Category: Ages 12+
Goldfields Girl by Elaine Forrestal is a fictional account of the coming of age of fourteen-year-old Clara Saunders, a pioneer woman on the Coolgardie Goldfields in the 1890s. Elaine Forrestal wrote this book for children to learn about the history of the Western Australian gold rush from a younger person’s perspective. The Gold Search activity […]
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Little Jiang is a children’s fiction novel inspired by Chinese folklore. Shirley Marr wrote this book to teach Chinese mythology and folklore and to encourage children to learn about other cultures. The Design Your Own Menu activity sheet encourages children to foster imagination, creativity and improve written and visual literacy. For more teaching activities, download […]
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The Lost Stone of SkyCity by HM Waugh is a children’s fantasy adventure novel about a village girl who finds herself on a mythical and death-defying quest. The Conquer Dragon Mountain activity sheet incorporates mathematics, and written and visual literacy to foster active listening, counting, reading and receptive language skills. For more teaching activities, download […]
Activity Sheet
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The Smuggler’s Curse is a children’s fiction adventure novel about Red Read who is sold to an infamous smuggler plying his trade off the north-west coast in the closing days of the 19th century. Catch the Smugglers activity sheet was designed to make geography and history fun and engaging. For more teaching activities, download the […]
Activity Sheet
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Riddle Gully Secrets is a mystery and adventure fiction novel for young readers about a famed youth reporter Pollo di Nozi who stumbles upon two surprising secrets. This book is the first in the trilogy. This activity sheet is designed to test children’s history knowledge and memory. For more teaching activities, download the free teaching […]
Activity Sheet
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Maddie in the Middle is a coming-of-age novel about friendship, growing up, and finding independence. This activity sheet is designed to develop written literacy, reading, research and identification skills. For more teaching activities, download the free teaching notes here.
Activity Sheet
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This term we asked some of our favourite writers to send us their top storytelling tips and tricks with a couple of writing exercises to boot. Take a look below and don’t forget to download your free poster for the classroom or order it from admin@fremantlepress.com.au.
In this interview Rebecca talks about the histories behind the history and how these might be used to stimulate classroom discussions, research and writing activities.
Stock up your classroom with some free activity sheets, door hangers, teaching notes and bookmarks. We’ve rounded up a selection of the latest.
When you want to find books by and about Aboriginal and or Torres Strait Islander Peoples for your classroom or library, which resources do you turn to? The NCACL has just launched a new database, which they hope will be invaluable to teachers in their search for the most appropriate materials to share with their […]
Our authors are still out there running workshops and talking to classrooms online. Read on to find out what’s available in the coming weeks.
In 2015, I was well and truly sick of my book. The History of Mischief had been lingering with me since 2006, and progress was slow. It was often left for months, only for me to return to it, tinker a bit, and then abandon it for another lengthy period of time. I needed something to […]
I’m Elaine Forrestal and Goldfields Girl is my latest historical fiction for students, teachers and history buffs of any age. My fiction, in various genres, has been published since 1983. This is my third historical fiction novel. In this blog post I will share my top tips for using your local, state or national library […]
Anzac Day marks the anniversary of Australia’s first major military action and is also a national day of remembrance that commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations. Though we may only be able to celebrate the Dawn Service with a candle in our front yards, […]
Classes might be homeward bound, and book launches may be cancelled, but booksellers, publishers and writers will keep on keeping on. Here are eight happenings, or potential happenings, coming to a virtual world near you. If you know of any others you’d like us to share – please keep us informed!
It’s Women’s History Month and we’re really excited to announce the publication of Goldfields Girl, a historical fiction novel about an extraordinary woman named Clara Saunders. Here, author Elaine Forrestal shares with us some of what she learned about this amazing pioneer of the Western Australian Goldfields.
Norman Jorgensen and Andy Griffiths have taken their places alongside Roald Dahl, Brian Jacques, Victor Kelleher, Paul Jennings, Duncan Ball and John Marsden in the West Australian Young Readers Book Awards (WAYRBA) Hall of Fame. Now in its fortieth year, the WAYRBA Hall of Fame is reserved for those authors who have won the award […]
In the last edition of Classroom Express we shared some inspiration form the library team at Bunbury Catholic College on how to create a book display project worthy of entry into our Creative Classrooms competition.
As it comes to the end of the school year, we know that teachers everywhere will be getting ready to enjoy the Christmas holidays after a busy year. To acknowledge you for all the hard work you do day in day out, we asked four Fremantle Press authors to share their stories of teachers who […]
In The Lost Stone of SkyCity, HM Waugh’s brave heroine Sunaya faces five Dragon Tests to prove she is a worthy guardian of the princess of the Ice-People. Here, Waugh explains how her own learning led her to create these tests from skills that all children need to succeed.
Wednesday 5 June marks World Environment Day, which is a celebration of all built and natural environments across the planet. With an increasing focus on climate change, plastic use and sustainability, this is the perfect chance to open discussion on these topics in your classroom.
NAIDOC Week takes place in the first week of July each year, which this year is Sunday 7 to Sunday 14 July 2019, and recognises the culture, history and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It’s a great opportunity to show support for your local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Want to find a way to get your students into creative writing and illustration? Why not try this exercise based on Kathryn Lefroy’s debut middle grade novel, Alex and the Alpacas Save the World.
I think it is important for fictional characters to live in real places, which is why I have set my stories in locations I have visited. Often an interesting-looking town – or island, in this case – can be the spark that inspires the whole story. The Cocos Islands, approximately 2,750 kilometres north-west of Perth, […]