In partnership with ABC Education, we are delighted to share a series of short videos on Reading Australia texts/authors featured on the show!
Keep ReadingThis has been a record year for Reading Australia: not only did our community surpass 20,000 subscribers, but we also published 35 resources in the last 12 months (compared with 21 resources the year before). As our final news post for the year, we’ve gathered here all 35 resources – 15 for primary teachers and […]
Keep ReadingNow that the school year is drawing to a close, we are able to recap the units we published this year, as well as start planning for 2020. The summer holidays are a great time to get stuck into reading books and resources, so for your convenience we have compiled all the units we published […]
Keep ReadingAlexander Wharton is halfway through his year-long Reading Australia Fellowship, and he’s been reading up a storm! He shares his teacher perspective on the books that have inspired him and educated him, just in time for the school holidays. You can follow his journey as the Reading Australia Fellow at The Missing Peace, where he blogs about […]
Keep ReadingStudents around the world are increasingly engaging with (and in fact, driving) activism around the climate crisis. We’ve put together a list of six books about the environment, ranging from primary to secondary titles, for students interested in stories about conservation, endangered species, and sustainable practices. 1. Where the Forest Meets the Sea by Jeannie Baker ‘My father says […]
Keep ReadingNational Reconciliation Week is held every year from 27 May to 3 June. These dates commemorate two significant milestones in the journey to reconciliation – the successful 1967 referendum, and the High Court Mabo decision. The aim of Reconciliation Week is to raise awareness of the issues Indigenous people face, celebrate Indigenous cultures and histories, and recognise the achievements […]
Keep ReadingWorld Refugee Day (20 June), a United Nation’s initiative, is a chance to raise awareness of the plight of the 68 million people who are currently refugees or displaced peoples. The treatment of refugees has been a contentious issue in Australian politics for decades, particularly since the imprisonment of men, women and children on Nauru […]
Keep ReadingWhile Reading Australia is committed to celebrating Indigenous writers and illustrators all year long, NAIDOC Week is a wonderful opportunity to double our efforts in connecting teachers and their students with more Indigenous stories. More than 60 titles on the Reading Australia list were written and/or illustrated by Indigenous creators. Of these, 30 have resources […]
Keep ReadingHow many times have you read a treasured book and wished you could jump right in and join the characters in their adventures? Or dreamed that you could be your favourite character’s best friend or even second cousin? Below are the five families from Australian books that we, at Reading Australia, wish we could be […]
Keep ReadingOn Anzac Day, we reflect on the lives of the Australian men and women who have served and lost their lives in war. Through storytelling, we make sure that their lives and our history are not forgotten. Below we have curated a list of six Australian books that explore experiences of war. If you’re looking […]
Keep ReadingFor teachers, the summer holidays means finally having the time to read all those books you’ve been wanting to get stuck into for months (or years…). We’ve compiled a list of must-read books for lovers of literature to make picking your holiday read as easy as possible. 1. Black Rock White City by A. S. […]
Keep ReadingBeing a teenager can be exhilarating, harrowing, passionate and confusing all at the same time. They face hurdles like academic stresses, parental expectations, peer pressure and body image issues. Sometimes they must come to terms with more serious problems, like illness, addiction, poverty and death. Young people can find comfort and guidance in books that explore […]
Keep ReadingWhat does ‘sustainability’ mean? Sustainability refers to patterns of living that protect the Earth and shape the quality of life that the Earth is able to give. A sustainable world requires individual and collective action in both local and global communities. There are three systems in which attention to sustainability is necessary: environmental, social and economic. Why […]
Keep ReadingAs champions of great Aussie writers, the Reading Australia team are counting down the days until we discover which author will be crowned the 2017 winner of the Miles Franklin Literary Award! On 7 September, one of these five dazzling finalists will be presented with the prize: An Isolated Incident by Emily Maguire (Pan Macmillan Australia) The […]
Keep ReadingWhat do you look for when selecting print texts for your high school students to teach them about visual literacy? Appropriate themes, complexity of ideas, rich and beautiful illustrations, evidence of depth and layers of meaning, a variety of text type. The books in the list below meet each of those requirements with the added bonus […]
Keep ReadingReading Asia: Asia’s place in the curriculum Asia, the largest continent, is home to two thirds of the world’s population. The peoples it contains are diverse in ethnicity, culture, language and religion. Its ancient civilisations have had immense influence on the world, and the countries of modern-day Asia continue to play a major global role. […]
Keep ReadingThere are two key weeks dedicated to celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and history, and raising awareness about the issues faced today by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Reconciliation Week is celebrated from 27 May to 3 June and NAIDOC Week is celebrated 3–9 July. This year the 27th of May has extra […]
Keep ReadingThe team at Reading Australia are passionate about supporting teachers of English in their abilities to pass on a love and appreciation for books by Australian writers to new generations. We want to make it easy for teachers to choose Australian books to expose their students to, and so we create resources to make this […]
Keep ReadingThese 15 resources are the most popular resources in the history of Reading Australia! Because you love these resources so much, we thought we’d make it easy for you and put them all in the same place. There’s a wonderful mix of classic and contemporary, novels and novellas, graphic novels and picture books, plays and […]
Keep ReadingAnzac Day is a time to remember the stories of all the Australian men and women who have served and died in war. First-hand memories can fade, but their triumphs and sacrifices are preserved in the books that tell their stories. We have curated a list of 8 Australian books that explore experiences of war with sensitivity and purpose. Ranging […]
Keep ReadingIn celebration of World Poetry Day on 21 March, we decided to spend the entire month featuring the diversity and brilliance of our Australian poets, contemporary and classic. Whether you’re not fully comfortable teaching poetry or whether you’re just looking for some tips to jazz up your next poetry class, we’ve got the resources for […]
Keep ReadingReading Australia is welcoming in the new school year with 10 brand new resources! In response to your feedback about the range of resources available, the selection below is a mix of classic and contemporary Australian books with a focus on visual texts and resources aimed at Junior Secondary. Click on the book titles below to […]
Keep ReadingThere are over 24 million people living in Australia. We are a collection of every nationality, religion, gender and creed, and are spread out across this vast landscape. The challenge, then, is to learn about those whose lives are so different from ours. How does a non-Indigenous person comprehend what it’s like to be Indigenous and […]
Keep ReadingTextbooks: Julia Casterton, Creative Writing, A Practical Guide, 3rd ed., Palgrave McMillan, 2005 Jon Ford and Marjorie Ford, ed. A Web of Stories: An Introduction to Short Fiction, London: Prentice Hall, 1997 John Singleton, Mary Luckhurst, The Creative Writing Handbook 3rd edition, Palgrave McMillan, 2001 Useful Short Stories: Carmel Bird, ed. The Penguin […]
Keep ReadingTo make your 2017 teaching year the most organised, stress-free and fulfilling year yet we have done the hard work for you. Below you will find lists of resources curated around key dates, themes and year levels. We’ve even created lists to help you target cross-curriculum priorities. Plus you get a sneak-peek into future resources, so you […]
Keep ReadingWe are just over two weeks away from the 2016 Miles Franklin Literary Award. Miles was one of our most influential novelists and the author of My Brilliant Career. The winner will be announced on 26 August and be selected from a shortlist that includes the Reading Australia novel, The Natural Way of Things, by Charlotte […]
Keep ReadingThis week the Reading Australia team brainstormed a list of our favourite books by our overseas friends then expertly matched them to books written by Australian authors. Whether you’re into romance, Young Adult, memoir, true crime, or completely made up crime – there’s a book on this list for you. So, open up Goodreads, slightly […]
Keep ReadingFriendship – it’s a beautiful thing. From the books listed below you’ll discover that friendships come in all shapes, sizes and genres; that brand new friends can develop into lifelong ones; that loyalty and trust are important; and that friendship with cats rule. To celebrate International Friendship Day on July 30 we’ve found five primary and five secondary […]
Keep ReadingThe theme for this year’s National Reconciliation Week is ‘Our History, Our Story, Our Future’, reflecting the essential part storytelling plays in the journey towards reconciliation. Reading Australia supports learning about Indigenous culture through more than 20 teacher resources created for books by Indigenous writers and illustrators, or featuring Indigenous characters. As well, the Copyright […]
Keep ReadingAnzac Day is one of Australia’s most significant national events. On this day we remember, not just the Australian and New Zealand troops that landed in Gallipoli but, all the men and women who have fought in war on behalf of Australia. It is also a time to reflect on how society’s attitudes to war […]
Keep ReadingInternational Women’s Day takes place every year on 8 March. It is a day for promoting the empowerment of women and recognising that gender equality has not yet been achieved. This gender disparity extends into the literary world. Women win less literary prizes than their male counterparts and their work is featured less in the […]
Keep ReadingAs school gears up again, it can be a challenging time of transition. From children arriving at school for the very first time, to juniors moving from lower primary to upper primary; Year 6 kids heading into high school for the first time, and seniors cartwheeling towards the final exams of their school lives. Here […]
Keep ReadingJanuary 26 is a day to remember Australia’s history – the experiences of our Indigenous people and of the immigrants who chose Australia as their home – and to celebrate what it means to be an Australian in all its diversity. We’ve put together a list of primary and secondary Reading Australia books perfect for […]
Keep ReadingEveryone knows you never judge a book by its cover, but what about judging a book by its length? Maybe you’re a teacher searching for a book short enough to appeal to your students or you need a novella to suggest for next month’s book club. Perhaps you’re just looking for an enjoyable read you can […]
Keep ReadingLast year Richard Flanagan joined the handful of Australian writers who have won the prestigious Man Booker Prize. While this year there are no Australians in the running, we can enjoy the last day of Flanagan’s literary reign and remember Australia’s other winners and almost winners. 1. The Narrow Road to the Deep North – Richard Flanagan (2014 winner) Tasmanian-born Richard […]
Keep ReadingTo commemorate World Mental Health Day we’ve put together a list of titles that explore different perspectives of mental illness. Visit the Mental Health Australia website or the official World Mental Health Day website for more information on World Mental Health Day. 1. Tell Me I’m Here, Anne Deveson Seventeen-year-old Jonathan developed schizophrenia at a […]
Keep ReadingEvery year, Australia dedicates the first week of October to Be Kind to Animals Week, a time to be active in improving the lives of all creatures. Reading books to children is a fantastic way to teach them about having compassion and empathy for animals. Choose one (or all!) of these seven books and be swept […]
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