Cultural perspectives in literature
About this module
The resource gives teachers flexibility and develops students’ inquiry-based learning skills by exploring how to effectively interpret, analyse and evaluate cultural perspectives through a range of activities.
The highlight of this resource is the selection of sources from the National Library of Australia’s collection. The student activities explore the sources and cater for a variety of classroom contexts and learning styles.
This resource is designed to meet cross-curriculum priorities, enabling students to increase their knowledge and to develop their understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures.
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
Jacqueline Mitelman, Portrait of Judith Wright, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-136372491
Virginia Wallace-Crabbe, Portrait of Judy Horacek, cartoonist, 1997, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-136400722
George Philip & Son, Victoria, 1885, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-232528783
Curriculum links
This resource has been developed with specific reference to English subject content descriptions for Year 7 students in the Australian Curriculum.
Poetry: Judith Wright - Bora Ring
- Literature and context (ACEL1619): Identify and explore ideas and viewpoints about events, issues and characters represented in texts drawn from different historical, social and cultural contexts.
- Examining literature (ACELT1623): Understand, interpret and discuss how language is compressed to produce a dramatic effect in film or drama, and to create layers of meaning in poetry, for example haiku, tankas, couplets, free verse and verse novels.
- Creating literature (ACELT1625): Create literary texts that adapt stylistic features encountered in other texts, for example narrative viewpoint, structure of stanzas, contrast and juxtaposition.
Cartoons: Judy Horacek
- Literature and context (ACEL1619): Identify and explore ideas and viewpoints about events, issues and characters represented in texts drawn from different historical, social and cultural contexts.
- Responding to literature (ACELT1621): Compare the ways that language and images are used to create character, and to influence emotions and opinions in different types of texts.
Literature: Joan Lindsay - 'Picnic at Hanging Rock'
- Literature and context (ACEL1619): Identify and explore ideas and viewpoints about events, issues and characters represented in texts drawn from different historical, social and cultural contexts.
- Responding to literature (ACEL1620): Reflect on ideas and opinions about characters, settings and events in literary texts, identifying areas of agreement and difference with others and justifying a point of view.
Poetry: Judith Wright - Bora Ring
- Interpreting, analysing, evaluating (ACELY1721): Analyse and explain the ways text structures and language features shape meaning and vary according to audience and purpose.
Cartoons: Judy Horacek
- Creating texts (ACELY1725): Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts, selecting aspects of subject matter and particular language, visual, and audio features to convey information and ideas.
Literature: Joan Lindsay - 'Picnic at Hanging Rock'
Poetry: Judith Wright - Bora Ring
- Language for interaction (ACELA1782): Understand how language is used to evaluate texts and how evaluations about a text can be substantiated by reference to the text and other sources.
Cartoons: Judy Horacek
- Expressing and developing ideas (ACELA1764): Analyse how point of view is generated in visual texts by means of choices, for example gaze, angle and social distance.
Literature: Joan Lindsay - 'Picnic at Hanging Rock'
- Language for interaction (ACELA1529): Understand how accents, styles of speech and idioms express and create personal and social identities.
More to learn and do
Kathy Weeden reading her book Phonobet, illustrated by Kim Drane and published by NLA Publishing, at Enlighten at the Library 2024
