This resource set includes six different worksheets on Where the Forest Meets the Sea by Jeannie Baker. These are aimed at a middle school/upper primary/early secondary audience and focus on a range of skills including close analysis of techniques and the features of informative and persuasive texts. The set includes: Writing an informative text - This worksheet looks at how informative texts also use features of creative writing to make the text more engaging. Students consider how informative and narrative texts use language techniques, and how to employ these in their own writing. (2 pages, plus an extra page with a simpler version of page 2) Writing a persuasive text - This structured worksheet goes through a range of features of a persuasive text and includes a range of activities with sample texts and opportunities to imitate the techniques in their own writing. The skills highlighted are modal language, structure, appeal to emotions, attack, language choices and imagery. (7 pages) Themes - This worksheet looks at the key themes in the book, namely sustainability, change, continuity and time. Students complete a table with the messages on each theme and examples from the book, then answer some short questions on these themes. (2 pages) Image analysis - Using a sketch which roughly represents the patterns of selected pages from the book, students match a description of the techniques in the image, as well as an explanation of the message conveyed. Each of these is a short paragraph describing how Baker has composed her images to incorporate specific techniques (eg. vectors, lines, contrast, dark and light) and ideas (eg. transition, scale, protection, curiosity). (5 pages plus answer key) Crafting with nature - a creative activity where students create their own page to supplement the book. Includes stimulus text for possible book pages. (1 page) Treasure hunt - a quick activity that acts as a bit of a ‘Where’s Wally’ in the book. It encourages students to focus on the details and look closely at the images rather than skip through. (1 page)

This 4-page worksheet helps students understand and analyse Luka Lesson’s spoken word poem ‘May Your Pen Grace the Page’. Questions and activities explore both the conceptual aspects of the poem (ideas of having a voice and expressing yourself) as well as the technical (technique and structural analysis; visual elements of the delivery). The worksheet is designed to be used in combination with a written copy of the poem and Youtube video where Lesson delivers the poem in an empty room (links included in the resource) The worksheet is included in both Word and pdf formats for maximum flexibility. You can also check out my other Luka Lesson resource on Please Resist Me here.

This resource focuses on the language technique juxtaposition. The worksheet begins with an information box which explains the technique, gives an example and explains its effect. This is followed by a range of activities which build in complexity through the two-page worksheet. Activities include identifying juxtaposition, analysing juxtaposition in examples and students writing their own examples. The PowerPoint is designed to accompany the worksheet and includes answers and examples for many of the worksheet tasks, as well as a visual stimulus task. This resource is suitable for a high school or upper primary school audience. The worksheet is included in both Word and pdf formats to ensure no loss of detail. Image credit: Tool icon made by Good Ware from Flaticon and used under licence. This ‘techniques toolkit’ resource is part of a set on language features and techniques in English. Check out these other techniques toolkit resources: Allusion | Assonance, Consonance, Sibilance | Emotive Language | Euphemism | Focalisation (Point of View) | Iambic Pentameter | Imagery | Irony | Juxtaposition | Metaphor | Modality | Personification | Symbolism | Tone and Mood

Spoken word poetry and slam poetry are a big hit today, and help make poetry fun in your classroom. This four-page worksheet serves as an overview of spoken word poetry and is useful for introducing this type of poetry to students. The worksheet begins with a fact file, providing a definition as well as the history and significance of spoken word poetry. Questions which follow focus on the differences between traditional and spoken word poetry and music. Examples are included to support the activities. The final page of the worksheet gives examples of some common techniques in spoken word poetry and invites students to craft their own stories in spoken word form. It is recommended that students complete these tasks alongside viewing a range of spoken word videos, as this type of poetry is of course best experienced rather than read. Worksheets are included in both Word and pdf formats to assist in compatibility.

This poem by Benjamin Zephaniah reflects on poetry as a powerful way of expressing oneself, away from the rules and pompousness often associated with poetry in modern society. This resource is a worksheet which assists students in understanding the poem. The focus is on comprehension and understanding and it makes a great starter for studying the poem before engaging in a deeper analysis. The poem itself is readily available on the web, and there are some clips available of the poet reciting the poem. The file is included in both Word and pdf formats.

This 4-page worksheet helps students understand and analyse Luka Lesson’s spoken word poem ‘Please Resist Me’. The first two pages deal with comprehension, encouraging students to slow down and interpret some of the more challenging or obscure references and attitudes of the poem. The last two pages explore the techniques and structure of the poem, including the use of rhyme, assonance, language choices and so on. The key here is not simply identifying examples, but understanding their effect on meaning. The worksheet is included in both Word and pdf formats for maximum flexibility. You can also check out my other Luka Lesson resource on May Your Pen Grace the Page here.

This resource and accompanying assessment task analyse the key closing speech delivered by Atticus in defence of Tom. The speech is annotated in detail for both language techniques and the ideas represented. Approximately half a page of general notes follow the annotations. The associated assessment task requires students to discuss the speech in an essay, using the notes to assist them. The task includes outcomes for the NSW English syllabus for the Australian curriculum as well as full marking criteria. The literacy criteria referred to in the marking criteria can be found in the author’s other resources.

This worksheet focuses on a close study of two extracts from Anh Do’s autobiography The Happiest Refugee. Students are led through a step-by-step process, finding key techniques in the extract, considering the key ideas and then writing an analytical paragraph in response to the focus question at the top of the worksheet. The two extracts are graded in difficulty, with Extract A more suitable for proficient students and Extract B including more scaffolding and more accessible techniques. This worksheet uses the TEEEL structure (Topic, Expand, Example, Explain, Link) but would be easily adapted to any similar paragraph structure (PEE, PEEL, IDEAL etc). Note that the extracts have been removed from this resource for copyright reasons, but can be easily added, or the worksheet condensed to work alongside hard copies of the autobiography. Clear references to the extracts are included to allow you to find these easily.

This two-page worksheet helps students to understand and analyse Langston Hughes’ poem Mother to Son. As well as some general comprehension questions, the worksheet focuses especially on language features, with questions on the use of extended metaphor, repetition, connotation, cyclical structure, juxtaposition and a range of other features. The worksheet is accompanied by detailed teacher’s notes which give ideas and information on the questions explored in the worksheet. While you’re here, why not check out the resource on another poem by Langston Hughes, I, Too, here.

Oodgeroo Noonuccal’s poems are powerful representations of the collision between white and indigenous Australian culture. This worksheet helps students understand and interpret her poem ‘The Past’. This poem is excellent for exploring indigenous perspectives as well as understanding the way historical policies like assimilation have had an impact on Aboriginal Australians. The worksheet focuses on analysing the poem in detail, beginning with comprehension, and moving into close analysis of textual features like juxtaposition, figurative language and tone. The final page of this three-page resource includes a short writing task, asking students to draw on examples studied earlier in the worksheet, integrating their understanding into a cohesive argument. The worksheet is included in both Word and pdf format to ensure flexibility and compatibility. While you’re here, why not check out these other resources on Noonuccal’s poetry? No More Boomerang | Son of Mine | We Are Going

☆ 2023 TES Featured Resource for NAIDOC Week! ☆ Son of Mine by Oodgeroo Noonuccal is a challenging insight into the complex history of Aboriginal and White Australia and how this is passed to the next generation. This worksheet helps students understand and interpret the poem, focusing on both comprehension and analysis. This poem is excellent for exploring indigenous perspectives as well as understanding the intergenerational impact of suffering, alongside opportunities for hope. This four-page worksheet focuses on analysing the poem in detail, beginning with comprehension and moving into close analysis of textual features like negative language, repetition, nominalisation and more. The final page emphasises Noonuccal’s word choice, encouraging students to consider the associations, connotations and emotive significance of Noonuccal’s choices. The worksheet is included in both Word and pdf format to ensure flexibility and compatibility. ~ ~ ~ While you’re here, why not check out these other resources on Noonuccal’s poetry? No More Boomerang | The Past | We Are Going

This collection of resources accompanies a novel study of Red Dog by Louis de Bernieres. The activities include: - A worksheet on characterisation of emotions (show-don’t-tell) based on the chapter Red Dog’s Expensive Injury - A worksheet focusing on comprehension, characterisation and perspective based on the chapter Red Dog and Nancy Grey - A portfolio activity where students choose a number of activities from a larger list and prepare these as part of a ‘portfolio’ on Red Dog. Examples of these activities include redesigning the cover or writing a book review.

☆ 2023 TES Featured Resource for Anzac Day! ☆ Anzac legend (or Anzac myth, as it is often called) is hotly contested in academic circles, but still presented largely as fact in the public domain. This resource set questions legend retold every year and evaluates different perspectives on the qualities of Anzacs and the role of Anzac history in forming Australian national identity. The first lesson focuses on understanding the legend as it exists today, while the subsequent lessons address the following questions: a) To what extent do the qualities associated with the Anzacs and Anzac legend have their origins in the trenches of World War I? b) Did the experiences of the Anzacs at Gallipoli and elsewhere forge the national identity in a way that Federation didn’t? Resources include extensive sources (including a complete 2-page source sheet on Anzac qualities), source analysis worksheets, writing and arguing exercises as well as detailed lesson plans with additional ideas. Intended to take approximately three 60-minute lessons, this set has all you need to get the job done.

This resource is a make-your-own verb conjugation wheel for common German verbs. By cutting out the wheel and using a split-pin to join the two parts, students are able to make their own wheel for use in the classroom. This is a great hands-on activity which students enjoy both making and using in the classroom. Consider laminating or printing on heavy card for a reusable classroom resource. The file is attached as a pdf for clear printing, and also as a word document so that you can change the verbs to suit your course material as required.

This three-page worksheet helps students understand and analyse Dudley Randall’s evocative poem ‘Ballad of Birmingham’. The worksheet begins with some comprehension questions, before moving into questions on the purpose, form and themes of the text. This is followed by analysis of a range of techniques in the poem such as connotations, symbolism and rhetorical questions. A matching exercise also highlights the range of other techniques evident in the poem. Finally, a workbook task provides a focus question so that students can expand on their learning in extended written form. The worksheet is included in both pdf and Word formats for flexibility, and there is an answer key for the matching activity.

The poem by Benjamin Zephaniah uses the metaphor of a recipe to explore multicultural Britain. This resource is a worksheet which assists students in understanding the poem. The focus is on context, comprehension and the beginnings of analysis (comparing terms used in a recipe and how they are used here to describe Britain’s multicultural fabric) and it makes a great starter for studying the poem before engaging in a deeper close analysis. Also recommended is the BBC performance of this poem available on YouTube

This resource is designed to help secondary school students understand and analyse the poem Still I Rise by Maya Angelou. Activities focus on understanding language, context and themes of the poem, including analysis of specific examples, a study of language techniques and writing exercises. The resource includes two worksheets - a two-page comprehension worksheet and a three-page analysis worksheet. It is suitable for a high school audience, especially around the 8-11th grade bracket, although it may well suit younger or older grades depending on ability. The analysis worksheet includes a scaffolded extended writing task with a focus question, pre-written introduction and planning scaffold with ideas and examples pre-filled to assist students in writing the rest of the response themselves. While you’re here, why not check out these other resources on Angelou’s poems: Caged Bird | Phenomenal Woman.

This is a comprehensive set of resources on Shaun Tan and John Marsden’s picture book The Rabbits. This set will help you to complete a close study of the book, considering how the author and illustrator have used a range of visual and language techniques to create this powerful allegorical story. All worksheets are included in editable Word format as well as pdf. The set includes the following resources: A close study worksheet on the pages “They Brought New Food” (2 pages) A study of images and ideas in the pages “Rabbits, Rabbits, Rabbits” (2 pages including a table and short answer questions) An activity on how colours and shapes create tone in images (4 pages, including a list of suggested adjectives for describing image tone) A portfolio activity with 15 different activities for students to choose from. Each activity is worth 1, 3 or 5 points, and students must complete 12 points. (1 page) A worksheet on themes in The Rabbits (2 pages) A worksheet on symbols in The Rabbits (2 page table) A PowerPoint presentation on the most significant image, They Came By Water. Includes definitions of key words like transformation and adaptation, a close study of the image and a comparison with the 1902 painting it is based on, and activities for discussion and independent writing. ~ ~ ~ While you’re here, why not check out these other resources on picture books for older readers? The Lost Thing (Shaun Tan) The Red Tree (Shaun Tan) The Arrival (Shaun Tan) Cicada (Shaun Tan) Eric (Shaun Tan) The Island (Armin Greder) Australia to Z (Armin Greder) Woolvs in the Sitee (Margaret Wild and Anne Spudvilas) Girl on Wire (Lucy Estela and Elise Hurst) Flight (Nadia Wheatley and Armin Greder)

In this poem Noonuccal challenges the supposed benefits of white culture in the lives of Aboriginal people. This four-page worksheet helps students analyse the poem, helping them understand its biting irony and clever plays on language, as well as providing an Aboriginal perspective on the clash between indigenous and white Australian cultures. The resource begins with a focus on comprehension, with a glossary of key terms from the poem and some general comprehension, before moving through a range of activities addressing language features like tone, juxtaposition, allusion, repetition and more. This resource will help support a detailed analysis of the poem and contains lots of supporting information in questions (see example below). The resource is included in both Word and pdf format to ensure flexibility and compatibility. Sample question: “In stanza eleven, Noonuccal presents a complex image of religious influence on Aboriginal people. Remember that many Aboriginal missions were run by the churches and under the control of ministers of religion. What point is Noonuccal making when she says “White fella witch-doctor / Wear dog-collar?” (tip: try to use techniques like allusion or symbolism in your response)” While you’re here, why not check out these other resources on Noonuccal’s poetry? The Past | Son of Mine | We Are Going

Shaun Tan’s The Red Tree is a masterful exploration of themes like belonging, alienation and depression. These two worksheets assist high-school age students in deconstructing the text effectively. The first worksheet is a general one focusing on the message of the story and the emotional journey of the protagonist, as well as addressing the use of metaphor, aspects of image selection and the way the text works visually with the images. The second worksheet focuses on symbols, using both table and short-answer format to analyse the extensive use of symbols throughout the book. An extended writing task is provided at the end. Both worksheets are included in Word and pdf formats to ensure compatibility. ~ ~ ~ While you’re here, why not check out these other resources on picture books for older readers? The Rabbits (Shaun Tan and John Marsden) The Lost Thing (Shaun Tan) The Arrival (Shaun Tan) Cicada (Shaun Tan) Eric (Shaun Tan) The Island (Armin Greder) Australia to Z (Armin Greder) Woolvs in the Sitee (Margaret Wild and Anne Spudvilas) Girl on Wire (Lucy Estela and Elise Hurst) Flight (Nadia Wheatley and Armin Greder)

This six-page resource will help secondary school students understand and analyse the poem Caged Bird by Maya Angelou. Activities begin with comprehension-style tasks including a summary table and sentence starters, before moving into closer analysis of themes and language techniques, including focus on specific examples from the poem. The final page includes a scaffolded extended writing task with a focus question, pre-written introduction and planning scaffold with ideas and examples pre-filled to assist students in writing the rest of the response themselves. This resource is suitable for a high school audience, especially around the 8-11th grade bracket, although it may well suit younger or older grades depending on ability. File is included in both Word and pdf formats. Note that this resource deals with Angelou’s poem Caged Bird, not the autobiographical text I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings While you’re here, why not check out these other resources on Angelou’s poems: Still I Rise | Phenomenal Woman.