The story of the Trojan War is foundational to European literature and thought. Rosemary Sutcliffe’s retelling makes the epic accessible to younger students. It rewards close study in junior high-school English because of Sutcliffe’s rich figurative language, vivid character portraits, and seamless blending of the many tales of Troy. This 96-page unit comprises: An introduction to Troy, Homer, the Iliad, and the story’s importance - with student research activities. A 4-6 page worksheet for each chapter (19 chapters) with an explanation of the relevant concept to the story, questions for the chapter, and a visual learning exercise using a famous art-work which depicts the events. Essay questions suitable for 11-13 year olds A summative creative writing task Questions require higher-order thinking skills and encourage writing at length and reading widely to support growing knowledge. Students’ knowledge of the canon of European literature and art should grow considerably over the term with this unit.

This comprehensive set of study notes includes a solid, step-by-step commentary on the text, relevant contextual detail, and pull-boxes giving examples of criticism in ‘Essay Language’ (allowing teachers to show differentiation of tone, register and modality). There’s also a sample essay to this question:** How do the texts you have studied depict the emotional and intellectual responses provoked by a discovery? In your response, refer to your prescribed text and ONE other related text. ** The sample essay uses Michael Gow’s Away and Robert Cormier’s short story ‘The Moustache’.

‘Circular Breathing’ by the Australian poet Jaya Savige, is a set text for HSC Standard English study. This set of notes gives a full analysis of the poem with a relevant image and a handy grab-box explaining the poem’s significance and poetic techniques. A simple, one-stop analysis of this complex poem which students can work through in class or take home for private study.

‘Translucent Jade’, by the Malaysian-Australian poet Maureen Ten, is a set text for HSC Standard English study. This set of notes gives a full analysis of the poem with a relevant image and a handy grab-box explaining the poem’s significance and poetic techniques. A simple, one-stop analysis of this complex poem which students can work through in class or take home for private study.

‘New Accents’, by the Chinese-Australian poet Yu Ouyang, is a set text for HSC Standard English study. This set of notes gives a full analysis of the poem with a relevant image and a handy grab-box explaining the poem’s significance and poetic techniques. A simple, one-stop analysis of this complex poem which students can work through in class or take home for private study.

Study guide with questions and activities for every scene in the play, with plenty of room for written responses. The guide contains activities which can be differentiated for strong and weak students and allows teachers to make use of technology through video-diary activities which students can complete using an iPad or mobile phone (this can, of course, be changed to a handwritten diary task). You can also purchase an images-only powerpoint on the representation of Jews in Medieval and Renaissance Europe which can be used to show how the issue of anti-Semitism began and continues today. Suitable for a broad range of students from middle school.

A close reading of Eliot’s famous poem, giving analysis of the work and a discussion of the culture and context from which Eliot wrote.

A close reading of Eliot’s famous poem, giving analysis of the work and a discussion of the culture and context from which Eliot wrote.

'Mending Wall’, by the American poet Robert Frost, is a perennial favourite for senior study. This set of notes gives a full analysis of the poem with a relevant image and a handy grab-box explaining the poetic techniques, and related texts which complement the poem for students who must study it in concert with one other text. Important points are in red. A simple, one-stop analysis of this complex poem which students can work through in class or take home for private study.

'After Apple Picking’, by the American poet Robert Frost, is a perennial favourite for senior study. This set of notes gives a full analysis of the poem with a relevant image and a handy grab-box explaining the poetic techniques, and related texts which complement the poem for students who must study it in concert with one other text. Important points are in red. A simple, one-stop analysis of this complex poem which students can work through in class or take home for private study.

‘Fire and Ice’, by the American poet Robert Frost, has been a perennial favourite for senior study. This set of notes gives a full analysis of the poem with a relevant image and a handy grab-box explaining the poetic techniques, and related texts which complement the poem for students who must study it in concert with one other text. Important points are in red. A simple, one-stop analysis of this complex poem which students can work through in class or take home for private study.

‘Home Burial’, by the American poet Robert Frost, has been a perennial favourite for senior study. This set of notes gives a full analysis of the poem with a relevant image and a handy grab-box explaining the poetic techniques, and related texts which complement the poem for students who must study it in concert with one other text. Important points are in red. A simple, one-stop analysis of this complex poem which students can work through in class or take home for private study.

‘Tuft of Flowers’, by the American poet Robert Frost, is a perennial favourite for senior study. This set of notes gives a full analysis of the poem with a relevant image and a handy grab-box explaining the poetic techniques, and related texts which complement the poem for students who must study it in concert with one other text. Important points are in red. A simple, one-stop analysis of this complex poem which students can work through in class or take home for private study.

‘Stopping by Woods’, by the American poet Robert Frost, is a perennial favourite for senior study. This set of notes gives a full analysis of the poem with a relevant image and a handy grab-box explaining the poetic techniques, and related texts which complement the poem for students who must study it in concert with one other text. Important points are in red. A simple, one-stop analysis of this complex poem which students can work through in class or take home for private study.

‘Painter of Antwerp’, by the Australian poet Rosemary Dobson, is a poem suitable for senior study. This set of notes gives a full analysis of the poem with a relevant image and a handy grab-box explaining the key themes, poetic techniques, and related texts which complement the poem for students who may study it in concert with one other text. Important points are in red. A simple, one-stop analysis of this complex poem which students can work through in class or take home for private study.

‘Diptych’, by the Australian poet Robert Gray, is a familiar poem for senior study. This set of notes gives a full analysis of the poem with a relevant image and a handy grab-box explaining poetic techniques, and related texts which complement the poem for students who must study it in concert with one other text. Important points are in red. A simple, one-stop analysis of this complex poem which students can work through in class or take home for private study.

A thorough study of each chapter in Eliot’s short masterpiece Silas Marner. Each chapter is annotated with a short precis of the chapter’s events, so that students can quickly locate the right section, and a thematic table at the beginning lays out some of the complex philosophical and literary ideas which underpin Eliot’s morality tale. Language and narrative techniques are carefully explained, and each chapter is accompanied by a selection of quotations to strengthen students’ understanding of evidence-based arguments.

Short stories are an effective way to illustrate the key concepts and reading strategies in the HSC Texts and Human Experience module. These short stories can be used to introduce the module, to supplement the prescribed text, as a standby lesson, or as part of an assessment task. Questions ask students to apply concepts from the rubric to the story, and sample answers on separate pages which the teacher may detach for teaching. Miriam Marshall’s ‘A Breath of Wind’ reflects on an encounter between a young white woman and an Aboriginal man. It is around 1368 words long and has been used successfully with a senior class (16-18 years).

Short stories are a vital part of English literature. These short story studies can be used to build a short story unit, to supplement other texts, or as a standby lesson. Use this with our FREE Introduction to Short Stories two-page handout. Each classic story is copyright free in Australia, the U.K. and U.S. Paragraphs are numbered for ease of reference. There are four activities, corresponding to Bloom’s taxonomy of lower- to higher-order tasks. A comprehension question checks knowledge and understanding A close reading task assists development of textual analysis A writing at length task involves considering the story’s effect, mood, or technical strategies. A choice of two creative writing tasks use an aspect of the story as a springboard to write creatively, discursively, or persuasively. These two very short absurdist stories, ‘To Light a Match’, by Stephen Leacock and ‘A Common Confusion’, by Franz Kafka, are around 1000 words altogether and have been successfully used with a Year 7/8 class (11-13 years).

Short stories are an effective way to illustrate the key concepts and reading strategies in the HSC Texts and Human Experience module. These short stories can be used to introduce the module, to supplement the prescribed text, as a standby lesson, or as part of an assessment task. Questions ask students to apply concepts from the rubric to the story, and sample answers on separate pages which the teacher may detach for teaching. This feminist retelling of a famous biblical story, ‘Oath’ by Anton Linn is around 1200 words long and has been used successfully with a senior class (16-18 years).