Mentor texts

It is sometimes difficult to find great texts to use in the classroom. English teachers use texts all the time - as mentor texts to support students with their writing, as an example of a particular rhetorical device, to determine reading comprehension skills, as a prompt for creative writing, or when putting exams together. I love to have a tapestry of different voices in my classroom and my aim is to ensure this happens more often this year.

This is a list of quality sources:

The Paris Review
A variety of articles and interviews with writers (going all the way back to the 1950s!).

Teen Vogue
Many great articles of varying lengths about current affairs, sustainability, and, of course, some fashion.

The Sydney Morning Herald Summer Reading
Short stories which could be useful in demonstrating a particular way of opening or closing a piece of writing or another technique.

Literary Hub
Pithy articles of varying lengths, as well as poetry.

AF Harrold 
Many poets are kind enough to share some of their work on their websites which gives teachers a chance to read through to see what will appeal to their students. I did a workshop with AF Harrold a few years ago and it was so much fun. He also has a website that focuses on his writing for kids.

Marie Claire
A range of articles of varying lengths. These work well as they are very current and local to Australia. I am on the look out for the current magazine to get a copy of the article, 'Meet the Indigenous Women Fighting for Change.'

Other resources:

Tropfest
Short films can provide as much insight into film techniques and construction as feature length films. Tropfest is a gem. I must admit, I loved when I could get my hands on the DVD with the Sun Herald but times have changed and YouTube is more accessible anyway - especially since laptops no longer come with DVD players.

Writer's Digest
This page contains many useful resources around writing, rather than articles, but I thought I would include it considering the focus on writing in the new HSC English syllabuses.

CPL Journal
Lots of greats in the NSW, Australia teaching world have written for the NSW Teachers' Association Centre for Professional Learning journal. There are so many quality articles to support teachers.

Investigating Ideology - Exploring Representation in Texts (Unit and Resources!)

Several years ago I wrote a unit of work and accompanying resources to support the implementation of the new NSW Stage 4 and Stage 5 English Syllabuses.  The unit, 'Investigating Ideology - Exploring Representation in Texts' was created for a Stage 4 class and utilises a range of texts including Anthony Browne's 'Voices in the Park,' Hayao Miyazaki's 'Howl's Moving Castle,' and the 'Papunya School Book of Country and History (Nadia Wheatley and Ken Searle).

Here is the rationale:

This unit is structured to elicit student success and to ensure these activities are scaffolded and models are provided. The concepts introduced throughout the course of study are demanding but in the spirit of providing opportunities for students to excel and ultimately engage with each of the texts explored. It is expected that students investigate the ideology and henceforth the politics of each text and grasp the power of composition to challenge and reinforce popular ideals. The key questions, “How are composers’ beliefs and values represented in texts?” and “How are texts used to represent the beliefs and values of the composer?” drive the unit.

The unit of work has been created to support and enrich a range of learners in the Stage 4 English classroom and give them an opportunity to work individually and in groups to develop autonomy and the ability to communicate effectively.

The material presented in this unit may be organised in numerous ways to suit a range of time frames and contexts. There is an abundance of activities provided to allow for teacher choice and each learning sequence can be adapted to suit a range of students. All three texts chosen for study give students an opportunity to develop their skills in analysing visual texts whilst exploring context, perspective and ideologies.

Here is the Unit Overview and Resources:
Investigating Ideology - Exploring Representation in Texts Unit Overview
Investigating Ideology - Exploring Representation in Texts Resources
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