I am very grateful to Copyright Australia and Reading Australia for the 2020 Fellowship that enabled me to develop teaching resources for teachers that have the propensity to improve student writing. I was able to travel to the rich and diverse landscapes and cityscapes of Australia, interview inspirational Australian writers and discover literature by local writers.

The focus of the Fellowship was on how landscapes have inspired great writers and can inspire our students to improve the quality of the writing. Humanity’s sense of identity and connection to the world are shaped by a complex interplay of physical, cultural, spiritual and emotional ties to landscapes. Landscapes tell the story of humanity’s existence and have been the inspiration for many writers. In Australia, our vast and landscapes have become living characters.

All too often students approach writing with trepidation. Good writing starts with great models and inspiring stimuli, such as our rich and colourful landscapes. Our students need to become apprentice writers who learn from the masters. Australian slam poet Luka Lesson advises young writers to “Completely immerse yourself in your art form. Watch, read, listen to, and consume as much of your art form as possible.”

Motivation and engagement have been identified as key factors for improving student writing. When students are not engaged, interested or inspired to write, they are even more reluctant to do what Australian poet Robert Gray recommends to students when facing writer’s block of just ‘getting black on white’. The simple process of writing becomes stymied and more of a chore than a creative, enjoyable act. I believe rich literature featuring Australian landscapes will engage and inspire students. The resources that I have developed for English are designed to engage students by focusing on for year 7 students - landscapes from childhood, year 5 or 6 students - seeing the world through the eyes of Australian animals, year 9 students - cityscapes and year 10 students - the Anthropocene.

Accompanying the resources will be photographs that I have taken of our wild and beautiful landscapes, colourful and lively cityscapes and unique and fascinating wildlife. A large percentage of the human brain dedicates itself to visual processing. Images are able to grab our attention easily as we are immediately drawn to them. The research literature (Chaparro-Moreno, Reali & Maldonado-Carreno, 2017; Greenhoot, Beyer & Curtis, 2014) asserted that children were more likely to engage with texts and be inspired to write when they were provided with visuals. Moreover, it was found that the quality and quantity of language production could be further advanced.

The resources with a focus on micro-lessons, draw upon quality Australian literature that will be used as models for great writing. Primary and secondary English teachers will have access to resources that will feature activities and recommended texts that have the propensity to immerse their students in the reading and writing process and improve their writing.

Karen Yager