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Teacher's Notes: Imagined Nation is an Area of Study. The concept of a National identity is a problematic issue for post colonial nations. As such Australia's composers have contributed both to the discussion and to the identity.  In this elective students explore the ways Australia's writers and filmmakers have shaped our image of ourselves. They question the notion of identity, analyse the representations of Australia and Australians and consider the ways in which stereotypes both obscure and reveal our beliefs and attitudes about what it means to be Australian. You can access a range of lesson activities for this Area of Study by opening the word document Imagined Nation.

Learning Objectives:

• Analyse the representations of Australian identity in a range of texts (novel, short stories, poetry, advertisements, film)

• Explain how the forms, structures and language features of texts contribute to these representations.

• Evaluate the stereotypes used to represent Australians in  a range of texts and from different times.

• Compose both imaginative and argument texts exploring representations of identity.

Some useful links

• Forms and features of compositions

• Archie Weller

• Henry Lawson

• Henry Lawson

• Australian Literature

• What makes Australians Australian?

• Year Book Australia 2003

• Heywire stories

• Flinders Ranges and Outback South Australia

• Lore of the Land

• Flight of Ducks This is an online journal of Australian experience spanning several generations. It is an interesting and unusual text.

• Tales My Mother told me Stories by Australian women. These are great sources for additional texts.