View All Articles

Reviewed in this issue: Textbooks, novels short story book and graphic novel Textbooks : English for the Australian Curriculum Book 1 ; Pearson English 7 ; Pearson English 8 ;
 

This six week unit introduces students to the ideas of postcolonialism through short stories by African women writers: Acholonu and Kabagarama. Research, close readings, guiding questions serve to en...
 

A consideration of this pairing of texts in Module A Advanced, from different contexts, considering Weldon’s fictocritical response, and suggesting some areas of comparison with Austen's Pride and Pr...
 

The period after the bomb produced a wealth of literature, including Waiting for Godot , that responded to and reflected the despair of the period. The article places the play in this context relatin...
 

An overview of the play, Julius Caesar, and ways of approaching Module C. Perspectives of youth and middle age, women and political life, fate and destiny are traced in the play and related texts are...
 

Definitions of representation and perspective provide a framework for a discussion that focuses on the tension in the text Julius Caesar , with suggested scenes for close reading. An analysis of a po...
 

A practical overview of all areas of Module C: representation, context, setting, imagery, perspective, personalities, events, situations, related texts, techniques and notetaking for Wag the Dog .
 

An interview with Kim Scott, the 2011 winner of the Miles Franklin Award who shares some sources of inspiration.
 

Miies Franklin 2011 Shortlist and judges reports: Kim Scott, That Deadman Dancing ; Chris Womersley, Bereft ; Roger Mc Donald, When Colts Ran
 

A reconsideration of Romulus my Father focuses specifically on the representation of the father and mother and considers these in the context of the Area of Study, Belonging.
 

A reading of the W;t/ Donne pairing of texts for Module A and responding to a previous article “Against Certitiude: considering Margaret Edson’s W;t in context” by Mark Howie in 2009, Issue 4.
 

An introduction to website analysis using the websites on Anne Frank and Hana's Suitcase.
 

English Studies Cours e – alternative pathway to those students who do not want to follow an academic line of study. Two pilot schools offer their experiences.
 

This comparative study of two texts from different contexts and different forms foregrounds thinking skills to develop an individual and personal response in this pairing of texts. The theme for stud...
 

Memory and autobiography are central to the discussion on how ‘autobiographical memories structure the narrative and construct character’ and the ‘relationship between memory and identity’ using the ...
 

How to select related texts from a range of text types for Romanticism . A documentary, website, visual art, film picture book, short fiction animated film are all followed by questions that provide ...
 

IB structure is explained with one school’s interpretation of this into a meaningful English program, using Anita Desai’s book Clear Light of Day for detailed study. The worksheet includes novel stud...
 

Ted Hughes’ poems for Conflicting Perspectives are analysed, considering the conflict with Sylvia Plath. The film The Talented Mr Ripley , is used as a related text for a listening task with question...
 

Wuthering Heights as a Romantic text is explored, both in its evolution and through a close reading of a few passages offering a model of how to analyse texts with detailed evidence. Looks at Bronte’...
 

Global education is not just about borders and boundaries but about how we overcome these to connect with others. Communication through listening, questioning and expressing opinions are therefore es...
 

The Bible is explored as a literary text. The poetry of psalms, narrative devices of the Annunication, Genesis and the Prologue to John’s Gospels are discussed with consideration of the difficulties ...
 

This edition of mETAphor is a pot pourri containing articles on Romanticism, the influence of the King James Bible on English Literature, the International Baccalaureate and units for Stages 4 and 5....
 

This edition of mETAphor focusses on the senior years and considers a range of texts prescribed for the HSC. It also looks at the Miles Franklin award and interviews its 2011 winner, Kim Scott. Marga...
 

This article provides and overview of the rhetoric and language features of print advertising and offers a range of student activities.
 

An example of teaching grammar in the context of a text widely used in the classroom: "Then and Now" by Oodgeroo of the Noonuccal tribe.
 

This 'problem page' answers questions about grammar and usage and suggests a similar activity for students .
 

This resource provides a list of sites dealing with language and grammar (written, spoken and visual) which have been reviewed.
 

This article explores some trends in teaching creative writing and considers approaches for teaching senior students.
 

A teaching unit for Year 10 analysing speeches in preparation for student speech-writing and delivery.
 

An amusing article exploring some issues about translation and ways of thinking and some authentic student activities about using texts in translation to understand language.
 

Worked examples of how to analyse a syntactically dense text and action prose and facilitate student imitation of style.
 

This article discusses language 'purism', what it might mean in contemporary society and provides some discussion of examples...
 

This article reports on research for teaching grammar in context and offers examples of grammar as a tool for writing narrative, argument and poetry.
 

This edition of mETAphor focuses on the teachiing of grammar in various contexts. It offers ways in which grammar and language more broadly my be integrated with the study of texts and other aspects ...
 

Crime Fiction like most genres defies classification. Explores the sub-genres of Crime Fiction and includes an historical overview of the genre. Finishes with a list of the author’s current favourite...
 

Various examples and genres of Aboriginal poetry are analysed from the perspective that poetry should be viewed as neither ‘good’ nor ‘bad’ but evaluated in terms of how it functions. What is it good...
 

Spirited Away is depicted as an appropriate text to introduce Stage 4 students to an understanding of how film techniques add meaning to concepts such as tradition, values and growing up in a materia...
 

Presents an analysis of Jindabyne in terms of how the director’s semiotics and mis-en-scene reflect ideas about racial divisions in Australia and the relationships between men and women.
 

Discusses the option of Speculative Fiction for Extension 1 with reference to its conceptual issues and provides resources in order to encourage it as an exciting module to choose to explore.
 

Explores reality TV shows in a comparison of Big Brother with Nineteen Eighty Four and Foucault’s ideas on discipline and punishment, to show how the housemates are manipulated by ‘technologies of po...
 

Discusses five aspects of the imaginative journey and suggests ways to analyse The Tempest reductively to fit into the requirements of the Area of Study through a scene by scene analysis. Ideas are e...
 

Three films which were not screened in Australia despite their cultural and artistic value are discussed for use in the classroom – if you can get them: Merchant of Venice , Loves Labours Lost , The ...
 

Provides students with the ‘ building bricks and blocks of writing ’ and offers a checklist of strategies for responding, creating and composing for assessment. Examines the BOS Prescription for the ...
 

Outlines of programs for all units of work, 7 - 10, in a school year at Reddam House.
 

A unit of work for Years 9 and 10 , looking at gender and cultural issues in Whale Rider , focussing on the four transformative elements of programming: subjective, structural, cultural and critical....
 

A unit of work for Years 7 and 8 based on The Blue Faraway and Picnic at Hanging Rock (novel and film).
 

Analysis and teaching ideas for the TV series, The Bush Mechanics.
 

The writing process as a journey and how to write about journeys.
 

A study guide for students (close reading and chapter analyses) for Jesse Martin’s autobiography, Lionheart .
 

A collection of websites, commentary and activities for Skrzynecki’s poetry in the Area of Study, Journeys.
 

An examination of a number of well-known texts that explore the concept of Journey including The Wizard of Oz, Homer’s Odyssey, Rabbit-Proof Fence, Hansel and Gretel and others.
 

Assessing Advanced Module B through interviews and representation . Ideas for King Lear, Gwen Harwood and Speeches.
 

This article looks at productions of King Lear from 1908 (Germany), 1962 (England) and 1981 (Hungary), as well as feminist and anonymous readings.
 

King Lear : How active student performance and engagement with the play develop students’ own readings and understanding of textual integrity.
 

A discussion of all the texts in the NSW Board of Studies' Stimulus Booklet, Journeys . Considers subject matter, contexts and some language devices.
 

Focus on different literary readings of Yeats . Looks at how the poems are understood differently through each ‘lens’.
 

A clear explanation of queer theory and why it is an important interrogative tool for The Importance of being Earnest. Good classroom activities to engage and challenge students.
 

Sydney Writers' Festival writers Bernard Beckett, Belinda Jeffrey and Michael Pryor share 'What inspires me' and provide story starters for students.
 

This article contains the list of regional winners of the YWY awards and the winning entry by Eda Gunaydin.
 

This unit of work uses Vogler's stages of the hero's journey to examine classical heroes from earliest times to the present day.
 

This article reviews some of the issues in teaching life writing, including conventions of the genre, linearity and claims of truth.
 

This article explains how using hip hop in a Year 11 Standard class assisted in bridging cultural gaps and developing probing and resistant reading and discussion.
 

This article explores how Shakespeare's Hamle t may be seen as a play dynamically transitional in nature on three levels: thematic, contextual and generic.
 

This essay draws on ideas from cultural and literary theorists to explore how belonging and identity are represented in literature.
 

This essay looks how responsibility and ethics in Raymond Gaita's 'Romulus My Father' relate to the concept of belonging.
 

This essay explores law, corruption and desire in Arthur Miller's The Crucible .
 

This worksheet helps students explore the picture book Mirror.
 

Jeannie Baker explains how she developed her picture book Mirror.
 

This offers different strategies using the Red Room Company's resource Poems to Share for introducing students to the work of contemporary Australian poets.
 

This essay investigates how the characters in Shakespeare's As You like It try to get 'back to nature' and whether they actually succeed.
 

This edition of mETAphor features lectures on the Area of Study sponsored by Matrix Education at the State Library. It also looks at writing in the broader community through the the Sydney Writers' F...
 

Responding, composing, context, representation and readings defined for the HSC syllabus. Close analysis of what is required in Module A and Module B Advanced sections.
 

Detailed analysis of The Shoe-horn Sonata . Looks at staging, dramatic structure, motif and characterisation.
 

Coleridge in the Imaginative Journey for HSC Area of Study. ‘Frost at Midnight’, ‘Kubla Khan’, ‘This Lime Tree Bower my Prison’ and ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’.
 

Music videos as short visual texts . Analysis of Madonna (‘Material Girl’) and The Eurythmics (‘Sweet Dreams’) for blonde/female stereotyping and gender assumptions.
 

Nowra’s Cosi as the Inner Journey in the HSC Area of Study. What the characters learn about themselves and others through staging the opera.
 

The blonde stereotype exploded in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Legally Blonde. The shift in gender values reflects changes in context. Student activities for both films.
 

How Gow’s Away fits all three focus categories in the Area of Study: Journeys. Looks at Tom, Gwen and Coral and how each grows through events in the play.
 

A critical analysis of Alison Hoddinott’s reading of Harwood . Covers readings of ‘Alter Ego’, ‘The Glass Jar’, ‘At Mornington’, ‘The Violets’, ‘Prizegiving’ and ‘Barn Owl’.
 

Analysis of the 2005 remake of King Kong , looking at its strengths, weaknesses and audience and critical reception. Student activities included.
 

Blockbuster films from 1975-2005 . What makes them so successful, the commercialisation of art and the 'formula' for a good blockbuster. Student activities provided for a number of well-known films.
 

This describes a literacy project successfully used to improve literacy for students at Stage 4.
 

This article provides a summary of approaches to the teaching of Life Writing .
 

This article offers an exploration of the concept of belonging with reviews of picture books and how these may be used to elucidate the concept.
 

An analysis of the heroine of the novel, Cordelia Gray.
 

This essay makes a case for interpreting Shakespeare's Hamlet through post-structuralism and deconstruction.
 

A unit for senior students on the Gothic tradition using the work of Poe and Lovecraft in conjunction with the ETA text package The Alien Self .
 

Judge's formal comments about each book on the shorlist for the Miles Franklin Literary Award 2008
 

This essay explores parallels between Frankenstein and Blade Runner in order to illuminate key differences between their respective worldspaces, and examine how character experiences, regardless of t...
 

Professor Ray Misson examines the kinds of criticism levelled at contemporary teaching of English and mounts a defence against charges of political agendas, falling standards and relativism.
 

Some thoughts on recent commentary about English, aesthetics and critical literacy addressing the place of aesthetics in the English curriculum.
 

Explores the Gothic genre in Australia as being revolutionary and dangerous. Discusses The Tracker and The White Earth as well as the transformations of characters in Gothic literature and the explor...
 

Presents a unit overview for Stage 5 students reading a nineteenth century novel . Includes activities to help students explore the context of the novel and its textual features.
 

A review of the publication of 'Only Connect ', a selection of papers exploring the state of English teaching and the English curriculum in Australia. Includes the text from Mark Howie's contribution...
 

Discusses the potential range of related texts for Senior students to choose from. Suggests theatre performances as potential related texts. Particularly focuses on a performance of The Peach Season ...
 

Gives some background information on Kenneth Slessor's life and motivations for writing. Includes a detailed analysis of select poems suitable for studying in Senior Advanced English
 

Includes some examples of urban legends suitable for teaching to Years 9/10 students . Discusses the text type and includes some questions for students.
 

An introduction to graphic novels and picture books suitable for teaching to secondary school students. Focuses on the graphic novel Maus and on teaching ideas for Stage 5 students. Explores the hist...
 

Examines the ETA discussion board , including interesting discussions between new scheme teachers and mentors.
 

Briefly explains an activity to teach students to focus on the skills involved in writing successful examination responses .