Teachers' Notes

The following teachers' notes are in PDF format. The texts have been studied at all levels of secondary school in Victoria, NSW and Queensland though the majority of classes studying the books are year eight and nine.

One Dead Seagull themes (get the full PDF by clicking HERE)

1. Accident, Injury, Disability, Self image

2. Families, Separation, Discipline

3. Independence, Self-responsibility, Taking control of your life

4. Addiction, Smokes, Alcohol, Drugs

5. Mates, Enemies, Anger, Violence

6. Nature, Environment, Camping

7. Clothes, Nudity, Sexuality, First love

White Ute Dreaming themes (get the full PDF by clicking HERE)

1. Communication – listening to others and speaking your truth

2. Life experience – adventure, travel, tattoos

3. Self responsibility – authority, autonomy, stuffing up and getting caught

4. Risks – parties, drugs, cars, emotional courage

5. Family – busted families, family rules, having things in common with your parents

6. Sexuality – infidelity, first sex, sex and love, perving, homosexuality

7. Sadness – anger, fear, depression, suicide

Burning Eddy themes (get the full PDF by clicking HERE)

1. Animals – weird and wonderful, symbolic and real, part of our culture and homeland

2. Life Experience – age, attitude to life, the good and the bad

3. Work – money, effort, time, a job that suits your personality

4. Friends – friends that used to be enemies, falling in love with friends, friendships of all ages

5. Family – busted families, family rules, family lies

6. Death – death of a child, death of an older person, murder, grief

7. Fire – symbolic and real, friend or foe, pyromania

The Other Madonna themes (get the full PDF by clicking HERE)

1. Body Modification – piercing, tattoos

2. Family Dynamics & Family Violence – non-nuclear families, domestic violence, physical discipline

3. Making Choices and Changes in Your Outside World – taking control of your life and reflecting it in the environment where you live

4. Sex, Lust and Love – healthy and unhealthy sex, sexual violence, love and passion

5. Talking About Hard Times – personal story-telling, putting difficult things into words