ADVENTURE WRITING with WENDY ORR Education Resources: Grade 6-10

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1 ADVENTURE WRITING with WENDY ORR Education Resources: Grade 6-10 The following resources have been developed to take your Word Play experience from festival to classroom. Written and compiled by qualified teacher, Ella Peile, UPLIT s Children & Young Adult Coordinator, the suggested classroom exercises and activities below are designed to reflect key learning content outlined in the ACARA National Curriculum. For more information contact UPLIT. T E info@uplit.com.au UPLIT.COM.AU Curriculum Links The following activities are designed to complement the Australian Curriculum in English, History, and Visual Arts. Specific curriculum links have been noted at the end of each activity. About the Author Wendy Orr is a Canadian-born Australian author whose books for children and adults have been published in 27 countries and won awards in Australia and around the world. Nim s Island and Nim at Sea, have also become feature films, starring Jodie Foster and Abigail Breslin (Nim s Island) and Bindi Irwin (Return to Nim s Island). Wendy s latest book, Dragonfly Song, is a novel in verse and prose of an outcast girl who becomes a bull-leaper in Bronze Age Crete. It has been shortlisted for the CBCA Book of the Year for younger readers, the West Australian Young Readers Award and the Crystal Kite award, and was the winner of the ASO Librarian s Choice Award. Wendy is passionate about books, writing, and the value of history in encouraging curiosity and understanding about ourselves.

2 About the Book Dragonfly Song Abandoned by the priestess of the island at birth, Aissa is an outcast, surviving by her wits until she joins the acrobatic bull dancers who are sent away to compete on the island of the Bull King. There are two ways of looking at Aissa s story. She s the miracle girl who escaped the raiders. Or she s the cursed child who called the Bull King s ship to the island. The firstborn daughter of a priestess is cast out as a baby, and after raiders kill her adopted family, she is abandoned at the gates of the Great Hall, anonymous and mute. Called No-Name, the cursed child, she is raised a slave, and not until she is twelve does she learn her name is Aissa: the dragonfly. Now every year the Bull King takes a tribute from the island: two thirteen-year-old children to brave the bloody bull dances in his royal court. None have ever returned but for Aissa it is the only escape. Aissa is resilient, resourceful, and fast but to survive the bull ring, she will have to learn the mystery of her true nature. Preparatory Activity Vocab List and Word Search amulet raiders orphaned slavery outcast foraging survival ceremony offering cursed grieving sanctuary honour tribute sacrifice priestess chief minotaur S B U T T R I B U T E U K S R R H V W P J F R B R T S A C T U O I M B U R B H C D B U V H U E T H L E K K I D Z G I D R A R P J Z S Z T O W E Z G R S N E M T D W J G Q E V Z S Y N M A A Y S F O I A K G L Z X T E I T N I C R R M N S F N U J W E H G F C K D R T U G I C I M G F S O A J T F Q E I W C Q M R A G V S N R E U A Z L R F M T E E Z N P X O O R A P N X U S I P K F F I X T U F P R N J U U S F C Y F F V V A R S B Y H E Q D F U K E O K E L S U R V I V A L A U F Y P Z H I M N K F Q W Q W Y R E V A L S A R E X F A J O H Q C E R E M O N Y G F E I H C L O O R P H A N E D A

3 Understand how to use spelling rules and word origins, for example Greek and Latin roots, base words, suffixes, prefixes, spelling patterns and generalisations to learn new words and how to spell them (ACELA1539) Discussion and Research History and Mythology as Inspiration for Dragonfly Song Dragonfly Song draws upon a number of myths, legends, and historical stories. Students could research examples of one of the following in myth, story, and history: - A matriarchal society with a ruling priestess. - Snakes as sacred. - A royal baby who was stolen away and adopted. - A tribute of young people to honour a ruler or god. - A hero who grew up unaware of their real identity. - Divining omens from an oracle; using omens to govern major political decisions. - Bull dances / fights. - Shrines and offerings as important part of daily life. - An outcast who became a hero. Students present their findings to the rest of the class, including the portrayal in Dragonfly Song, and in fable/fairytale, film and literature, myth/religion, and/or history. Investigate the Greek myth of Theseus, which heavily influenced Dragonfly Song. For example, read the section Death of Androgeos & Athen s Tribute at and identify the similarities to the island s tribute to the Bull King. Research Minoan society, including the palace of Knossos. Information is available at Compare what we know of Minoan society with the society depicted in Dragonfly Song. Refer to Wendy Orr s discussion of the Minoan setting on page two of the Teaching Notes available at Analyse and evaluate similarities and differences in texts on similar topics, themes or plots (ACELT1614) Key features of ancient societies (farming, trade, social classes, religion, rule of law) (ACOKFH003) How historians and archaeologists investigate history, including excavation and archival research (ACDSEH001) The range of sources that can be used in an historical investigation, including archaeological and written sources (ACDSEH029) Use comprehension strategies to interpret and analyse texts, comparing and evaluating representations of an event, issue, situation or character in different texts (ACELY1744) The evidence for the emergence and establishment of ancient societies (including art, iconography, writing tools and pottery) (ACOKFH002)

4 Writing Assignment Using History and Myths as Inspiration Students research myths from their own cultural heritage and choose one to inspire a story of their own. Create an inspiration pinboard such as Wendy Orr s Pinterest board for Dragonfly Song: Analysing the source material: Distill the myth into its essential features. Taking a copy of the myth, highlight key characters and events. Summarise in 100 words, then 50, then 20, then 10. Make personal choices about what you want to focus on. What is the moral or social lesson? Who is the hero? Who is the villain? Developing the world of your story: What is the setting? Consider dominant features of the landscape. How does this influence the society and culture? What does your society believe in? Describe the most important religious or cultural figures and rituals. Who is the leader of the society? Who is the most disadvantaged? If the story played out in contemporary society, what would it look like? Plotting the character and events: Who will you base your character on? What essential elements from your source material will you keep? What will be adapted or modernised? Describe your main character s status, family life, and home. What do they want? This will be their main motivation. What will stir your character into action? Anger, desire, command, fate? Will the mythological aspects be represented as part of reality, supernatural, or be adapted into a different context? Create literary texts that adapt or combine aspects of texts students have experienced in innovative ways (ACELT1618) Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts, selecting aspects of subject matter and particular language, visual, and audio features to convey information and ideas (ACELY1725) Identify and locate relevant sources, using ICT and other methods (ACHHS151)

5 Classroom Discussion Sacrifice and Ritual Dragonfly Song includes regular reference to religious rituals, as well as the cultural ritual of the bull dances. Discuss the importance of ritual in religion and culture. Discussion points: - In your culture, do you make any personal sacrifices? - Do you have any rituals that you know are not, in a scientific sense, real? Are they real in another sense? Why are they important? - Find examples of different kinds of offerings and their purposes. E.g. Could biscuits left for Santa be considered an offering? - In Dragonfly Song, although the people fear their son or daughter dying, they consider being chosen as tribute to be good luck. Why do you think this is? - Find examples of daily rituals, such as honouring the goddess with food offerings. What personal, cultural, and practical purposes do these rituals have? (For example, consider how rituals relate to the seasons, environmental sustainability, and maintaining social order and good will.) - Map the following relationships using a family-tree style network with the highest-status at the top of the page: Goddess, Mother, Lady, Lady s Daughter, Priestesses, Wise Women, Chief, Bull God/ Earthshaker, Bull King, Bull Dancers. Share with a group and justify your placements with reference to the book. Make connections between students own experiences and those of characters and events represented in texts drawn from different historical, social and cultural contexts (ACELT1613) Identify and locate relevant sources, using ICT and other methods (ACHHS151) Homework Activity 1 The World of the Book Students create a map of the world of Dragonfly Song (1450 BCE Crete), adding images, information, and quotes throughout their study of the book. It may be helpful to create three pages: Historical Bronze Age Crete, Aissa s Island, and The Bull King s Palace. These could be digital pinboards or image collages, paper collage/mind maps, or collaborative posters displayed in class. Consider: - Historical research including what we know of the culture, their art, and rituals. - Descriptions and images of the landscape as it was. - Descriptions and depictions of Aissa s island. Consider landscape, religion and culture, daily life, class system, gender roles, etc. Use quotes from the book and extrapolate using the author s notes and research (see Further Resources). - Descriptions and depictions of the Bull King s Palace. As above. As you study the book, add to each document/poster, and ask students to find clues which place the book in its historical time. E.g. whether it was someone from long ago before copper or bronze came to the island, or somebody who can t afford metal now tells readers the age in which the book is set. Understand and explain how combinations of words and images in texts are used to represent particular groups in society, and how texts position readers in relation to those groups (ACELT1628)

6 Interpret and analyse language choices, including sentence patterns, dialogue, imagery and other language features, in short stories, literary essays and plays (ACELT1767) Identify a range of questions about the past to inform a historical inquiry (ACHHS150) Identify and locate relevant sources, using ICT and other methods (ACHHS151) The evidence for the emergence and establishment of ancient societies (including art, iconography, writing tools and pottery) (ACOKFH002) Group Activity Lady VS Bull King Early in the story, the captain of the Bull King s ship announces to the Lady that The Bull King, king of the sea, priest of the Bull God, hears that your island is troubled by slaving raids and pirates. He promises that these will end from today. In return for his protection, each year you will pay twelve barrels of olive oil, twelve goat kids, twelve jugs of wine, twelve baskets of grain, twelve baskets of dried fish, twelve lengths of woven cloth and a boy and a girl of thirteen summers to honour the god. Consider how you would respond if you were in the Lady s position. Choose one of the following to present: - A debate arguing for or against the Lady accepting the Bull King s terms. - A role play of a possible conversation between the Lady and the wise women. - A role play of a possible barter between the Lady and captain. - A conversation between two parents discussing the possible fate of their children. - An analysis of the power of military force to control a population. Combine the elements of drama in devised and scripted drama to explore and develop issues, ideas and themes (ACADRM040) Develop roles and characters consistent with situation, dramatic forms and performance styles to convey status, relationships and intentions (ACADRM041) Create literary texts that adapt stylistic features encountered in other texts, for example, narrative viewpoint, structure of stanzas, contrast and juxtaposition (ACELT1625) Explore the ways that ideas and viewpoints in literary texts drawn from different historical, social and cultural contexts may reflect or challenge the values of individuals and groups (ACELT1626) Create imaginative, informative and persuasive texts that raise issues, report events and advance opinions, using deliberate language and textual choices, and including digital elements as appropriate (ACELY1736) Group Activity and Writing Exercise Imagery Orr includes many detailed visual descriptions in Dragonfly Song. Divide the class into groups and assign each group a chapter. The groups find a passage of descriptive writing, and depict the image using drawing or digital collage. Students could also select an image (this could relate to the setting of their personal heritage stories, above) and use this as inspiration for a descriptive passage. Prompting questions: - What are the dominant features of the landscape? Describe the macro and the micro using one sentence for each. - What is the weather like? Think about light and temperature. - Does the place look hospitable or dangerous? Where would your character choose to be? - What are the sounds and smells in the air?

7 - Use similes, metaphors, and the senses to communicate a short moment of time, placing your character in this setting. Create literary texts that adapt stylistic features encountered in other texts, for example, narrative viewpoint, structure of stanzas, contrast and juxtaposition (ACELT1625) Experiment with text structures and language features and their effects in creating literary texts, for example, using rhythm, sound effects, monologue, layout, navigation and colour (ACELT1805) Create literary texts that draw upon text structures and language features of other texts for particular purposes and effects (ACELT1632) Experiment with particular language features drawn from different types of texts, including combinations of language and visual choices to create new texts (ACELT1768) Develop and refine techniques and processes to represent ideas and subject matter (ACAVAM127) Classroom Activity Analysing Character Students will each need an A3 sheet of paper. Ask students to draw a silhouette of Aissa, taking up most of the page space. You could provide a photocopy of the cover image (cropped to include only the silhouette of Aissa leaping over the bull) for students to trace. Students are to fill the sheet with the following: - Physical descriptions or drawing/colour, drawn and written along the silhouette outline. - How Aissa is perceived by others, written using quotes and descriptions outside the silhouette to the edge of the page. - Aissa s values, beliefs, thoughts, and feelings, written or drawn inside the silhouette. Students can add to their character profile throughout their reading of the book, or they may wish to create two profiles to show change from the start to the end of the story. At the introduction of Fila, ask students to compare Aissa and Fila. Consider: - Age - Appearance - Voice - Relationships and status Who else is Aissa compared to? What do these comparisons show? Interpret and analyse language choices, including sentence patterns, dialogue, imagery and other language features, in short stories, literary essays and plays (ACELT1767) Classroom Discussion Verse Ask students to write a definition of poetry what are the essential features for a piece of text to be considered a poem? Use think-pair-share to come up with a group definition. Present an example of free-verse poetry such as After the Sea-Ship by Walt Whitman. Do students agree that this is a poem, even though it doesn t rhyme? What features does it have that separate it from prose? Consider:

8 - Structure: rhythmic/metric feel, line length - Repetition - Sound devices: alliteration, onomatopoeia - Figurative language: personification, metaphor - Imagery Discuss Orr s use of verse in Dragonfly Song. Discussion points: - Whose voice does the verse represent? - How do the verse passages differ from the prose? What does each allow the author to communicate? - Note the freer use of time in verse rather than prose. - Discuss how verse can be an insight into character. What are the benefits of using poetry to explore characters thoughts and feelings? Identify the relationship between words, sounds, imagery and language patterns in narratives and poetry such as ballads, limericks and free verse (ACELT1617) Recognise and analyse the ways that characterisation, events and settings are combined in narratives, and discuss the purposes and appeal of different approaches (ACELT1622) Classroom Discussion and Activity Silence and Singing Silence plays an important role in the plot and symbolism of Dragonfly Song. Find examples of uses of the words silent, still, and small, and voice and singing. E.g.: - Stay quiet, still as a stone, till I come back. - silent as a secret - her inside voice singing high. Discussion points: - What effect does the repetition of these words have? - How does Aissa s silence help her? How does in hinder her? - Why does Aissa stay silent? What does this represent to the reader? - Consider the symbolism of the Lady singing. How does this connect to Aissa s story and her voice? - Discuss where Aissa s voice comes from and in what ways it is part of her, and it what ways it contradicts the character as established up to this point. - Is the voice in Aissa s head the same voice that sings? When Aissa sings the snake, (Chapter 13), her voice seems to come from somewhere else. In groups of three, act out the scene with Luki and the snake, Aissa, and her voice. Combine the elements of drama in devised and scripted drama to explore and develop issues, ideas and themes (ACADRM040) Develop roles and characters consistent with situation, dramatic forms and performance styles to convey status, relationships and intentions (ACADRM041) Compare the ways that language and images are used to create character, and to influence emotions and opinions in different types of texts (ACELT1621)

9 Further Resources Additional teaching notes can be found at Wendy s Pinterest board for the book can be found at