ESL: Module A: Examples of Australian Visions

This is a summary of a handout given to one of my ESL students by her teacher – it refers more specifically to Strictly Ballroom.

I’ll try over time to add to this list. Otherwise, if you have any ideas, please comment and I’ll add it to the list here.

Rotary clothes line - Strictly Ballroom from Fanpop

Australian Icons

• Rotary clothes line – what Fran/Scott dance around
• (Greek) milk bars – where Fran lives
• Koalas, possums, wombats, platypus, echidna
• Waratahs, wattles, gum trees, banksias

ESL: Module A: Experience Through Language – Australian Visions

Well really, I can be the only person out there who has no idea what the ESL Elective “Australian Visions” is on about…so here I will post up any developments I find.

As I saw on the ETA Bulletin Board, even teachers aren’t really sure what it is about!

Australian Visions is Elective 2 in Module A: Experience Through Language of the HSC ESL syllabus. To make this clearer: ESL > Module A: Experience Through Language > Elective 2: Australian Visions.

This is what the syllabus says:

ESL Module A: Elective 2: Australian Visions – Seachange

Seachange Series 2: Episodes 7-13

Seachange! What is Seachange?

I happen to be tutoring this ABC Series this year for HSC ESL English. It comes under Module A: Experience Language – Elective 2: Australian Visions. I’ve never tutored this Module or this text before so this should be interesting.

The episodes we study in the 2009 syllabus are:

• Playing With Fire
• Not Such Great Expectations
• Manna From Heaven
• Law and Order

For both students/tutors who are doing this text, let me firstly note that…..there is near to nothing to help you with this text on the internet. Although Seachange used to be studied under the Standard English syllabus, they were different episodes than the ones now studied in the 2009 syllabus. Oh no!

The second problem is that, well, there is quite nothing about this Seachange (generally) on the internet. Not even on YouTube!

Hence, the most useful and only website I found was:

Seachange Internet Resources Links:

• Koala’s Seachange Website: summaries and reviews of each episode, and an explanation of all literary allusions made in the series (wow!).

I will continue to add more links as I find them (if I find any at all!).