Sydney Morning Herald article written by Richard Flanagan about how his father’s experiences on the Thai-Burma Railway inspired his writing of * The Narrow Road to the Deep North*.

Analysis of article written by Michael Williams from The Guardian entitled Dinner with Richard Flanagan, a child of the death railway. The article is a report on an interview with Richard Flanagan, author of The Narrow Road to the Deep North and details Flanagan’s inspirations in writing the novel and the process of writing it. This resource is part of a unit of work on The Narrow Road to the Deep North.

Analysis of the article, Scars of the Burma railway trauma that never healed from the Telegraph (UK) and written by Tom Rowley. The article reports on the experiences of Fred Seiker, a Dutch POW who worked on the construction of the Thailand-Burma Railway. It is a good narrative of Fred Seiker’s deprivations and his mixed feelings and beliefs about his experiences during and after the war. This resource is part of a unit of work on Richard Flanagan’s The Narrow Road to the Deep North.

Analysis of the 1945 speech by Australian Army Staff Sergeant G.G. Rickwood to the Rotary Club of Cessnock in which he narrates his experiences as a POW on the Thai-Burma Railway. Students analyse: Who gave the speech? What do we know about his background? Why did he deliver the speech? What was his purpose in giving the speech? Who was the audience? Where were they located? What was their reaction to the speech? What words and phrases would we now see as racist or antiquated? How would this language be received in 1945, when the speech was given? List the incidents that made this speech a “story of hardship and horror, of death, disease, and suffering.” What values, beliefs and humanitarian acts were displayed by the Australian and British POWs? Is mere survival and kindness enough in situations of extreme abuse?

Activities for Richard Flanagan’s novel, The Narrow Road to the Deep North - Book 1 Chapters 10-18.

Word search using key words and concepts from Richard Flanagan’s novel, The Narrow Road to the Deep North.

Activities for Book 1 Chapters 1-9

Unit of work on Richard Flanagan’s The Narrow Road to the Deep North. Written for students of the Tasmanian Certificate of Education (TCE) and more broadly for the Australian Curriculum. The unit includes: Activities for Book 1 Chapters 1-9 Activities for Book 1 Chapters 10-18 Activities for Book 2 Chapters 1-9 Activities for Book 2 Chapters 10-19 Activities for Book 3 Chapters 1-9 Activities for Book 3 Chapters 10-19 Activities for Book 3 Chapters 20-27 Activities for Book 4 Chapters 1-7 Activities for Book 4 Chapters 8-13 Activities for Book 5 Chapters 1-9 Activities for Book 5 Chapters 10-18 Character profile: Amy Mulvaney Character profile: Keith Mulvaney Character profile: Ella Lansbury Character profile: Darky Gardiner Character profile: Jimmy Bigelow Character profile: Sheephead Morton Character profile: Gallipoli von Kessler Ezine article: Life and death on the Thai-Burma Railway Ezine article: Dad and the Burma Railway Video: Australian Prisoners of War Part 1: A Short History of Australian POWs Worksheet: Australian Prisoners of War Part 1: A Short History of Australian POWs Video: Australian Prisoners of War Part 2: Capture Worksheet: Australian Prisoners of War Part 2: Capture Video: Flanagan’s Island Worksheet: Flanagan’s Island Video: Book review by ReadingBukowski Worksheet: Book review by ReadingBukowski Video: Ramona Koval interview with Richard Flanagan Worksheet: Ramona Koval interview with Richard Flanagan Video: Hellfire. A Soldier’s Story. Worksheet: Hellfire. a Soldier’s Story. Word search 1945 newspaper report - The Story of the Thai-Burma Railway Ezine article: Scars of the Burma railway trauma that never healed Ezine article: Dinner with Richard Flanagan, a child of the death railway Newspaper article: ‘Weary’ Dunlop Close study of a passage: Dorrigo’s childhood in Cleveland, Tasmania Close study of a passage: Colonel Kota beheads a prisoner Close study of a passage: Amy tells Dorrigo that their affair is known Theme: War Crime Metalanguage mix and match activity Map of key sites Dorrigo Evans as Charon the Ferryman True or false revision activity Symbolism activity Crossword

Timeline documentary, Uncle Hitler examines the family of Adolf Hitler, their relationship to him, what happened to them after the war and the controversy of who should benefit from royalties earned from sales of Mein Kampf. I have used the video and worksheet in teaching Jacqui French’s fictional text, Hitler’s Daughter.

Extract from Sean Dorney’s book, The Sandline Affair, giving details of how the Bougainville War emerged and developed. The student activity uses this information to complete a mind map.

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.

Metalanguage mix and match using key words and concepts from Susan cooper’s novel, King of Shadows.

Word search using key words and concepts from Susan Cooper’s novel, King of Shadows.

Metalanguage mix and match activity using key words and concepts from Madeleine l’Engle’s novel, A Wrinkle in Time.

Word Search on the novel A Wrinkle in Time.

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

Revision activity for John Marsden’s novel, Tomorrow, When the War Began. Students identify if the statements are true or false.

True or false activity for the non-fiction text, Stasiland.

Worksheet on the video clip, The Real Mr Pip - Harry Baxter on Bougainville.

Absent father of the protagonist, Matilda, Joseph is compared to Pip’s deceased father. He also has a Mr Jaggers figure in his life who changes his future by offering him the chance to go to Australia. Hated by Dolores, his religious wife who is left behind, Mr Laimo represents support for the redskins whilst Dolores represents support for the rambos. This resource includes background notes, key passages from the novel and a student activity.