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AIATSIS

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Reg Saunders Extensive Literacy Program & Resources

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Reg Saunders Extensive Literacy Program & Resources

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Reg Saunders: an Indigenous War Hero - Reading Australia

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This is a non-fiction book based on historical events from the Second World War and on events in the life of one significant Aboriginal Australian, Reg Saunders, who was the first Indigenous soldier to be promoted into the commissioned ranks of the Australian army.

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Indigenous service in Australia's armed forces in peace and war - overview | The Australian War Memorial

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Another significant development during the Second World War was the acceptance into the armed forces of Indigenous women as part of the wider introduction of auxiliary women's branches for each of army, navy, and air force.

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AIATSIS

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Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies

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Indigenous women have made significant contributions both in peacetime and in war. Many of the books in this reading list discuss Indigenous women's contributions particularly those listed below.

Resources

Torres Strait Islander women and the Pacific War by Elizabeth Osborne.

Canberra : Aboriginal Studies Press for Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, 1997 (in World War II - Books section).

Oodgeroo Noonuccal: Wireless Operator, Chapter 4 in Fighters from the Fringe by Robert Hall, Canberra : Aboriginal Studies Press , 1995 (in World War II books section).

Author, Robert Hall, interviewed Oodgeroo Noonuccal in 1986. In this chapter she speaks of why she joined the Australian Women's Army Service, her two brothers' being taken prisoners of war in Singapore, life in Brisbane and on Stradbroke Island during the war, and race relations..

Forgotten heroes : Aborigines at war from the Somme to Vietnam by Alick Jackomos and Derek Fowell, South Melbourne, Vic., Victoria Press , 1993 (in General - Book section).

A number of Victorian Aboriginal women tell of their experiences during the war. Some worked at the munitions factory at Maribyrnong. Women at Cummeragunja Mission knitted for troops and the Commeragunja Mission Church Choir formed concert parties to raise money for the war effort.

An Indigenous Nurse in World War 1

Marion Leane Smith is to date the only identified Indigenous woman to serve in the First World War. She is of Darug heritage and served not with the AIF but as a nurse with the British army. Her story is told by Philippa Scarlett on the Indigenous Histories blog.

Interviews with Indigenous women in the Army, Navy and Airforce can be found online at the Department of Defence website

Below are some great images of Indigenous Women who contributed to war efforts from home

Studio portrait of Aboriginal servicewoman Lance Corporal Kathleen Jean Mary Walker, of Stradbroke Island, Queensland (later known as Oodgeroo Noonuccal). Lance Corporal Walker enlisted on 5 December 1942 and was discharged on 19 January 1944. She was a communication worker with the Australian Women's Army Service (AWAS).
Australian War Memorial: P01688.001.

Studio portrait of Aboriginal servicewoman Corporal Helen Annie McDonald, of Colac, Victoria. Corporal McDonald enlisted with the Australian /women's Army Servicer on 18 October 1943 and was discharged on 22 January 1946.
Australian War Memorial: P01651.001.

Group portrait of Aboriginal women and girls knitting socks, jumpers and balaclavas for the war effort at Cummeragunja Government Mission, NSW (opposite Barmah, Vic) on the Murray River. Identified, left to right, back row: Merle Morgan, June Morgan, Weeny Charles, Amy Briggs, Valda McGee, Edna Walker, Sheila Charles, Joan Charles, Elsie Cooper, Midge Walsh, Florry Walker. Front row: Joyce Atkinson, Clare Charles, Alma Charles, Ada Cooper, Nelly Davis?, Elizabeth Morgan, Lauraine Charles, Greta Cooper, Violet Charles, Wynnie Walker, Hilda Walker, Georgina Atkinson, Lydia Morgan, Reta Cooper, Maggie Weston
Australian War Memorial: P01562.001.

The Army established its own slaughter yards, cooling chambers and delivefry system about 40 miles north of Katherine, NT. Butchers from the Army resumed civil work on Army pay, and Aboriginal labour was used to bring the cattle into the slaughter yards. Aboriginal women were employed on light duties. This photo shows a group of women salting a hide. Negative: H. Turner
Australian War Memorial: 014287.

Female Aboriginal cooks of Knuckey's Bend Compound, Katherine, NT, being paid 25.9.1943. Photograph: William Donald Martin
Australian War Memorial: 057367.

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Indigenous women have made significant contributions both in peacetime and in war. Many of the books in this reading list discuss Indigenous women's contributions particularly those listed below. Resources Torres Strait Islander women and the Pacific War by Elizabeth Osborne.

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Australian War Museum: Reg Saunders Information

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Australian War Museum: Reg Saunders Information

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Alfred's War Picture Book & Extensive Literacy Program & Resources

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Alfred's War Picture Book & Extensive Literacy Program & Resources

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Connecting to prior knowledge

Prior to beginning the exploration of Alfred's War, discuss with the learners the importance of Acknowledgment of Country. Advice about constructing an Acknowledgement which is relevant to your context can be shared with the learners, and you can jointly construct an Acknowledgment that your class can use at appropriate times. If you have Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander learners, this also provides an opportunity to learn more about them and provide an inclusive learning space.

What might we already know about the ANZACs?

Alfred's War positions the reader as an observer, as readers look on to the lonely life of a World War I ex-serviceman as he wanders his country, remembering his fallen mates and doing his best to ignore the pain of a wartime injury. The reader comes to realise that this life is, for the most part, a consequence of the Australian Government's failure to recognise Aboriginal service men and women when they returned from active service. Before exploring the historical and personal aspects of this beautiful book, it is important to first explore what students have learned previously about the ANZACs and whether they have any personal stories of family members being in service. This collective knowledge will set the context for deeper learning about Alfred and other Aboriginal soldiers.
Brainstorm sort
Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

Prior to reading Alfred's War for the first time, find out what knowledge and experiences the students have by doing a brainstorm and then sorting the information shared into a class chart. Explain that you are going to be sharing a text about the ANZACs in World War I and you want to find out what everyone already knows about this topic. Organise students into pairs, providing each pair with strips of paper. Ask them to write any information they know about ANZACs and write one sentence per strip of paper. Remind them that all information is valuable, whether it is something they have learned at school or outside of school.

Once the pairs have exhausted their knowledge, ask them to cut the keywords, word groups or phrases from the sentences and sort them under the following headings:

Using butcher's paper, create a large chart for the classroom to record each pairs' contribution:

Once all contributions have been added to the table, lead a class discussion to reflect on what they collectively know and understand. Some useful questions might be:

Can someone summarise what has been said?

Would anyone like to respond to that?

Can you say more about that?

Can anyone give an example of that?

What else do we know?

Can you go a bit further?

Exploring the text in context of our community, school and 'me'

Who were the soldiers from our local community?

Some students may have already shared some of their family histories while others may have had no personal connection with enlisted men and women. Students will have varied experiences of what it means to remember those who have served and those who have fallen. One of the common ways we remember and indeed ensure we do not forget is by erecting memorials. The following activity will allow you to find the memorials in your local area. If you are able, it is suggested that you visit some of these. Otherwise, they can be accessed online.
Online research
Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

We are learning to use a website to explore our local community.

We will know we are successful when we can share at least three facts from our research.
(ACELY1712) (ACHASSI123) (EN3-3A) (HT3-5)

For this online search, you may like to follow an 'I do, we do, you do' structure for the lesson so you can model navigating the website.

Go to the RSL Virtual War Memorial.

Locate the 'memorials' horizontal menu bar then type in your location where it says 'Search by place'.

On the map, you will see symbols for any memorials nearby. If you click on a symbol, more information will appear to the right of the map. If you click on details, a drop down information window will appear, which includes an image, description of the memorial and information about its purpose and any inscriptions. It is important that you take some time to explore this before modelling with the students.

When you are ready to begin exploring, use some guiding questions:

How many memorials are there in our local area? (you may want to widen your search zone if you are in a regional location)

What kind of information is provided?

Which war does the memorial relate to?

What does the inscription say? What are the similarities and differences between the inscriptions?

How many people are listed?

What do you notice about the names?

What do you think the purpose of the memorial is?

Finally, to stretch the students thinking and pre-empt the book introduction, ask students:

What would it be like if we didn't remember?

To record students thinking around this topic, print out images of the memorials and have students annotate the images with their research. Alternatively, they can record digitally on tablets using an app such as bookmaker or on a PC using PowerPoint.

Walking the walk of an Aboriginal soldier

The Australian War Memorial has a series of Memorial Boxes which contain uniforms, equipment, artefacts and information about individual soldiers. Memorial Box 3 is specifically about the experience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and their contribution to Australia's defence services. For this activity, you will need to pre-order a Memorial Box from the museum from the list of museums around Australia who hold the Memorial Boxes. The Memorial Box website also includes resources such as videos which should be accessed in preparation for this activity. You may also access the biographies in the further resources section. There are five soldiers from World War I: Daniel Hodgekiss SA, Harry Murray QLD, Wiliam Rawlings Vic, Douglas Grant QLD/NSW and Richard Kirby NSW. Choose the one that is most relevant for your students.
Exploring Memorial Box 3
Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

We are learning to empathise with others.

We will know we are successful when we can describe the experiences of others from another time and place.(ACELY1709) (ACHASSI126) (EN3-8D) (HT3-2)

Sharing the Memorial Box
Share the Memorial Box by sitting in a circle and asking the leaders for the day to hand out the different artefacts. Give each student an opportunity to talk about what they think the artefact is and what it might have been used for. Encourage discussion by using questions such as:

Why do you think that?

Does anyone have any other ideas?

What would it feel like to be a soldier?

Read Aloud/Carousel activity
Choose at least one biography from those provided on the Memorial Box website. Explain that you will read aloud a biography of a soldier who fought during World War I.

Tell the students that while they are listening, you want them to think about three things that relate to soldiers: skills, conditions and mates. Pause and share inferences that you make from the text as a think-aloud - clarifying vocabulary as you go. At the end, write some of the key vocabulary on the whiteboard so it is visible to everyone. Divide students into three groups. Provide each group with a large sheet of paper. Each sheet should have a different heading: skills, conditions, mates. Each group brainstorms what they think about their topic for 5-10 minutes. At the end of this time, the sheets of paper are handed on in a clockwise direction so that each group receives the previous group's brainstorm. They then have another 5-10 minutes to read the ideas and add to them. Continue the same process so that everyone has a chance to contribute to each topic. This can also be done with the sheets of paper stuck on the wall in different parts of the learning space, and the groups of students move around to the different spaces. Choose whichever way best suits your context.

As a whole class, review the collaborative notes and orally summarise what has been recorded. Ask the question: When we think about the ANZACs, what do we remember about them? Allow students to turn and talk to a partner before opening this up to a discussion. Record responses in a class journal or anchor chart.

Rich assessment task

During these initial lessons, students have had the opportunity to connect to prior knowledge, to explore some of the memorials in their local community and consider the experiences of soldiers during World War I through hands-on learning. This assessment task is an opportunity for the students to reflect on their learning and decide what has been the most significant for them. In order to do this, they will record their thinking in their reading journal.

Reading Journal

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

Explain to students that for this next task, they can access their previous notes and any charts or summaries that have been made as a class.

In their reading journals, students record a 3-2-1 Reflection:

3 things that they have learnt.

2 questions they have.

1 thing that surprised them.

When students have completed their journals, ask them to add their questions to a Wonder Wall.

Responding to the text

Now that the students have had an opportunity to develop shared contextual knowledge and understanding, introduce to them the picture book, Alfred's War.

Making Predictions: What is Alfred's War about?

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

Divide students into small groups and give each group a photocopy of the front cover of Alfred's War. Ask students to think about what they have learned about the ANZACs and to consider what they see on the front cover. Ensure each group has a scribe and a reporter who will report back to the class. Provide each group with a retrieval chart to complete, like the one below.

What we predict

Our evidence (images, text, prior knowledge)

To ensure that all students can successfully engage with this task, use an 'I do, we do, you do' strategy by modelling how to complete the first row in the table. For example, the genre might be historical realism because there is a group of soldiers and a war scene in the background. Guide the class to complete the second row. You could then have half of the groups complete the third row and the rest complete the fourth row or everyone complete the remaining rows. Ensure that each group has a chance to share back and everyone's thinking is collated.

Read the text to the class and discuss what was as predicted and what surprised the students.

Exploring plot, character, setting and theme

Historical realism

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

Text 1: News Story

For this learning activity, your class will view a news item from SBS about the charge of the Light Horse Brigade at the Battle of Beersheba. To ensure all students can access the information in the video, lead the students through the below before, during and after viewing activities.
Before viewing
Keyword discussion - traffic lights.

Provide each student with a list of key vocabulary and the traffic light template (PDF, 169KB).

Key vocabulary: ancestor, spirit, Defence Act, Aboriginal Protection Act, armed forces, outbreak, answer the call, enlist, connivance, a pivotal role, troopers, second-class citizens, wreath.

Ask students to write each word into the appropriate column of the traffic light template (PDF, 169KB):

red - this word/phrase is new to me. I don't know what it means.

orange - I have heard/seen this word before but I don't know what it means.

green - I know this word and I can use it.

Once students have completed sorting their vocabulary, lead a discussion where students support each other to understand the vocabulary. For example, if one student has an unknown word, allow another student to explain what it means. Only step in if students need clarification or if there are words that none of the students know.
During viewing
Read Alfred's War again. Explain to students that they are going to compare Alfred's War to the story in the news video about the Battle of Beersheba. Allow them to take notes while viewing - pause the video on request.
After viewing
Jointly construct notes on the similarities between the two texts. Invite students to record the notes in their reading journals.

Theme and Visual Design

Often students need support to understand the difference between plot and theme. The plot is what the story is about - what happens. The theme is the significant message in the story. For this activity, students' understanding will be developed through the co-construction of anchor charts, and then the exploration of social distance and the use of colour to develop the themes of loss and exclusion in Alfred's War.
Plot/Theme Anchor Charts
Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

For this activity, you will need a large piece of chart paper and some coloured markers. Divide the chart paper into two columns and write 'plot' on one side and 'theme' on the other. Addressing the whole class, ask them what they think a plot is. Allow them to test their ideas with the student sitting next to them.

When questioning students for deeper understanding, it is important to avoid the Initiation-Response-Evaluation sequence as this will limit the amount of language students can produce. Rather choose questions that open up the conversation, allowing for clarification, repetition and lots of examples. The students need to be doing the thinking and talking. Some questions to support the process could be:

Who would like to share their initial idea of what a plot is?

Would anyone like to respond to that?

Would this answer apply to all stories or just Alfred's War?

Does anyone disagree with this idea? Does anyone have any more to add?

Can anyone give another example?

Who thinks they can summarise what a plot is?

What would be the best way to record our thinking on the anchor chart?

Repeat the same process for theme. You may like to ask questions which require the students to compare and contrast plot and theme.

By the end of this process, you should have an anchor chart which clearly defines plot and theme in the students' own language. Once you have completed this, ask: what are the themes of Alfred's War?
Visual Design: offers and demands/colour
Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

For this activity, you may need to introduce some meta-language relating to visual grammar, specifically the way in which the reader interacts with the characters in the text.

When a character is drawn front on, directly facing towards the reader, with their gaze seeming to meet the gaze of the reader, this is known as a 'demand'. It is called a 'demand' because the character is demanding the attention of the reader and there is direct interaction between the reader and the character. Close-up and extreme close-ups of characters' faces intensify this relationship.

However, when a character's gaze is averted, that is, has his or her eyes looking away from the reader, this is known as an 'offer'. In this case, the reader is invited to observe a scene as an invisible onlooker. The reader is not involved but in some way bears witness to the events.

In Alfred's War, all of the images are offers. The reader looks on into Alfred's lonely life as gradually the reasons behind the loneliness are revealed. The only image which comes close to a demand is on the front cover when Alfred is sitting amongst his soldier mates. His gaze is not direct but slightly averted, almost as if he is looking over the shoulder of the reader. In this image, Alfred is equal to the others, has a sense of belonging and a clear purpose in life. In the other images, all of this has been stripped away. Particularly poignant is the image where Alfred walks along a path towards the reader, walking on despite the pain in his 'gammy leg'. Even though he is fully facing the reader, his gaze is covered with his hat pulled down over his eyes. One interpretation of this particular aspect of visual design could be that Alfred has chosen to disengage as a result of how he has been treated. He has not received the same rights and recognition as the non-Aboriginal soldiers; he has been excluded from society and so he has disengaged with human contact.

To make this point to the students, use a power point showing a range of images and discuss together. Once students are confident, pair them up to examine the use of offers and demands in Alfred's War. Some suggested questions to support their inquiry are:

What kind of interaction occurs between the reader and Alfred? Explain using the terms 'offer' or 'demand'.

Why do you think the illustrator has chosen to draw Alfred in this way?

What is the impact of this interaction on the themes of exclusion and lonliness?

Colour
Colour has an impact on the mood of a narrative. The meanings that colour can evoke are culturally bound and so differ across cultures. Provide the students with a colour chart and discuss the meanings often associated with colour in Western culture and then explore whether students have similar or differing ideas about colour.

The predominant colours in Alfred's War are blue and grey. These colours impact on the mood of the story, once again enhancing the themes of exclusion and loneliness. Divide students into small groups, and with a colour chart and one or two pages from Alfred's War, ask them to record what colours are used and how the colour helps to communicate the theme of the story.

Rich assessment task

Responding personally using complex sentences

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

We are learning to use complex sentences to respond personally to a text.

We will know that we are successful when we can express our feelings about a text using complex sentences.
(ACELA1522) (EN3-6B)

To prepare students for this task, ask them to think-pair-share what emotions they felt when reading Alfred's War. Students should be specific about how their emotions changed in relation to different parts of the story.

Record students responses on the whiteboard in note form, for example:

sleeping on the bench - sad

not being welcome in town - angry

Model how to create a complex sentence using the event from the story, the students' emotional response to it, and then a conjunction. For example:

I felt sad when Alfred was sleeping on the bench.

I felt angry because Alfred was not welcome in the towns.

Show the students how the clauses can be reversed for effect, putting the emphasis on the event in the narrative:

When Alfred was sleeping on the bench, I felt sad.

Because Alfred was not welcome in the towns, I felt angry.

Note that when the conjunction comes at the beginning of the sentence, there is a comma after the first clause.

Provide a few more conjunctions: due to, while, as a result of, as, as long as, even though.

Work with the students to brainstorm a list of affect adjectives. Students may want to research online or look up synonyms. Allow them to practice writing complex sentences on strips of card, using conjunctions and adjectives. Ask students to choose their favourite sentences and display them on the wall.

Responding to one part of the book, jointly construct a paragraph with the students. Once students are confident, ask them to write one or two paragraphs in their reading journals about how they feel about the book, Alfred's War. Make it explicit that you will be looking for their ability to respond emotionally to the text using affect adjectives and conjunctions to make complex sentences.

Examining text structure and organisation

Flashback plot structure

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

In this activity, students will be exploring the flashback structure in Alfred's War. By Year 6, most students will be familiar with the orientation ► complication ► resolution narrative structure. Begin this activity by asking students to think-pair-share what they know about narrative structure. Explain that they are going to learn about a different way to structure a narrative.

You will need a large space either outside or in a gym. Construct two parallel lines about 3 metres long and 1 metre apart. Either draw the lines with chalk or use masking tape. Print two copies of the key events in Alfred's War template (PDF, 184KB). These can be laminated or printed on card. Cut out the different events so each is on a separate card and mix them up. You will also need three different coloured dot stickers.

Place the heading 'Sequence of Alfred's life' above one of the lines. Divide the class into pairs and give at least one card to each pair. Explain that they need to place the cards on the line in the order of Alfred's life from when he was youngest to oldest. Stand back and allow the students to work this out. Once they are sure they have the cards in sequence, clarify any misunderstandings, then use a marker to number each card from 1 to 13.

Above the second line, place the heading 'Sequence of Alfred's War'. Hand out the second set of cards. This time you will read the story aloud while students place the cards as the events occur in the book. Pause after each key event so the students have thinking time. Once all of the cards are placed on the timeline, number the cards then colour code the events according to what happened before, during and after the war. Ask the students to think about why the story is sequenced differently to Alfred's life. Explain that a flashback is when a story takes the reader back to a previous time. Ask students to identify which events in Alfred's War are flashbacks.

As a class discuss why the author has chosen to use this structure. How does it help the reader to understand Alfred? How does it help the reader to understand the injustice that happened to Aboriginal soldiers?

Students need to understand that the structure works to help the reader understand how the old man portrayed at the beginning of the book came to be all alone, walking the countryside. By beginning the narrative with Alfred's life after the war, the reader feels sad and wonders why this man is all alone and living outside. It provokes curiosity and interest in what happened before in this man's life.

Take a photo of the timelines and print a copy for each student. In their reading journals, invite students to annotate the photo, summarising what they have learned through creating the timelines.

Examining grammar and vocabulary
Using sentences for effect
Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

Authors use a range of sentence structures for effect. In this next activity, students will examine the sentences in Alfred's War to indicate which are complex, which are simple and which are sentence fragments. Prior to beginning, students may need to revise sentence structures. This is a brief summary of the different types:

Sentence fragment: a grammatically incomplete sentence which doesn't contain a verb.

Simple sentence: one clause with one verb.

Compound sentence: two or more clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction e.g. and, but, so, yet. Each clause has a verb.

Complex sentence: a sentence with two or more clauses, each with a verb, joined by a subordinating conjunction, a non-finite verb or a relative pronoun.

The table below provides an analysis of the some of the sentences in Alfred's War. Each verb group is highlighted in green to support the analysis. Construct a table like this with the students. Decide how much of the table you will have filled in and how much you will co-construct, depending on the students' needs. This activity requires some direct teaching, as you guide students' thinking when analysing each sentence. When you feel confident that students understand how to recognise a sentence type, you may ask them to work on some sentences in pairs and then independently, coming back to the whole group to share and discuss.

Alfred George lived outside.

Simple

A limited amount of information provided to the reader. Visuals support the information and provide more detail.

On benches.

Fragment

A circumstance of place providing more information about where Alfred sleeps. Used to pace the narrative, slowly revealing information about Alfred.

Always under the stars.

Fragment

As above. The word 'always' emphasises the fact that Alfred sleeps outside.

Sometimes Alfred rolled up his bedding and walked from town to town looking for work.

Complex

Two clauses joined by 'and'. The last clause joined with a non-finite verb looking. 'Sometimes' indicates a change in events and these are elaborated on with a complex sentence.

Always with his hat on, his billy tied to his swag and holes in the soles of his shoes.

Fragment

The subject of this fragment is Alfred and he is not mentioned. This fragment provides more information about the previous sentence. It is a circumstance which tells how Alfred walks from town to town.

At night, Alfred camped on the outskirts of town.

Simple

Slowly revealing more information. 'At night' indicates a change in time.

There were many places Aboriginal people weren't allowed to go.

Simple

Revealing two facts: 1. Albert is Aboriginal, 2. There were different laws for Aboriginal people.

That's [how life was in those days.]

Complex

The second clause is embedded. Once again, a statement of fact. This is not something Alfred was choosing.

Alfred had grown up on a mission and, when he was old enough, he set off to find work.

Complex

The perfect past tense indicates that the narrative is going back to a previous time period. The sentence is longer, containing an interrupting clause as it is providing more descriptive information about Alfred's life as a younger man.

He worked as a gardener and a labourer, and mustered cattle on stations a long way from home.

Compound

Lists the jobs that Alfred had. Compound sentences are useful for providing lists of things.

One day, Alfred wrote a letter to his family, telling them he had signed up for adventure and travel.

Complex

This sentence has three clauses, the second is non-finite, the third is projected (the word 'that' is omitted). 'One day' at the beginning of the sentence indicates a change in events. The complex sentence reveals Alfred's thinking and provides reasons not just facts.

Most of the remaining text uses compound and complex sentences as it describes Alfred's experiences of war and his experiences upon returning to Australia. The final sentence stands alone. The writer once again chooses a simple sentence to state a simple fact: He was one of the forgotten soldiers.

While we often teach students to write more complex sentences to express their ideas across the curriculum, it is important that they begin to recognise the author's craft in pacing the story and making significant points of historical fact through careful choice of sentence structure.

After class discussion and completion of the sentence table, ask the students to choose two or three of the sentences and write a short reflection in their reading journals about Rachel Bin Salleh's choice of sentence structure in Alfred's War.

Rich assessment task

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

We are learning how to analyse and annotate a text.

We will know we are successful when we can suggest reasons for an author's choices.

For this activity, the learners will have an opportunity to read other picture books about ANZAC Day. There are many texts available, although Aboriginal veterans are generally under represented. You may wish to point this out to the learners, or you may wait to see if they notice this themselves. Either way, it is an important point for discussion and an opportunity to debate why this is the case.

Using a picture book about ANZACs of their choice, ask students to photograph some pages from the book (the amount may vary depending on the ability level of the student). Using the app Explain Everything, students highlight aspects relating to narrative structure and/or sentence structure. Students can write their interpretations or record their oral interpretations.

Creating a multimodal narrative within the genre of Historical Realism.

In this final part of the study of Alfred's War, students will take what they have learned in the previous lessons and put it together to create a digital narrative. They will develop a flashback plot, illustrate their character using offers or demands and write a brief story using simple compound and complex sentences. They will compose this using Storyboard That. It is important that you take the time to become familiar with this software before introducing it to students.
(ACELT1618) (EN3-2A)

Inquiry and note-taking

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

For this task, you will need to access the biographies of World War I soldiers on the Memorial Box website.

Students choose one soldier to create a narrative about. They read the biography and take notes about their life using the flashback plot proforma (PDF, 177KB). Students only need to record two to three points for each time period, as they will be creating a short storyboard of up to ten frames. Once students have written their notes, they can write them into a draft storyboard (PDF, 111KB) in the bottom row. The first blank row is for information about images which they will complete in the next activity.

Creating characters

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

Using their storyboard template, students make notes about what will be included in each image. They need to decide whether the image will be a long shot or a close-up, whether it will be an offer or a demand. Students will also need to decide what colours they will use.

As students will need to develop an image of their character to upload into Storyboard That, drawing tutorials on YouTube may be useful. Once students are comfortable, have them draw their character in both a close-up and a long shot, using both demands and offers to interact with the reader.

Composing the Narrative

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

As students will be writing short captions to go with their storyboard, the criteria will be very specific. Students will need to use:

the flashback plot structure,

simple, compound and complex sentences for effect,

time phrases or clauses at the beginning of each stage in the story to indicate a new time period,

correct spelling and punctuation.

To differentiate, provide appropriate support for students, particularly those students who are not yet proficient in Standard Australian English.

Rich Assessment Task

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

Students will need time to get their storyboards ready for sharing. The final assessment task is for students to share their stories with small groups and/or the whole class and reflect on their choices as authors. Some questions to guide their reflection could be:

Do they think their stories are effective?

Which aspects of the story, visuals and language choices worked the best?

Why do they think so?

Which aspect of creating the storyboard did they enjoy the most? Why?

What have they learned from this process?

What else would they like to learn about?

Ensure you make it clear how you want the storyboards to be presented and make clear the expectation for a formal presentation style. You may need to model this and create anchor charts with the class for formal presentation and informal presentation so that the expectations are explicit.

You could also provide students with criteria sheets so they can provide peer feedback.

The author and illustrator
Rachael Bin Salleh as a publisher
Samantha Fry Battle at Beersheba resources Indigenous soldiers at Beersheba
SBS video: The Indigenous soldiers of The Lighthouse Brigade
Australian War Memorial resources
Memorial Boxes: This Memorial Box explores the unique wartime experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and their significant contribution to Australia's defence.

Personal stories: There are several case studies. Each contains a personal story, as well as suggested activities for research and classroom discussion, and relates to the hands-on objects you will find inside your Memorial Box.
Apps Explain Everything
Digital Storytelling software
Links to other picture books featuring ANZACs
Brisbane Kids website

The Book Chook website
YouTube Drawing tutorials Teacher References
Callow, J. 2013, The Shape of Text to come, PETAA, Newtown, NSW

Cameron, S. 2009, Teaching Reading Comprehension Strategies: a practical classroom guide, Pearson, New Zealand

Derewianka, B. 2011, A new Grammar Companion for Teachers, PETAA, Newtown, NSW

Edwards-Groves, C. Anstey, M & Bull, G. 2014, Classroom Talk, Understanding dialogue, pedagogy and practice, PETAA, Newtown, NSW

Edwards-Groves, C and Davidson, C 2017, Becoming a Meaning Maker, talk and interaction in the dialogic classroom, PETAA, Newtown, NSW

Exley, B; Kervin, L and Mantei, J. 2015 Exploring Grammar in the Primary Years Learning About Language in the Australian Curriculum: English ALEA SA

McDonald, L. 2013, A literature Companion for Teachers, PETAA, Newtown, NSW

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Prior to beginning the exploration of Alfred's War, discuss with the learners the importance of Acknowledgment of Country. Advice about constructing an Acknowledgement which is relevant to your context can be shared with the learners, and you can jointly construct an Acknowledgment that your class can use at appropriate times.

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ANZAC day is a time when we remember the people who've fought for Australia in wars. For anyone, that takes a huge amount of courage and determination. But imagine fighting for a country that didn't even see you as a citizen. Sarah looks at the sacrifice of Indigenous soldiers and meets some young people making sure it's not forgotten. And a warning to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers; this story contains images of people who have died.

In just about every town and city in Australia there are reminders of what the First World War cost the country. More than 60 thousand Aussies died and barely a community was unaffected. Raukkan, here in the South Australian Coorong, is no exception.

JAKE SHAW: I'm guessing it would have been hard for everyone on the community knowing that they might not return but deep down inside that they've fought for their country and even if they did not return knowing that they fought for their country and hopefully seen as equals in everyone's eyes.

Jake Shaw's great, great uncles Rufus and Cyril Rigney were amongst the 21 Ngarrindjeri men who went off to fight in the war. Rufus was the youngest. Because he was only 16, he had to lie about his age to enlist. And because he was Aboriginal he had to get special permission to leave his home.

Indigenous Australians weren't even considered citizens of their own country and yet they have fought in every single war that Australia has ever been involved in. It's thought that up to 800 Indigenous men enlisted in the First World War and in the second thousands signed up to fight. For many it was a chance to see the world and earn a decent salary. And while at home they were often denied basic rights, in the army they were treated the same as their fellow soldiers and some rose to high military positions.

JAKE: In the army they're all treated as one equal and as brothers.

But many didn't make it home. Rufus and his brother both died in Europe and for many years all their relatives had to remember them were photos and names on a plaque. Then, in 2004, a year 12 student called Donna Handke saw the memorial and decided to research the Ngarrindjeri ANZACs for her history project.

DONNA HANDKE (2005): I was in the camp and we found this little church with the 16 names and I was surprised that Indigenous Australians fought in World War One.

She found out that Rufus had a known grave in Belgium and, with her teacher and classmates, saved up for a trip to visit. She poured some Coorong sand on his resting place and took some soil from the grave home to his relatives in Raukkan so they could say goodbye in a traditional way.

But it didn't end there. Two years later, Jake's cousin Victor went to Belgium too, and performed a traditional fire dance for his great uncle Rufus. The trip became a regular pilgrimage called Connecting Spirits. Now every two years Indigenous and non-Indigenous students from around the Meningie region in South Australia travel to Europe to visit the graves of Aussie soldiers whose lives' they've researched. And last year it was Jake's turn.

JAKE: There's thousands of graves and it's just emotional because all the people who went to war and the people on the trip who had family from there it was just yeah a big thing.

He says it doesn't matter where the soldiers came from, or what the colour of their skin was their courage and sacrifice was the same. And it won't be forgotten.

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community and society:history:world war 1 community and society:history:world war 2 event:anzac day

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ANZAC day is a time when we remember the people who've fought for Australia in wars. For anyone, that takes a huge amount of courage and determination. But imagine fighting for a country that didn't even see you as a citizen. Sarah looks at the sacrifice of Indigenous soldiers and meets some young people making sure it's not forgotten.

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Defence Jobs Australia - A Proud History

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For over 100 years, Indigenous Australians have made a significant contribution to protecting Australia and its interests. Read about some of the milestones of indigenous service here.

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Tomorrow is ANZAC Day when the country remembers the sacrifices made by Australians in war. So today we're going to meet some kids who've been finding out about a very special group of soldiers that fought in World War One. As Sarah discovered that took them to the other side of the world.

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Sydney Morning Herald Article about Comic Text about Reg Saunders

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Sydney Morning Herald Article about Comic Text about Reg Saunders

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Reg Saunders immortalised in comic, An Indigenous War Hero

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Melbourne historian Adrian Threlfall is bringing Saunders' story to readers as a graphic novel.

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National Library Synopsis of Text about Reg Saunders

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National Library Synopsis of Text about Reg Saunders

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( Need subscription to view them)

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28 April 2016   ABC Radio Perth

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Just a Card: Letters Home from Aboriginal Diggers

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Just a Card: Letters Home from Aboriginal Diggers

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6th Jan 2018 ABC Audio

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24th April 2017  ABC News

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12 Oct 2017  ABC News

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15 Minute Video Documentaries of Indigenous Servicemen

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15 Minute Video Documentaries of Indigenous Servicemen

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( Need to purchase this)

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Remembering Our Heroes

Episode 1: James Canuto
James Canuto spent 21 years in the army and now resides in the remote community of Yarrabah. He currently runs an aged care home which has previously been under control of the Council. Living there most of his life, he tells engaging stories about his service as a ranking Lieutenant Corporal.

Episode 2: The Tracker of Africa
Dale Kerwin is a Worimi man, an academic and historian, who has been walking the corridors of textbooks and journals in search of something most Australians are unaware about. He spent ten years piecing together the history about a special group of Aboriginal war heroes from the Boer War. In 1902, when the Boer War began, a group of Aboriginal men were sent as trackers and soldiers to represent the King of England, but for 112 years the memories of these gallant warriors have been waiting to be told

Episode 3: A man, An Island and a World War
This is the story of Mr. Stephens, a 100-year old veteran and one of the last few remaining soldiers of the Torres Strait Light Infantry Battalion still alive. The battalion helped to protect the north and also supply Australian forces throughout the Pacific from Thursday Island. Today he enjoys the fruits of a full life serving as a policeman on Stephen Island, a position he has held for thirty years.

Episode 4: Air Force Flight Sergeant Donald Taylor
A proud descendant of the Kalkadoon People from Mt Isa North-West Queensland, Sergeant Taylor left Julia Creek at the age of 19 in 1979 and enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), learning the trade of a Motor Transport Fitter at RAAF Base Wagga Wagga, New South Wales. He was posted to RAAF Amberley, among others, and deployed to the Middle East Area of Operations in 2009. Donald enjoys working with the Defence Indigenous Affairs Unit to promote Defence in Indigenous communities and educational initiatives.

Episode 5: Reginald Saunders
Uncle Reginald Saunders was the first Aboriginal commissioned officer. Having survived over a year on the run, hiding out on Crete during WWII and the famous battle of Kapyong during the Korean War, his daughter Dorothy Burton recounts his heroism and the man that she knew as her father.

Episode 6: Warrant Officer Gary Thompson
Gary Thompson was born in Barcaldine Central Western Queensland on 22 Nov 1951. On 18 June 1971, Thompson enlisted in the air force and became an Airfield Defence Guard. He served nearly 15 years as an ADG to the rank of Flight Sergeant and then remastered to a Warrant Officer Disciplinary, the Senior Airman of the Air Force and was the first Indigenous person to reach this level. He was discharged on 19 Dec 1991 after serving 20 years to provide a stable environment for his children's education and re-joined the Air Force in 1993.

Episode 7: Gary Oakley
The Australian War Memorials, Indigenous Liaison Officer, Gary Oakley, gives us an insight into the new exhibition on the ANZACS at the memorial and how important it has been to begin to include our Indigenous service men and women. An Vietnam veteran himself he gives us an insight in to the impact Indigenous people have made in the wars and how important it is to share our stories of contribution to the Wars.

Episode 8: Colin Watego
Colin is 3rd generation of his family involved in defence. Grandfather WW1, father WW2, and then Colin in the Timor Corps. Colin talks about his service of nearly 40 years and how he now recruits Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and women in to the forces.

Episode 9: Whistling Spear
Nathan Lovett-Murray comes from too family that have made an impact on the ANZAC legacy. In this episode he follows his Murray line to show the fighting spirit from his Grandfather Stewart Murray and how playing for the AFL ANZAC match meant the world to his family and the fighting spirit and legacy he represented when on the field..

Episode 10: Fighting Gunditjimara
The Lovett Family wraps up the ANZAC Day Special. Tune in to listen to the personal tale from Nathan Murray-Lovett about discovering his family's legacy. In south western Victoria, the Lovett clan are known as the "fighting Gunditjmara" - an epithet they earned in the mid-19th century resisting white settlement. In the 20th century, having lost their land, the Lovetts joined up to fight on behalf of those who had taken it. Four Lovett brothers enlisted in both world wars; 21 Lovetts in all served Australia abroad - in countries including Japan, Vietnam and Korea. The family's military record is believed to be unequalled in the Commonwealth. Less "

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Documentary about Australian Aboriginal Servicemen through all wars.

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Remembering Our Heroes Episode 1: James Canuto James Canuto spent 21 years in the army and now resides in the remote community of Yarrabah. He currently runs an aged care home which has previously been under control of the Council. Living there most of his life, he tells engaging stories about his service as a ranking Lieutenant Corporal.

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It is estimated that approximately 3000 Indigenous Australians served in the regular armed forces and possibly up to 150 in irregular units. Even now it is impossible to estimate how many Indigenous men and women enlisted to serve in World War II.

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22nd April 2015 Courier Mail

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Indigenous Soldiers Deserve Special Recognition

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Indigenous Soldiers Deserve Special Recognition

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27 May 2017  Courier Mail

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Connecting to prior knowledge

Prior to beginning the exploration of Alfred's War, discuss with the learners the importance of Acknowledgment of Country. Advice about constructing an Acknowledgement which is relevant to your context can be shared with the learners, and you can jointly construct an Acknowledgment that your class can use at appropriate times. If you have Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander learners, this also provides an opportunity to learn more about them and provide an inclusive learning space.

What might we already know about the ANZACs?

Alfred's War positions the reader as an observer, as readers look on to the lonely life of a World War I ex-serviceman as he wanders his country, remembering his fallen mates and doing his best to ignore the pain of a wartime injury. The reader comes to realise that this life is, for the most part, a consequence of the Australian Government's failure to recognise Aboriginal service men and women when they returned from active service. Before exploring the historical and personal aspects of this beautiful book, it is important to first explore what students have learned previously about the ANZACs and whether they have any personal stories of family members being in service. This collective knowledge will set the context for deeper learning about Alfred and other Aboriginal soldiers.
Brainstorm sort
Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

Prior to reading Alfred's War for the first time, find out what knowledge and experiences the students have by doing a brainstorm and then sorting the information shared into a class chart. Explain that you are going to be sharing a text about the ANZACs in World War I and you want to find out what everyone already knows about this topic. Organise students into pairs, providing each pair with strips of paper. Ask them to write any information they know about ANZACs and write one sentence per strip of paper. Remind them that all information is valuable, whether it is something they have learned at school or outside of school.

Once the pairs have exhausted their knowledge, ask them to cut the keywords, word groups or phrases from the sentences and sort them under the following headings:

Using butcher's paper, create a large chart for the classroom to record each pairs' contribution:

Once all contributions have been added to the table, lead a class discussion to reflect on what they collectively know and understand. Some useful questions might be:

Can someone summarise what has been said?

Would anyone like to respond to that?

Can you say more about that?

Can anyone give an example of that?

What else do we know?

Can you go a bit further?

Exploring the text in context of our community, school and 'me'

Who were the soldiers from our local community?

Some students may have already shared some of their family histories while others may have had no personal connection with enlisted men and women. Students will have varied experiences of what it means to remember those who have served and those who have fallen. One of the common ways we remember and indeed ensure we do not forget is by erecting memorials. The following activity will allow you to find the memorials in your local area. If you are able, it is suggested that you visit some of these. Otherwise, they can be accessed online.
Online research
Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

We are learning to use a website to explore our local community.

We will know we are successful when we can share at least three facts from our research.
(ACELY1712) (ACHASSI123) (EN3-3A) (HT3-5)

For this online search, you may like to follow an 'I do, we do, you do' structure for the lesson so you can model navigating the website.

Go to the RSL Virtual War Memorial.

Locate the 'memorials' horizontal menu bar then type in your location where it says 'Search by place'.

On the map, you will see symbols for any memorials nearby. If you click on a symbol, more information will appear to the right of the map. If you click on details, a drop down information window will appear, which includes an image, description of the memorial and information about its purpose and any inscriptions. It is important that you take some time to explore this before modelling with the students.

When you are ready to begin exploring, use some guiding questions:

How many memorials are there in our local area? (you may want to widen your search zone if you are in a regional location)

What kind of information is provided?

Which war does the memorial relate to?

What does the inscription say? What are the similarities and differences between the inscriptions?

How many people are listed?

What do you notice about the names?

What do you think the purpose of the memorial is?

Finally, to stretch the students thinking and pre-empt the book introduction, ask students:

What would it be like if we didn't remember?

To record students thinking around this topic, print out images of the memorials and have students annotate the images with their research. Alternatively, they can record digitally on tablets using an app such as bookmaker or on a PC using PowerPoint.

Walking the walk of an Aboriginal soldier

The Australian War Memorial has a series of Memorial Boxes which contain uniforms, equipment, artefacts and information about individual soldiers. Memorial Box 3 is specifically about the experience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and their contribution to Australia's defence services. For this activity, you will need to pre-order a Memorial Box from the museum from the list of museums around Australia who hold the Memorial Boxes. The Memorial Box website also includes resources such as videos which should be accessed in preparation for this activity. You may also access the biographies in the further resources section. There are five soldiers from World War I: Daniel Hodgekiss SA, Harry Murray QLD, Wiliam Rawlings Vic, Douglas Grant QLD/NSW and Richard Kirby NSW. Choose the one that is most relevant for your students.
Exploring Memorial Box 3
Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

We are learning to empathise with others.

We will know we are successful when we can describe the experiences of others from another time and place.(ACELY1709) (ACHASSI126) (EN3-8D) (HT3-2)

Sharing the Memorial Box
Share the Memorial Box by sitting in a circle and asking the leaders for the day to hand out the different artefacts. Give each student an opportunity to talk about what they think the artefact is and what it might have been used for. Encourage discussion by using questions such as:

Why do you think that?

Does anyone have any other ideas?

What would it feel like to be a soldier?

Read Aloud/Carousel activity
Choose at least one biography from those provided on the Memorial Box website. Explain that you will read aloud a biography of a soldier who fought during World War I.

Tell the students that while they are listening, you want them to think about three things that relate to soldiers: skills, conditions and mates. Pause and share inferences that you make from the text as a think-aloud - clarifying vocabulary as you go. At the end, write some of the key vocabulary on the whiteboard so it is visible to everyone. Divide students into three groups. Provide each group with a large sheet of paper. Each sheet should have a different heading: skills, conditions, mates. Each group brainstorms what they think about their topic for 5-10 minutes. At the end of this time, the sheets of paper are handed on in a clockwise direction so that each group receives the previous group's brainstorm. They then have another 5-10 minutes to read the ideas and add to them. Continue the same process so that everyone has a chance to contribute to each topic. This can also be done with the sheets of paper stuck on the wall in different parts of the learning space, and the groups of students move around to the different spaces. Choose whichever way best suits your context.

As a whole class, review the collaborative notes and orally summarise what has been recorded. Ask the question: When we think about the ANZACs, what do we remember about them? Allow students to turn and talk to a partner before opening this up to a discussion. Record responses in a class journal or anchor chart.

Rich assessment task

During these initial lessons, students have had the opportunity to connect to prior knowledge, to explore some of the memorials in their local community and consider the experiences of soldiers during World War I through hands-on learning. This assessment task is an opportunity for the students to reflect on their learning and decide what has been the most significant for them. In order to do this, they will record their thinking in their reading journal.

Reading Journal

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

Explain to students that for this next task, they can access their previous notes and any charts or summaries that have been made as a class.

In their reading journals, students record a 3-2-1 Reflection:

3 things that they have learnt.

2 questions they have.

1 thing that surprised them.

When students have completed their journals, ask them to add their questions to a Wonder Wall.

Responding to the text

Now that the students have had an opportunity to develop shared contextual knowledge and understanding, introduce to them the picture book, Alfred's War.

Making Predictions: What is Alfred's War about?

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

Divide students into small groups and give each group a photocopy of the front cover of Alfred's War. Ask students to think about what they have learned about the ANZACs and to consider what they see on the front cover. Ensure each group has a scribe and a reporter who will report back to the class. Provide each group with a retrieval chart to complete, like the one below.

What we predict

Our evidence (images, text, prior knowledge)

To ensure that all students can successfully engage with this task, use an 'I do, we do, you do' strategy by modelling how to complete the first row in the table. For example, the genre might be historical realism because there is a group of soldiers and a war scene in the background. Guide the class to complete the second row. You could then have half of the groups complete the third row and the rest complete the fourth row or everyone complete the remaining rows. Ensure that each group has a chance to share back and everyone's thinking is collated.

Read the text to the class and discuss what was as predicted and what surprised the students.

Exploring plot, character, setting and theme

Historical realism

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

Text 1: News Story

For this learning activity, your class will view a news item from SBS about the charge of the Light Horse Brigade at the Battle of Beersheba. To ensure all students can access the information in the video, lead the students through the below before, during and after viewing activities.
Before viewing
Keyword discussion - traffic lights.

Provide each student with a list of key vocabulary and the traffic light template (PDF, 169KB).

Key vocabulary: ancestor, spirit, Defence Act, Aboriginal Protection Act, armed forces, outbreak, answer the call, enlist, connivance, a pivotal role, troopers, second-class citizens, wreath.

Ask students to write each word into the appropriate column of the traffic light template (PDF, 169KB):

red - this word/phrase is new to me. I don't know what it means.

orange - I have heard/seen this word before but I don't know what it means.

green - I know this word and I can use it.

Once students have completed sorting their vocabulary, lead a discussion where students support each other to understand the vocabulary. For example, if one student has an unknown word, allow another student to explain what it means. Only step in if students need clarification or if there are words that none of the students know.
During viewing
Read Alfred's War again. Explain to students that they are going to compare Alfred's War to the story in the news video about the Battle of Beersheba. Allow them to take notes while viewing - pause the video on request.
After viewing
Jointly construct notes on the similarities between the two texts. Invite students to record the notes in their reading journals.

Theme and Visual Design

Often students need support to understand the difference between plot and theme. The plot is what the story is about - what happens. The theme is the significant message in the story. For this activity, students' understanding will be developed through the co-construction of anchor charts, and then the exploration of social distance and the use of colour to develop the themes of loss and exclusion in Alfred's War.
Plot/Theme Anchor Charts
Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

For this activity, you will need a large piece of chart paper and some coloured markers. Divide the chart paper into two columns and write 'plot' on one side and 'theme' on the other. Addressing the whole class, ask them what they think a plot is. Allow them to test their ideas with the student sitting next to them.

When questioning students for deeper understanding, it is important to avoid the Initiation-Response-Evaluation sequence as this will limit the amount of language students can produce. Rather choose questions that open up the conversation, allowing for clarification, repetition and lots of examples. The students need to be doing the thinking and talking. Some questions to support the process could be:

Who would like to share their initial idea of what a plot is?

Would anyone like to respond to that?

Would this answer apply to all stories or just Alfred's War?

Does anyone disagree with this idea? Does anyone have any more to add?

Can anyone give another example?

Who thinks they can summarise what a plot is?

What would be the best way to record our thinking on the anchor chart?

Repeat the same process for theme. You may like to ask questions which require the students to compare and contrast plot and theme.

By the end of this process, you should have an anchor chart which clearly defines plot and theme in the students' own language. Once you have completed this, ask: what are the themes of Alfred's War?
Visual Design: offers and demands/colour
Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

For this activity, you may need to introduce some meta-language relating to visual grammar, specifically the way in which the reader interacts with the characters in the text.

When a character is drawn front on, directly facing towards the reader, with their gaze seeming to meet the gaze of the reader, this is known as a 'demand'. It is called a 'demand' because the character is demanding the attention of the reader and there is direct interaction between the reader and the character. Close-up and extreme close-ups of characters' faces intensify this relationship.

However, when a character's gaze is averted, that is, has his or her eyes looking away from the reader, this is known as an 'offer'. In this case, the reader is invited to observe a scene as an invisible onlooker. The reader is not involved but in some way bears witness to the events.

In Alfred's War, all of the images are offers. The reader looks on into Alfred's lonely life as gradually the reasons behind the loneliness are revealed. The only image which comes close to a demand is on the front cover when Alfred is sitting amongst his soldier mates. His gaze is not direct but slightly averted, almost as if he is looking over the shoulder of the reader. In this image, Alfred is equal to the others, has a sense of belonging and a clear purpose in life. In the other images, all of this has been stripped away. Particularly poignant is the image where Alfred walks along a path towards the reader, walking on despite the pain in his 'gammy leg'. Even though he is fully facing the reader, his gaze is covered with his hat pulled down over his eyes. One interpretation of this particular aspect of visual design could be that Alfred has chosen to disengage as a result of how he has been treated. He has not received the same rights and recognition as the non-Aboriginal soldiers; he has been excluded from society and so he has disengaged with human contact.

To make this point to the students, use a power point showing a range of images and discuss together. Once students are confident, pair them up to examine the use of offers and demands in Alfred's War. Some suggested questions to support their inquiry are:

What kind of interaction occurs between the reader and Alfred? Explain using the terms 'offer' or 'demand'.

Why do you think the illustrator has chosen to draw Alfred in this way?

What is the impact of this interaction on the themes of exclusion and lonliness?

Colour
Colour has an impact on the mood of a narrative. The meanings that colour can evoke are culturally bound and so differ across cultures. Provide the students with a colour chart and discuss the meanings often associated with colour in Western culture and then explore whether students have similar or differing ideas about colour.

The predominant colours in Alfred's War are blue and grey. These colours impact on the mood of the story, once again enhancing the themes of exclusion and loneliness. Divide students into small groups, and with a colour chart and one or two pages from Alfred's War, ask them to record what colours are used and how the colour helps to communicate the theme of the story.

Rich assessment task

Responding personally using complex sentences

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

We are learning to use complex sentences to respond personally to a text.

We will know that we are successful when we can express our feelings about a text using complex sentences.
(ACELA1522) (EN3-6B)

To prepare students for this task, ask them to think-pair-share what emotions they felt when reading Alfred's War. Students should be specific about how their emotions changed in relation to different parts of the story.

Record students responses on the whiteboard in note form, for example:

sleeping on the bench - sad

not being welcome in town - angry

Model how to create a complex sentence using the event from the story, the students' emotional response to it, and then a conjunction. For example:

I felt sad when Alfred was sleeping on the bench.

I felt angry because Alfred was not welcome in the towns.

Show the students how the clauses can be reversed for effect, putting the emphasis on the event in the narrative:

When Alfred was sleeping on the bench, I felt sad.

Because Alfred was not welcome in the towns, I felt angry.

Note that when the conjunction comes at the beginning of the sentence, there is a comma after the first clause.

Provide a few more conjunctions: due to, while, as a result of, as, as long as, even though.

Work with the students to brainstorm a list of affect adjectives. Students may want to research online or look up synonyms. Allow them to practice writing complex sentences on strips of card, using conjunctions and adjectives. Ask students to choose their favourite sentences and display them on the wall.

Responding to one part of the book, jointly construct a paragraph with the students. Once students are confident, ask them to write one or two paragraphs in their reading journals about how they feel about the book, Alfred's War. Make it explicit that you will be looking for their ability to respond emotionally to the text using affect adjectives and conjunctions to make complex sentences.

Examining text structure and organisation

Flashback plot structure

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

In this activity, students will be exploring the flashback structure in Alfred's War. By Year 6, most students will be familiar with the orientation ► complication ► resolution narrative structure. Begin this activity by asking students to think-pair-share what they know about narrative structure. Explain that they are going to learn about a different way to structure a narrative.

You will need a large space either outside or in a gym. Construct two parallel lines about 3 metres long and 1 metre apart. Either draw the lines with chalk or use masking tape. Print two copies of the key events in Alfred's War template (PDF, 184KB). These can be laminated or printed on card. Cut out the different events so each is on a separate card and mix them up. You will also need three different coloured dot stickers.

Place the heading 'Sequence of Alfred's life' above one of the lines. Divide the class into pairs and give at least one card to each pair. Explain that they need to place the cards on the line in the order of Alfred's life from when he was youngest to oldest. Stand back and allow the students to work this out. Once they are sure they have the cards in sequence, clarify any misunderstandings, then use a marker to number each card from 1 to 13.

Above the second line, place the heading 'Sequence of Alfred's War'. Hand out the second set of cards. This time you will read the story aloud while students place the cards as the events occur in the book. Pause after each key event so the students have thinking time. Once all of the cards are placed on the timeline, number the cards then colour code the events according to what happened before, during and after the war. Ask the students to think about why the story is sequenced differently to Alfred's life. Explain that a flashback is when a story takes the reader back to a previous time. Ask students to identify which events in Alfred's War are flashbacks.

As a class discuss why the author has chosen to use this structure. How does it help the reader to understand Alfred? How does it help the reader to understand the injustice that happened to Aboriginal soldiers?

Students need to understand that the structure works to help the reader understand how the old man portrayed at the beginning of the book came to be all alone, walking the countryside. By beginning the narrative with Alfred's life after the war, the reader feels sad and wonders why this man is all alone and living outside. It provokes curiosity and interest in what happened before in this man's life.

Take a photo of the timelines and print a copy for each student. In their reading journals, invite students to annotate the photo, summarising what they have learned through creating the timelines.

Examining grammar and vocabulary
Using sentences for effect
Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

Authors use a range of sentence structures for effect. In this next activity, students will examine the sentences in Alfred's War to indicate which are complex, which are simple and which are sentence fragments. Prior to beginning, students may need to revise sentence structures. This is a brief summary of the different types:

Sentence fragment: a grammatically incomplete sentence which doesn't contain a verb.

Simple sentence: one clause with one verb.

Compound sentence: two or more clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction e.g. and, but, so, yet. Each clause has a verb.

Complex sentence: a sentence with two or more clauses, each with a verb, joined by a subordinating conjunction, a non-finite verb or a relative pronoun.

The table below provides an analysis of the some of the sentences in Alfred's War. Each verb group is highlighted in green to support the analysis. Construct a table like this with the students. Decide how much of the table you will have filled in and how much you will co-construct, depending on the students' needs. This activity requires some direct teaching, as you guide students' thinking when analysing each sentence. When you feel confident that students understand how to recognise a sentence type, you may ask them to work on some sentences in pairs and then independently, coming back to the whole group to share and discuss.

Alfred George lived outside.

Simple

A limited amount of information provided to the reader. Visuals support the information and provide more detail.

On benches.

Fragment

A circumstance of place providing more information about where Alfred sleeps. Used to pace the narrative, slowly revealing information about Alfred.

Always under the stars.

Fragment

As above. The word 'always' emphasises the fact that Alfred sleeps outside.

Sometimes Alfred rolled up his bedding and walked from town to town looking for work.

Complex

Two clauses joined by 'and'. The last clause joined with a non-finite verb looking. 'Sometimes' indicates a change in events and these are elaborated on with a complex sentence.

Always with his hat on, his billy tied to his swag and holes in the soles of his shoes.

Fragment

The subject of this fragment is Alfred and he is not mentioned. This fragment provides more information about the previous sentence. It is a circumstance which tells how Alfred walks from town to town.

At night, Alfred camped on the outskirts of town.

Simple

Slowly revealing more information. 'At night' indicates a change in time.

There were many places Aboriginal people weren't allowed to go.

Simple

Revealing two facts: 1. Albert is Aboriginal, 2. There were different laws for Aboriginal people.

That's [how life was in those days.]

Complex

The second clause is embedded. Once again, a statement of fact. This is not something Alfred was choosing.

Alfred had grown up on a mission and, when he was old enough, he set off to find work.

Complex

The perfect past tense indicates that the narrative is going back to a previous time period. The sentence is longer, containing an interrupting clause as it is providing more descriptive information about Alfred's life as a younger man.

He worked as a gardener and a labourer, and mustered cattle on stations a long way from home.

Compound

Lists the jobs that Alfred had. Compound sentences are useful for providing lists of things.

One day, Alfred wrote a letter to his family, telling them he had signed up for adventure and travel.

Complex

This sentence has three clauses, the second is non-finite, the third is projected (the word 'that' is omitted). 'One day' at the beginning of the sentence indicates a change in events. The complex sentence reveals Alfred's thinking and provides reasons not just facts.

Most of the remaining text uses compound and complex sentences as it describes Alfred's experiences of war and his experiences upon returning to Australia. The final sentence stands alone. The writer once again chooses a simple sentence to state a simple fact: He was one of the forgotten soldiers.

While we often teach students to write more complex sentences to express their ideas across the curriculum, it is important that they begin to recognise the author's craft in pacing the story and making significant points of historical fact through careful choice of sentence structure.

After class discussion and completion of the sentence table, ask the students to choose two or three of the sentences and write a short reflection in their reading journals about Rachel Bin Salleh's choice of sentence structure in Alfred's War.

Rich assessment task

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

We are learning how to analyse and annotate a text.

We will know we are successful when we can suggest reasons for an author's choices.

For this activity, the learners will have an opportunity to read other picture books about ANZAC Day. There are many texts available, although Aboriginal veterans are generally under represented. You may wish to point this out to the learners, or you may wait to see if they notice this themselves. Either way, it is an important point for discussion and an opportunity to debate why this is the case.

Using a picture book about ANZACs of their choice, ask students to photograph some pages from the book (the amount may vary depending on the ability level of the student). Using the app Explain Everything, students highlight aspects relating to narrative structure and/or sentence structure. Students can write their interpretations or record their oral interpretations.

Creating a multimodal narrative within the genre of Historical Realism.

In this final part of the study of Alfred's War, students will take what they have learned in the previous lessons and put it together to create a digital narrative. They will develop a flashback plot, illustrate their character using offers or demands and write a brief story using simple compound and complex sentences. They will compose this using Storyboard That. It is important that you take the time to become familiar with this software before introducing it to students.
(ACELT1618) (EN3-2A)

Inquiry and note-taking

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

For this task, you will need to access the biographies of World War I soldiers on the Memorial Box website.

Students choose one soldier to create a narrative about. They read the biography and take notes about their life using the flashback plot proforma (PDF, 177KB). Students only need to record two to three points for each time period, as they will be creating a short storyboard of up to ten frames. Once students have written their notes, they can write them into a draft storyboard (PDF, 111KB) in the bottom row. The first blank row is for information about images which they will complete in the next activity.

Creating characters

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

Using their storyboard template, students make notes about what will be included in each image. They need to decide whether the image will be a long shot or a close-up, whether it will be an offer or a demand. Students will also need to decide what colours they will use.

As students will need to develop an image of their character to upload into Storyboard That, drawing tutorials on YouTube may be useful. Once students are comfortable, have them draw their character in both a close-up and a long shot, using both demands and offers to interact with the reader.

Composing the Narrative

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

As students will be writing short captions to go with their storyboard, the criteria will be very specific. Students will need to use:

the flashback plot structure,

simple, compound and complex sentences for effect,

time phrases or clauses at the beginning of each stage in the story to indicate a new time period,

correct spelling and punctuation.

To differentiate, provide appropriate support for students, particularly those students who are not yet proficient in Standard Australian English.

Rich Assessment Task

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

Students will need time to get their storyboards ready for sharing. The final assessment task is for students to share their stories with small groups and/or the whole class and reflect on their choices as authors. Some questions to guide their reflection could be:

Do they think their stories are effective?

Which aspects of the story, visuals and language choices worked the best?

Why do they think so?

Which aspect of creating the storyboard did they enjoy the most? Why?

What have they learned from this process?

What else would they like to learn about?

Ensure you make it clear how you want the storyboards to be presented and make clear the expectation for a formal presentation style. You may need to model this and create anchor charts with the class for formal presentation and informal presentation so that the expectations are explicit.

You could also provide students with criteria sheets so they can provide peer feedback.

The author and illustrator
Rachael Bin Salleh as a publisher
Samantha Fry Battle at Beersheba resources Indigenous soldiers at Beersheba
SBS video: The Indigenous soldiers of The Lighthouse Brigade
Australian War Memorial resources
Memorial Boxes: This Memorial Box explores the unique wartime experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and their significant contribution to Australia's defence.

Personal stories: There are several case studies. Each contains a personal story, as well as suggested activities for research and classroom discussion, and relates to the hands-on objects you will find inside your Memorial Box.
Apps Explain Everything
Digital Storytelling software
Links to other picture books featuring ANZACs
Brisbane Kids website

The Book Chook website
YouTube Drawing tutorials Teacher References
Callow, J. 2013, The Shape of Text to come, PETAA, Newtown, NSW

Cameron, S. 2009, Teaching Reading Comprehension Strategies: a practical classroom guide, Pearson, New Zealand

Derewianka, B. 2011, A new Grammar Companion for Teachers, PETAA, Newtown, NSW

Edwards-Groves, C. Anstey, M & Bull, G. 2014, Classroom Talk, Understanding dialogue, pedagogy and practice, PETAA, Newtown, NSW

Edwards-Groves, C and Davidson, C 2017, Becoming a Meaning Maker, talk and interaction in the dialogic classroom, PETAA, Newtown, NSW

Exley, B; Kervin, L and Mantei, J. 2015 Exploring Grammar in the Primary Years Learning About Language in the Australian Curriculum: English ALEA SA

McDonald, L. 2013, A literature Companion for Teachers, PETAA, Newtown, NSW

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Prior to beginning the exploration of Alfred's War, discuss with the learners the importance of Acknowledgment of Country. Advice about constructing an Acknowledgement which is relevant to your context can be shared with the learners, and you can jointly construct an Acknowledgment that your class can use at appropriate times.

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Connecting to prior knowledge

Prior to beginning the exploration of Alfred's War, discuss with the learners the importance of Acknowledgment of Country. Advice about constructing an Acknowledgement which is relevant to your context can be shared with the learners, and you can jointly construct an Acknowledgment that your class can use at appropriate times. If you have Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander learners, this also provides an opportunity to learn more about them and provide an inclusive learning space.

What might we already know about the ANZACs?

Alfred's War positions the reader as an observer, as readers look on to the lonely life of a World War I ex-serviceman as he wanders his country, remembering his fallen mates and doing his best to ignore the pain of a wartime injury. The reader comes to realise that this life is, for the most part, a consequence of the Australian Government's failure to recognise Aboriginal service men and women when they returned from active service. Before exploring the historical and personal aspects of this beautiful book, it is important to first explore what students have learned previously about the ANZACs and whether they have any personal stories of family members being in service. This collective knowledge will set the context for deeper learning about Alfred and other Aboriginal soldiers.
Brainstorm sort
Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

Prior to reading Alfred's War for the first time, find out what knowledge and experiences the students have by doing a brainstorm and then sorting the information shared into a class chart. Explain that you are going to be sharing a text about the ANZACs in World War I and you want to find out what everyone already knows about this topic. Organise students into pairs, providing each pair with strips of paper. Ask them to write any information they know about ANZACs and write one sentence per strip of paper. Remind them that all information is valuable, whether it is something they have learned at school or outside of school.

Once the pairs have exhausted their knowledge, ask them to cut the keywords, word groups or phrases from the sentences and sort them under the following headings:

Using butcher's paper, create a large chart for the classroom to record each pairs' contribution:

Once all contributions have been added to the table, lead a class discussion to reflect on what they collectively know and understand. Some useful questions might be:

Can someone summarise what has been said?

Would anyone like to respond to that?

Can you say more about that?

Can anyone give an example of that?

What else do we know?

Can you go a bit further?

Exploring the text in context of our community, school and 'me'

Who were the soldiers from our local community?

Some students may have already shared some of their family histories while others may have had no personal connection with enlisted men and women. Students will have varied experiences of what it means to remember those who have served and those who have fallen. One of the common ways we remember and indeed ensure we do not forget is by erecting memorials. The following activity will allow you to find the memorials in your local area. If you are able, it is suggested that you visit some of these. Otherwise, they can be accessed online.
Online research
Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

We are learning to use a website to explore our local community.

We will know we are successful when we can share at least three facts from our research.
(ACELY1712) (ACHASSI123) (EN3-3A) (HT3-5)

For this online search, you may like to follow an 'I do, we do, you do' structure for the lesson so you can model navigating the website.

Go to the RSL Virtual War Memorial.

Locate the 'memorials' horizontal menu bar then type in your location where it says 'Search by place'.

On the map, you will see symbols for any memorials nearby. If you click on a symbol, more information will appear to the right of the map. If you click on details, a drop down information window will appear, which includes an image, description of the memorial and information about its purpose and any inscriptions. It is important that you take some time to explore this before modelling with the students.

When you are ready to begin exploring, use some guiding questions:

How many memorials are there in our local area? (you may want to widen your search zone if you are in a regional location)

What kind of information is provided?

Which war does the memorial relate to?

What does the inscription say? What are the similarities and differences between the inscriptions?

How many people are listed?

What do you notice about the names?

What do you think the purpose of the memorial is?

Finally, to stretch the students thinking and pre-empt the book introduction, ask students:

What would it be like if we didn't remember?

To record students thinking around this topic, print out images of the memorials and have students annotate the images with their research. Alternatively, they can record digitally on tablets using an app such as bookmaker or on a PC using PowerPoint.

Walking the walk of an Aboriginal soldier

The Australian War Memorial has a series of Memorial Boxes which contain uniforms, equipment, artefacts and information about individual soldiers. Memorial Box 3 is specifically about the experience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and their contribution to Australia's defence services. For this activity, you will need to pre-order a Memorial Box from the museum from the list of museums around Australia who hold the Memorial Boxes. The Memorial Box website also includes resources such as videos which should be accessed in preparation for this activity. You may also access the biographies in the further resources section. There are five soldiers from World War I: Daniel Hodgekiss SA, Harry Murray QLD, Wiliam Rawlings Vic, Douglas Grant QLD/NSW and Richard Kirby NSW. Choose the one that is most relevant for your students.
Exploring Memorial Box 3
Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

We are learning to empathise with others.

We will know we are successful when we can describe the experiences of others from another time and place.(ACELY1709) (ACHASSI126) (EN3-8D) (HT3-2)

Sharing the Memorial Box
Share the Memorial Box by sitting in a circle and asking the leaders for the day to hand out the different artefacts. Give each student an opportunity to talk about what they think the artefact is and what it might have been used for. Encourage discussion by using questions such as:

Why do you think that?

Does anyone have any other ideas?

What would it feel like to be a soldier?

Read Aloud/Carousel activity
Choose at least one biography from those provided on the Memorial Box website. Explain that you will read aloud a biography of a soldier who fought during World War I.

Tell the students that while they are listening, you want them to think about three things that relate to soldiers: skills, conditions and mates. Pause and share inferences that you make from the text as a think-aloud - clarifying vocabulary as you go. At the end, write some of the key vocabulary on the whiteboard so it is visible to everyone. Divide students into three groups. Provide each group with a large sheet of paper. Each sheet should have a different heading: skills, conditions, mates. Each group brainstorms what they think about their topic for 5-10 minutes. At the end of this time, the sheets of paper are handed on in a clockwise direction so that each group receives the previous group's brainstorm. They then have another 5-10 minutes to read the ideas and add to them. Continue the same process so that everyone has a chance to contribute to each topic. This can also be done with the sheets of paper stuck on the wall in different parts of the learning space, and the groups of students move around to the different spaces. Choose whichever way best suits your context.

As a whole class, review the collaborative notes and orally summarise what has been recorded. Ask the question: When we think about the ANZACs, what do we remember about them? Allow students to turn and talk to a partner before opening this up to a discussion. Record responses in a class journal or anchor chart.

Rich assessment task

During these initial lessons, students have had the opportunity to connect to prior knowledge, to explore some of the memorials in their local community and consider the experiences of soldiers during World War I through hands-on learning. This assessment task is an opportunity for the students to reflect on their learning and decide what has been the most significant for them. In order to do this, they will record their thinking in their reading journal.

Reading Journal

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

Explain to students that for this next task, they can access their previous notes and any charts or summaries that have been made as a class.

In their reading journals, students record a 3-2-1 Reflection:

3 things that they have learnt.

2 questions they have.

1 thing that surprised them.

When students have completed their journals, ask them to add their questions to a Wonder Wall.

Responding to the text

Now that the students have had an opportunity to develop shared contextual knowledge and understanding, introduce to them the picture book, Alfred's War.

Making Predictions: What is Alfred's War about?

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

Divide students into small groups and give each group a photocopy of the front cover of Alfred's War. Ask students to think about what they have learned about the ANZACs and to consider what they see on the front cover. Ensure each group has a scribe and a reporter who will report back to the class. Provide each group with a retrieval chart to complete, like the one below.

What we predict

Our evidence (images, text, prior knowledge)

To ensure that all students can successfully engage with this task, use an 'I do, we do, you do' strategy by modelling how to complete the first row in the table. For example, the genre might be historical realism because there is a group of soldiers and a war scene in the background. Guide the class to complete the second row. You could then have half of the groups complete the third row and the rest complete the fourth row or everyone complete the remaining rows. Ensure that each group has a chance to share back and everyone's thinking is collated.

Read the text to the class and discuss what was as predicted and what surprised the students.

Exploring plot, character, setting and theme

Historical realism

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

Text 1: News Story

For this learning activity, your class will view a news item from SBS about the charge of the Light Horse Brigade at the Battle of Beersheba. To ensure all students can access the information in the video, lead the students through the below before, during and after viewing activities.
Before viewing
Keyword discussion - traffic lights.

Provide each student with a list of key vocabulary and the traffic light template (PDF, 169KB).

Key vocabulary: ancestor, spirit, Defence Act, Aboriginal Protection Act, armed forces, outbreak, answer the call, enlist, connivance, a pivotal role, troopers, second-class citizens, wreath.

Ask students to write each word into the appropriate column of the traffic light template (PDF, 169KB):

red - this word/phrase is new to me. I don't know what it means.

orange - I have heard/seen this word before but I don't know what it means.

green - I know this word and I can use it.

Once students have completed sorting their vocabulary, lead a discussion where students support each other to understand the vocabulary. For example, if one student has an unknown word, allow another student to explain what it means. Only step in if students need clarification or if there are words that none of the students know.
During viewing
Read Alfred's War again. Explain to students that they are going to compare Alfred's War to the story in the news video about the Battle of Beersheba. Allow them to take notes while viewing - pause the video on request.
After viewing
Jointly construct notes on the similarities between the two texts. Invite students to record the notes in their reading journals.

Theme and Visual Design

Often students need support to understand the difference between plot and theme. The plot is what the story is about - what happens. The theme is the significant message in the story. For this activity, students' understanding will be developed through the co-construction of anchor charts, and then the exploration of social distance and the use of colour to develop the themes of loss and exclusion in Alfred's War.
Plot/Theme Anchor Charts
Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

For this activity, you will need a large piece of chart paper and some coloured markers. Divide the chart paper into two columns and write 'plot' on one side and 'theme' on the other. Addressing the whole class, ask them what they think a plot is. Allow them to test their ideas with the student sitting next to them.

When questioning students for deeper understanding, it is important to avoid the Initiation-Response-Evaluation sequence as this will limit the amount of language students can produce. Rather choose questions that open up the conversation, allowing for clarification, repetition and lots of examples. The students need to be doing the thinking and talking. Some questions to support the process could be:

Who would like to share their initial idea of what a plot is?

Would anyone like to respond to that?

Would this answer apply to all stories or just Alfred's War?

Does anyone disagree with this idea? Does anyone have any more to add?

Can anyone give another example?

Who thinks they can summarise what a plot is?

What would be the best way to record our thinking on the anchor chart?

Repeat the same process for theme. You may like to ask questions which require the students to compare and contrast plot and theme.

By the end of this process, you should have an anchor chart which clearly defines plot and theme in the students' own language. Once you have completed this, ask: what are the themes of Alfred's War?
Visual Design: offers and demands/colour
Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

For this activity, you may need to introduce some meta-language relating to visual grammar, specifically the way in which the reader interacts with the characters in the text.

When a character is drawn front on, directly facing towards the reader, with their gaze seeming to meet the gaze of the reader, this is known as a 'demand'. It is called a 'demand' because the character is demanding the attention of the reader and there is direct interaction between the reader and the character. Close-up and extreme close-ups of characters' faces intensify this relationship.

However, when a character's gaze is averted, that is, has his or her eyes looking away from the reader, this is known as an 'offer'. In this case, the reader is invited to observe a scene as an invisible onlooker. The reader is not involved but in some way bears witness to the events.

In Alfred's War, all of the images are offers. The reader looks on into Alfred's lonely life as gradually the reasons behind the loneliness are revealed. The only image which comes close to a demand is on the front cover when Alfred is sitting amongst his soldier mates. His gaze is not direct but slightly averted, almost as if he is looking over the shoulder of the reader. In this image, Alfred is equal to the others, has a sense of belonging and a clear purpose in life. In the other images, all of this has been stripped away. Particularly poignant is the image where Alfred walks along a path towards the reader, walking on despite the pain in his 'gammy leg'. Even though he is fully facing the reader, his gaze is covered with his hat pulled down over his eyes. One interpretation of this particular aspect of visual design could be that Alfred has chosen to disengage as a result of how he has been treated. He has not received the same rights and recognition as the non-Aboriginal soldiers; he has been excluded from society and so he has disengaged with human contact.

To make this point to the students, use a power point showing a range of images and discuss together. Once students are confident, pair them up to examine the use of offers and demands in Alfred's War. Some suggested questions to support their inquiry are:

What kind of interaction occurs between the reader and Alfred? Explain using the terms 'offer' or 'demand'.

Why do you think the illustrator has chosen to draw Alfred in this way?

What is the impact of this interaction on the themes of exclusion and lonliness?

Colour
Colour has an impact on the mood of a narrative. The meanings that colour can evoke are culturally bound and so differ across cultures. Provide the students with a colour chart and discuss the meanings often associated with colour in Western culture and then explore whether students have similar or differing ideas about colour.

The predominant colours in Alfred's War are blue and grey. These colours impact on the mood of the story, once again enhancing the themes of exclusion and loneliness. Divide students into small groups, and with a colour chart and one or two pages from Alfred's War, ask them to record what colours are used and how the colour helps to communicate the theme of the story.

Rich assessment task

Responding personally using complex sentences

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

We are learning to use complex sentences to respond personally to a text.

We will know that we are successful when we can express our feelings about a text using complex sentences.
(ACELA1522) (EN3-6B)

To prepare students for this task, ask them to think-pair-share what emotions they felt when reading Alfred's War. Students should be specific about how their emotions changed in relation to different parts of the story.

Record students responses on the whiteboard in note form, for example:

sleeping on the bench - sad

not being welcome in town - angry

Model how to create a complex sentence using the event from the story, the students' emotional response to it, and then a conjunction. For example:

I felt sad when Alfred was sleeping on the bench.

I felt angry because Alfred was not welcome in the towns.

Show the students how the clauses can be reversed for effect, putting the emphasis on the event in the narrative:

When Alfred was sleeping on the bench, I felt sad.

Because Alfred was not welcome in the towns, I felt angry.

Note that when the conjunction comes at the beginning of the sentence, there is a comma after the first clause.

Provide a few more conjunctions: due to, while, as a result of, as, as long as, even though.

Work with the students to brainstorm a list of affect adjectives. Students may want to research online or look up synonyms. Allow them to practice writing complex sentences on strips of card, using conjunctions and adjectives. Ask students to choose their favourite sentences and display them on the wall.

Responding to one part of the book, jointly construct a paragraph with the students. Once students are confident, ask them to write one or two paragraphs in their reading journals about how they feel about the book, Alfred's War. Make it explicit that you will be looking for their ability to respond emotionally to the text using affect adjectives and conjunctions to make complex sentences.

Examining text structure and organisation

Flashback plot structure

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

In this activity, students will be exploring the flashback structure in Alfred's War. By Year 6, most students will be familiar with the orientation ► complication ► resolution narrative structure. Begin this activity by asking students to think-pair-share what they know about narrative structure. Explain that they are going to learn about a different way to structure a narrative.

You will need a large space either outside or in a gym. Construct two parallel lines about 3 metres long and 1 metre apart. Either draw the lines with chalk or use masking tape. Print two copies of the key events in Alfred's War template (PDF, 184KB). These can be laminated or printed on card. Cut out the different events so each is on a separate card and mix them up. You will also need three different coloured dot stickers.

Place the heading 'Sequence of Alfred's life' above one of the lines. Divide the class into pairs and give at least one card to each pair. Explain that they need to place the cards on the line in the order of Alfred's life from when he was youngest to oldest. Stand back and allow the students to work this out. Once they are sure they have the cards in sequence, clarify any misunderstandings, then use a marker to number each card from 1 to 13.

Above the second line, place the heading 'Sequence of Alfred's War'. Hand out the second set of cards. This time you will read the story aloud while students place the cards as the events occur in the book. Pause after each key event so the students have thinking time. Once all of the cards are placed on the timeline, number the cards then colour code the events according to what happened before, during and after the war. Ask the students to think about why the story is sequenced differently to Alfred's life. Explain that a flashback is when a story takes the reader back to a previous time. Ask students to identify which events in Alfred's War are flashbacks.

As a class discuss why the author has chosen to use this structure. How does it help the reader to understand Alfred? How does it help the reader to understand the injustice that happened to Aboriginal soldiers?

Students need to understand that the structure works to help the reader understand how the old man portrayed at the beginning of the book came to be all alone, walking the countryside. By beginning the narrative with Alfred's life after the war, the reader feels sad and wonders why this man is all alone and living outside. It provokes curiosity and interest in what happened before in this man's life.

Take a photo of the timelines and print a copy for each student. In their reading journals, invite students to annotate the photo, summarising what they have learned through creating the timelines.

Examining grammar and vocabulary
Using sentences for effect
Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

Authors use a range of sentence structures for effect. In this next activity, students will examine the sentences in Alfred's War to indicate which are complex, which are simple and which are sentence fragments. Prior to beginning, students may need to revise sentence structures. This is a brief summary of the different types:

Sentence fragment: a grammatically incomplete sentence which doesn't contain a verb.

Simple sentence: one clause with one verb.

Compound sentence: two or more clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction e.g. and, but, so, yet. Each clause has a verb.

Complex sentence: a sentence with two or more clauses, each with a verb, joined by a subordinating conjunction, a non-finite verb or a relative pronoun.

The table below provides an analysis of the some of the sentences in Alfred's War. Each verb group is highlighted in green to support the analysis. Construct a table like this with the students. Decide how much of the table you will have filled in and how much you will co-construct, depending on the students' needs. This activity requires some direct teaching, as you guide students' thinking when analysing each sentence. When you feel confident that students understand how to recognise a sentence type, you may ask them to work on some sentences in pairs and then independently, coming back to the whole group to share and discuss.

Alfred George lived outside.

Simple

A limited amount of information provided to the reader. Visuals support the information and provide more detail.

On benches.

Fragment

A circumstance of place providing more information about where Alfred sleeps. Used to pace the narrative, slowly revealing information about Alfred.

Always under the stars.

Fragment

As above. The word 'always' emphasises the fact that Alfred sleeps outside.

Sometimes Alfred rolled up his bedding and walked from town to town looking for work.

Complex

Two clauses joined by 'and'. The last clause joined with a non-finite verb looking. 'Sometimes' indicates a change in events and these are elaborated on with a complex sentence.

Always with his hat on, his billy tied to his swag and holes in the soles of his shoes.

Fragment

The subject of this fragment is Alfred and he is not mentioned. This fragment provides more information about the previous sentence. It is a circumstance which tells how Alfred walks from town to town.

At night, Alfred camped on the outskirts of town.

Simple

Slowly revealing more information. 'At night' indicates a change in time.

There were many places Aboriginal people weren't allowed to go.

Simple

Revealing two facts: 1. Albert is Aboriginal, 2. There were different laws for Aboriginal people.

That's [how life was in those days.]

Complex

The second clause is embedded. Once again, a statement of fact. This is not something Alfred was choosing.

Alfred had grown up on a mission and, when he was old enough, he set off to find work.

Complex

The perfect past tense indicates that the narrative is going back to a previous time period. The sentence is longer, containing an interrupting clause as it is providing more descriptive information about Alfred's life as a younger man.

He worked as a gardener and a labourer, and mustered cattle on stations a long way from home.

Compound

Lists the jobs that Alfred had. Compound sentences are useful for providing lists of things.

One day, Alfred wrote a letter to his family, telling them he had signed up for adventure and travel.

Complex

This sentence has three clauses, the second is non-finite, the third is projected (the word 'that' is omitted). 'One day' at the beginning of the sentence indicates a change in events. The complex sentence reveals Alfred's thinking and provides reasons not just facts.

Most of the remaining text uses compound and complex sentences as it describes Alfred's experiences of war and his experiences upon returning to Australia. The final sentence stands alone. The writer once again chooses a simple sentence to state a simple fact: He was one of the forgotten soldiers.

While we often teach students to write more complex sentences to express their ideas across the curriculum, it is important that they begin to recognise the author's craft in pacing the story and making significant points of historical fact through careful choice of sentence structure.

After class discussion and completion of the sentence table, ask the students to choose two or three of the sentences and write a short reflection in their reading journals about Rachel Bin Salleh's choice of sentence structure in Alfred's War.

Rich assessment task

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

We are learning how to analyse and annotate a text.

We will know we are successful when we can suggest reasons for an author's choices.

For this activity, the learners will have an opportunity to read other picture books about ANZAC Day. There are many texts available, although Aboriginal veterans are generally under represented. You may wish to point this out to the learners, or you may wait to see if they notice this themselves. Either way, it is an important point for discussion and an opportunity to debate why this is the case.

Using a picture book about ANZACs of their choice, ask students to photograph some pages from the book (the amount may vary depending on the ability level of the student). Using the app Explain Everything, students highlight aspects relating to narrative structure and/or sentence structure. Students can write their interpretations or record their oral interpretations.

Creating a multimodal narrative within the genre of Historical Realism.

In this final part of the study of Alfred's War, students will take what they have learned in the previous lessons and put it together to create a digital narrative. They will develop a flashback plot, illustrate their character using offers or demands and write a brief story using simple compound and complex sentences. They will compose this using Storyboard That. It is important that you take the time to become familiar with this software before introducing it to students.
(ACELT1618) (EN3-2A)

Inquiry and note-taking

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

For this task, you will need to access the biographies of World War I soldiers on the Memorial Box website.

Students choose one soldier to create a narrative about. They read the biography and take notes about their life using the flashback plot proforma (PDF, 177KB). Students only need to record two to three points for each time period, as they will be creating a short storyboard of up to ten frames. Once students have written their notes, they can write them into a draft storyboard (PDF, 111KB) in the bottom row. The first blank row is for information about images which they will complete in the next activity.

Creating characters

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

Using their storyboard template, students make notes about what will be included in each image. They need to decide whether the image will be a long shot or a close-up, whether it will be an offer or a demand. Students will also need to decide what colours they will use.

As students will need to develop an image of their character to upload into Storyboard That, drawing tutorials on YouTube may be useful. Once students are comfortable, have them draw their character in both a close-up and a long shot, using both demands and offers to interact with the reader.

Composing the Narrative

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

As students will be writing short captions to go with their storyboard, the criteria will be very specific. Students will need to use:

the flashback plot structure,

simple, compound and complex sentences for effect,

time phrases or clauses at the beginning of each stage in the story to indicate a new time period,

correct spelling and punctuation.

To differentiate, provide appropriate support for students, particularly those students who are not yet proficient in Standard Australian English.

Rich Assessment Task

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

Students will need time to get their storyboards ready for sharing. The final assessment task is for students to share their stories with small groups and/or the whole class and reflect on their choices as authors. Some questions to guide their reflection could be:

Do they think their stories are effective?

Which aspects of the story, visuals and language choices worked the best?

Why do they think so?

Which aspect of creating the storyboard did they enjoy the most? Why?

What have they learned from this process?

What else would they like to learn about?

Ensure you make it clear how you want the storyboards to be presented and make clear the expectation for a formal presentation style. You may need to model this and create anchor charts with the class for formal presentation and informal presentation so that the expectations are explicit.

You could also provide students with criteria sheets so they can provide peer feedback.

The author and illustrator
Rachael Bin Salleh as a publisher
Samantha Fry Battle at Beersheba resources Indigenous soldiers at Beersheba
SBS video: The Indigenous soldiers of The Lighthouse Brigade
Australian War Memorial resources
Memorial Boxes: This Memorial Box explores the unique wartime experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and their significant contribution to Australia's defence.

Personal stories: There are several case studies. Each contains a personal story, as well as suggested activities for research and classroom discussion, and relates to the hands-on objects you will find inside your Memorial Box.
Apps Explain Everything
Digital Storytelling software
Links to other picture books featuring ANZACs
Brisbane Kids website

The Book Chook website
YouTube Drawing tutorials Teacher References
Callow, J. 2013, The Shape of Text to come, PETAA, Newtown, NSW

Cameron, S. 2009, Teaching Reading Comprehension Strategies: a practical classroom guide, Pearson, New Zealand

Derewianka, B. 2011, A new Grammar Companion for Teachers, PETAA, Newtown, NSW

Edwards-Groves, C. Anstey, M & Bull, G. 2014, Classroom Talk, Understanding dialogue, pedagogy and practice, PETAA, Newtown, NSW

Edwards-Groves, C and Davidson, C 2017, Becoming a Meaning Maker, talk and interaction in the dialogic classroom, PETAA, Newtown, NSW

Exley, B; Kervin, L and Mantei, J. 2015 Exploring Grammar in the Primary Years Learning About Language in the Australian Curriculum: English ALEA SA

McDonald, L. 2013, A literature Companion for Teachers, PETAA, Newtown, NSW

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Prior to beginning the exploration of Alfred's War, discuss with the learners the importance of Acknowledgment of Country. Advice about constructing an Acknowledgement which is relevant to your context can be shared with the learners, and you can jointly construct an Acknowledgment that your class can use at appropriate times.

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Connecting to prior knowledge

Prior to beginning the exploration of Alfred's War, discuss with the learners the importance of Acknowledgment of Country. Advice about constructing an Acknowledgement which is relevant to your context can be shared with the learners, and you can jointly construct an Acknowledgment that your class can use at appropriate times. If you have Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander learners, this also provides an opportunity to learn more about them and provide an inclusive learning space.

What might we already know about the ANZACs?

Alfred's War positions the reader as an observer, as readers look on to the lonely life of a World War I ex-serviceman as he wanders his country, remembering his fallen mates and doing his best to ignore the pain of a wartime injury. The reader comes to realise that this life is, for the most part, a consequence of the Australian Government's failure to recognise Aboriginal service men and women when they returned from active service. Before exploring the historical and personal aspects of this beautiful book, it is important to first explore what students have learned previously about the ANZACs and whether they have any personal stories of family members being in service. This collective knowledge will set the context for deeper learning about Alfred and other Aboriginal soldiers.
Brainstorm sort
Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

Prior to reading Alfred's War for the first time, find out what knowledge and experiences the students have by doing a brainstorm and then sorting the information shared into a class chart. Explain that you are going to be sharing a text about the ANZACs in World War I and you want to find out what everyone already knows about this topic. Organise students into pairs, providing each pair with strips of paper. Ask them to write any information they know about ANZACs and write one sentence per strip of paper. Remind them that all information is valuable, whether it is something they have learned at school or outside of school.

Once the pairs have exhausted their knowledge, ask them to cut the keywords, word groups or phrases from the sentences and sort them under the following headings:

Using butcher's paper, create a large chart for the classroom to record each pairs' contribution:

Once all contributions have been added to the table, lead a class discussion to reflect on what they collectively know and understand. Some useful questions might be:

Can someone summarise what has been said?

Would anyone like to respond to that?

Can you say more about that?

Can anyone give an example of that?

What else do we know?

Can you go a bit further?

Exploring the text in context of our community, school and 'me'

Who were the soldiers from our local community?

Some students may have already shared some of their family histories while others may have had no personal connection with enlisted men and women. Students will have varied experiences of what it means to remember those who have served and those who have fallen. One of the common ways we remember and indeed ensure we do not forget is by erecting memorials. The following activity will allow you to find the memorials in your local area. If you are able, it is suggested that you visit some of these. Otherwise, they can be accessed online.
Online research
Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

We are learning to use a website to explore our local community.

We will know we are successful when we can share at least three facts from our research.
(ACELY1712) (ACHASSI123) (EN3-3A) (HT3-5)

For this online search, you may like to follow an 'I do, we do, you do' structure for the lesson so you can model navigating the website.

Go to the RSL Virtual War Memorial.

Locate the 'memorials' horizontal menu bar then type in your location where it says 'Search by place'.

On the map, you will see symbols for any memorials nearby. If you click on a symbol, more information will appear to the right of the map. If you click on details, a drop down information window will appear, which includes an image, description of the memorial and information about its purpose and any inscriptions. It is important that you take some time to explore this before modelling with the students.

When you are ready to begin exploring, use some guiding questions:

How many memorials are there in our local area? (you may want to widen your search zone if you are in a regional location)

What kind of information is provided?

Which war does the memorial relate to?

What does the inscription say? What are the similarities and differences between the inscriptions?

How many people are listed?

What do you notice about the names?

What do you think the purpose of the memorial is?

Finally, to stretch the students thinking and pre-empt the book introduction, ask students:

What would it be like if we didn't remember?

To record students thinking around this topic, print out images of the memorials and have students annotate the images with their research. Alternatively, they can record digitally on tablets using an app such as bookmaker or on a PC using PowerPoint.

Walking the walk of an Aboriginal soldier

The Australian War Memorial has a series of Memorial Boxes which contain uniforms, equipment, artefacts and information about individual soldiers. Memorial Box 3 is specifically about the experience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and their contribution to Australia's defence services. For this activity, you will need to pre-order a Memorial Box from the museum from the list of museums around Australia who hold the Memorial Boxes. The Memorial Box website also includes resources such as videos which should be accessed in preparation for this activity. You may also access the biographies in the further resources section. There are five soldiers from World War I: Daniel Hodgekiss SA, Harry Murray QLD, Wiliam Rawlings Vic, Douglas Grant QLD/NSW and Richard Kirby NSW. Choose the one that is most relevant for your students.
Exploring Memorial Box 3
Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

We are learning to empathise with others.

We will know we are successful when we can describe the experiences of others from another time and place.(ACELY1709) (ACHASSI126) (EN3-8D) (HT3-2)

Sharing the Memorial Box
Share the Memorial Box by sitting in a circle and asking the leaders for the day to hand out the different artefacts. Give each student an opportunity to talk about what they think the artefact is and what it might have been used for. Encourage discussion by using questions such as:

Why do you think that?

Does anyone have any other ideas?

What would it feel like to be a soldier?

Read Aloud/Carousel activity
Choose at least one biography from those provided on the Memorial Box website. Explain that you will read aloud a biography of a soldier who fought during World War I.

Tell the students that while they are listening, you want them to think about three things that relate to soldiers: skills, conditions and mates. Pause and share inferences that you make from the text as a think-aloud - clarifying vocabulary as you go. At the end, write some of the key vocabulary on the whiteboard so it is visible to everyone. Divide students into three groups. Provide each group with a large sheet of paper. Each sheet should have a different heading: skills, conditions, mates. Each group brainstorms what they think about their topic for 5-10 minutes. At the end of this time, the sheets of paper are handed on in a clockwise direction so that each group receives the previous group's brainstorm. They then have another 5-10 minutes to read the ideas and add to them. Continue the same process so that everyone has a chance to contribute to each topic. This can also be done with the sheets of paper stuck on the wall in different parts of the learning space, and the groups of students move around to the different spaces. Choose whichever way best suits your context.

As a whole class, review the collaborative notes and orally summarise what has been recorded. Ask the question: When we think about the ANZACs, what do we remember about them? Allow students to turn and talk to a partner before opening this up to a discussion. Record responses in a class journal or anchor chart.

Rich assessment task

During these initial lessons, students have had the opportunity to connect to prior knowledge, to explore some of the memorials in their local community and consider the experiences of soldiers during World War I through hands-on learning. This assessment task is an opportunity for the students to reflect on their learning and decide what has been the most significant for them. In order to do this, they will record their thinking in their reading journal.

Reading Journal

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

Explain to students that for this next task, they can access their previous notes and any charts or summaries that have been made as a class.

In their reading journals, students record a 3-2-1 Reflection:

3 things that they have learnt.

2 questions they have.

1 thing that surprised them.

When students have completed their journals, ask them to add their questions to a Wonder Wall.

Responding to the text

Now that the students have had an opportunity to develop shared contextual knowledge and understanding, introduce to them the picture book, Alfred's War.

Making Predictions: What is Alfred's War about?

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

Divide students into small groups and give each group a photocopy of the front cover of Alfred's War. Ask students to think about what they have learned about the ANZACs and to consider what they see on the front cover. Ensure each group has a scribe and a reporter who will report back to the class. Provide each group with a retrieval chart to complete, like the one below.

What we predict

Our evidence (images, text, prior knowledge)

To ensure that all students can successfully engage with this task, use an 'I do, we do, you do' strategy by modelling how to complete the first row in the table. For example, the genre might be historical realism because there is a group of soldiers and a war scene in the background. Guide the class to complete the second row. You could then have half of the groups complete the third row and the rest complete the fourth row or everyone complete the remaining rows. Ensure that each group has a chance to share back and everyone's thinking is collated.

Read the text to the class and discuss what was as predicted and what surprised the students.

Exploring plot, character, setting and theme

Historical realism

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

Text 1: News Story

For this learning activity, your class will view a news item from SBS about the charge of the Light Horse Brigade at the Battle of Beersheba. To ensure all students can access the information in the video, lead the students through the below before, during and after viewing activities.
Before viewing
Keyword discussion - traffic lights.

Provide each student with a list of key vocabulary and the traffic light template (PDF, 169KB).

Key vocabulary: ancestor, spirit, Defence Act, Aboriginal Protection Act, armed forces, outbreak, answer the call, enlist, connivance, a pivotal role, troopers, second-class citizens, wreath.

Ask students to write each word into the appropriate column of the traffic light template (PDF, 169KB):

red - this word/phrase is new to me. I don't know what it means.

orange - I have heard/seen this word before but I don't know what it means.

green - I know this word and I can use it.

Once students have completed sorting their vocabulary, lead a discussion where students support each other to understand the vocabulary. For example, if one student has an unknown word, allow another student to explain what it means. Only step in if students need clarification or if there are words that none of the students know.
During viewing
Read Alfred's War again. Explain to students that they are going to compare Alfred's War to the story in the news video about the Battle of Beersheba. Allow them to take notes while viewing - pause the video on request.
After viewing
Jointly construct notes on the similarities between the two texts. Invite students to record the notes in their reading journals.

Theme and Visual Design

Often students need support to understand the difference between plot and theme. The plot is what the story is about - what happens. The theme is the significant message in the story. For this activity, students' understanding will be developed through the co-construction of anchor charts, and then the exploration of social distance and the use of colour to develop the themes of loss and exclusion in Alfred's War.
Plot/Theme Anchor Charts
Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

For this activity, you will need a large piece of chart paper and some coloured markers. Divide the chart paper into two columns and write 'plot' on one side and 'theme' on the other. Addressing the whole class, ask them what they think a plot is. Allow them to test their ideas with the student sitting next to them.

When questioning students for deeper understanding, it is important to avoid the Initiation-Response-Evaluation sequence as this will limit the amount of language students can produce. Rather choose questions that open up the conversation, allowing for clarification, repetition and lots of examples. The students need to be doing the thinking and talking. Some questions to support the process could be:

Who would like to share their initial idea of what a plot is?

Would anyone like to respond to that?

Would this answer apply to all stories or just Alfred's War?

Does anyone disagree with this idea? Does anyone have any more to add?

Can anyone give another example?

Who thinks they can summarise what a plot is?

What would be the best way to record our thinking on the anchor chart?

Repeat the same process for theme. You may like to ask questions which require the students to compare and contrast plot and theme.

By the end of this process, you should have an anchor chart which clearly defines plot and theme in the students' own language. Once you have completed this, ask: what are the themes of Alfred's War?
Visual Design: offers and demands/colour
Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

For this activity, you may need to introduce some meta-language relating to visual grammar, specifically the way in which the reader interacts with the characters in the text.

When a character is drawn front on, directly facing towards the reader, with their gaze seeming to meet the gaze of the reader, this is known as a 'demand'. It is called a 'demand' because the character is demanding the attention of the reader and there is direct interaction between the reader and the character. Close-up and extreme close-ups of characters' faces intensify this relationship.

However, when a character's gaze is averted, that is, has his or her eyes looking away from the reader, this is known as an 'offer'. In this case, the reader is invited to observe a scene as an invisible onlooker. The reader is not involved but in some way bears witness to the events.

In Alfred's War, all of the images are offers. The reader looks on into Alfred's lonely life as gradually the reasons behind the loneliness are revealed. The only image which comes close to a demand is on the front cover when Alfred is sitting amongst his soldier mates. His gaze is not direct but slightly averted, almost as if he is looking over the shoulder of the reader. In this image, Alfred is equal to the others, has a sense of belonging and a clear purpose in life. In the other images, all of this has been stripped away. Particularly poignant is the image where Alfred walks along a path towards the reader, walking on despite the pain in his 'gammy leg'. Even though he is fully facing the reader, his gaze is covered with his hat pulled down over his eyes. One interpretation of this particular aspect of visual design could be that Alfred has chosen to disengage as a result of how he has been treated. He has not received the same rights and recognition as the non-Aboriginal soldiers; he has been excluded from society and so he has disengaged with human contact.

To make this point to the students, use a power point showing a range of images and discuss together. Once students are confident, pair them up to examine the use of offers and demands in Alfred's War. Some suggested questions to support their inquiry are:

What kind of interaction occurs between the reader and Alfred? Explain using the terms 'offer' or 'demand'.

Why do you think the illustrator has chosen to draw Alfred in this way?

What is the impact of this interaction on the themes of exclusion and lonliness?

Colour
Colour has an impact on the mood of a narrative. The meanings that colour can evoke are culturally bound and so differ across cultures. Provide the students with a colour chart and discuss the meanings often associated with colour in Western culture and then explore whether students have similar or differing ideas about colour.

The predominant colours in Alfred's War are blue and grey. These colours impact on the mood of the story, once again enhancing the themes of exclusion and loneliness. Divide students into small groups, and with a colour chart and one or two pages from Alfred's War, ask them to record what colours are used and how the colour helps to communicate the theme of the story.

Rich assessment task

Responding personally using complex sentences

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

We are learning to use complex sentences to respond personally to a text.

We will know that we are successful when we can express our feelings about a text using complex sentences.
(ACELA1522) (EN3-6B)

To prepare students for this task, ask them to think-pair-share what emotions they felt when reading Alfred's War. Students should be specific about how their emotions changed in relation to different parts of the story.

Record students responses on the whiteboard in note form, for example:

sleeping on the bench - sad

not being welcome in town - angry

Model how to create a complex sentence using the event from the story, the students' emotional response to it, and then a conjunction. For example:

I felt sad when Alfred was sleeping on the bench.

I felt angry because Alfred was not welcome in the towns.

Show the students how the clauses can be reversed for effect, putting the emphasis on the event in the narrative:

When Alfred was sleeping on the bench, I felt sad.

Because Alfred was not welcome in the towns, I felt angry.

Note that when the conjunction comes at the beginning of the sentence, there is a comma after the first clause.

Provide a few more conjunctions: due to, while, as a result of, as, as long as, even though.

Work with the students to brainstorm a list of affect adjectives. Students may want to research online or look up synonyms. Allow them to practice writing complex sentences on strips of card, using conjunctions and adjectives. Ask students to choose their favourite sentences and display them on the wall.

Responding to one part of the book, jointly construct a paragraph with the students. Once students are confident, ask them to write one or two paragraphs in their reading journals about how they feel about the book, Alfred's War. Make it explicit that you will be looking for their ability to respond emotionally to the text using affect adjectives and conjunctions to make complex sentences.

Examining text structure and organisation

Flashback plot structure

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

In this activity, students will be exploring the flashback structure in Alfred's War. By Year 6, most students will be familiar with the orientation ► complication ► resolution narrative structure. Begin this activity by asking students to think-pair-share what they know about narrative structure. Explain that they are going to learn about a different way to structure a narrative.

You will need a large space either outside or in a gym. Construct two parallel lines about 3 metres long and 1 metre apart. Either draw the lines with chalk or use masking tape. Print two copies of the key events in Alfred's War template (PDF, 184KB). These can be laminated or printed on card. Cut out the different events so each is on a separate card and mix them up. You will also need three different coloured dot stickers.

Place the heading 'Sequence of Alfred's life' above one of the lines. Divide the class into pairs and give at least one card to each pair. Explain that they need to place the cards on the line in the order of Alfred's life from when he was youngest to oldest. Stand back and allow the students to work this out. Once they are sure they have the cards in sequence, clarify any misunderstandings, then use a marker to number each card from 1 to 13.

Above the second line, place the heading 'Sequence of Alfred's War'. Hand out the second set of cards. This time you will read the story aloud while students place the cards as the events occur in the book. Pause after each key event so the students have thinking time. Once all of the cards are placed on the timeline, number the cards then colour code the events according to what happened before, during and after the war. Ask the students to think about why the story is sequenced differently to Alfred's life. Explain that a flashback is when a story takes the reader back to a previous time. Ask students to identify which events in Alfred's War are flashbacks.

As a class discuss why the author has chosen to use this structure. How does it help the reader to understand Alfred? How does it help the reader to understand the injustice that happened to Aboriginal soldiers?

Students need to understand that the structure works to help the reader understand how the old man portrayed at the beginning of the book came to be all alone, walking the countryside. By beginning the narrative with Alfred's life after the war, the reader feels sad and wonders why this man is all alone and living outside. It provokes curiosity and interest in what happened before in this man's life.

Take a photo of the timelines and print a copy for each student. In their reading journals, invite students to annotate the photo, summarising what they have learned through creating the timelines.

Examining grammar and vocabulary
Using sentences for effect
Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

Authors use a range of sentence structures for effect. In this next activity, students will examine the sentences in Alfred's War to indicate which are complex, which are simple and which are sentence fragments. Prior to beginning, students may need to revise sentence structures. This is a brief summary of the different types:

Sentence fragment: a grammatically incomplete sentence which doesn't contain a verb.

Simple sentence: one clause with one verb.

Compound sentence: two or more clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction e.g. and, but, so, yet. Each clause has a verb.

Complex sentence: a sentence with two or more clauses, each with a verb, joined by a subordinating conjunction, a non-finite verb or a relative pronoun.

The table below provides an analysis of the some of the sentences in Alfred's War. Each verb group is highlighted in green to support the analysis. Construct a table like this with the students. Decide how much of the table you will have filled in and how much you will co-construct, depending on the students' needs. This activity requires some direct teaching, as you guide students' thinking when analysing each sentence. When you feel confident that students understand how to recognise a sentence type, you may ask them to work on some sentences in pairs and then independently, coming back to the whole group to share and discuss.

Alfred George lived outside.

Simple

A limited amount of information provided to the reader. Visuals support the information and provide more detail.

On benches.

Fragment

A circumstance of place providing more information about where Alfred sleeps. Used to pace the narrative, slowly revealing information about Alfred.

Always under the stars.

Fragment

As above. The word 'always' emphasises the fact that Alfred sleeps outside.

Sometimes Alfred rolled up his bedding and walked from town to town looking for work.

Complex

Two clauses joined by 'and'. The last clause joined with a non-finite verb looking. 'Sometimes' indicates a change in events and these are elaborated on with a complex sentence.

Always with his hat on, his billy tied to his swag and holes in the soles of his shoes.

Fragment

The subject of this fragment is Alfred and he is not mentioned. This fragment provides more information about the previous sentence. It is a circumstance which tells how Alfred walks from town to town.

At night, Alfred camped on the outskirts of town.

Simple

Slowly revealing more information. 'At night' indicates a change in time.

There were many places Aboriginal people weren't allowed to go.

Simple

Revealing two facts: 1. Albert is Aboriginal, 2. There were different laws for Aboriginal people.

That's [how life was in those days.]

Complex

The second clause is embedded. Once again, a statement of fact. This is not something Alfred was choosing.

Alfred had grown up on a mission and, when he was old enough, he set off to find work.

Complex

The perfect past tense indicates that the narrative is going back to a previous time period. The sentence is longer, containing an interrupting clause as it is providing more descriptive information about Alfred's life as a younger man.

He worked as a gardener and a labourer, and mustered cattle on stations a long way from home.

Compound

Lists the jobs that Alfred had. Compound sentences are useful for providing lists of things.

One day, Alfred wrote a letter to his family, telling them he had signed up for adventure and travel.

Complex

This sentence has three clauses, the second is non-finite, the third is projected (the word 'that' is omitted). 'One day' at the beginning of the sentence indicates a change in events. The complex sentence reveals Alfred's thinking and provides reasons not just facts.

Most of the remaining text uses compound and complex sentences as it describes Alfred's experiences of war and his experiences upon returning to Australia. The final sentence stands alone. The writer once again chooses a simple sentence to state a simple fact: He was one of the forgotten soldiers.

While we often teach students to write more complex sentences to express their ideas across the curriculum, it is important that they begin to recognise the author's craft in pacing the story and making significant points of historical fact through careful choice of sentence structure.

After class discussion and completion of the sentence table, ask the students to choose two or three of the sentences and write a short reflection in their reading journals about Rachel Bin Salleh's choice of sentence structure in Alfred's War.

Rich assessment task

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

We are learning how to analyse and annotate a text.

We will know we are successful when we can suggest reasons for an author's choices.

For this activity, the learners will have an opportunity to read other picture books about ANZAC Day. There are many texts available, although Aboriginal veterans are generally under represented. You may wish to point this out to the learners, or you may wait to see if they notice this themselves. Either way, it is an important point for discussion and an opportunity to debate why this is the case.

Using a picture book about ANZACs of their choice, ask students to photograph some pages from the book (the amount may vary depending on the ability level of the student). Using the app Explain Everything, students highlight aspects relating to narrative structure and/or sentence structure. Students can write their interpretations or record their oral interpretations.

Creating a multimodal narrative within the genre of Historical Realism.

In this final part of the study of Alfred's War, students will take what they have learned in the previous lessons and put it together to create a digital narrative. They will develop a flashback plot, illustrate their character using offers or demands and write a brief story using simple compound and complex sentences. They will compose this using Storyboard That. It is important that you take the time to become familiar with this software before introducing it to students.
(ACELT1618) (EN3-2A)

Inquiry and note-taking

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

For this task, you will need to access the biographies of World War I soldiers on the Memorial Box website.

Students choose one soldier to create a narrative about. They read the biography and take notes about their life using the flashback plot proforma (PDF, 177KB). Students only need to record two to three points for each time period, as they will be creating a short storyboard of up to ten frames. Once students have written their notes, they can write them into a draft storyboard (PDF, 111KB) in the bottom row. The first blank row is for information about images which they will complete in the next activity.

Creating characters

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

Using their storyboard template, students make notes about what will be included in each image. They need to decide whether the image will be a long shot or a close-up, whether it will be an offer or a demand. Students will also need to decide what colours they will use.

As students will need to develop an image of their character to upload into Storyboard That, drawing tutorials on YouTube may be useful. Once students are comfortable, have them draw their character in both a close-up and a long shot, using both demands and offers to interact with the reader.

Composing the Narrative

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

As students will be writing short captions to go with their storyboard, the criteria will be very specific. Students will need to use:

the flashback plot structure,

simple, compound and complex sentences for effect,

time phrases or clauses at the beginning of each stage in the story to indicate a new time period,

correct spelling and punctuation.

To differentiate, provide appropriate support for students, particularly those students who are not yet proficient in Standard Australian English.

Rich Assessment Task

Learning Intentions and Success Criteria:

Students will need time to get their storyboards ready for sharing. The final assessment task is for students to share their stories with small groups and/or the whole class and reflect on their choices as authors. Some questions to guide their reflection could be:

Do they think their stories are effective?

Which aspects of the story, visuals and language choices worked the best?

Why do they think so?

Which aspect of creating the storyboard did they enjoy the most? Why?

What have they learned from this process?

What else would they like to learn about?

Ensure you make it clear how you want the storyboards to be presented and make clear the expectation for a formal presentation style. You may need to model this and create anchor charts with the class for formal presentation and informal presentation so that the expectations are explicit.

You could also provide students with criteria sheets so they can provide peer feedback.

The author and illustrator
Rachael Bin Salleh as a publisher
Samantha Fry Battle at Beersheba resources Indigenous soldiers at Beersheba
SBS video: The Indigenous soldiers of The Lighthouse Brigade
Australian War Memorial resources
Memorial Boxes: This Memorial Box explores the unique wartime experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and their significant contribution to Australia's defence.

Personal stories: There are several case studies. Each contains a personal story, as well as suggested activities for research and classroom discussion, and relates to the hands-on objects you will find inside your Memorial Box.
Apps Explain Everything
Digital Storytelling software
Links to other picture books featuring ANZACs
Brisbane Kids website

The Book Chook website
YouTube Drawing tutorials Teacher References
Callow, J. 2013, The Shape of Text to come, PETAA, Newtown, NSW

Cameron, S. 2009, Teaching Reading Comprehension Strategies: a practical classroom guide, Pearson, New Zealand

Derewianka, B. 2011, A new Grammar Companion for Teachers, PETAA, Newtown, NSW

Edwards-Groves, C. Anstey, M & Bull, G. 2014, Classroom Talk, Understanding dialogue, pedagogy and practice, PETAA, Newtown, NSW

Edwards-Groves, C and Davidson, C 2017, Becoming a Meaning Maker, talk and interaction in the dialogic classroom, PETAA, Newtown, NSW

Exley, B; Kervin, L and Mantei, J. 2015 Exploring Grammar in the Primary Years Learning About Language in the Australian Curriculum: English ALEA SA

McDonald, L. 2013, A literature Companion for Teachers, PETAA, Newtown, NSW

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Prior to beginning the exploration of Alfred's War, discuss with the learners the importance of Acknowledgment of Country. Advice about constructing an Acknowledgement which is relevant to your context can be shared with the learners, and you can jointly construct an Acknowledgment that your class can use at appropriate times.

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event:anzac day community and society:history:world war 1 government and politics:local government

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These days there are ANZAC Day dawn services in towns all over the country and in places around the world. The ANZAC Day marches are also a big part of the commemoration. They never used to attract many Aussie kids, but over the past few years things have changed.

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Song

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Song

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ANZAC Day Song for Schools "John Simpson Kirkpatrick" Top 10 ASA 2014 Dogmatic Music.

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The ANZAC Tree Picture Book: Children's Stories

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The ANZAC Tree Picture Book: Children's Stories

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You Tube

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The Anzac Tree Picture Book Trailer [full version]

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You Tube - with ad

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The Allied powers were considering opening a new front. In January 1915, Grand Duke Nicholas of Russia had appealed to Britain for assistance against the Ottoman Empire who were on the side of the Central Powers and had invaded the Caucasus.

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You Tube

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Simpson and his Donkey - The Donkey of Gallipoli

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The Red Poppy Flower's Message is...to remember those who have passed away, to Honour those we have lost and protect the memories of all that we love. It Remembers the Fallen and encourages the development of our own sense of inner peace.

The Matilda (Orange) Poppy is to be held in Honour, Acknowledgement and Respect for all our Living ADF and its Veterans...Past, Present..Future....it is the cultivation of the belief for a richer life in which to be Proud.

The "Matilda Poppy" is to be a gift of thanks to those who have sacrificed selflessly in service of their Country and its people and also for those they love. It is a repayment of understanding and can be given as a gesture of heartfelt sincerity.

A Matilda Poppy will represent all that we as Australian's believe in, Mateship, Camaraderie, Respect, and Strength, it is to show your Acknowledgment and Gratitude to all those who Serve..

The Orange of the "Matilda Poppy" is the closest match to the shade of the sun, so it is symbolic of Australian Military Service and illuminates expansion, friendship and community. If one could capture and concentrate the sun, the result would be bright, luminous orange flowers. Orange in flowers offer happiness and joy and to look upon an orange flower is to immediately feel the warmth of love.

There's nothing bashful about the colour ORANGE -its message is clear and blatantly "Proud" symbolising energy, enthusiasm, and warmth, this vibrant colour conveys confidence, satisfaction and a passion for life.

Orange also sends the message of adventure. The possibilities are endless in life and the offer of adventure and spontaneity is included with each radiant orange poppy which is the key to "living a life with passion."

The Yellow in the Poppy is associated with friendship, trust, compassion, and respect along with Gratitude and Thanks.

For these reasons, yellow shows appreciation for a job well done. Yellow is considered a symbol of purity, clarity truth and retention of memories and reason. It also communicate sympathy and empathy and evokes feelings of joy and lightheartedness. Yet again another symbol of friendship and sends a message of new beginnings and happiness.

These gentle flowers that are the Poppy show the warmth and compassion that exists between mates and it renews ties of friendship, even during difficult times.

So please be apart of Encapsulating the Spirit of the "Matilda Poppy" by supporting the idea of Acknowledging our Living ADF and its Veterans and the Respect that their Service deserves.

The significance of the Gum Leaf with Matilda Poppy..

The Gum Leaf/Eucalyptus Leaf is used for Healing, Protection. It is seen as a protecting and nurturing tree.

The leaves and bark have been used for its spiritual properties throughout, from modern times to the indigenous populations. For spiritual cleansing and smudging with very similar properties to white sage, it purifies cleanses and promotes good health.

It is said that returning soldiers from the wars could smell the distinctively homely scent of the gum tree before hitting land.

Sister Elizabeth (Pearl) Corkhill(1887-1985)

Was Posted to the 1st Australian General Hospital, Corkhill arrived in Egypt in July 1915.

From August to January 1916 she was at the Choubra Military Infectious Hospital, where she tended sick troops from the Gallipoli campaign. Reaching France in April, she served at the 2nd British General Hospital, Le Havre.

A notable occasion for her was the AIF's first celebration of Anzac Day. To mark the event she and two other Australian nurses wore green gum leaves with the inscription `Dardanelles 1915'.

The significance of the Fern Leaf with Matilda Poppy.

The tightly curled fronds of young ferns are deceptive and it would be impossible to guess what a full grown fern would look like at this stage of development.

Human kind is the same. Our consciousness must be awakened through life experience, learning, and awareness.

Like the fern, we grow and flourish if we unfurl toward light or truth. The more we unfurl, the more the tendrils of our true nature begin to show as we loosen, surrender and soften, releasing and opening as we let go of old stories and rigidly constructed belief systems which contribute to negative patterns of behavior.

Mental and emotional rigidity leads to reactivity which inevitably results in physical illness. The example of a slow, but steady opening toward light is the miracle of Mother Nature's creation and is exemplified in the model of the fern.

Ferns symbolize sincerity towards others. It can also be a symbol of magic, fascination, confidence, shelter, discretion, reverie and a secret bond of love.

The fern is known as the koru to the indigenous peoples of New Zealand, the Maori. The koru is often represented as a spiral in Maori artwork, symbolizing opening to new life and bringing purity to the world. It represents peace, tranquility and spirituality along with new growth or new beginnings. The Koru is also associated with nurturing and when it contains more than one frond, it represents the strength and healing of a loving relationship within family or community.

The individual who wears this symbol suggests that he or she has endured many adversities and outlasted much difficulty. Who among us can say we have not all endured adversity?

The ancients believed ferns brought rain, protection, luck, prosperity, eternal youth, health, exorcism, confidence and safe shelter.

Māori hunters and warriors used the silver underside of the fern leaves to find their way home. When bent over, the fronds would catch the moonlight and illuminate a path through the forest.

Finally, ferns are very often used in contemporary floral arrangements to amplify the faith in the magic of love. After all, love and light are all that are needed for humans to heal!

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Welcome to Matilda Poppy Acknowledgment of Life, Pride, Respect & Service.

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The Red Poppy Flower's Message is...to remember those who have passed away, to Honour those we have lost and protect the memories of all that we love. It Remembers the Fallen and encourages the development of our own sense of inner peace.

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Song & Video