Text Teaching Notes
Teaching notes are available for Text YA and middle-grade titles where this symbol appears openbook. These comprehensive and free resources, created by experienced and practicing educators, enhance students’ engagement while promoting key English skills.
- Text teaching notes are designed to embrace shared curriculum values. The learning activities aim to encompass a range of forms and include a focus on language, literature and literacy. Where appropriate, they include the integration of ICT and life skills.
- VCE teaching notes are aligned to the VCE English, EAL and Literature study designs and address in depth the relevant Areas of Study for each Text title currently on the English, EAL and Literature lists.
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Reckoning
Magda Szubanski
Australian

The Lieutenant
Kate Grenville
Australian

Kinglake-350
Adrian Hyland
Australian

The Broken Shore
Peter Temple
Australian

The Tunnel of Dreams
Bernard Beckett
Reading age:8+

Watch Over Me
Nina LaCour
Reading age:14+

Fighting Words
Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Reading age:14+

Reading age:8+
Australian

Metal Fish, Falling Snow
Cath Moore
Reading age:14+
Australian

Please Don’t Hug Me
Kay Kerr
Reading age:14+

Diary of a Young Naturalist
Dara McAnulty

The End of the World Is Bigger than Love
Davina Bell
Reading age:16+
Australian

The List of Things that Will Not Change
Rebecca Stead
Reading age:8+

The Republic of Birds
Jessica Miller
Reading age:9+
Australian

19 Love Songs
David Levithan
Reading age:14+

The Year We Fell from Space
Amy Sarig King
Reading age:8+

This Is How We Change the Ending
Vikki Wakefield
Reading age:14+
Australian

It Sounded Better in My Head
Nina Kenwood
Reading age:14+
Australian

Lizard’s Tale
Weng Wai Chan
Reading age:9+

A Constant Hum
Alice Bishop

Reading age:8+
Australian

Devil’s Ballast
Meg Caddy
Reading age:14+
Australian

A Winter’s Promise
Christelle Dabos
Themes:Fantasy romance, strong heroine, epic fantasy
Reading age:13+

Themes:dealing with grief, self-acceptance, road trip, family
Reading age:14+
Australian

The Art of Taxidermy
Sharon Kernot
Themes:dealing with death, coping with grief, friendship
Reading age:13+
Australian

Themes:own voices, world literature, multicultural stories, south asian literature
Reading age:9+

The Peacock Detectives
Carly Nugent
Themes:Friendship, understanding adults, self-confidence, independence
Reading age:9+
Australian

The Extremely Weird Thing that Happened in Huggabie Falls
Adam Cece
Themes:friendship, funny stories, self-acceptance, weird stories
Reading age:8+
Australian

Themes:Autism, French teens, American teens, friendship, coming-of-age, Proust
Reading age:14+

Reckoning
Magda Szubanski
Australian

Saving Marty
Paul Griffin
Themes:Friendship, Animal rights, Bravery, Coming-of-Age
Reading age:9+

The War I Finally Won
Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Themes:Friendship, Social Skills, Adoption, WWII England, Coming of Age, Dealing with Abuse, Friendship, Family Life, LGBTQIA
Reading age:10+

Wilder Country
Mark Smith
Themes:Dystopian, Coming of Age, Refugees, Australia, Dystopia, self esteem & reliance
Reading age:14+
Australian

Beautiful Mess
Claire Christian
Themes:Mental Health, Teen sexuality, LGBTQIA, Suicide, Romance, Friendship
Reading age:14+
Australian

The Undercurrent
Paula Weston
Themes:Dystopian, Technology, Paranormal, Thriller, Romance
Reading age:14+
Australian

Themes:Australian history, Convicts, True Stories, Tasmania, Sailing, Birds, Pirates, Illustrated
Reading age:9+
Australian

Marsh and Me
Martine Murray
Themes:music, friendship, overcoming fear, cultural differences
Reading age:9+
Australian

Ballad for a Mad Girl
Vikki Wakefield
Themes:Mental Health, Peer Pressure, Coming of Age, Friendship, Family, Ghost story
Reading age:14+
Australian

Still Life with Tornado
A.S. King
Themes:art, domestic violence, family, coming-of-age, mental health
Reading age:14+

Survivors Club
Michael Bornstein and Debbie Bornstein Holinstat
Themes:holocaust, survival, love, family, war
Reading age:12+

The Book of Whispers
Kimberley Starr
Themes:friendship, history, courage, love, religion
Reading age:14+
Australian

Elizabeth and Zenobia
Jessica Miller
Themes:friendship, imagination, courage
Reading age:10+
Australian

When Friendship Followed Me Home
Paul Griffin
Themes:resilience, grief, family, friendship, identity, animals, cancer
Reading age:9+

The Road to Winter
Mark Smith
Themes:survival, honour, friendship, love, refugees, dystopia
Reading age:14+
Australian

The War that Saved My Life
Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Themes:adventure, family, identity, disability, friendship, history, WWII
Reading age:10+

Themes:identity, survival, honour, sacrifice, friendship, guilt, courage, grief and loss
Reading age:14+
Australian

Iris and the Tiger
Leanne Hall
Themes:friendship, family and legacy, art, surrealism and creativity, cross-cultural identity, adolescence, magic and imagination
Reading age:9+
Australian

The After-Room
Maile Meloy
Themes:adventure, mystery, cold war, friendship
Reading age:11+

Inbetween Days
Vikki Wakefield
Themes:coming-of-age, friendship, escape, love
Reading age:14+
Australian

How to Be Happy
David Burton
Themes:depression, friendship, sexual identity, suicide, academic pressure, love, adolescent confusion
Reading age:14+
Australian

Another Day
David Levithan
Themes:love, friendship, identity, mystery, relationships
Reading age:14+

We Are the Rebels
Clare Wright
Themes:Australian history, politics, migration, conflict, identity, women
Reading age:12+
Australian

Goodbye Stranger
Rebecca Stead
Themes:friendship, relationships, love, betrayal
Reading age:11+

Themes:intercultural understanding, environment, class, physical and mental survival
Reading age:14+

Molly and Pim and the Millions of Stars
Martine Murray
Themes:imagination, friendship, nature, identity
Reading age:8+
Australian

Themes:identity, sibling relationships, guilt, philosophy
Reading age:14+

Themes:dystopia, war, disease, friendship, survival
Reading age:14+

Hold Me Closer
David Levithan
Themes:homosexuality, friendship
Reading age:14+

A-Z of Convicts in Van Diemen’s Land
Simon Barnard
Themes:Australian history, illustrated
Reading age:10+
Australian

The Apprentices
Maile Meloy
Themes:adventure, mystery, cold war, friendship
Reading age:11+

All This Could End
Steph Bowe
Themes:friendship, family, crime
Reading age:13+
Australian

The Accident
Kate Hendrick
Themes:road safety, grief, friendship, coming-of-age
Reading age:14+
Australian

Alex As Well
Alyssa Brugman
Themes:identity, LGBTQI, family, friendship, coming-of-age
Reading age:15+
Australian

Fire in the Sea
Myke Bartlett
Themes:adventure, horror, fantasy, friendship
Reading age:14+
Australian

The Realm of Possibility
David Levithan
Themes:verse novel, love, identity, LGBTQI
Reading age:14+

Two Boys Kissing
David Levithan
Themes:Love, identity, LGBTQI
Reading age:14+

Themes:free will and responsibility, humanity, destiny, philosophy
Reading age:14+

Themes:friendship, cancer, survival, identity
Reading age:14+
Australian
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Teaching Notes Authors
Gillian Birrell is an English and Humanities teacher at Princes Hill Secondary College in Victoria. She has previously taught at St Leonard's College and Highvale Secondary College. Gillian has a Master of Teaching from the University of Melbourne, in which she specialised in literacy development and the teaching of Shakespeare through drama.
Louise Bourke is currently Head of English at Geelong College in Victoria where she also teaches English and Literature. She has a Masters of Education and has held positions as a VCE assessor, a member of the VCAA text advisory panels for both Literature and English and a member of the VCE English exam setting panel. She has previously been Head of English at a large Catholic School in the northern suburbs of Melbourne and taught English in government schools in the Western suburbs.
Jill Fitzsimons is the Curriculum Leader at St Columba’s College and is a VCE English teacher. Jill was previously English Learning Leader at Whitefriars College and has taught at Genazzano FCJ College, Loreto Mandeville Hall and Mackillop College, Swan Hill. She has worked as a VCE English and GAT assessor and has presented workshops for VCE English teachers. Jill has also appeared on ABC Melbourne’s Sunday School program for VCE students and has written a variety of study guides for VCE English and Literature.
Sarah Mirams taught English and history at Sunbury Secondary College for sixteen years, and worked as a history curriculum consultant at the Museum of Victoria and Heritage Victoria. She is the author of several history textbooks for primary and secondary students. Her sole-owner consultancy, Past and Future Perspectives, specialises in historical research, environmental history, commissioned histories and history education. Sarah was awarded her PhD in 2011, and is an Adjunct Research Fellow at the Monash University School of Philosophical, Historical and Social Studies.