ACTF News

It is so affirming for children to see stories that are genuinely representative of their own experiences of the world. Familiar characters, settings and events help young people comprehend and connect to stories, and to know that stories like theirs are worth telling. 

Little Lunch is a great example of storytelling that Australian children (and adults!) really identify with. This popular TV series was initially a popular book series, written by Danny Katz and illustrated by Mitch Vane. In a previous ACTF webinar with Danny and Mitch, primary students asked the pair about the Little Lunch characters we all know and love, the process of writing or illustrating a book, and what was involved in adapting the stories for screen. This webinar has been chapterised, helping teachers jump directly to the response they would like to hear.

Paper Planes is another classroom favourite which has both printed and visual texts. This story was first told on screen and then adapted for a novel. In our Paper Planes Novel and Film Comparison written by Wendy Bean, students are asked to examine and compare the feature film and novel.

This unit of work explores a range of themes touched on in the novel and film including loss, relationships, connectedness, friendship, independence and competition. Students are encouraged to generate questions and write about how the themes relate back to them and their own life experiences. Together with this, the unit encourages students to further develop their skills of writing persuasive and procedural texts related to the Paper Planes novel and film.

Further page to screen adaptations to explore with your students include:

• Lockie Leonard
• My Place
• Noah & Saskia

See also: