This unit, taught to a high ability Year 8 (13-14 years) class, is suitable for high-school students of all ages. It focuses on the poetry of loved things: people; food; objects, and experiences, and presents both traditional forms (the ode, the sonnet), and free-form contemporary poetry. Structured into eight parts, the unit covers:
Love is in the head
I love this feeling
Things we love - stuff
More Stuff
I love eating
I love you
I love doing this
Poetry, and loving it
There is also an assessment paper requiring written responses to three poems.
Students are introduced to poetic and literary concepts such as the four types of love, modern materialism, and parody. The written responses cover comprehension, analysis, personal discussion and evaluation, creative writing, and comparison with other provided poems.
Please note: because recent works are protected by copyright, it is prohibitively expensive to place the texts themselves in the unit. However, to share the love of these poems, teachers should visit thecraftofwriting.org and look at the downloadable document indicated in the menu bar.
Short stories are a vital part of English literature. These short story studies can be used to build a short story unit, to supplement other texts, or as a standby lesson.
Use this with our FREE Introduction to Short Stories two-page handout.
These activities support O’Flaherty’s famous short story, ‘The Sniper’.
Activities correspond to Bloom’s taxonomy of lower- to higher-order tasks.
A comprehension question checks knowledge and understanding
Application questions ask students to apply their knowledge of literary or rhetorical technique
Analytical questions interrogate the story’s effect, mood, and construction-strategies.
Creative writing tasks use an aspect of the story as a springboard to write creatively, discursively, or persuasively.
O’Flaherty’s gripping story about a sniper who discovers the cost of his mission has been successfully used with a Stage 5 / Year 9 class (15 years).
Short stories are a vital part of English literature. These short story studies can be used to build a short story unit, to supplement other texts, or as a standby lesson.
Use this with our FREE Introduction to Short Stories two-page handout.
These activities support James Thurber’s hilarious short story ‘University Days’.
Activities correspond to Bloom’s taxonomy of lower- to higher-order tasks.
A comprehension question checks knowledge and understanding
Application questions ask students to apply their knowledge of literary or rhetorical technique
Analytical questions interrogate the story’s effect, mood, and construction-strategies.
Creative writing tasks use an aspect of the story as a springboard to write creatively, discursively, or persuasively.
Thurber’s story about his youthful foibles has been successfully used with a Stage 5 / Year 9class (15 years).
Short stories are a vital part of English literature. These short story studies can be used to build a short story unit, to supplement other texts, or as a standby lesson.
Use this with our FREE Introduction to Short Stories two-page handout.
These activities support Ray Bradbury’s short story ‘The Garbage Collector’, which can be found free online by searching for the title.
Activities correspond to Bloom’s taxonomy of lower- to higher-order tasks.
A comprehension question checks knowledge and understanding
Application questions ask students to apply their knowledge of literary or rhetorical technique
Analytical questions interrogate the story’s effect, mood, and construction-strategies.
Creative writing tasks use an aspect of the story as a springboard to write creatively, discursively, or persuasively.
Bradbury’s story about the plans for a nuclear attack has been successfully used with a Stage 4 / Year 9 class (15 years).
Short stories are a vital part of English literature. These short story studies can be used to build a short story unit, to supplement other texts, or as a standby lesson.
Use this with our FREE Introduction to Short Stories two-page handout.
These activities support Margo Lanagan’s recent short story ‘Singing my sister down’, which can be found free online by searching for the title.
Activities correspond to Bloom’s taxonomy of lower- to higher-order tasks.
A comprehension question checks knowledge and understanding
Application questions ask students to apply their knowledge of literary or rhetorical technique
Analytical questions interrogate the story’s effect, mood, and construction-strategies.
Creative writing tasks use an aspect of the story as a springboard to write creatively, discursively, or persuasively.
Lanagan’s confronting story about facing the death of a sibling has been successfully used with a Stage 4 / Year 9 class (15 years).
Short stories are a vital part of English literature. These short story studies can be used to build a short story unit, to supplement other texts, or as a standby lesson.
Use this with our FREE Introduction to Short Stories two-page handout.
These activities support Ray Bradbury’s story ‘The Last Night of the World’, which can be found free online by searching for the title.
Activities correspond to Bloom’s taxonomy of lower- to higher-order tasks.
A comprehension question checks knowledge and understanding
Application questions ask students to apply their knowledge of literary or rhetorical technique
Analytical questions interrogate the story’s effect, mood, and construction-strategies.
Creative writing tasks use an aspect of the story as a springboard to write creatively, discursively, or persuasively.
Bradbury’s moving short story about a couple facing the unthinkable has been successfully used with a Stage 4 / Year 9 class (15 years).
Short stories are a vital part of English literature. These short story studies can be used to build a short story unit, to supplement other texts, or as a standby lesson.
Use this with our FREE Introduction to Short Stories two-page handout.
These activities support Robert Cormier’s short story, ‘The Moustache’, which can be found free online by searching for the title.
Activities correspond to Bloom’s taxonomy of lower- to higher-order tasks.
A comprehension question checks knowledge and understanding
Application questions ask students to apply their knowledge of literary or rhetorical technique
Analytical questions interrogate the story’s effect, mood, and construction-strategies.
Creative writing tasks use an aspect of the story as a springboard to write creatively, discursively, or persuasively.
Comier’s story about growing up and discovering secrets has been successfully used with a Stage 4 / Year 9 class (15 years).
Short stories are a vital part of English literature. These short story studies can be used to build a short story unit, to supplement other texts, or as a standby lesson.
Use this with our FREE Introduction to Short Stories two-page handout.
These activities support Ted Chiang’s recent short story ‘The Great Silence’, which can be found free online by searching for the title.
Activities correspond to Bloom’s taxonomy of lower- to higher-order tasks.
A comprehension question checks knowledge and understanding
Application questions ask students to apply their knowledge of literary or rhetorical technique
Analytical questions interrogate the story’s effect, mood, and construction-strategies.
Creative writing tasks use an aspect of the story as a springboard to write creatively, discursively, or persuasively.
Chiang’s story about the terrible cost of our search for intelligence has been successfully used with a Stage 4 / Year 9 class (15 years).
This suite of poems from Oodgeroo Noonuccal (Kath Walker)'s collection on China offers a glimpse into several famous landmarks seen through the eyes of this famous indigenous poet. The poems are linguistically and structurally very simple and can be read and studied by students from a variety of language and ability levels. Poems studied are:
China…woman
The Past
Sunrise on Huampu River
Entombed Warriors
Lake within a Lake
Reed Flute Cave
Visit to the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall
Each poem is examined in a separate worksheet, with questions structured around Bloom’s taxonomy of lower-to-higher-order tasks. There is also a link to another poem by Chinese or Australian poets which allows teachers to discuss differences in the manner of presenting the same place or idea.
Teachers often buy these worksheets together with: the Close Reading Notes (a complete reading of each poem), and the sample essay to a senior question for this topic.
Please note - because of copyright costs the poems themselves must be downloaded free from the NESA website.
This suite of poems from Oodgeroo Noonuccal (Kath Walker)'s collection on China offers a glimpse into several famous landmarks seen through the eyes of this famous indigenous poet. The poems are linguistically and structurally very simple and can be read and studied by students from a variety of language and ability levels. Poems studied are:
China…woman
The Past
Sunrise on Huampu River
Entombed Warriors
Lake within a Lake
Reed Flute Cave
Visit to the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall
This worksheet covers 'The Past.'
The poem is examined in a separate worksheet, with questions structured around Bloom’s taxonomy of lower-to-higher-order tasks. There is also a link to another poem by Chinese or Australian poets which allows teachers to discuss differences in the manner of presenting the same place or idea.
Teachers often buy these worksheets together with: the Study Notes, a complete reading of each poem, and the sample essay to a senior question for this topic.
Please note - because of copyright costs the poems themselves must be downloaded free from the NESA website.
This suite of poems from Oodgeroo Noonuccal (Kath Walker)'s collection on China offers a glimpse into several famous landmarks seen through the eyes of this famous indigenous poet. The poems are linguistically and structurally very simple and can be read and studied by students from a variety of language and ability levels. Poems studied are:
China…woman
The Past
Sunrise on Huampu River
Entombed Warriors
Lake within a Lake
Reed Flute Cave
Visit to the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall
This worksheet covers 'Sunrise on Huampu River.'
The poem is examined in a separate worksheet, with questions structured around Bloom’s taxonomy of lower-to-higher-order tasks. There is also a link to another poem by Chinese or Australian poets which allows teachers to discuss differences in the manner of presenting the same place or idea.
Teachers often buy these worksheets together with: the Study Notes, a complete reading of each poem, and the sample essay to a senior question for this topic.
Please note - because of copyright costs the poems themselves must be downloaded free from the NESA website.
This suite of poems from Oodgeroo Noonuccal (Kath Walker)'s collection on China offers a glimpse into several famous landmarks seen through the eyes of this famous indigenous poet. The poems are linguistically and structurally very simple and can be read and studied by students from a variety of language and ability levels. Poems studied are:
China…woman
The Past
Sunrise on Huampu River
Entombed Warriors
Lake within a Lake
Reed Flute Cave
Visit to the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall
This worksheet covers ‘Visit to the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall’.
The poem is examined in a separate worksheet, with questions structured around Bloom’s taxonomy of lower-to-higher-order tasks. There is also a link to another poem by Chinese or Australian poets which allows teachers to discuss differences in the manner of presenting the same place or idea.
Teachers often buy these worksheets together with: the Study Notes, a complete reading of each poem, and the sample essay to a senior question for this topic.
Please note - because of copyright costs the poems themselves must be downloaded free from the NESA website.
This suite of poems from Oodgeroo Noonuccal (Kath Walker)'s collection on China offers a glimpse into several famous landmarks seen through the eyes of this famous indigenous poet. The poems are linguistically and structurally very simple and can be read and studied by students from a variety of language and ability levels. Poems studied are:
China…woman
The Past
Sunrise on Huampu River
Entombed Warriors
Lake within a Lake
Reed Flute Cave
Visit to the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall
This worksheet covers ‘Reed Flute Cave’.
The poem is examined in a separate worksheet, with questions structured around Bloom’s taxonomy of lower-to-higher-order tasks. There is also a link to another poem by Chinese or Australian poets which allows teachers to discuss differences in the manner of presenting the same place or idea.
Teachers often buy these worksheets together with: the Study Notes, a complete reading of each poem, and the sample essay to a senior question for this topic.
Please note - because of copyright costs the poems themselves must be downloaded free from the NESA website.
This suite of poems from Oodgeroo Noonuccal (Kath Walker)'s collection on China offers a glimpse into several famous landmarks seen through the eyes of this famous indigenous poet. The poems are linguistically and structurally very simple and can be read and studied by students from a variety of language and ability levels. Poems studied are:
China…woman
The Past
Sunrise on Huampu River
Entombed Warriors
Lake within a Lake
Reed Flute Cave
Visit to the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall
This worksheet covers ‘Lake within a Lake’.
The poem is examined in a separate worksheet, with questions structured around Bloom’s taxonomy of lower-to-higher-order tasks. There is also a link to another poem by Chinese or Australian poets which allows teachers to discuss differences in the manner of presenting the same place or idea.
Teachers often buy these worksheets together with: the Study Notes, a complete reading of each poem, and the sample essay to a senior question for this topic.
Please note - because of copyright costs the poems themselves must be downloaded free from the NESA website.
This suite of poems from Oodgeroo Noonuccal (Kath Walker)'s collection on China offers a glimpse into several famous landmarks seen through the eyes of this famous indigenous poet. The poems are linguistically and structurally very simple and can be read and studied by students from a variety of language and ability levels. Poems studied are:
China…woman
The Past
Sunrise on Huampu River
Entombed Warriors
Lake within a Lake
Reed Flute Cave
Visit to the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall
This worksheet covers ‘Entombed Warriors’.
The poem is examined in a separate worksheet, with questions structured around Bloom’s taxonomy of lower-to-higher-order tasks. There is also a link to another poem by Chinese or Australian poets which allows teachers to discuss differences in the manner of presenting the same place or idea.
Teachers often buy these worksheets together with: the Study Notes, a complete reading of each poem, and the sample essay to a senior question for this topic.
Please note - because of copyright costs the poems themselves must be downloaded free from the NESA website.
This suite of poems from Oodgeroo Noonuccal (Kath Walker)'s collection on China offers a glimpse into several famous landmarks seen through the eyes of this famous indigenous poet. The poems are linguistically and structurally very simple and can be read and studied by students from a variety of language and ability levels. Poems studied are:
China…woman
The Past
Sunrise on Huampu River
Entombed Warriors
Lake within a Lake
Reed Flute Cave
Visit to the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall
This worksheet covers ‘China…woman’.
The poem is examined in a separate worksheet, with questions structured around Bloom’s taxonomy of lower-to-higher-order tasks. There is also a link to another poem by Chinese or Australian poets which allows teachers to discuss differences in the manner of presenting the same place or idea.
Teachers often buy these worksheets together with: the Study Notes, a complete reading of each poem, and the sample essay to a senior question for this topic.
Please note - because of copyright costs the poems themselves must be downloaded free from the NESA website.
Short stories are a vital part of English literature. These short story studies can be used to build a short story unit, to supplement other texts, or as a standby lesson.
Use this with our FREE Introduction to Short Stories two-page handout.
These activities support Dio Genes’s recent short story ‘Emergency’, which is included in the purchase.
Activities correspond to Bloom’s taxonomy of lower- to higher-order tasks.
A comprehension question checks knowledge and understanding
Application questions ask students to apply their knowledge of literary or rhetorical technique
Analytical questions interrogate the story’s effect, mood, and construction-strategies.
Creative writing tasks use an aspect of the story as a springboard to write creatively, discursively, or persuasively.
Genes’s speculative fiction about the harsh realities of emergency care for the poor has been successfully used with a Stage 5 / Year 10 class (16 years).
Short stories are a vital part of English literature. These short story studies can be used to build a short story unit, to supplement other texts, or as a standby lesson.
Use this with our FREE Introduction to Short Stories two-page handout.
These activities support Amy Bloom’s recent short story ‘Silver Water’, which can be found free online by searching for the title.
Activities correspond to Bloom’s taxonomy of lower- to higher-order tasks.
A comprehension question checks knowledge and understanding
Application questions ask students to apply their knowledge of literary or rhetorical technique
Analytical questions interrogate the story’s effect, mood, and construction-strategies.
Creative writing tasks use an aspect of the story as a springboard to write creatively, discursively, or persuasively.
Bloom’s tragic story about a young girl watching her sister’s struggle with schizophrenia has been successfully used with a Stage 5 / Year 10 class (16 years).
Short stories are a vital part of English literature. These short story studies can be used to build a short story unit, to supplement other texts, or as a standby lesson.
Use this with our FREE Introduction to Short Stories two-page handout.
Each classic story is copyright free in Australia, the U.K. and U.S. Paragraphs are numbered for ease of reference.
Activities correspond to Bloom’s taxonomy of lower- to higher-order tasks.
A comprehension question checks knowledge and understanding
Application questions ask students to apply their knowledge of literary or rhetorical technique
Analytical questions interrogate the story’s effect, mood, and construction-strategies.
Creative writing tasks use an aspect of the story as a springboard to write creatively, discursively, or persuasively.
John Collier’s short satirical story has been successfully used with a Stage 4 / Year 8 class ( 13 years).
Short stories are a vital part of English literature. These short story studies can be used to build a short story unit, to supplement other texts, or as a standby lesson.
Use this with our FREE Introduction to Short Stories two-page handout.
Each classic story is copyright free in Australia, the U.K. and U.S. Paragraphs are numbered for ease of reference.
Activities correspond to Bloom’s taxonomy of lower- to higher-order tasks.
A comprehension question checks knowledge and understanding
A close reading task assists development of textual analysis
A writing at length task involves considering the story’s effect, mood, or technical strategies.
Creative writing tasks use an aspect of the story as a springboard to write creatively, discursively, or persuasively.
Robert Maples’ vintage sci-fi short story has been successfully used with a Stage 4 / Year 8 class ( 13 years).