Student Book pages 76–83
Unit 8: A sick river
The Big Picture
This unit is an opportunity to study poetry about a
contemporary issue: river health. By including several text types,
the unit shows that different texts contribute differently to a
TOPICANDTHATPOETRYISASVALIDAShINFORMATIONONLYvTEXTS
Ask students to find newspaper articles about the health of
Australia’s rivers. How did Henry Lawson see the Darling River
a hundred years ago? In comparison, how does the river look
today? Note the great contrast in descriptions of the Darling
and the River of Yellow Flowers in A Green Stream.
In this unit
% Source texts—Classic literature (poetry), contemporary
literature (illustrated nonfiction) and a media text
(newspaper article)
% Text features—Poetry, exposition, information report
% Writing—Poem (ballad) about Australia
% On the DVD—Audio recording and full text of The
Song of the Darling River by Henry Lawson; Audio
recording and full text of Mulga Bill’s Bicycle by A. B.
0ATERSON4RANSLATIONSOFA7ANG7EIPOEM-APOF
Australia
% Other resources—Henry Lawson biography, see www.
CULTUREANDRECREATIONGOVAUARTICLESLAWSON-URRAY
Darling Basin (including map), see www.environment.
gov.au/water/mdb; The works of A. B. Paterson, see
WWWUQEDUAU^MLWHAMBANJO-ULTIMEDIAUNITON
Wang Wei, see afe.easia.columbia.edu and choose
-ULTIMEDIA5NITS)NFORMATIONONPESTFISHSPECIES
see www.vic.waterwatch.org.au/file/inform/Carp.pdf;
Australian literary and historical texts, see http://setis.
LIBRARYUSYDEDUAUOZTEXTSOZLITHTML
See Teaching Guide pvii for this unit’s syllabus outcomes.
A Song of the Darling River—is an extract of a ballad by the
famous Australian poet, Henry Lawson. Lawson described the
$ARLING2IVERAShEITHERAMUDDYGUTTERORASECOND-ISSISSIPPIv
A Green Stream—is also a poem that describes a river, but it
is of a different time and style than Lawson’s. Wang Wei was
ONEOFTHETHREEMOSTADMIRED#HINESE4ANG$YNASTYn
poets. He was a painter as well as a poet and known for his
celebrations of nature.
When Land Becomes Sick—is an information report outlining
the way land clearing and poor land use can lead to damaged
rivers.
Sick Times for Our Rivers—is an extract from a newspaper
column (exposition) arguing for change in how we treat
THE-URRAYAND$ARLING2IVERS)TUSESMODALITYTYPICALOFAN
exposition (eg simply cannot, it is time).
In the texts—page 78
% Read and reread both poems, either in unison or taking
one line per student. Play the recording of The Song of the
Darling River on the DVD, noting the rhymes and rhythms.
Ask students about their first impressions of the poems and
which they prefer.
% Identify the Darling River for students on the map on the
DVD (also circled on p77). Explain that the headwaters of
THE$ARLINGAREINSOUTHERN1UEENSLANDANDTHERIVERJOINS
THE-URRAY2IVERNEARWHERETHEBORDERSOF.373!AND
Victoria meet. Discuss what the river relies on for a steady
Listening, speaking and extension
% 3TUDENTSRESEARCHTHEPROBLEMSOFTHE-URRAY$ARLING2IVERSYSTEMSEEOther resources).
% 3TUDENTSLOCATEANDREHEARSEREADINGSOF!USTRALIANBALLADSFORPRESENTATIONTOOTHER
classes (see Other resources).
%
3TUDENTSREADDIFFERENTTRANSLATIONSOF7ANG7EISDeer Park on the DVD. Explain
that translating other languages into English is not a straightforward task; a
character or word can have different meanings, which the translator interprets.
Ask students to choose their preferred translation and attempt their own from
THELITERALTRANSLATIONATTHETOPOFTHEPAGE3EEOther resources for information
about Wang Wei.
% 3TUDENTSWRITEASHORTHISTORYFACTUALRECOUNTOFTHE.37TOWNOF"OURKELOCATEDON
the Darling River.
44
TARGETING ENGLISH UPPER PRIMARY BOOK 2 TEACHING GUIDE
Unit 8: A sick river
flow. What happens if there are floods in Queensland? What
happens if there is a drought in Queensland?
% Lawson’s writing is full of imagery and will be a challenge
for some students. The river is personified; it acts like a
PERSONh"UTINVAIN)HAVETRIEDv$ISCUSSTHISTECHNIQUE
with students; see p127 for specific activities.
% Remind students that images (q1) contribute to
understanding and impressions of a topic.
% Discuss likely sources of facts and impressions in each text
QDo you think the writer of each text has seen the river
they are writing about? Does it matter if they haven’t?
Why/why not?
Your turn—pages 80–81
% Read other Australian ballads (eg from A. B. Patterson, John
/"RIEN#*$ENNIS$OROTHEA-ACKELLARTOTHECLASSAND
discuss common features (see Other resources).
% Discuss rhyme and any pattern evident in the source texts
(q2). Investigate rhythm by tapping in time as poems are
read (see also p82). Although this exercise is in rhyming
verse, explain that free verse does not have to rhyme, but
line length and rhythm are important, so that it is not merely
prose.
% Guide students through each question, as they build ideas,
phrases and rhyming words into poems.
Read and learn—pages 79–80
Poetic devices—pages 82–83
% Discuss which words from q1 students might use and how
words fall out of common use. Brainstorm other examples.
% Activities expose various poetic devices to students. Explain
that these devices may also be used in prose writing.
% $ISCUSSTHEROLEOFFIGURATIVELANGUAGEQ-AKESURE
students understand the examples. Ask students which they
prefer: figurative language or its literal meaning.
% Ask a group of students to provide a back beat, with voices
or hands, as a poem is read to the rhythm (q3). Demonstrate
marking of stressed syllables on the board.
% Discuss what message is being conveyed in Henry Lawson’s
POEMQnAre you surprised that that opinion was held
about 100 years ago?
% #
OLLECTTHEBESTEXAMPLESOFALLITERATIONANDSIMILEQn
for display. Discuss what makes these devices effective and
the dangers of overusing them. How would repeating lines
of alliteration in a poem sound? If every line of a poem (or
every sentence of a story) had “like” in it, what would it
be like to read? What would it make you think about the
author? Brainstorm further examples of similes (q6).
% $ISCUSSTHEISSUESOFLANDDEVELOPMENTQ/NABROAD
level, outline the problems of erosion, soil compaction and
salinity (see When Land Becomes Sick, p77). Explain that
these are complex problems, without simple solutions. How
could farmers treat the land differently? How might that
affect the price of food they produce?
% Discuss the issue of pest fish species, especially carp (see
Other resources). Did you realise that feral animals are a
problem in the water, as well as on land? How might a sick
river better suit a non-native fish?
% Revise the role of captions (q6); see p12 for further activities.
% 4OINDICATEAPAUSEPUNCTUATIONMARKSQnINORDEROF
increasing length are the comma, semicolon, dash/colon and
ellipsis. Note that some marks (eg ellipsis) have other uses.
Assessment Answers
(see Teaching Guide page 49)
1
2
3
4
5
6
AABBCC etc. Each pair of
lines rhymes.
seven beats to a line
cycling
He got rid of his horse and
dressed in cycling clothes.
He knew that riding a
bicycle is not easy and that
-ULGA"ILLPROBABLYDIDNT
know how to ride.
.OONEALLOVER.37
could ride as well as he
could and that he could
7
8
9
10
11
12
ride anything that had
been created.
there’s none can ride like
me/I’m good all round at
everything as everybody
knows/But riding is my
special gift etc.
I’m not the one to talk
as white as chalk
as close as close could be
narrow
a moved very quickly;
b 12; c home
TARGETING ENGLISH UPPER PRIMARY BOOK 2 TEACHING GUIDE
Work Sheets
% Work Sheet 1 directs students to research other Australian
balladeers; see Other resources as a starting point. Note that
some contemporary writers compose ballads.
% Work Sheet 2 is an exercise in writing an exposition in
response to 0ROFESSOR3IMON&ROSTSARTICLEPABOUT
damage to rivers. Explain to students that the exercise asks
them to pretend to be farmers. They agree with Professor
Frost’s arguments, but they want to point out that people
need help to improve river health. Explore the issues with
students before writing, eg Farming practices may need to
change, but that costs money. Do farmers want to damage
the river? Of course not! But they may need help to use less
water, such as new irrigation channels. 3EEWWWCLWCSIRO
au/issues/landuse/faq.html for background information.
% Work Sheet 3 guides students to write their own ballads.
Encourage students to think of humorous family stories as
a basis for their writing. Treat this exercise as a first draft;
some students may go on to produce a final version.
Assessment
%
Work Sheet 4 is a comprehension exercise based on
A.B. Paterson’s Mulga Bill’s Bicycle. Explain the work
sheet to students and play the reading from the DVD
several times, with pauses between each playing.
% 4OASSESS3TUDENT"OOKWRITINGANDWork Sheets 2 and 3,
use the exposition and poetry rubrics (Teaching Guide p88
and p91).
45
Unit 8: A sick river
Work Sheet 1
An Australian Ballad
1 Research a famous Australian ballad writer.
Name: _____________________________________________________ Born (date and place): _________________________________________
Titles of famous poems:
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2 Choose your favourite ballad by this author.
Title: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3UMMARYOFTHESTORY
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Favourite lines from the poem:
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Why do you like these lines?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3 Illustrate a scene from the ballad.
Write a line from the ballad
underneath your illustration,
as a caption.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
46
Copyright © Blake Publishing 2009 TARGETING ENGLISH
UPPER PRIMARY BOOK 2 TEACHING GUIDE
Work Sheet 2
Unit 8: A sick river
Help!
You are a farmer with a property on the banks of the Darling River. You know all about the
problems described by Professor Frost in his newspaper article. You have watched the river suffer
too — water levels falling, salt levels rising, fewer native fish — and you want to do something
about it. But you also have a family to support and a business to run. You would like to use the
best farming methods for the environment, but you need help to completely change the way the
farm runs.
Write an article for the newspaper in reply to Professor Frost’s article.
I Want to Help, but …
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Introduce the topic.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________
-AKETWOOR
three points.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________
3UPPORTTHEMWITH
examples.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3UMUPYOUR
argument.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________
Remember: you
want____________
to convince
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
readers about your
point____________
of view.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
TARGETING ENGLISH UPPER PRIMARY BOOK 2 TEACHING GUIDE Copyright © Blake Publishing 2009
47
Work Sheet 3
Unit 8: A sick river
Ballads
1 Write true or false for each statement about ballads.
a
Ballads tell a story. _____________________________
d
All ballads rhyme. _____________________________
b
Ballads are always about the
Australian bush. _____________________________
e
Poets who write ballads don’t write
other kinds of poetry. _____________________________
c
Ballads usually have more than
one verse. _____________________________
f
All ballads are humorous.
_____________________________
2 Choose a funny event that happened to your family.
a
Write key points of the story.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
b
Write the story in the form of a ballad, with four lines to a verse. Choose a rhyming pattern.
The Ballad of _______________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
48
Copyright © Blake Publishing 2009 TARGETING ENGLISH
UPPER PRIMARY BOOK 2 TEACHING GUIDE
Assessment
Work Sheet 4
(First name)
(Family name)
Mulga Bill’s Bicycle
Listen to Mulga Bill’s BicycleBY!"h"ANJOv0ATERSONANDANSWERTHEQUESTIONS
1
What is the rhyme pattern of this poem?
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2
How many beats are in each line of this poem?
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3
What new craze did Mulga Bill want to try?
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4
How did he prepare for taking up this new craze?
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
5
Why was the shop assistant grinning?
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
6
What did Mulga Bill say about his own riding ability?
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
7
Write a line when Mulga Bill brags about his riding skill.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
8 Write the line that means “I don’t brag”.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
9 Write the simile that describes Bill as pale and frightened.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
10 Write the simile that describes how close to the edge Bill rode.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
11
What do you think the word narrer means?
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
12 Write the meanings of these words.
a bolted ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
b DOZEN????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
c abode ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
TARGETING ENGLISH UPPER PRIMARY BOOK 2 TEACHING GUIDE Copyright © Blake Publishing 2009
49