Australian Literature Unit Study -Five in a Row Style

Five in a Row (FIAR) is a excellent American based literature unit study resource that I used when my kids were younger. Snuggled up on the couch, we would go on a learning adventure through the pages of a good book.

This curriculum is based on using 'living books' as unit studies. And it is a great way to cover key learning areas in your curriculum. Unfortunately these books are no longer sold in Australia.

After using Five in a Row for a few years I started my own Australian style literature unit studies. I have now compiled this into a resource for you called Australian Book Traveller.

To do a litearature study using a novel please look at our Any Novel Novel Guide.

Here is a sample unit study for Wombat Stew.

Wombat Stew

Author: Marcia Vaughan
Illustrator: Pamela Lofts
© 1984
ISBN: 978-1-86504-661-7

Story Summary: One day a dingo catches a wombat by the billabong. The wombat’s friends want to save him so they help the dingo make the stew with some very yucky ingredients. The dingo’s soup is not quite how he intended. The text is relatively short and uncomplicated, written with a certain rhythm.

English

Text Type—Procedure. How to make a wombat stew.
Genre-Fiction.  Is this a real story?
What is the difference between a factual and fictional story. Tell me a few things that shows this is only a story. Animals can’t talk. Dingo’s can’t cook. A platypus cannot walk on his hind legs.
Use of repetition- What is the saying being repeated.
Vocabulary-billabong, billycan
Alliteration-‘Big blobs and billabong mud’
‘sliding off his sun-soaked stone.’

Parts of a story

1.Beginning-What is the Conflict? Dingo takes the wombat
2.The Middle-The Climax? Friends try to help. Friends plan. Dingo falls for the plan
3.The Ending-Resolution? No more Dingo

Make a List

How many words can they find that end with  ‘Y’.  
For Example; brewy, chewy, lumpy, crunchy, munchy, muddy, yummy, gooey, billy, creepy ,spicy
Name the Recipe
Why do you think the Dingo named his recipe Wombat Stew?
What might he have called his recipe if he had caught one of the other animals?  Koala Cookies!
Could you make a rhyme for the new dish?

Copywork Sentence

‘One day, on the banks of the billabong, a very clever dingo caught a wombat.’

Writing

Would your child like to write a story about what would have happened if the dingo had caught another animal or their own yucky recipe?

Social Studies

Geography- How do we know this story is based in Australia?
Where do you think you should put your map marker for this story?
Did you know there are no Koalas in Tasmania or WA?
Platypus are only found on the east coast of Australia including Tasmania.

Relationships-The animals are friends to the wombat; they save his life.
How can we be a good friend to others?

History and Environmental planning
The Dingo Fence or the Rabbit Proof Fence is longer than the Great Wall of China. It is 5,320 km.
It was originally built to keep out the rabbits but that didn’t work. Now it is called The Dingo Fence or Dog Fence.

Art

Art Medium

The illustrations in this book are water colour and watercolour pencils. Can you identify the different mediums?

Shapes and Drawing

Look at the page where the emu is adding the feathers to the pot. Have your child make out the shapes in the emu. They should be able to identify a diamond, four ovals, and a cylinder.

Using tracing paper have them trace the picture in the book following the shape. When finished, place tracing paper under a clean sheet of paper and hold the two sheets up against a light filled window. Trace the tracing onto a clean sheet of paper. Once traced, look at the original illustration and add some details.

Using the bug picture page see if your child wants to make up their own bugs to add to the stew.

Science, Nature and Technology

Do a little research into one of the following areas
Nature Study- Australian animals mentioned in the story.
Chemistry- Make a stew.
Bush craft- How can you cook your food in the bush? Safe handling of fire in the bush.
Poisons-What should you eat? What makes something poisonous?

Related books and Media

Diary of a Wombat by Jackie French. ©2003 Highly recommended. Notable Children's Books. Younger Readers
Jackie French the author has a wombat living in her backyard. This very funny story is a study in the wombats behaviour.  http://www.jackiefrench.com/wombat.html
Wombat Down Below ©2004 by Jill Morris
Big Foot the Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat lives alone in his comfortable burrow. He comes out at night to feed and exercise, but is very aware of the dangers he faces outside. The grasses are drying up and the night is full of predators - dingoes, wild cats and owls.
Dusty a movie based on the book by Frank Dalby Davidson.