N & O: Ned Kelly, Outlaws and Outback

Today we'll be dealing with some really heavy topics.

The bulk of our time will have to be devoted to famous OUTLAWS. Australia sports names of many brave men who chose to stand against their opressors, but the two who are the most important, and have become part of Aussie culture and mentality, are Ned Kelly and Ben Hall.

Ned Kelly (a Sydney Nolan's painting)
Ned Kelly Skull doco
Jerilderie Letter



















Ben Hall

THE FELONS' APPREHENSION ACT

ACTIVITY Ned Kelly

And now something for film buffs among you (you are all encouraged to read/watch these materials, but there will be no questions on this part).

Since bushrangers chose OUTBACK as their real home, we'll also have a closer look at just how it is portrayed in modern culture.

I have already introduced you to the acclaimed documentary Not Quite Hollywood. Among films which are discussed there, are such golden nuggets of Aussie cinema as Razorback and The Long Weekend. While they are in no means of any (or almost any) artistic merit, they offer a surprisingly insightful description of "the red centre."



































If we have time, we'll celebrate Australian OSCAR winners and nominees.

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Here is your next Fun Facts QUIZ we'll be doing in class.


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M: Maori, monotremes and marsupials

This week we'll be bouncing between not only two countries but in fact two continents.

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The Sounds of Aus

WWW.NEWS.COM.AU have just posted the doco online as part of their celebrating Australia Day yesterday.

Sadly it's not available in our region. However if you were to somehow hide your comp IP, you'd still be able to watch it (hint hint ;) )

I'll keep lookng for one we can watch no probs, though. Cheers!

L: language - cont.

L: Aussie Lingo

I was a little hestitant to post this video, but... tomorrow we are going to celebrate the Australian language in all its richness.





Yeah...

OK, back to serious topics. We'll be watching part of a documentary from which you will learn about: BROAD, GENERAL and CULTIVATED accents and where they came from.



Some reading if you are interested in exploring more.

Australian slang - how language was shaped by various historical events

History of accent change - a very useful interactive timeline

More in-depth analysis of the differences between Australian, British and American - vowel quality change, word formation etc.

AUSSIE SLANG DICTIONARY

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K: Kangaroos and Kids in Australia

Before you read and/or watch anything else I'll need you to think about some questions and note down your answers.

Imagine that an English speaking friend who has never been in Poland before asked you the following questions:
- If there is one book by a Polish writer I SHOULD read, which one is it? 
- If there is one poem by a Polish poet I SHOULD read, which one is it?
- If there is one Polish film I SHOULD watch, which one is it?
- Tell me the title of ONE kids' show and/or fairytale/cartoon you watched when you were a child.
- Do you remember any characters from kids' stories that traumatised you in your childhood?

Have fun ;)

And now moving to this week's topics.

1. Kangaroos

Everything you ever need to know about roos and wallabies.

source: Australia FB

2. Kids' TV programmes and books

Some clips from the shows we will be talking about in the class:

Koala Brothers

A fantastic look at the Outback and the life there. Stunning voice acting with a variety of broad accents.

Dot and the Kangaroo

This is the whole movie if anyone feels like watching.

The film is one of iconic elements of Australian culture. It's the second ever animated Australian film, and a fantastic mixture of world views represented by the white and the Aboriginal members of Australian society.

Visit Australian Screen website to read more.

The Wiggles

The Wiggles is the most popular show for kids in Australia, and normally it looks like that:



However sometimes the Wiggles are much more demonic than that... ;)

This is another song which has traumatised generations of young Australians. Brace yourselves...

Yeah. What have they been smoking, eh? ;)




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I & J: Indigenous Art and Jandamarra's Rebellion