ACTF News

Who could live in the My Place house in 2018? Your students can share their imaginative thoughts in our short story contest for primary students in Years 3-6. 

The much-loved series My Place was produced by Matchbox Pictures and aired on ABC TV. It adapts the book of the same name, written by Nadia Wheatley and Donna Rawlins, into 26 episodes about 26 children who live in the same place. Spanning a period of over 200 years, the two series represent these children’s lives from prior to white settlement until the Prime Minister’s apology to Indigenous peoples in 2008. With each episode set one decade apart, the next episode in the My Place story would take place in 2018.

To mark this occasion, ACTF Education will hold a national storytelling competition for primary students in Years 3-6. In line with the book and series format, entrants will be asked to tell the fictional story of a child living in the My Place neighbourhood in 2018.

Narratives in this short story contest should include:

• The child’s name, background and their family life
• Clothing and toys the character would have
• Reference to the fig tree that appears throughout the series.

Including the following optional elements may help students replicate the My Place structure more closely, and build a compelling snapshot of life in 2018:

• Current social, political or environmental issues
• Education and lifestyle.

The competition will have two categories: Years 3 and 4 (up to 500 words), and Years 5 and 6 (up to 1000 words). Entries will close on 31 August 2018.

Teachers can introduce or revisit the series through the My Place for Teachers website, which was recently updated with high resolution clips from all 26 episodes. Clips on the site can be streamed or downloaded, and now play on all devices.

More competition details, including how to submit your entries, will be coming soon. Stay tuned to the Education eNews for more information, and don’t forget to add the 2018 My Place Competition to your Term Three planner!

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