Seashells

• Ask students to explore the Macquarie Collector's Chest. The State Library of New South Wales provides a number of useful digital resources relating to the chest including the following:

1. a full description of the chest: State Library of New South Wales, 'Collection Record: the Macquarie Collector's Chest', http://acms.sl.nsw.gov.au/item/itemDetailPaged.aspx?itemID=442725
2. a digital album displaying photos of the chest: State Library of New South Wales, 'Album the Macquarie Collector's Chest', http://acms.sl.nsw.gov.au/album/albumView.aspx?acmsID=442725&itemID=823397
3. an online exhibition relating to the chest and exhibition guide: State Library of New South Wales, 'Exotica: the Macquarie Collector's Chest', http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/events/exhibitions/2006/chest/index.html; http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/events/exhibitions/2006/chest/docs/exoticaguide.pdf. 

• Discuss with students what specimens were included in the chest and how these were arranged.
• Discuss with students what the reactions of the Europeans to seeing such creatures as the kangaroo, koala, wombat and platypus would have been like. Facilitate a hot-seat role-play where the students pretend to be scientists or botanists of the time and answer questions from the class on their findings.

• Ask students to select a drawer from within the Macquarie Collector's Chest. Ask them to pretend that they are an English visitor to Australia in the early 19th century and to write a letter describing the specimens in the drawer to someone at home in England who has never seen Australian fauna before.

Student Activity Sheet H21.5 The Macquarie Collector's Chest

• Ask students to consider what is understood by the term 'classless society' and which features of Australian society might be considered a part of this idea. You might like to stimulate class discussion by drawing on the following resource:

1. Smith, B. The Australian 23 January 2010. In A Class of Our Own, http://www.babettesmith.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7&Itemid=9 

• Ask students to research Australian history and nominate an event or events where Australians fought to retain an egalitarian disposition, for example, the Eureka Stockade, the shearers'/miners' strikes and the Aboriginal tent embassy. Ask students if they feel that all people in Australia have the same rights and privileges as everyone else.

• Ask students to consider whether they agree with the statement 'Australia is a classless society'. Mark out a straight line along the classroom floor and place markers (for example A for 'Agree', D for 'Disagree') at either end of the line. Mark the midpoint of the line as the 'Undecided' area. Ask students to position themselves along the line according to their belief in the statement. 
• As a freeze-frame exercise, ask students to provide brief explanations of why they have assumed the position they have chosen. The teacher touches the shoulder of each student who then speaks about their views. The student could take the role of a worker in society and present their opinion.
• Students can then move again to reflect their changing views.

Student Activity Sheet: H21.6: A classless society?

• Introduce students to the language of metaphors and similes. Find examples of metaphors from literature, music, drama and poetry. Some useful websites are:

1. Buzzle.com, 'Metaphor Examples for Kids', http://www.buzzle.com/articles/metaphor-examples-for-kids.html/
2. Said What?, 'Metaphors', http://www.saidwhat.co.uk/spoon/metaphors.php/
3. Said What?, 'Similes' http://www.saidwhat.co.uk/spoon/similes.php/

• Ask students to write three similes and three metaphors.
• Introduce students to the idea that Alice feels like she is imprisoned by her medical condition. As a class count the number of times Alice is filmed looking out through windows or a doorways, but is unable to leave. Do this for the whole episode. Ask students how they think this would make them feel if they were in Alice's position.
• In the clip A female gaol Alice claims to know of a 'children's gaol in Sydney town'. She threatens to send Sarah there if she doesn't take her outside. View the scene by the creek in which Alice says that the prison is 'dark and cold and you have to stay inside all day'. Ask students how she would know this and to consider if she may in fact be talking about her own life. Ask the students how this would make them feel about Alice.
• Have students develop character profiles for Sarah and Alice. Make sure each profile lists the character's physical characteristics, likes and dislikes. Describe their life so far and include any information from the My Place storybook about the character.

• Ask students to consider the lives of the two characters, Sarah and Alice. Ask them to write a poem about each. Students could consider writing their poem as either a ballad, haiku, blank or simple verse. They should use at least one metaphor to describe how they feel about each of the characters. Share the poems with the rest of the class.
• Research Australian poets from this era and read some of their poems. AB Paterson and Henry Lawson are good for examples. Students could model their own poem on one of the poems from their research.

Student Activity Sheet E21.5: Metaphors

• As a class discuss how in the clip Seashells we begin to see a change in the relationship between Sarah and Alice. Download the episode script, available on My Place for Teachers, 'Behind the scenes'. Watch this scene closely and ask students to highlight the dialogue that shows how Alice is treating Sarah. Note in particular how Sarah is ordered to do things for Mrs Owen and Alice as if she is their servant. Ask students to write down what it is that Sarah says that changes the balance of power in their relationship. As students to consider why this changes takes place.
• As a class view all of Episode 21. Focus students' attention on the fact that climbing the tree together cements the friendship between Sarah and Alice. Ask students to storyboard an extra scene for the episode to portray how Sarah and Alice become friends, focusing on the reasons both girls have for changing their attitudes to each other. Have students complete Student Activity Sheet: E21.6 Friendship.

• Group students into pairs and ask them to re-enact the conversation between Sarah and Mrs Owen at Alice's funeral. Focus attention on the part when Sarah tells Mrs Owen of Alice's favourite things and her enjoyment of life.
• Ask students to write a eulogy for Sarah to deliver at Alice's funeral. Make sure they understand to concentrate on the positive aspects of their relationship. They will need to reinterpret the negative parts of their relationship to see them in a more positive light.

Student Activity Sheet E21.6: Friendship