Year 7 English

Sister Heart by Sally Morgan – text study

As an extension to our film text unit on “Rabbit Proof Fence”, the two Year 7 ACE classes read ‘Sister Heart’ by First Nations writer Sally Morgan.  Throughout this study, we discussed how meaning and message are created through a verse novel, as well as how empathy is generated in readers in this form. We explored the themes, ideas and issues around Family and Kinship, the Stolen Generations, Culture and Customs, and the idea of Home. We also explored how emotion and empathy are generated through the selection of words and the structure of verse. 

We wanted to creatively respond to “Sister Heart” in a culturally safe and appropriate way.  Our creative response asked students create a condensed picture book of ‘Sister Heart’.  The students selected 12-15 words, lines or stanzas from the original text that they felt were significant to the overall message of the text. They then found or created images to support this condensed telling of “Sister Heart”. 

The result was impressive and the condensed picture books will be on display in the library until the end of term. 

Please click through to enjoy two fantastic examples of these picture books, by

Izzy Connell and Lucy Williams

Please note: Students at Northcote High School have the opportunity learn about First Nations cultures and experiences through text from Year 7 through to Year 12 in our English curriculum.  Other texts include:  “The White Girl” by Tony Birch, “The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf” by Amberlin Kwaymulina, and “Throat” by Ellen Ven Neervan. 

~Ms Keenan Mount