Keeping The Peace
Peacekeepers.JPG by Andrea Woodhouse
We are working on peacekeeping in places like East Timor at the moment and I have found a few really good resources.
One I especially like it at the War Memorial site and involved looking at artwork and thinking about what it means and the story behind the situation and what impact these [...]
Book Club (Without Leaving Home)
book club pack by jinjur
This show hasn’t been running for long but I think it’s a great idea. You get advance notice of the books they will discuss so you can read them and then a group of people talk about what they thought.
It’s not quite as interactive as a real life book club or [...]
My Ballad Presentation
Paul Kelly – 04A.jpg by dizzyvison
I decided to put together a quick presentation about a ballad since everyone else is presenting one. So here it is.
Paul Kelly was born in Adelaide in 1955 but has called Melbourne home for many years. His early records were rock but has since made recording in the style [...]
East Timor: Explainer
East Timor-34 by wang_6834
Perhaps my favourite podcast is the Slate Explainer. This takes an issue, usually from the news, and explains it. Sounds simple enough but it’s really interesting.
Anyhow here is their Explainer from 1999 about East Timor which might be interesting to folk in Year Eight SOSE. It’s a good rundown of recent history [...]
Don Chipp
I just read in the newspaper that Don Chipp, founder of the Australian Democrats, has died. Although he was only eighty-one I can’t rememeber a time when he didn’t look really old.
Don Chipp was a minister in Liberal governments but left the party and went on to found the Australian Democrats. This was designed to [...]
Classic Fakes
Classic fake by diongillard
In English we are going to be looking at urban legends again which is always an interesting, sometimes annoying area. I can’t count the number of emails that have landed in my inbox filled with nonsense stories which someone’s brother’s room-mate’s, band-mate’s cousin swears is true.
Anyhow for now I’ll just link to [...]
Unaccustomed As I Am
Speeches, London Copyfighters’ Drunken Brunch and Talking Shop speeches at Speakers’ Corner, Hyde Park, London by gruntzooki
It usually takes more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech.- Mark Twain
We were talking the other day about public speaking and oral presentations in English and the class cam up with some really interesting and valid [...]
Dead Set Legend
Golden Fleece by Dr. Keats
In year eight history we are going to be looking at urban legends next week which has me thinking about legends generally. And so along comes this doco.
IN SEARCH OF MYTHS AND HEROES: JASON AND THE GOLDEN FLEECE
The Greek myth of Jason and the Argonauts’ search for the golden fleece is [...]
Two Birds
Macbeth plotting more evil! by hevs_illyria
I have been thinking about Macbeth and the themes it covers this week so it was a happy coincidence when I noticed that this week’s Text Files was about plays and uses Macbeth as it’s example.
THE TEXT FILES: PLAYS
This program looks at the linguistic structures and features used in the [...]
The Scottish Play
Macbeth 5 by Szmytke
It’s been years since I have read Macbeth and I remember going off in Year 11 to see Roman Polanski’s film of it at the local cinema and finding it brutal.
So I don’t claim any expertise when it comes to the Scottish play.
However it strikes me that some of the really interesting [...]
Balladeer
Paul Kelly by eric_kozakiewicz
Lots of songs are about feelings or moments and some, the ballads, are little and big stories in and of themselves.
I saw some really good examples of student work yesterday in choosing and explaining the background to ballads, both old and new, of their choosing.
One of my favourite performers is Paul Kelly [...]
Ye Olde Food
nothing more comforting… by rainboweyes
Australian history is very topical at the moment with a national summit being held as I write this.
So it’s a good time to watch this ten minute show about what early european settlers in Australia did for food. My guess is they didn’t eat a lot of hamburgers.
OUR HISTORY: COLONISTS ARRIVE [...]
It’s a Text File Sculley
by elivalley
Once again the Text Files is on and this time those wacky characters are looking at comic books. I have never been much of a reader of comics but reading Maus recently has opened my eyes to it a bit.
So I figure this show is probably worth setting the video for.
THE TEXT FILES: [...]
Slow News Week
Kitten In Tree by vai_boy
I have been keeping my eyes open for interesting issues and resources this week but with no luck. Next week I start my last four weeks of teaching rounds at Hoppers Crossing Secondary College so, with any luck, that might cause a rush of blood to the head.
Eating Your Own Dog Food
dog food by Skater Chick1
A lecturer at uni, having seen me mention The Text Files, actually lent me a couple of episodes on disc,
At first it seemed that it was pitched at really young students but the more I watched it the more I realised that you could probably watch it in grade four all [...]