Research on the internet to find your favourite dog breed. Find at least 3 different sites to gather information to write the body of a report.
Take notes on the following headings:
Use your notes to write one or two paragraphs for each heading on your chosen dog breed. Don’t forget to include a picture of your dog breed as well.
Red Dog: True Blue is the second film made about Red Dog a popular Australian film from 2011. This new film is about the history of the people and the dog called Blue before the legend became famous.
Watch this film trailer and fill in the missing words as you listen.
_______ Australia – _______, _______, a place that _______ legends.
He _______ my life _______ – _______.
Every _______ has a _______.
‘_______! You’re _______, you’re _______! I have a good _______ about us, I _______ we’re _______ to be _______ mates.’
Answers: Outback Australia - vast, rugged, a place that creates legends. He saved my life once - truth. Every legend has a beginning. 'Blue! You're red, you're red! I have a good feeling about us, I think we're going to be best mates.'
Read the introduction of Australia’s Animals and find what each number refers to.
Answers: 3 groups of mammals - monotremes, marsupials and placentals over 800 bird species, including the emu 2 crocodile species 4000 fish species 50 marine mammals
Take notes on the different Australian animals as you continue to read.
Mammals
Marsupials
Monotremes
Birds
Reptiles
Marine animals
Choose one of the animals from the list and do some further research on it. Find a photo of it and take notes on the animals physical appearance, habitat, diet and reproduction.
My pet is a chocolate Labrador called Gus. He is two years old and loves the beach and going for walks in the bush, he especially loves to sit on a mattress and float around in the pool like in the photo!
Find a photo of your pet and talk about it. If you don’t have a pet now think about a pet you had in the past or a pet that someone you know has or used to have. Answer these questions to help you talk about the pet.
Now that you have discussed your pet, write about it in your journal and include a photo.
Use the internet to research your ideal job. Think about:
Once you have researched your ideal job, write paragraphs about all the information you have found.
Is your ideal job something you could aim for in the future?
For more activities on how to research go to Unit 10 Researching.
Discuss these questions about jobs with a partner.
Summarise what your partner has told you and tell it to another person or the whole class. Shorten what you have heard and choose only the most important information to share. Start your summary by mentioning one thing that you found the most interesting from what your partner told you, then complete your spoken summary by talking about the other points.
For more activities on summarising go to Unit 12 Summarising.
Have a look at this form guide from the 2016 Melbourne Cup.
Scan over the guide quickly to answer these questions.
Answers: 1. 24 horses 2. 3200 metres 3. 12:00pm 4. Almandin 5. Heartbreak City 6. Hartnell
Now skim the guide to find more detail and answer these questions.
Answers: 1. 1 horse 2. Jameka 3. Katelyn Mallyon is riding Assign 4. Charlie Appleby 5. Qewy 6. 3 horses 7. Germany 8. Great Britain 9. 448 metres 10. 6 million dollars
For more activities on scanning and skimming go to Unit 6 Scanning, Skimming and Note-taking.
The first Tuesday in November marks the day when all of Australia watch the Melbourne Cup horse race. It is a popular event where people dress up and attend Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne or parties around the country to watch the race live. It is the one race of the year where a large amount of people try their luck to bet on the winning horse.
Listen to this interview with Greg Miles, an on-course race caller at Flemington Racecourse and take notes as you listen for the first time.
Vocabulary
Punters = people who attend a race and place a bet
A different kettle of fish = a phrase meaning something entirely different
Use your notes to see if you can answer these questions.
Now listen for a second time and answer the questions.
Answers: 1. 1989 2. add to the pictures, identify all the horses in the race, where the horses are in the race, how they are travelling in the race, who wins, who loses 3. Accurate, Entertaining, Informative, Original, Understood 4. a day 5. Preparation prevents poor performance. 6. a stand, binoculars, a swivel and a microphone 7. so important, such a special race, he gets nervous
For more note-taking activities go to Scanning, Skimming and Note-taking.
A short story is a story that is short. There are not many characters in a short story and it is usually set in one place at one time. For the story to be interesting the main character will face some kind of conflict or problem that is resolved through the telling of the story to reach a climax or exciting part which then finishes with a resolution.
Read some short stories by Roald Dahl or other authors to get an idea of what a short story is and then have a go at writing your own!
Plan your short story by thinking about:
Characters – What is the main character like? Name? Age? Who are the other characters?
Setting – Where is your story set? When or what year is it?
Conflict – What conflict or problem will the main character have?
Climax – How will the main character solve the problem? What will happen in the exciting part of the story?
Resolution – What happens at the end of the story?
Be as creative and imaginative as you like. Enjoy the process of writing your own short story.
Enrol in Reading Books for more activities on short stories.
This year marks the 100 year anniversary of Roald Dahl. He was born in 1916 and has written many books for children and adults. His most popular work are his children’s stories filled with humour and many of them have been made into films. Some of his famous work include:
Boy: Tales of Childhood is an autobiography about his early school life. In the introduction of this book Roald Dahl writes about his memories:
“Some are funny. Some are painful. Some are unpleasant. I suppose that is why I have always remembered them so vividly. All are true.”
Think about an experience in your childhood that was either funny, painful or unpleasant. You can write about your experience or speak about it to a friend.
Choose a Roald Dahl book or short story to read. If the story has been made into a film, watch the film after you have read the book.
To learn more about writing about yourself go to Autobiography.
