the analyse and evaluate criteria in their report.
Also included are posters explaining analyse and evaluate (cognitions) – not specific to legal studies.
A resource which I think Legal Studies / Civics teachers will find helpful. If you use it, and like it, please give me a positive star rating / review.
In my PPTs I get students to copy the underlined. The rest of the information is talking points and prompts for me.
The lesson begins with information about the procedures to be followed when ending a tenancy. There is info for if there is no dispute between the lessor and the tenant (including a flow chart). There is also information for if a disagreement has arisen between these two stakeholders. There is information about the responsibilities of both lessors and lessees for maintaining the premises (e.g. what happens when emergency repairs are required). There is also information about what happens if the landlord wants to end the tenancy (e.g. if the renter has breached the tenancy agreement). It also provides information about breaking the lease. There are also some dispute resolution tips and information about evicting a tenant (including warrants of possession).
This was designed to equip students with the knowledge to write a report for their assessment. They could either focus on a case study with bad renters or bad landlords.
NB: My lessons have been designed for use in Australian classrooms and will often feature examples from Queensland legislation.
A PPT to introduce students to the second of the two films they can write a film review about for their assessment {a multimodal presentation}. It includes: some quick facts about the comic-book origins of the character and the creator. Information about King pin and his origin story in the comics. The inspiration for the film. A link to the trailer is included for introducing who the key players in the film are. Students are provided with information about the director, producer etc. to add into their retrieval chart. This is followed by images of the costumes of key characters (Kingpin, Prowler, Miles etc.) so that students can take notes about colour & props.
A film viewing report card (retrieval chart) to be used in subsequent lessons while viewing the film
Context: A lesson designed for use in a 12 Essential English classroom in Queensland, Australia as part of Unit 4: “Representations and popular culture texts.” During this unit students learned about Hero and Villain films and how filmmakers use cinematic techniques to portray them and create an intended message. Their assessment at the end of this unit was to write a 4-6 minute multimodal (speech) to be delivered live or pre-recorded reviewing one of the three films shown within the unit.
Films focused on in this particular year: Wonder Woman & Into the Spiderverse
A resource which I think Legal Studies / Civics teachers will find helpful. If you use it, and like it, please give me a positive star rating / review.
A PPT designed to introduce students to renting and to see what they already know. It begins with a warm up – 6 questions to answer. Checking to see if they are familiar with terms like landlord, tenant, right, responsibility etc.
There is some census data about how many people rent in Australia {so students understand the nature and scope}. This is followed by a viewing activity of a news story from A Current Affair [6 minutes] about a dodgy landlord. Students have to pick out the various viewpoints of stakeholders and take dot points of what they learn. This is followed by a second news clip from the same program about a landlord whose property was destroyed by the tenants. Students complete the same table.
This is followed by information about the rewards and risks of buying a rental property. This is followed by brief information about the upcoming assessment and the criteria they will be assessed against {comprehending, selecting, analysing, evaluating and creating}.
Subsequently, students are introduced to the Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act 2008 (Qld) and the key terms within it e.g. lessor, tenant, fixed term agreement, periodic agreement. They are also introduced to The Residential Tenancies Authority (RTA) and its function. They learn about bond money through watching a video from the RTA and a video from ABC Australia about how to get bond back. There is also information about filling in an entry condition report. A screenshot of the form and a link to where it can be found is included. There is also information about paying rent and how much should be paid in advance + the rules around rent increases.
There is also information about the minimum housing standards introduced in QLD law in 2023. This is followed by a viewing activity (a segment from The Project which aired in 2023) showing that other states are not this lucky. It shows some mould issues in Victorian rentals.
This is followed by information about the legal rights and obligations for lessors and tenants and some checking for understanding questions.
NB: My lessons have been designed for use in Australian classrooms and will often feature examples from Queensland legislation.
About the PPT: A PPT designed to be used after students have viewed Into the Spiderverse. It begins with a list of Language Features and students are asked to volunteer some of the things they observed in the film which they believe were impactful. I included some screen shots from the film to illustrate colour, lighting and shadow, camera angles and shot sizes. I also included some lyrics from two of the songs in the soundtrack.
This is followed by a list of Text Structures. Students are asked which they could use to show how the hero/villain has been portrayed {they only focus on one in their speech}, and that characters VABs {values, attitudes and beliefs}.
Students are prompted to discuss what VABs they noticed in the film. I have provided some answer slides with possible options (about heroes and villains in general) which students can use to help them. Students are to take notes about the VABs of both Miles and King pin as, at this point, they will not have selected which character they are going to write about.
Students are asked to consider what stereotypes {cultural assumptions} are challenged/reinforced by the film. They are also asked to consider what the film’s intended reading {overall message} is.
Context: A lesson designed for use in a 12 Essential English classroom in Queensland, Australia as part of Unit 4: “Representations and popular culture texts.” During this unit students learned about Hero and Villain films and how filmmakers use cinematic techniques to portray them and create an intended message. Their assessment at the end of this unit was to write a 4-6 minute multimodal (speech) to be delivered live or pre-recorded reviewing one of the three films shown within the unit.
Films focused on in this particular year: Wonder Woman & Into the Spiderverse
A resource which I think Legal Studies teachers will find helpful. If you use it, and like it, please give me a positive star rating / review.
Handout- sentence starters that I wrote to help students write their viewpoints paragraphs {as they are in year 10 and it is their first time writing a legal report}. It has options for students to write about the viewpoints of surrounding society or of specific political parties within Australia.
PowerPoint which I used in class to remind students of the Analysing criteria + to explain the structure of this section of the report.
A template for students to write their report into
A resource which I think Legal Studies teachers will find helpful. If you use it, and like it, please give me a positive star rating / review.
Handout- sentence starters that I wrote to help students write their two legal alternatives paragraphs {as they are in year 10 and it is their first time writing a legal report}.
PowerPoint which I used in class to remind students of the Evaluate criteria + to explain the structure of this section of the report.
A template for students to write their report into
A resource which I think Legal Studies teachers will find helpful. If you use it, and like it, please give me a positive star rating / review.
Handout- sentence starters that I wrote to help students write their report introduction and conclusion paragraphs {as they are in year 10 and it is their first time writing a legal report}. I get students to write their body paragraphs first as this is where most of the criteria is demonstrated.
PowerPoint which I used in class to show this content visually and to send out to students who were absent on the day.
A template for students to write their report into