'Understanding Self and Place' and 'The Lessons Life Teaches Us' are wonderful Contexts to explore. It is important for us to read widely for the ideas these Contexts bring up so that we have lots of resources informing our thinking when we have to create texts of our own.
The focus texts for reading are 'Growing Up Asian in Australia' and 'Sometimes Gladness' but your reading should not stop there. When you are reading, viewing and listening to books, magazines, blogs, youtube clips, songs, paintings, films, cartoons, pictures, documentaries, soapies, etc., you should take the opportunity to look for connections they have to our Contexts and focus texts.
The Context Area of Study is also a great opportunity to make cross-curricular links. This means you might be able to see opportunities to use learning from other subject areas you are passionate about in English. For example, studies in Psychology might inform narrative structure and characterisation in a creative short story you develop. Or, you might produce a piece of artwork in graphic design that relates to our Context and would be excellent to present as a thinking prompt in this space.
Use this space to share texts that you come across or produce yourself. When you present them explain what it is you feel they have to contribute to a discussion about 'understanding self and place' or 'the lessons life teaches us'. Also, it is a bonus if you can make links between these texts and our focused texts.
Inspiration is in the eye of the beholder and is all around you. Be a thinker, an explorer, reflective and creative. Be inspired and be inspirational. Use the voice you have to influence the places of the world you live in by sharing your perspectives about the lessons life teaches us.
Where does Dawe's poetry take you? Be inspired by the topics, themes and ideas he presents. Some thinking starters are provided in the Prezi below, please leave comments about further inspirations arising for you in Dawe's Sometimes Gladness:
