Teaching Sequence:

Read the poem ‘A Bush Walk’ by Yvonne Kickett.

“A Bush Walk” by Yvone Kickett (63.2)

Task 1 (Comprehension): Answer the following questions in your notebook.

• What is the poem about?
• Is there a story being told or a place being described? If there is, why might this story be told, or why might this place be described?
• Who might be telling the story or describing this place?
• What words or phrases suggest that the setting for this poem is an Australian space and landscape?

Task 2 (Poetic Devices): Highlight all the words/phrases that stand out to you. Then have a look at this list of figurative language and examples: https://literarydevices.net/figurative-language/

Can you identify any of these in the poem? Write down which ones you have identified and ask yourself why that particular technique has been used. Use the examples on the list to help you identify the purpose of the technique in the poem.

 Task 3 (Considering Voice and Identity): Independent Reflection

Spend 10 minutes writing everything you can think of in response to the following statement:

The poem you have read is uniquely Australian; it could only have been written in Australia about Australia.

Explain why you agree or disagree with this statement, giving reasons for your answer.

Once you have written everything down, go through your writing and highlight what you think is interesting/important in your own writing. Using this as a basis, write a paragraph explaining why you agree or disagree that the poem A Bush Walk is uniquely Australian.

Make sure you edit your work and have a good copy to hand in to your teacher.

If you are struggling, here are some sentence starters you can use:

I think the poem A Bush Walk by Yvonne Kickett is uniquely Australian because…

I don’t think the poem A Bush Walk by Yvonne Kickett is uniquely Australian because…

The poem starts with… which is/isn’t uniquely Australian, so…

The words… are/aren’t uniquely Australian, so… I know this because…

You can also follow the structure:

Introduction: Introduce the poem and the author and state whether you believe the poem is uniquely Australian or not.

First paragraph: State your first point as to why you think the poem is/isn’t uniquely Australian. Firstly, the poem is/isn’t uniquely Australian because…
I know this because…

Second paragraph: State your second point about the poem being uniquely Australian. Secondly, the poet writes… which is/isn’t uniquely Australian. Therefore, I think…

Third paragraph: Change the paragraph structure by writing a comment about a technique or phrase the poet has used and link this to why you think the poem is/isn’t uniquely Australia. When the poet writes… I think it is/isn’t uniquely Australian because…
I know this because…

Conclusion: Finish your paragraph by naming the poem and the poet again and restating why you think the poem is/isn’t uniquely Australian. 

Task 4 (Poetry Creation): Create Your Own Poem

Brainstorm specific examples of a place or landscape that is significant to you. Ideas may include: the view from your window, a sporting field that you play on, a favourite beach etc. If you don’t have a picture of your favourite place, you can draw it and label it to identify particular aspects of this place or landscape that is important to you. Is it the colour? The feeling you get when you visit? The place it takes you to in your mind?
These words can form the basis of your poem.

Spend 10-15 minutes writing everything you can about this place. Think about:

• How the place makes you feel
• Why you like going there
• What you do when you are there
• Who goes with you, if anyone
• When you most like to visit the place; is it summer or winter? How does this place change in the different seasons?

Using these questions as a basis for your poem, write a poem about this place. Your poem should be at least three paragraphs and should include poetic devices (use the list from earlier to help you get some ideas.)

Write a draft of your poem. This may be completed using software and think about your choice of colour and font.

Read your poem a few times and maybe read it to your parents/siblings/caregivers to ask for some feedback. If that is too daunting, read it to your dog/cat/bird or yourself so you get an idea of how the poem sounds.

Note: Think about the poetic devices you have used in your poem and ask yourself: is a metaphor more effective than a simile? How does this change the way the poem is read? Could one word be repeated for effect? Are there any words I should take out/put in to make the poem make more meaning?

Write your final poem and save a good copy to show to your teacher.

Task 5: Poetry and Imagery

Once you have finalised your poem find or create (draw/paint/photograph) an image to accompany the poem. You will need to consider:

• Should the image be black and white or colour? How might the lack of colour/full colour change or enhance the meaning of the image and/or poem?
• Who/what will be in the image and why? Is there a symbolic meaning to the image and does that relate to the poem?
• Where should the image be place alongside the poem? Move the image around and think about how the placement of the image changes or impact the meaning of the poem.

It’s a good idea to do some brainstorming of the meaning of your poem and who the intended audience is before you start to find/create an accompanying image.

Accessing the Poem

“We Are” by Lola McDowell nee Kickett (64.1)

Author information:

Lola McDowell nee Kickett is a Balladong, Wadjuk yok with Irish ancestry. The third youngest of fifteen, she was born and raised in the central wheatbelt. Lola wrote poems as a teenager to help her through a dark period in her life, a time when she felt invisible to all. Many years later she believed she’d lost her creativity and needed to start at the beginning, she joined a CANWA poetry workshop and now her poems flow again.

Activities:

1. Initial Impressions: Read the poem and answer the following questions:

• What are your initial thoughts about this poem?
• What do you think it’s about? Why?
• What language features can you find? Highlight the language features and write what they are.
• How do these language features affect your understanding of the poem? Add your thoughts to your annotations.
• What poetic devices are used in this poem? Highlight and name these.
• Why would the author use these poetic devices? What is their purpose and how do they impact on your understanding of the poem?
• What mood do you feel when reading this poem? What mood do you think the author is trying to establish? What words can you find that suggest this mood?

2. Going Deeper

 Task 1: comprehension questions. Read the information about the author and answer the following questions:

• How does this contextual information help you understand the meaning of the poem?
• How are Aboriginal peoples represented in the poem? What words/phrases can you find to support this?
• How does your reaction to the poem change now that you understand more about the context?
• Go through your annotations of the language features and poetic devices and add any additional contextual information you are now able to pick up.
• Does the meaning of the title of the poem change with contextual understanding of the author? If so, how?

Using the answers to the above questions, write a short answer response to the following question: Year 9: Explain how context impacts your interpretation of the poem.

Year 10: Examine how Aboriginal peoples are represented in the poem.

3. Task 2

Year 9: Create a poem using a photograph as inspiration. In your poem, experiment with a variety of language features and poetic devices to create different levels of meaning. Make sure you are using the contextual information provided to help you represent your ideas effectively.

Year 10: Create a poem using a photograph as inspiration. Your poem should have a sustained voice and use structure and language for a specific purpose and intended audience.

Here are some suggested images:

• ‘White Sands’ from The Telegraph
• Toodyay Visitor’s Centre – There are a range of images here that could be used as inspiration to write about place and country.
• ABC Website – A good resource for finding more artistic images as inspiration.

Claire Jones is currently working as a researcher, sessional lecturer and unit coordinator in the English and Literary Studies discipline at the University of Western Australia, completing her doctorate in Postnationalism and Australian Literature. This tertiary direction comes after ten years of classroom teaching in government, Catholic and independent schools in Western Australia. She was Head of English at All Saints’ College, has been an English examiner and chief marker, and represented Western Australian teachers in post-compulsory ACARA discussions. She is currently serving as the President of the English Teachers Association of WA. 

Click here to download a pdf copy of the year 7-8 teaching resource.

Click here to download a pdf copy of the year 9-10 teaching resource.

Teaching Sequence

Establishing Prior Knowledge

Students create a mind-map/word wall/brainstorm exploring their understanding of poetic devices and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. This will form a basis of what you need to cover before beginning the unit, including taking into consideration if there are any Indigenous students in your class.

Option: Discuss the following questions with the class to give context and purpose to the study of poetry:

• What is poetry?
• Why do we study poetry?
• What poetic devices do we see in our everyday?
• Is poetry still relevant today?
• What do you think about the study of poetry and its importance today?

1. Text Exploration

Prior to beginning this task, organise for all students to have print/electronic access to the following texts from Westerly issue 63.2:

• Namatjira’s Ghost Gums by Rose Lucas
• A Bush Walk by Yvonne Kickett
• Humble Man by Cyndy Moody
• Visitations by Rita Tognini

Write the following prompts on the board:

• What is the poem about?
• Is there a story being told or a place being described? If there is, why might this story be told, or place be described?
• Who might be telling the story or describing this place?
• What words or phrases suggest that the settings for these poems are Australian spaces and landscapes?

Read each poem aloud as students refer to their copy. Direct students to make notes in response to the questions on the board, providing evidence from the text where possible. These will be used as a reference for group discussion in a subsequent task.

Working in groups, allocate one poem to each. Review or introduce expectations for active listening in group discussions. Assign group roles to each individual in the group.

Have one person from each group read the poem aloud to the group.

Using the notes made previously and the poem as a reference, individuals share their responses to the questions on the board. Through collaborative discussion, the group is to develop a collective response to each question. The presenter then relates these findings to the class. All students make notes on these responses recording responses to each poem. These notes may be written, electronic or recorded depending on the format provided.

2. Shared Text Analysis

In order to undertake this task, students need to be familiar with the metalanguage of poetic devices and forms, in particular the terms, free-verse, metaphor, repetition, alliteration, juxtaposition, personification and imagery. Some of this will have been established prior but here is a quick quiz to establish prior knowledge of poetic devices and forms.

Working in groups, students identify and share examples of devices used in their allocated poem. These examples should be noted by each student annotating their own copy (see teacher reference; annotated copy of Namatjira’s Ghost Gums by Rose Lucas).

The level of annotations expected can be adjusted by modelling to students how to annotate a poem. For lower ability students, the teacher may wish to model how to annotate a poem, or possibly do an I do-We do-You do.

Key aims of this discussion are:

• The understanding that poets use a range of devices to create vivid images/meanings for the reader/listener
• Some words and phrases used are uniquely Australian and so contribute to our sense of place and identity. Stronger students may also consider the non-standard use of grammar and punctuation used for specific effect.
• The poet’s experiences, gender, culture and context shape the content matter, tone and style of the texts that they write.
• Extension question: How are the poet and the narrator similar and different? – _This will require contextual knowledge of the poet which can be done as homework or using computers. If there is no information about the poet, students can use the poem to identify who the narrator and poet might be.

3. Individual Text Analysis

Explain to the class that they will be undertaking an individual analysis of another poem from the anthology using the same process learned in the previous task.

Ask students to choose another poem and highlight any vocabulary or phrases that they are unsure of in terms of their meaning.

Provide time for students to ask their peers if they know the meaning of one or more of these words. (This could be done as a swapping game where students give one meaning and get one meaning. That way students who have already analysed one poem can share their understanding of it, which builds motivation and capacity.) Students should be directed to initially ask peers who have chosen to analyse the same poem, moving on to other classmates and the teacher if need be. Teachers will need to carefully monitor these interactions to ensure that the information provided via peer reference is correct. Direct students to write the correct meaning next to the words highlighted.

Students share with the class their findings of meanings that are new to them. This can generate discussion of different ways to interpret and understand particular words. Stronger students may contribute this to cultural context.

Students consider whether some phrases are difficult to understand because they are compressed – every word counts in this text type and this may contribute to challenges when making meaning.

Working independently, direct students to underline and label poetic/structural devices used (see teacher reference; annotated copy).

Working in pairs, direct students to compare annotations, adding any new information to their current annotations.

Extension Task: Considering Voice and Identity: Independent Reflection

This task is optional and may be set as a homework task.

Direct students to respond to the following prompt:

The poems we have read are uniquely Australian; they could only have been written in Australia about Australia. Explain why you agree or disagree with this statement, giving reasons for your answer. This prompt could be extended further to consider identifying aspects that reflect indigenous and/or non-indigenous perspectives of place.

Students may be given the option of writing a paragraph or recording their response.

An extension or Year 9 option could be to write this as an essay.

4. Considering Purpose

Choose one poetic device and model for students how it is used in a poem. Model for the students how to identify the poetic device and discuss with them how the device is used for a particular purpose. The purpose should be clearly identified and explained to the students. It might be a good idea to write the purpose on the board and then use the poetic device as evidence. This can become a thesis statement followed by elaboration and evidence.

Students go back over their annotations and identifications of poetic techniques. Discussing with a partner, they identify the purpose of the poetic device and how it adds meaning to the poem. Working with their partners, students write a short paragraph explaining the purpose of the poetic device and how it adds meaning to the poem. They must use evidence from the poem to support their claims.

5. Creating Your Own Poem

Brainstorm specific examples of a place or landscape that is significant to them. Ideas may include: the view from their window, a sporting field that they play on, a favourite beach etc. Display these ideas in the classroom during this task. Younger and/or lower ability students could draw these places and label them to identify particular aspects of this place or landscape that is important to them. These words could form the basis of their poem.

Encourage students to experiment with a range of poetic devices, using previous discussion, notes and annotations as a reference. Extension: Some exploration of poet and narrator could be included in this task. Ask students how they will create the narrator of the poem and what poetic devices will be most purposeful in achieving this. Students can use this question to guide their planning.

Students create a draft of their poem. These may be completed using software that is accessible to students and include decisions around the inclusion of images and choice of colour and font. Note that this task will require a homework allocation and involve ongoing conferencing with the teacher.

Review existing peer editing processes or complete the Peer Editing to Perfection tutorial with students. Once learned, this process may be used for all subsequent writing and creating tasks.

Students work in pairs to edit each other’s work, considering comments and suggestions made; revising and amending as appropriate. Note: Exploration of various poetic devices used and perhaps playing around with these could be part of this aspect of the task. For example, is a metaphor more effective than a simile? How does this change the way the poem is read? Could one word be repeated for effect? Etc.

Undertake a writing conference with the teacher to make final refinements to their work.

Complete poems may be published in an anthology to be shared in a broader audience within the school and parents as appropriate.

Further Exploration:

 Reading Poetry

Read the poems aloud and have other students make notes on the rhythm and pace of the poem. How does the structure employed suggest an idea of place? Can the place be seen in the poem (both literally through structure or metaphorically through poetic devices?) How does the structure encourage the reader to read the poem? Could this be improved/changed with more/less pauses or a different structure all together?

Poetry and Imagery

An additional task that could be included once the poems have been finalised, could be to find or create (draw/paint/photograph) an image to accompany the poem. Ask the students to consider:

• Should the image be black and white or colour? How might the lack of colour/full colour change or enhance the meaning of the image and/or poem?
• Who/what will be in the image and why? Is there a symbolic meaning to the image and does that relate to the poem?
• Where should the image be place alongside the poem? Move the image around and think about how the placement of the image changes or impacts the meaning of the poem.

Teaching Sequence:

Read the poem ‘A Bush Walk’ by Yvonne Kickett.

“A Bush Walk” by Yvone Kickett (63.2)

Task 1 (Comprehension): Answer the following questions in your notebook.

• What is the poem about?
• Is there a story being told or a place being described? If there is, why might this story be told, or why might this place be described?
• Who might be telling the story or describing this place?
• What words or phrases suggest that the setting for this poem is an Australian space and landscape?

Task 2 (Poetic Devices): Highlight all the words/phrases that stand out to you. Then have a look at this list of figurative language and examples: https://literarydevices.net/figurative-language/

Can you identify any of these in the poem? Write down which ones you have identified and ask yourself why that particular technique has been used. Use the examples on the list to help you identify the purpose of the technique in the poem.

 Task 3 (Considering Voice and Identity): Independent Reflection

Spend 10 minutes writing everything you can think of in response to the following statement:

The poem you have read is uniquely Australian; it could only have been written in Australia about Australia.

 Explain why you agree or disagree with this statement, giving reasons for your answer.

Once you have written everything down, go through your writing and highlight what you think is interesting/important in your own writing. Using this as a basis, write a paragraph explaining why you agree or disagree that the poem A Bush Walk is uniquely Australian.

Make sure you edit your work and have a good copy to hand in to your teacher.

If you are struggling, here are some sentence starters you can use:

I think the poem A Bush Walk by Yvonne Kickett is uniquely Australian because…

I don’t think the poem A Bush Walk by Yvonne Kickett is uniquely Australian because…

The poem starts with… which is/isn’t uniquely Australian, so…

The words… are/aren’t uniquely Australian, so… I know this because…

You can also follow the structure:

Introduction: Introduce the poem and the author and state whether you believe the poem is uniquely Australian or not.

First paragraph: State your first point as to why you think the poem is/isn’t uniquely Australian. Firstly, the poem is/isn’t uniquely Australian because…
I know this because…

Second paragraph: State your second point about the poem being uniquely Australian. Secondly, the poet writes… which is/isn’t uniquely Australian. Therefore, I think…

Third paragraph: Change the paragraph structure by writing a comment about a technique or phrase the poet has used and link this to why you think the poem is/isn’t uniquely Australia. When the poet writes… I think it is/isn’t uniquely Australian because…
I know this because…

Conclusion: Finish your paragraph by naming the poem and the poet again and restating why you think the poem is/isn’t uniquely Australian. 

Task 4 (Poetry Creation): Create Your Own Poem

Brainstorm specific examples of a place or landscape that is significant to you. Ideas may include: the view from your window, a sporting field that you play on, a favourite beach etc. If you don’t have a picture of your favourite place, you can draw it and label it to identify particular aspects of this place or landscape that is important to you. Is it the colour? The feeling you get when you visit? The place it takes you to in your mind?
These words can form the basis of your poem.

Spend 10-15 minutes writing everything you can about this place. Think about:

• How the place makes you feel
• Why you like going there
• What you do when you are there
• Who goes with you, if anyone
• When you most like to visit the place; is it summer or winter? How does this place change in the different seasons?

Using these questions as a basis for your poem, write a poem about this place. Your poem should be at least three paragraphs and should include poetic devices (use the list from earlier to help you get some ideas.)

Write a draft of your poem. This may be completed using software and think about your choice of colour and font.

Read your poem a few times and maybe read it to your parents/siblings/caregivers to ask for some feedback. If that is too daunting, read it to your dog/cat/bird or yourself so you get an idea of how the poem sounds.

Note: Think about the poetic devices you have used in your poem and ask yourself: is a metaphor more effective than a simile? How does this change the way the poem is read? Could one word be repeated for effect? Are there any words I should take out/put in to make the poem make more meaning?

Write your final poem and save a good copy to show to your teacher.

Task 5: Poetry and Imagery

Once you have finalised your poem find or create (draw/paint/photograph) an image to accompany the poem. You will need to consider:

• Should the image be black and white or colour? How might the lack of colour/full colour change or enhance the meaning of the image and/or poem?
• Who/what will be in the image and why? Is there a symbolic meaning to the image and does that relate to the poem?
• Where should the image be place alongside the poem? Move the image around and think about how the placement of the image changes or impact the meaning of the poem.

It’s a good idea to do some brainstorming of the meaning of your poem and who the intended audience is before you start to find/create an accompanying image.

Dr Melanie Hindley has taught English in regional and metropolitan Western Australia for more than 25 years in both government and independent sectors. She holds a PHD based on research into curriculum leadership. She is the recipient of the 2001 Institute of Educational Administration Prize, the 2010 Australian Council of Educational Leaders Prize and the 2010 Lawrence McGrath Prize for outstanding research in school leadership. Melanie is currently teaching and coordinating English programmes at Hale School, writes for educational publications and regularly presents at state and national conferences to share and grow her expertise in the teaching of English to young people.

Click here to download a pdf copy of this teaching resource. 

Click here to download a pdf copy of the online teaching resource.

‘Like Icarus’ by Julie Watts (63.2)

Teaching Sequence

Students create a mind map/brainstorm/word wall of poetic techniques, language features, literary style, representations and contexts. Students can do this individually, in pairs, small groups or as a class. Any gaps should be filled in by the teacher.

Establish a common understanding of the concepts as a class. Here are the SCSA definitions which are a good starting point but elaborate on these as needed.

Provide students with a copy of the poem without the author and title. This can be added later.

Poem:

---

the falling man
falls
head first
arrow-like
knee bent as
a genuflect
passes pyres
a calm and pointed
bird
the zenith too high
and hot a perch
he falls
resigned as rain
passes America
crumbling
into itself
his white shirt
flapping
in the soot
twin candles
snuffing out
2,000 birthdays
2 puffs 2 slices
through
the cake is rotten
and everybody
screams—
but not the man
free falling
he plummets
in his chosen
flight
the tails of his
coat
gentle flags
all his prayers
are silent
said
small beads
buried quiet
in his bones
16 years
he is falling
still
freeze-frame
caught
he lives
despite
the ash
forever leaping
forever
the tipping
jug
the plunging
icon in
suspended
holy
flight

---

Initial Impressions: Show the students the poem without the title or the author’s name and discuss:

• What are your initial thoughts about this poem?
• What do you think it’s about? Why?
• What language features can you find? Highlight all the language features and write what they are.
  TEACHER NOTE: You can do this as a class, in pairs or individually. It’s important all students have a copy of the poem either electronically or physically to make annotations.
• How do these language features affect your understanding of the poem? Add your thoughts to your annotations.
• What do you notice about the structure of the poem?
• What poetic devices are used in this poem? Highlight and annotate these.
• Why would the author use these poetic devices? What is their purpose and how do they impact on your understanding of the poem?
• What mood do you feel when reading this poem? What mood do you think the author is trying to establish? What words can you find that suggest this mood?

Contextual Information: Give the students the title and author’s name, then discuss:

• Who is Icarus? If students don’t know, the link here explains the myth briefly.
• What do you think it means to be ‘Like Icarus’? Share with a partner.
• Tell students this poem is based on an image. Ask students to draw what that image might look like and write a justification for their choices using evidence from the poem to support their claims.

If students have laptops/tablets, have them research the image ‘Falling Man’ by Richard Drew. If not, show students the image ‘Falling Man’ by Richard Drew from the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York City.
TEACHER NOTE: The image can be quite confronting for some students. As always, check if it’s appropriate with your students before use.

Going Deeper:

Do a think-pair-share about 9/11. The students may have some or no contextual understanding of this event. If students have limited knowledge of this event, complete some research about the event. Be mindful that graphic images can be found when Googling 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Alternatively, the following documentaries can help:

• 102 Minutes That Changed America (Rated M)
• Fahrenheit 11/9 (Rated M)

There are multiple other documentaries about the event, but they may not be appropriate for your students.

Use this website to share the contextual information about the image with students.

Task: These can be done as a class discussion, partner discussion or comprehension questions.

• How does this contextual information help you understand the poem?
• How is the man represented in the image and does this representation change in the poem? What words or phrases can you find to support this interpretation of the representation?
• How does your reaction to the poem change now that you understand more about the context?
• Go through your annotations of the language features and poetic devices and add any additional contextual information you are now able to pick up.
• How has the structure of the poem been influenced by the context of the event?
• Does the meaning of the title of the poem change with contextual understanding of the event? If so, how?

Task: Create a poem using a photograph as inspiration. In your poem, experiment with a variety of language features and poetic devices to create different levels of meaning. Make sure you are using the contextual information provided to help you represent your ideas effectively. 

Here are some suggested images:

• ‘Kissing Couple’ by Rich Lam
• National Geographic contest winners 2019
• ‘Happiness’ by Mohamed Mahdy

Extension: Create a poem using a photograph as inspiration. Your poem should have a sustained ‘voice’ and use structure and language for a specific purpose and intended audience.  

Further activites:

As a class discuss what literary value means. If students are unsure, this website might help.

Explore the structure of reviews in the Westerly magazines. Suggested reviews:

• Westerly 1: Review of False Claims of Colonial Thieves
• Westerly 2: Review of editing the moon, body-flame, Wooroloo, and The Willing Eye 
• Westerly 3: Review of Billy Sing by Ouyang Yu 

TEACHER NOTE: The language used in many of these reviews will be challenging for students, so focus their attention on the structure of the review.

Ask students:

• How do the reviews start?
• What information is prioritised in the reviews?
• How do the reviews end?

Students should use their findings to create a template for a review.

Here is a rough template if students need it:

• Start with a statement about the poem or a quote from the poem.
• Include some evidence from the text to support any claims made.
• End with a quote or a statement about the overall effect/impact/response to the text.

Task: Write a review of Like Icarus. Your review should be clearly structured with an introduction, contextual information about the poem, your opinion about the literary value of the poem, and why the reader should trust your judgement. Points to think about when writing the review:

• Who are you writing for? An American or Australian audience? How would the reception of the review be different if it was for an American audience?
• How is the ‘Falling Man’ represented in the poem? How does the representation of the man help you understand the 9/11 terrorist attacks?
• What is the literary style of the poem?
• Do you think the poem has literary value? Why/why not?

Your review should include a title and you can incorporate an image as well.

Josie Wang began her teaching career in 2013 and has worked in both the public and private sector. She moved to Atwell College in 2015 where she is the ATAR coordinator and represents the English department within the PEAC program. Josie has delivered professional development on numerous occasions and is particularly interested in the development of creative writing strategies. Teaching low literacy and extension students, Josie looks for innovative ways to engage learners. Currently, her focus is on integrating Visible Thinking strategies into the classroom to help students better engage by understanding the learning process.

Click here to download a pdf copy of this teaching resource. 

‘Into White Darkness’ by Misaki Takako (62.2)

Key features:

• Structure
  • Concrete elements of poetic arrangement
  • Enjambment
  • Delineation
  • Arrangement
• Class discussion: How can darkness be white? What might that mean and what predictions can you make about the poem based on the title?
• Use of colour (in symbolic terms).

General Prompt:

Misaki Takako uses space on the page to control the structure and rhythm of ‘Into White Darkness’. Consider this and how it helps to make meaning in the poem.

Question One

Choose one stanza from the poem and discuss with a partner how the structure helps a reader understand the text.

Question Two

Using the same stanza of the poem, cut out the words and restructure the spaces on a blank piece of paper. Play around with the spacing on the page and the colour of the background. How does this change its meaning? What effect does the colour of the page have on the meaning of the poem? When you are happy with the new arrangement, glue the words to the page and write a short explanation of your choices.

Question Three

Take the same stanza and transform it: re-write this as a short prose paragraph. What do you need to add to change this to a story rather than a poem? How does the change in form influence your response?

‘Women Talk’ by Elly McDonald (28.2)

Key features:

• Use of parenthesis
• Intertextuality
• Repetition

Question One

On a poster, write ‘Values’, ‘Ideas’ and ‘Attitudes’ in big circles. Write your own definition under each and then use the syllabus document to check your definitions, adding anything you missed. You have to understand the definitions so write them in your own words. Identify the values, ideas and attitudes in the text with the people in your group. How does Elly McDonald’s use of parenthesis help an audience understand the values, ideas and attitudes of the text?

Question Two

On your poster, add a paragraph explaining how your interpretation of the poem would change without the words in parenthesis. How so?

Question Three

Creative writing exercise: Text in parenthesis generally implies two perspectives, different meanings, or different interpretations. Construct a piece of writing which represents two voices from one character, using this same structure. For example, a monologue which shifts between what a character says and what they actually think.

‘Potholes’ by Alana Hunt (63.1)

Key features:

• Privilege: the experience of whiteness
• Racism:
  • The Stolen Generation
    • The implication of ‘stolen’ as a phrase
  • History repeating itself
• Title
  • Significance of place and setting
• Themes of community
  • Neighbours
  • Dogs
  • Fences
  • Suburbia

Question One

‘It just sits there, hanging. Impossible to see, or perhaps just too easy to ignore. Like fresh, clear rain falling in a muddied pothole.’

• Where do you find this quote in the text and what is it referring to?
• Where else do you see references to potholes in the text? Why do you think the author is using the word ‘potholes’? What do you think it might mean? Hint: It’s not potholes.
• As ‘Potholes’ is the title of the text, what do you think the author is trying to convey with its use?

Question Two

Alana Hunt compares her experience of whiteness with the experiences of the Indigenous people around her.

• Identify places in the text which you could connect to your own experiences. Why did these parts feel familiar or relatable to you? What words were used specifically that you could relate to and why? How did this influence your reading of the text? Did you feel connected to the text?
• Were there any parts of the text that felt alien to you? Identify where this occurred and consider why the author might have done that.
• Were there any words that were used specifically to make the reader feel uncomfortable? If so, where? Again, consider why the author did that.

‘Blood-Sonnet Chronicles’ by Natalie Harkin (63.1)

Key Features:

• Racism in Australia
• Indigenous Sovereignty and strength
  • Three indigenous women
    • The Stolen Generations
    • Mourning
    • Violence
    • Social oppression
  • Structure
    • Sonnet (as a familiar form in the English tradition)

Question One

Evaluate how important the structure of the poem is for the reader to create meaning and interpret the key ideas presented in the text.

The sonnet form is quite prescriptive and has certain rules it has to follow. How might that relate to  the history of domestic service that Harkin interrogates? What constraints does the sonnet form enact? How does this impact the way we read the poem? Are there any moments in the poem wherein the rhythm felt awkward or changed significantly?  Why do you think that was included? What might the author be trying to say about domestic service by changing the rhythm significantly?

Question Two

A comparison with Potholes by Alana Hunt, to be completed in pairs using a Venn diagram.

Create a Venn diagram on an A3 piece of paper and put the title of each piece above each circle. Identify similarities and differences in the writing and note them down. These include similarities and differences in: narrative techniques, language features, themes, ideas, values, attitudes and issues.

Once the Venn diagram is complete, answer the following questions on the poster:

• Both texts deal with the Stolen Generations and the trauma this has caused. Identify and discuss the use of differences in narrative techniques between the two texts and how these relate to trauma caused by the Stolen Generations.
• In particular, how does the structure of the texts change the possibilities for the reader in constructing meaning?
• Think about the language used in each text. Identify and contrast the different symbols utilised, and how these are developed in each work through different narrative techniques and language features.
• Compare and contrast paragraph ‘V’ in Potholes and ‘Charlotte’ in Blood-Sonnet Chronicles by identifying the words that have been used in each and how they are similar and different. Note these similarities and differences down on your A3 sheet.

Dr Catherine Noske is a lecturer in creative writing at the University of Western Australia, as well as the editor of Westerly Magazine. She has many years of experience in teaching creative writing, and has for the last three years been involved in research projects specifically concerned with creative writing pedagogy. She is currently contributing to the ‘Big Picture’ project, which focuses on pedagogy in English at the nexus point between secondary and tertiary teaching. This teaching resource was written with the input of members of the Westerly team and has been reviewed and approved by the ETAWA for use in the secondary setting. 

Click here to download a pdf copy of the teaching resource on Takako and McDonald.

Click here to download a pdf copy of the teaching resource on Hunt and Harkin.

‘Neighbourhood Watch’ by Brooke Dunnell (60.1)

Key features:

• Wealth and privilege
  • Value in society and how that influences value for self
• Use of cars as metaphors/symbols of status and identity
• Safety
• Uncertainty and fear

Question One

Who is the narrator of this story? What do we know about them? 

Question Two

Create a table and plot the three characters’ names down the side and write ‘values’ at the top. Identify the values of the main characters; the narrator, Rory and Lauren. How are these values constructed for the reader in the text using particular language features? Plot the values for each character next to their name and include an example from the text for each.

Question Three

Where do the narrator’s opinions of Rory originate? Are they based on facts, opinions or influenced by bias? Or all three? Include proof from the story to support your answer.

Question Four

Compare and contrast the narrator’s reactions with how you felt reading the text. How is the reader implicated in an act of voyeurism?

Question Five

• Consider the identity of the narrator, including age, race, gender and socio-economic status. Create an imaginary Facebook profile/Instagram/Twitter account/LinkedIn profile/CV for the narrator. Now change one or two of these factors. How does that change the narrative and meaning of the story?
• What ideas does the narrator bring to the story? How has the narrator’s values and attitudes become apparent?

Question Six

Dunnell builds suspense throughout the text. What narrative techniques are employed to achieve this?

Question Seven

What is the relationship between the descriptions of cars, car spaces and their owners? How is this supported by figurative language?

Question Eight

Writing prompt: Write a description of a setting which gives a sense of a character connected with that place. Attempt to give your reader some sense of an event within that character’s life without the character ever being present in the scene. For example…

‘Women in Fragments’ by Susan Midalia (62.1)

Key Features

• Perspectives
• Feminism
• Body issues
  • Connection to subjective self-worth

Question One

The text offers five ‘fragments’ of different women. Create a map of the five different women in the poem. Name each woman based on the words used to describe her in the poem. In each fragment identify a fact, an opinion and an example of bias and write this on your map. Explain what you think this means about the woman and what techniques have been used in the text to create these images of the women.

Question Two

• On your map, write how these techniques influence your reading of the text and your understanding of the values and attitudes presented.

OR

• Describe and compare the different perspectives each fragment presents.
  Include your own opinion on, and justification for, each perspective.

Question Three

Consider what Feminism means to you. Do you see feminism as represented in the text? Why or why not? Write your own definition of feminism on your map and include one – two sentences explaining why or why not you believe feminism is represented in the poem.

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‘Night at the Office’ by Ethel Webb Bundell (39.3)

Key features:

• Suspense
• Building and releasing thematic tension
• Alienation
  • Environment/setting
  • Cultural dislocation
• Men and Women
  • Distrust
  • Trauma
  • Fear

Question One

• What narrative techniques are used in the text to build suspense throughout the text? Is that suspense released? If so, how?
• Why is Celia so nervous throughout the text? What does this suggest about her character? How does this relate to the relationship between the characters?

Question Two

“The voice of a literary work is then the specific group of characteristics displayed by the narrator or poetic ‘speaker’ (or, in some uses, the actual author behind them), assessed in terms of tone, style, or personality. Distinctions between various kinds of narrative voice tend to be distinctions between kinds of narrator in terms of how they address the reader (rather than in terms of their perception of events, as in the distinct concept of point of view).”

(Chris Baldick, Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms, OUP, 2008.)

Analyse the tone, style and personality of the texts’ voice. How is the reader influenced by the voice of the text?

Question Three: Creative Prompt

After receiving the envelope, Celia gets into her car.  Write a short paragraph about what happens next. Think critically about the voice of the text and stay consistent with what you know so far. You can do this by using similar words and a similar tone of the poem.

Question Four: Creative Prompt

Imagine Celia is a stand-up comic. How would she tell this story and how would the voice change? Consider that a comedic piece will be spoken and must flow. Use rhythm to create shifts in pace and emphasis and create a persuasive piece that has a particular purpose with clear direction and structure.

‘The Space Inside His Fist’ by Melinda Smith (64.1) 

A glasswork by Neil Roberts / Luna Ryan 1995/2017, lead crystal, cast from terracotta original, edition of 20, 9.8 × 3.4 × 3.4 (irreg). 

Key features:

• Ekphrasis
• Structural and Textual Juxtaposition
• Subversion of expectations
  • Title
  • Parts I and II

General Prompt

Before you read the poem, look at the glasswork that inspired it (picture above) and the title. In pairs, discuss what the two make you feel and how you might respond personally in writing.

Question One

The glasswork and the poem attempt to capture and make meaning from something that is usually transient. Where in the poem do you see transience and conversely, permanence?

Question Two

Find an artwork which appeals to you from within the State Gallery’s collection (online) and respond in an ekphrastic manner. Structure your response across two parts. In the first part, respond to the aesthetic qualities of the artwork; in the second, consider the emotional  response and the associations this work has for you.  The title of your piece should be the same title as the artwork.

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Dr Catherine Noske is a lecturer in creative writing at the University of Western Australia, as well as the editor of Westerly Magazine. She has many years of experience in teaching creative writing, and has for the last three years been involved in research projects specifically concerned with creative writing pedagogy. She is currently contributing to the ‘Big Picture’ project, which focuses on pedagogy in English at the nexus point between secondary and tertiary teaching. This teaching resource was written with the input of members of the Westerly team and has been reviewed and approved by the ETAWA for use in the secondary setting. 

Click here to download a pdf copy of the teaching resource on Dunnell and Midalia. 

Click here to download a pfd copy of the teaching resource on Webb Bundell and Smith.