Billy Elliot
In which decade is Billy Elliot set, and what major event is occurring in the background?
The 1980s, during the UK miners' strike.
The poet's heritage is central to the poems. What culture does Cobby Eckermann belong to?
Aboriginal/Indigenous AND Australian culture.
What is the name of the dog found dead at the start of the novel?
Wellington
Identify one technique in this sentence: “The wind whispered secrets through the trees.”
Personification.
You win the lotto and can travel, basically do what you wish with it...what are you doing?
Best answer gets the points.
What symbol represents Billy’s transformation and desire to break free from traditional gender roles?
Ballet Shoes.
In 'Leaves', Cobby Eckermann writes, “the leaves fell slowly.” What might this image symbolise?
The slow passing of time, generational loss, or spiritual decay.
This narrative technique gives insight into Christopher’s thought process.
First-person narration (or unreliable narrator).
How well did you do?
Nurse/Midwife/Psychology challenge: Identify one emotion and write a metaphor for it (e.g., “Grief is a shadow...”)
This relationship helps Billy develop his identity and challenges his social context.
The relationship between Billy and Mrs. Wilkinson.
In ‘Unearth’, Cobby Eckermann writes: “we are still here.” What does this assert about Indigenous identity?
Resilience and survival despite colonisation.
How does Haddon use logic and maths to reflect Christopher’s emotional detachment?
Answer could include: a symbolic use of structure and problem-solving to avoid emotional complexity.
You have 2 minutes: Write the ending of this sentence in an engaging way: “He turned around, and what he saw made him…”
How well did you do?
Artist challenge: Do a 30-second sketch that symbolises our class.
If you get it right you win.
How does Daldry use sound and music in the “Town Called Malice” sequence to express Billy’s inner turmoil?
Non-diegetic music contrasts and mirrors the emotional intensity symbolising Billy’s rebellion.
Diegetic sounds like shouting and foot stomps emphasise his physical expression of emotion.
In 'Key', the poet says, “there is no key hole to the future and no vision to the past” How does this metaphor represent personal and cultural reconnection?
Answer could include: a sense of belonging, maturity, and/or the reclaiming of heritage and memory.
Analyse how the novel critiques the idea of “normality.” Where?
The novel’s presentation of difference as strength, questioning society’s standards of normal.
Could mention aspects of relationships and interactions between characters etc.
Quick Team Challenge: One person will describe an image using literary techniques (I will give you an image).
Team guesses what it is
Pilot/Travel challenge: Build a paper plane. Furthest distance + best plane wins the points! ✈️
Furthest distance + best plane wins the points! ✈️
What is the significance of the final scene where Billy performs Swan Lake. How does this represent a resolution of personal and collective experiences?
It is a culmination of Billy’s personal journey toward self-expression and overcoming social constraints, juxtaposed with his father’s emotional pride and acceptance
How the natural imagery in 'Trance' connects the speaker to ancestral power - Give ONE example.
Answers could include:
- "she floats in a pituri haze/among the river of trees"
- "the yellow kiss of the sun/the passion that flows after hunting"
- "hunched in her possum skin cloak/the dawn breeze chills/a whisper inside her trance"
Discuss how the motif of “order vs chaos” represents Christopher’s journey with AT LEAST one event from the novel.
Answers could include:
- Some of the diagrams like the train schedule are a visual and cognitive portrayal of how Christopher interprets the world, distancing him from emotional chaos.
or
- The contrast between Christopher’s desire for order and the emotional chaos of his family life, showing personal growth.
You are given the following short extract from an unseen text:
"The sky sagged under the weight of storm clouds. Every breath I took tasted like metal. I kept walking."
Identify two language techniques used in the extract and explain how they create mood or meaning. Then, write one more sentence that continues the tone and builds on the imagery.
Answers could include:
personification, sensory imagery, metaphor.
Thoughtful explanation of how that affects tone/mood (e.g., tension, foreboding).
One well-crafted follow-up sentence that matches the tone.
Career + English mashup: In groups, perform a charade or skit showing a career goal and a theme from one of our studied texts (e.g. freedom, identity, discovery).
Best one/guess gets the points.