Round the Twist :: Resources


ABOUT Round the Twist>>
Round the Twist series 1- 4 is an international award winning comedy series with many episodes based on stories by Paul Jennings. The series and their associated lesson plans encourage students to become critical readers and viewers. The Round the Twist series, tie-in novels and scripts integrate a variety of strategies for interpreting and comparing written and visual texts. Resources Round the Twist series 1- 4 Order the videos (all videos are also available for the hearing impaired.) Scripts of episodes from Volumes 7-12 Free Television Comedy Guide to enhance your use of Round the Twist. Details in the Education Catalogue

KLA, Year Level and Theme	Description
Year Level: Year 5 to Year 9 KLA: English Theme/Topic: Film Language	1. Birdsdo With these activities students explore the concept of sub-plots, compare the book version of a story with the TV version, learn about point of view shots as a camera technique.


Year Level: Year 4 to Year 8 KLA: English Theme/Topic: Narrative Structure; Film Language	2. Developing a Film Script from a Book These activities introduce students to the constraints and creative opportunities for writers converting their printed works for the screen.


Year Level: Year 5 to Year 9 KLA: English Theme/Topic: Narrative Structure; Film Language	3. Pink Bow Tie Students explore the concepts of flash backs and flash forwards, running jokes and their purpose in film narrative. They also consider the relationship between story titles and the narrative.


Year Level: Year 3 to Year 9 KLA: English Theme/Topic: Narrative Structure; Film Language; Humour and Satire	4. The Cabbage Patch Fib With these activities, students explore elements of narrative and the use of theme music to reinforce the narrative.


Year Level: Year 3 to Year 9 KLA: SOSE Theme/Topic: Growth and Development; Cultural Studies; Our Place in Space and Time	5. The Cabbage Patch Fib B With these activities students learn from the main character's experiences about some of the difficulties of child rearing, and explore the concept of 'childhood' in different times and different cultures.


Year Level: Year 5 to Year 9 KLA: English Theme/Topic: Narrative Structure; Self and Relationships	6. Copy Cat These activities explore the use of realism and magic in film. The activities related to Next Time Around also explore the concept of continuing narrative and embedded sexism in the English language.


Year Level: Year 5 to Year 9 KLA: The Arts; English; SOSE; Health and Physical Education Theme/Topic: Film Language; Ethics, Values, Justice	7. A Fair Go This lesson is the third of a set of three that use episode 6 of Round the Twist 3 as a means of examining film as text, developing visual literacy, and exploring a range of social issues.


Year Level: Year 5 to Year 9 KLA: The Arts; English; SOSE; Health and Physical Education Theme/Topic: Ethics, Values, Justice; Self and Relationships; Growth and Development	8. Follow that Dream These activities will work effectively individually or as part of a unit of work about popular culture, contemporary Australia, heroes and legends, or work and leisure.


Year Level: Year 5 to Year 9 KLA: English Theme/Topic: Narrative Structure; Self and Relationships	9. A Good Tip for Ghosts These activities focus on the notion of the continuing narrative and tension and suspense in narrative.


Year Level: Year 5 to Year 9 KLA: English Theme/Topic: Narrative Structure; Film Language; Humour and Satire; Symbolism and Icons	10. Grandad's Gifts With this set of activities students analyse narrative structure in fantasy stories and the notion of poetic justice.


Year Level: Year 5 to Year 9 KLA: English Theme/Topic: Narrative Structure; Film Language; Self and Relationships; War and Conflict	11. The Gum Leaf War This episode provides a useful way of comparing the changes which occur when a short story is adapted for a TV program. It is based on the story "The Gum Leaf War" in Unbelievable by Paul Jennings.


Year Level: Year 3 to Year 9 KLA: English Theme/Topic: Film Language; Humour and Satire	12. Ice Maiden With these activities students explore the concept of sub-plots and satire.


Year Level: Year 4 to Year 8 KLA: English Theme/Topic: Narrative Structure; Film Language	13. From Book to TV Show: Is it Twisted? In this lesson students critically analyse the conversion of a storybook to film form and use tools including a venn diagram and text retrieval chart to analyse the process. Worksheets: annotated script example text retrieval chart worksheet


Year Level: Year 5 to Year 9 KLA: English; SOSE Theme/Topic: Stereotypes	14. Know All These activities draw on Know All to examine the nature of gender stereotyping in the community, in films and in advertising.


Year Level: Year 5 to Year 9 KLA: English Theme/Topic: Narrative Structure; Film Language; Humour and Satire	15. Lighthouse Blues Lighthouse Blues provides a resolution to the first series of Round the Twist and is thus useful for teaching about the concept of resolution.


Year Level: Year 5 to Year 9 KLA: SOSE Theme/Topic: Environment; Our Place in Space and Time	16. Lighthouse Blues B Students explore the conflict between environmentalists and developers and how film makers encourage the audience to support one side of an issue.


Year Level: Year 5 to Year 9 KLA: English Theme/Topic: Narrative Structure; Film Language	17. Little Black Balls Students learn how film narratives may be derived from familiar fairy tales. They learn about constraints on narrative structure in TV series, and film language including acting and camera techniques.


Year Level: Year 3 to Year 9 KLA: English Theme/Topic: Narrative Structure; Film Language; Humour and Satire	18. Little Squirt These activities explore narrative structure and myth and humor in storytelling. They give students an opportunity to explore these concepts through viewing examples and writing a creative essay.


Year Level: Year 5 to Year 9 KLA: SOSE Theme/Topic: Environment	19. Little Squirt B Students consider the conservation v development debate, develop guidelines for development of a local area, and research how environmental awareness has been expressed in myths and legends.


Year Level: Year 5 to Year 9 KLA: English Theme/Topic: Narrative Structure; Film Language; Self and Relationships	20. Lucky Lips These activities compare the written story with the film version and examine camera techniques. Students write a storyboard and discuss gender relations as they are represented in Lucky Lips.


Year Level: Year 5 to Year 9 KLA: The Arts; English; SOSE; Health and Physical Education Theme/Topic: Self and Relationships	21. Mind Games This is a useful episode to lead into the topics of the human body, power and control or science and experimentation. Students also discuss the role of the brain, how we learn and how we think.


Year Level: Year 5 to Year 9 KLA: The Arts; English; SOSE; Health and Physical Education Theme/Topic: Narrative Structure; Ethics, Values, Justice; Bullying	22. Mob Mentality This lesson is the second of a set of three that use episode 6 of Round the Twist 3 as a means of examining film as text, developing visual literacy, and exploring a range of social issues.


Year Level: Year 5 to Year 9 KLA: English Theme/Topic: Narrative Structure; Genre	23. Nails With these activities students study the craft of writing. The video program also provides stimulus material for exploring adolescence.


Year Level: Year 5 to Year 9 KLA: English Theme/Topic: Narrative Structure; Stereotypes	24. Next Time Around Students explore plots and sub-plots in TV programs and study the creation of characters designed to provoke a strong response in the audience.


Year Level: Year 3 to Year 9 KLA: English Theme/Topic: Narrative Structure; Stereotypes; Genre	25. Quivering Heap These activities focus on the creation of stereotypes and counter- stereotypes and one dimensional characterisation.


Year Level: Year 5 to Year 9 KLA: The Arts; English; SOSE; Health and Physical Education Theme/Topic: Adolescence; Growth and Development; Change	26. Ready or Not The comic mode in which this program's story is told can be an effective introduction to dealing with the sensitive topic of pregnancy, childbirth, sexuality and reproduction.


Year Level: Year 5 to Year 9 KLA: English Theme/Topic: Narrative Structure; Film Language; Humour and Satire	27. Santa Claws These activities provide students with the opportunity to explore story telling through film by developing humorous characters, and playing with time and transitions between scenes.


Year Level: Year 5 to Year 9 KLA: English Theme/Topic: Narrative Structure; Film Language	28. Seeing the Light For students who have seen several episodes of Round the Twist. Students compare the plot lines and special FX (effects) used in several episodes then create their own special FX for a new scene.


Year Level: Year 5 to Year 9 KLA: English Theme/Topic: Narrative Structure	29. Skeleton on the Dunny Students are introduced to how characters are established in a TV series and to the complexity of narrative in a TV series: continuing narrative, a recurring narrative and an episode narrative.


Year Level: Year 5 to Year 9 KLA: English; SOSE; Technology Theme/Topic: Film Language; Heroes	30. Research with the Skunkman Students view the film, create a mind map to draw out the main issues in the film, research an issue, and present their findings to the class. They may also create a Powerpoint slide show. Worksheets: instructions


Year Level: Year 5 to Year 9 KLA: English Theme/Topic: Narrative Structure	31. Sloppy Jalopy Students explore the concepts of red herrings and poetic justice in story telling.


Year Level: Year 5 to Year 9 KLA: English Theme/Topic: Narrative Structure; Symbolism and Icons	32. Smelly Feat With these activities students explore some of the film techniques used in narrative construction for film and television.


Year Level: Year 3 to Year 9 KLA: English Theme/Topic: Narrative Structure; Humour and Satire	33. Spaghetti Pig Out Students explore the nature of sub-plots in narrative and the writer's use of parody, irony and conflict as narrative devices. Students then write their own scenes using these techniques.


Year Level: Year 5 to Year 9 KLA: The Arts; English Theme/Topic: Ethics, Values, Justice; Growth and Development; Heroes	34. Star Quality These activities can be individually selected but will work more effectively if sequentially developed - perhaps as part of a broader unit of work on the topic of sport, heroes or identity.


Year Level: Year 5 to Year 9 KLA: English Theme/Topic: Narrative Structure; Ethics, Values, Justice; Self and Relationships; Genre	35. The Copy With these activities students engage in writing a science fiction piece, and discuss the issues of cloning and individuality, and gender relations.


Year Level: Year 5 to Year 9 KLA: The Arts; English; SOSE; Health and Physical Education Theme/Topic: Narrative Structure; Growth and Development; Change; Bullying; Advertising	36. The Way we Were The activities can be selected individually but will work more effectively if sequentially developed - perhaps as part of a broader unit of work related to the topic of growth and change.


Year Level: Year 5 to Year 9 KLA: The Arts; English; SOSE; Health and Physical Education Theme/Topic: Families; Growth and Development	37. What Happens? Analysing a television program This lesson is the first of a set of three that use episode 6 of Round the Twist 3 as a means of examining film as text, developing visual literacy, and exploring a range of social issues.


Year Level: Year 5 to Year 9 KLA: English Theme/Topic: Narrative Structure	38. Without My Pants Students explore issues involved in adapting a book to screen including logistical changes and use of film language to convey the story.


Year Level: Year 5 to Year 9 KLA: SOSE Theme/Topic: Ethics, Values, Justice; Cultural Studies; Our Place in Space and Time	39. Without My Pants B With these activities students investigate the notion of the sacredness of the dead and the explore the attitudes of different cultures to sacred burial sites and the relics in them.


Year Level: Year 3 to Year 9 KLA: English Theme/Topic: Film Language; Self and Relationships	40. Wunderpants This episode is useful for teaching about special effects and some conventions of live television. The episode demonstrates techniques used in television to create a sense of pace and excitement.


Year Level: Year 5 to Year 9 KLA: English Theme/Topic: Narrative Structure	41. Yuckles Yuckles presents a conflict between conservation and development. This conflict is the basis for exploring audience positioning, time as a narrative device and dramatic irony.


	ABOUT Round the Twist>>