Henry Lawson
Bush Poetry

Dorothea Mackellar

Australia has a proud tradition of bush poetry. Poems can be happy, funny, sad and drawn from everyday life on the land. In earlier days poems by Banjo Patterson, Henry Lawson and Dorothea Mackellar provided entertainment and education. But where are today's bush poets and yarn spinners? The tradition of bush poetry is alive and well and is performed in schools, poetry festivals, local shows and even country pubs.

TASK: You would like to become a famous performer of bush poetry but need to learn a few tricks of the trade. First you must select a poem to share with two different audiences. You must also give a brief biography (life story) of the person who wrote your poem. You must decide how best to present your poem and biography to the two different audiences. You may wish to use different props, actions, voices etc. to suit your audience.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN:

Choose a poet from the list below. Read the selection of poems provided and choose which one you wish to perform.

Australian Bush Poets Association - for information and poems

Henry Lawson - many of his poems

Banjo Patterson - lots of poems

Dorothea Mackellar - information and poems

You need to choose 2 audiences from the list below:

A Kindergarten class at your school
A class of your peers, not at your school.
A Year 10 class at your local high school.
The parents on the P& C at your school.
A group of Senior Citizens at a nursing home
An audience of adults at a Bush Poetry night in your town or community.
A group of children from the United Kingdom.
To a group of teachers and principals from schools in your district.
A reunion of the local bikie club.
A Christian church group
A group of Muslim leaders visiting your community
To a group of practising bush poets as part of a Children's Poetry Competition.
A group of Aboriginal Elders
In Parliament House in Canberra to a group of Ministers.
Busking at the local shopping centre.
To a television audience as part of a telethon talent quest.
To a visually impaired audience.
To a community radio audience to promote a local poetry festival.

Now read the BIOGRAPHY for your selected poet. Remember this will have to be changed to suit your audience eg. how would you tell a group of kindergarten children about the life of Henry Lawson compared to what you would tell a group of adults.

Henry Lawson

Banjo Patterson

Dorothea Mackellar.

Once you have chosen your poet and read their biography, print out the worksheet and fill in the details

Now you need to think about how you want to PRESENT YOUR POEM to your 2 different audiences.
Below are some links that will give you performing tips.

Bush Poetry Tips

Making Poetry Magic.

Making Poetry Exciting.

PRESENTATION:
Present your selected poem as you would to one of your selected audiences. You might do this in.....

You should tell them about the poet and his/her life, wear appropriate clothing and be prepared to answer questions about why you chose the audience you did.
Your worksheets will form part of your evaluation.

Print out the following worksheet for self assessment.  

Stage Three Modules | Research Modules Index | CAP HomePage