Australian children’s literature
About this module
The items highlighted in the module were part of the exhibition Story Time: Australian Children's Literature at the National Library of Australia from 22 August 2019 to 16 February 2020.
Copyright for teachers
You can download all collection materials in this resource for education purposes. For more information, go to copyright for teachers.
Topics in this module
Ruth Hawker and Nora Young, Us three outback, 1932, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-3589536
Every year has its special film - this year it's... [picture] : Storm Boy, 1976 nla.gov.au/nla.obj-133752089
Ethel Jackson Morris, All among the fairies, 1909, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-22387121
New South Wales. Department of Education, The Warrumbungle Mare. (1 September 1949). In The School Magazine of Literature for Our Boys and Girls, Vol. 34, no. 7 (Part 4, Class 6), nla.gov.au/nla.obj-827990456
Jeannie Baker, Hidden Forest, Endpapers, 2000, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-971313378
Introductory activities
Activity 1: Explore The School Magazine
Browse digitised issues of The School Magazine, published continually by the New South Wales Department of Education since 1916. With over 1,100 editions available from 1916 to 1949, the collection offers a wide variety of short stories, rhyming verse, poetry and non-fiction written for young readers in the early to mid-20th century.
Use the collection to introduce a unit on literature. Invite students to explore different forms of writing and discuss the topics and language used at the time.
New South Wales. Department of Education, The school magazine of literature for our boys and girls, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-748113553
New South Wales. Department of Education, The school magazine of literature for our boys and girls, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-748113553
Concluding activities
Activity 2: Create a crossword
Have students create a crossword using words from a story they've been reading or a topic covered in class. Ask them to write creative clues to prompt deeper understanding of the vocabulary and themes.
Activity 3: Visual response to literature
Ask students to choose a favourite piece of literature and create a visual artwork that reflects its meaning and their emotional response.
They could:
- use mixed media such as paint, crayons, ink, collage, newspaper cuttings, maps or quotes
- create a series of images to represent different parts of the story
- display their work and reflect on how it makes them and others feel
Activity 4: Write from another perspective
As a class, read a book (or continue reading one already in progress) and ask students to write a creative piece from the perspective of a character who is not the lead character.
Prompt them to consider:
- how this character is affected by the narrative
- what they think of the main characters
- how their version of events might differ
Curriculum links
This resource is aligned with the Australian Curriculum: English for Year 4 students.
- Make connections between the ways different authors may represent similar storylines, ideas and relationships (ACELT1602)
- Discuss literary experiences with others, sharing responses and expressing a point of view (ACELT1603)
- Discuss how authors and illustrators make stories exciting, moving and absorbing and hold readers’ interest by using various techniques, for example character development and plot tension (ACELT1605)
More to explore
Kathy Weeden reading her book Phonobet, illustrated by Kim Drane and published by NLA Publishing, at Enlighten at the Library 2024
