The teachers’ resources for my new novel Detention are now available here. And there are three 2-minute videos to support the teaching of Detention and give insight into the writing process, as well as a video book trailer here.
We’ve worked hard on the teaching materials to create a comprehensive resource that covers the key themes of refugee experiences and statelessness as well as class, privilege, empathy, compassion, family relationships and human rights.
The book is being picked up for stage four study (years 7 & 8) but it’s suitable for readers 10+. Here’s what teacher-librarian and blogger Megan Daley (Children’s Books Daily) said about the book. Her year 7 students are studying it in term 4 this year. My intention was to write a page-turning novel that readers will devour simply as a suspenseful novel, but one that will also prompt questions and allow more in-depth study as the layers are peeled.
Detention Teachers’ Resources Contents
I worked with my publisher Zoe Walton, Shaun Nemorin and Jasmina Bajraktarevic from STARTTS (Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors) and English teacher, writer and editor Siboney Duff to build a resource that includes:
- a Q&A with me on how the story developed
- discussion questions and activities around ethical dilemmas, opportunity and whether what’s right and what is legal are always the same thing
- creative writing exercises around point-of-view, building tension, ‘show don’t tell’ and more
- the books, videos, articles and websites that I found most useful when researching refugee experiences, children in detention and Australia’s policies on asylum seekers
- a ‘Top 5 Things You Could Do’ to help and understand more about refugees
- information on Afghan Hazara people
- tips for studying these ideas in the classroom
- and lots more
The two-minute education videos to accompany the notes in which I talk about researching the novel, how a Vision Board helped me to visualise different aspects of the story and how to create a book soundtrack are here.
Good luck with the book and I hope you find the teachers’ resources useful!
Teachers’ Resources link: https://www.penguin.com.au/content/resources/TR_Detention.pdf
You can link to various stores to buy the book here or contact your local bookshop or supplier.
The main page for the book with other posts about Detention is here.
And the teachers’ resources for my other books including Two Wolves, The Fall and Tom Weekly is here.
