Future Girl

Language and content notes

The protagonist and several other characters in Future Girl are d/Deaf. Readers will notice that the author sometimes spells the word with a capital ‘D’, sometimes with a lower-case ‘d’, and even makes stylistic corrections (from ‘deaf’ to ‘Deaf’) throughout the novel. Deaf Connect explains the difference as follows:

• The term ‘Deaf’ with a capital ‘D’ describes the cultural identity and community of people who use sign language (e.g. Auslan).
• The term ‘deaf’ with a lower-case ‘d’ describes people who are physically deaf but do not identify as being part of the signing community.

In her author’s note at the back of the book (‘Dear reader’, pp. 375–379), Asphyxia describes her protagonist as d/Deaf, acknowledging both her audiological condition and her newfound cultural identity. This resource will follow the same convention, but please remember that Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) people are diverse; it is always best to ask someone how they identify and use that language accordingly.

Other important and widely-used terminology includes:

Take some time to familiarise students (and yourself) with these terms so that they understand what each one means and start developing confidence to use them in class.

Finally, readers should be aware that Future Girl contains mild sexual references and a few animal deaths. These are brief and for the sole purpose of illustrating subsistence farming practices. They include a fish on pp. 85–86, chickens on pp. 162–163 and p. 366, and a possum on pp. 190–192.

Introductory activities

Understanding genre

Future Girl is an excellent text to introduce students to dystopian fiction. Develop your students’ understanding of this genre with the following activities.

Activity 1: understanding utopia

Have students read this EBSCO Research article and answer the following questions:

• What is a utopia?
• What are the characteristics of utopian societies?
• What are the origins of the word ‘utopia’? What is ironic about this word?
• Do you think a utopia can ever exist? Why or why not?

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Activity 2: dystopian fiction

Invite students to watch this TED-Ed video and answer the following questions:

• Define the word ‘dystopia’.
• What real events and developments inspired dystopian writing?
• Think about a novel, film, television show, or game you know that depicts a dystopia. What makes this fictional world dystopian? Identify three features that you think fit the criteria.

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Activity 3: speculative fiction

Dystopian fiction can be thought of as cautionary tales or warnings to the reader and broader society. They often focus on environmental factors and warnings about how human behaviour and choices are compromising the future of humanity.

Invite students to agree on a definition of the word ‘speculative’. Guide them towards concepts of ‘what if’ thinking or predictions based on guesses or opinions. Ask students to regard dystopian fiction as speculative by thinking about other speculative texts they might know. Some examples are:

• The Hunger Games franchise (films based on the books by Suzanne Collins)
• The Maze Runner franchise (films based on the books by James Dashner)
• The Divergent franchise (films based on the books by Veronica Roth)
• The 5th Wave (film based on the books by Rick Yancey)
• The Tribe trilogy by Ambelin Kwaymullina
• Tomorrow, When the War Began* by John Marsden (and others in the Tomorrow series)
• The Illuminae Files by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
• Unlimited Futures ed. Rafeif Ismail and Ellen van Neerven
• This All Come Back Now* ed. Mykaela Saunders

* Reading Australia title

Invite students to consider what ‘speculative’ or ‘cautionary’ lessons are being delivered in one or all of the above films/books. Ask them to consider other texts they might have consumed that contain warnings or represent bleak worlds in which humanity has made errors. Ask them to write an extended response (min. 500 words) addressing one of the following topics:

• In [chosen text], the great lessons to be learned are …
• In [chosen text], humanity made the following errors …
• [Chosen text] teaches us that in order to prosper, humanity needs to …
• [Chosen text] cautions us against …

For scaffolding, ask that students address the following points:

• What happened in the past that led to the events of the narrative?
• Who wields power? Do they abuse it? How or how not?
• What examples of the ‘underdog’ do we see in the narrative?
• When does hope emerge in the narrative?

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Tapping into prior knowledge

The first thing one notices about Asphyxia’s rich and provocative text Future Girl is its stunning aesthetic. An artist herself, Asphyxia embellishes her novel with imagery and visual textures on every page. Presented as the protagonist’s art journal, Future Girl takes the reader on a personal journey made all the more compelling by its visual documentation of Piper McBride’s life.

The novel is set in a near-future Melbourne grappling with health and environmental crises, skyrocketing inflation, and food and energy shortages. Alongside these big societal issues, Piper’s journal charts the typical experiences of a 16-year-old girl finding her place in the world – a world that does not always accommodate her as a d/Deaf person. Throughout the novel, Piper feels torn between living a ‘normal’ life and embracing Deaf culture, but as the narrative unfolds she learns to find her voice and connect with new people and purposes.

There are some excellent opportunities here to tap into your students’ visual and artistic interests. They do not have to be visual learners or ‘artistically minded’ to engage with, appreciate, and interpret the visual aspects of the novel. Begin by encouraging them to see how the art and decorations punctuate the story and its characters’ attitudes, especially Piper’s.

Activity 1: developing mood and tone

Get your students to fill out a table like the one below, reflecting on how Asphyxia uses colour, lines, and other techniques to suggest Piper’s mood. Go through the novel and select five or six pages or double-page spreads for students to consider. Some examples have been provided to help them get started.

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Activity 2: visual representation

Prepare for this activity by gathering scraps of paper and cardboard, old magazines and newspapers, tissue paper and other textures, along with other craft supplies (e.g. pencils, crayons, glue, scissors).

Ask students to create a visual representation of their day so far. They will need to follow a few simple steps:

1. Get students to write down at least three things that have happened in their day up until now.
2. Ask them to list some adjectives to describe how they felt about each of these things. They should do this silently so that they can reflect on their emotions. If you are comfortable doing so, model this with one or two events from your own day.
3. Now ask students to use the provided materials to visually represent one of the emotions they described. It is completely up to them how they do this; the art journal ideas at the back of Future Girl may help them get started. Encourage them to think about how they can use colour, lines, and imagery to convey their chosen emotion.

As an optional extension, invite students to add an extra ‘layer’ to their work that conveys another feeling about a different part of their day. This can be done in the same or a subsequent lesson. The new feeling should contrast the first one (e.g. happy and sad, excited and bored). Encourage students to think carefully about how they represent the different feelings.

Activity 3: Deafness and human rights

Depending on your class context, your students may have limited knowledge about deafness, Deaf culture, and the barriers that d/Deaf people may experience day-to-day. If this is the case, it is important to lay some groundwork so that they can start to develop their understanding.

You might begin by having students read Asphyxia’s author’s note (‘Dear reader’, pp. 375–379). You can also play excerpts or a whole episode of Our Deaf Ways, a visual podcast series that celebrates Deaf culture and language. The following fact sheets will also be useful:

• Deaf Children Australia – 10 common myths about deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children
• Deafness Forum Australia – Everyday Communication

In her author’s note, Asphyxia refers to the 1975 UN Declaration on the Rights of Disabled Persons, which decreed that all people with disability (including d/Deaf people) are entitled to the same rights and protections as people without disability. Another important development was the 2008 Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). This video by the Disability Advocacy Resource Unit summarises the rights enshrined in the CRPD.

Ask students to take notes from this video and select one of the statements (e.g. ‘we are capable and contributing members of society’). They should reflect on the meaning of this statement and why it might have been included in the CRPD. Invite them to share their thoughts with a partner or in a class discussion.

Additional teacher resources about disability and d/Deafness are listed under More Resources.

Personal response on reading the text

Future Girl is a journal-style novel spanning six months in Piper’s life. This provides a good opportunity to discuss the form with your students and explore how this mode of storytelling differs from a traditional prose-style narrative.

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Activity 1: discussion

Use the following questions to stimulate discussion about journal-style narratives:

Sum up by asking students to write a journal-style entry about what they have learned from the discussion.

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Activity 2: journaling

There are many benefits of journaling, and this is a good opportunity to introduce the practice as part of a self-care regimen for students. You could set aside time on a weekly or per-class basis for students to reflect on their thoughts and be mindful. How they do this is up to you and them. They might journal electronically, using a document on their devices, or experiment with a physical art journal like Piper’s.

Those new to journaling may benefit from some guidance. A simple way in is to encourage students to start a reading journal when they begin Future Girl. This can be as simple as writing on a sticky note and placing it at the beginning or end of the chapter.

You can also guide students through some set chapter questions. These can be repeated throughout the novel or specific to each chapter. Below are some prompts to help students on their reading journey. It is important to set minimum work requirements and give students the opportunity to quietly reflect on each question.

This activity lays the groundwork for the final Rich Assessment Task, in which students will reflect on their responses to the novel through the creation of a zine (see the Informed Reaction section).

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Outline of key elements of the text

Plot

Future Girl is the coming-of-age story of d/Deaf teenager Piper McBride. Piper lives with her mother Irene, the lead scientist for a multinational company called Organicore. Irene has raised Piper as an oral deaf child in the hopes of helping her succeed in the hearing world. This means that Piper never learned sign language and instead uses hearing aids and lip reading to communicate.

When Organicore faces scrutiny over the long-term health effects of its products, Irene loses her job. Food shortages combined with skyrocketing living costs put the McBrides in a precarious situation. While Piper deals with changes at home and an increasingly distant best friend, she also grapples with her desire to be accepted as a ‘normal’ teenager. Then she meets Marley, a CODA (child of Deaf adult), who introduces her to a completely new way of living and communicating. As Piper starts to develop new interests and relationships, she is inspired to take matters into her own hands and try to make her world a better place.

As mentioned, Future Girl is constructed to resemble a teenager’s art journal, with illustrations, stencils, collages, and handwritten notes that reflect Piper’s thoughts and feelings. Asphyxia uses first-person narration and an introspective, journalistic style to share intimate details of Piper’s inner life. The reader watches the young protagonist undergo tremendous growth and development, sparked by her meeting with Marley and her introduction to sign language.

Along with availability (having a supply of goods), accessibility (being able to reach them), and affordability (cost), environmental degradation is a major issue in the novel. Organicore has run a successful disinformation campaign against fresh or ‘wild’ food, offering a synthetic alternative that claims to be nutritionally balanced and curative for a range of ailments and illnesses. Piper soon finds herself at the centre of a tense awakening and is forced to choose her path: the freedom of newfound knowledge, or the safety of what she has been taught her whole life.

Character

Activity 1

Get students to create a character profile for Piper. They can base this on a premade ‘about me’ template or create their own, perhaps imagining how it might look on Piper’s visi-screen or in her journal. Provide coloured pens, markers, and other supplies, along with a blank A3 sheet of paper, so students can create the profile. They might include such details as:

• Name
• Age
• Location
• Likes/dislikes
• Hobbies
• Thoughts/musings about the world
• Other information that represents Piper’s view of the world

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Activity 2

Most of the characters in Future Girl are new to Piper (with a few exceptions), but they all greatly impact her development over the course of the novel. Ask students to fill out the table below to consider the role each character plays in Piper’s life.

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Theme

Activity 1: big ideas and concepts

Place students in groups and ask them to complete the table below, considering some of the big ideas and concepts in the novel and locating evidence for each one.

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Activity 2: what does the text say?

Working in groups, pairs, or individually, students will choose two or three big ideas from Future Girl and explain what they think Asphyxia is saying about each one. As with all analytical writing, they should locate evidence from the text to justify their positions. The completed tables from the previous activity can act as a starting point. Here is a sample paragraph that explores sustainability:

Piper describes Melbourne as a place of tree stumps, dead grass, and polluted waterways (pp. 22–23, 79–80). This is a landscape that is no longer flourishing. Asphyxia is warning readers that if we do not take better care of our environment, we too may find ourselves in a world that cannot support us. In Future Girl, the environment is so badly damaged that people have to rely on synthetic food, and there is clearly not enough of it. This is why Piper and Irene have to ration their recon. In contrast, Robbie demonstrates what it looks like to live sustainably and within one’s own means. She grows her own food, raises her own animals, and is completely self-sufficient. In addition to being a source of inspiration for Piper, Robbie helps drive home the point that we need to respect and nurture our environment, rather than dominate or exploit it.

Remind students to incorporate quotations and page references where possible. Ensure that they make connections to the author and how she communicates big ideas and concepts. Also remind students to consider the visual elements of the text and how they contribute to the development of these ideas/concepts.

Activity 3: ranking ideas and concepts

Once everyone has written their paragraphs, regroup as a class and rank the big ideas in order of importance. Distribute sticky notes so that each student can record the ideas/concepts. On a wall or whiteboard, construct a scale with ‘most important’ at one end and ‘least important’ at the other. Have students place their sticky notes along the scale, then invite them to justify (and possibly change) their opinions. They must refer to the text and explain what is important in terms of Asphyxia’s messaging – that is, they should focus on what they think is most important to the author and why.

Synthesising tasks

Future Girl can be classified as a coming-of-age story. It would be useful to explore this concept in greater detail using a resource like LitCharts, MasterClass, or EBSCO Research. Another useful way to explore coming-of-age literature is to map the story on a typical ‘hero’s journey’ narrative structure.

Activity 1

As a class, watch this TED-Ed video and ask students to note down:

• Two things they did not know before
• Two things they want to know more about

Navigate to the ‘Think’ tab of the associated TED-Ed lesson and have students copy down and respond to each question. Discuss the answers as a class and clarify any points of confusion. The information from MasterClass or MovieOutline may be useful here.

Activity 2

Display the Hero’s Journey Spiral and ask students to compare this version of the hero’s journey to Future Girl.

Discuss each stage of the spiral so that students understand what they mean and how they might map the various plot points and characters against each one. It may be helpful to begin by agreeing what the ‘special world’ is in Future Girl.

Use the information from Thearetical Concepts to guide your discussion. It may help to reference other texts that students are familiar with, such as The Hunger Games books/films or Moana (2016). A novel like Tomorrow, When the War Began would also work well.

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The writer’s craft

Structure

Future Girl spans six months in Piper’s life, from 17 June to 21 December (of an unknown year), documented through journal entries and artworks. There are 58 entries or chapters punctuated by news clippings, illustrations, message threads, handwritten text, and other graphics. The dates of the various entries are listed below:

You might like to discuss how the frequency of chapters reflects the events of the novel. For example, there are far fewer entries in September, during Piper’s darkest moments, compared to July or November. Ask students to consider the spread of journal entries, and what was happening in Piper’s life when she was journalling with higher or lower frequency. This could lead to a discussion about story arcs and the highs and lows of narrative storytelling.

Activity

Ask students to create a chart to plot their engagement with Future Girl. They should write the numbers one to 10 on the Y-axis, representing the level of drama/intensity, and the chapter numbers (1–58) or journal entry dates (e.g. 17/06) on the X-axis.

Split the class into groups of four or five and assign each group 10 or 11 chapters (depending on length). They should briefly summarise each chapter and rank it in terms of drama/intensity. In doing so, they should consider the events of the chapter and how these affect the character(s) and the progression of the narrative. Regroup as a class to discuss each set of chapters, inviting the groups to justify their opinions. Jointly agree where each chapter sits on the drama/intensity chart and have students plot this on their own copies.

The chart will provide students with a visual representation of how the narrative progresses, as well as how their engagement changes according to different plot events. Invite students to consider which chapters were most interesting and/or important, and why they had particular reactions or found certain chapters more or less engaging. This should be a personal reflection, encouraging students to think about their own journey as readers of a text.

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Characterisation and perspective

Because Future Girl is a first-person narrative, we get to know each character from Piper’s perspective. It is important for students to understand that their own views will be influenced by Piper’s impressions and descriptions of the people she meets. Ask students to think about how the characterisation might change if Asphyxia used third-person omniscient narration; or if she told the story from another character’s perspective; or if Piper was an adult. Would the words and/or visuals associated with different characters also change? Encourage students to consider perspective as part of this discussion.

Activity 1

Have students compile short biographies of key characters in Future Girl as described by Piper. Each biography should include information such as:

• Their name
• Their age (or estimated age, if unknown)
• Any details about their physical appearance or style
• Character traits or aspects of their personality
• How Piper sees them over the course of the novel (beginning, middle, end)

Activity 2

Consider how other characters in Future Girl might reflect on events from the novel. Have students select from the following options (or allow them to choose their own) and write a journal entry on the same day, but from a different perspective to Piper:

• Saturday 20 June (pp. 15–21) from Taylor’s perspective
• Monday 7 September (pp. 197–202) from Irene’s perspective
• Friday 27 November (pp. 302–309) from Marley’s perspective
• Saturday 28 November (pp. 310–326) from Irene’s perspective

Students should consider what they know about each character and how their attitudes, experiences, etc. will influence the way they view events. Have students think carefully about their chosen character’s perspective and closely re-read the relevant chapter before they begin. Remind them to pay attention to language (word choices, sentence length) and tone (excitement, disappointment, etc.) to accurately represent their chosen character’s perspective.

NOTE: Students may express interest in writing from Robbie’s perspective. While it would not be appropriate for them to publish such writing without proper consultation or review, Asphyxia herself considers this a beneficial exercise in a classroom context:

I believe it is useful for students to consider what it might be like to experience the world if d/Deaf, and to attempt to write from that perspective. It may not be accurate, but it can encourage empathy. If multiple students do this and then compare/discuss the results, they may realise that other students have had insights that didn’t occur to them, deepening their empathy and awareness. If there’s any way to ask an actual d/Deaf person for their response or commentary, that would be even better in terms of learning insight.

Below is an example of a journal entry for Tuesday 25 August (pp. 173–183, specifically p. 174) from Irene’s perspective:

I slept badly again. When I last checked the bedside clock, it was four in the morning – I must have drifted off around then. I couldn’t stop thinking about Piper. I know she’s still upset about Sydney.

I wake to the sound of rain and drag myself to my feet. I need to finish packing my research notes. I’ve just picked up a thick folder when I smell smoke. Piper is outside with that stove again. I head over, still in my pyjamas, and see that she’s scrubbing at something in her hands. She glances at me but says nothing.

‘What are these?’ I ask, looking uncertainly at the dirty round things. No answer. I move beside her and wave a hand in front of her face. She looks at me properly, but I can’t tell if she’s angry or just focused. ‘I said what are these?’ I try again. And then, ‘Are you wearing your hearing aids?’ I sigh in frustration when I realise she isn’t.

‘Piper, we’ve been over this a hundred times! You’re literally playing with fire. You can’t just turn your back on it. Anything could happen!’ I point from the stove to the house to us, trying to convey the danger, but the more I talk the more Piper scowls. Eventually, with a dramatic huff, she abandons her scrubbing and stomps off towards the guesthouse.

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Setting

Future Girl takes place in the inner suburbs of Melbourne. Students from Victoria will recognise locations such as Northcote, Thornbury, and Brunswick. As discussed in the Initial Response section, the time setting of the novel is an unspecified ‘near-future’ in which scientific and technological advancement has come at a cost to the environment – as well as the health and freedom of ordinary citizens. This is a good opportunity to review the attributes of dystopian and speculative fiction.

In 2013 The Age published a gallery titled ‘Melbourne then and now’, which shows historic photos side-by-side with more recent images. Although the gallery is no longer current, it may prompt discussion about other changes that have occurred in the years since. The Merri Creek Management Committee offers similar comparative images of sites along the Merri Creek, which is mentioned  in Future Girl. View these photos and invite students to consider how humans have impacted the creek and its surrounds.

Activity 1

If ‘utopia’ describes a place where everything is perfect, ‘dystopia’ describes the opposite: a place where everything is miserable and/or flawed. Dystopias are often characterised by totalitarian regimes, mass surveillance, environmental catastrophe, and a crumbling social order. For these reasons, they often serve as cautionary tales for humankind. A useful summary of dystopias is available from Read Write Think.

If you haven’t already done so, return to the Initial Response section and complete Activity 2 under Introductory Activities > Understanding Genre. Review students’ responses and then have them do the following:

• Write an extended response (approx. 400 words) that draws on your knowledge of at least two dystopian texts. Explain how they contain similar or dissimilar dystopian settings.
• List the ways in which the setting of Future Girl might be regarded as dystopian.

Activity 2

It would be useful for students to understand how the time setting of Future Girl sets Piper’s world apart from their own. Get them to briefly explain each of the following things in writing. They can also use drawings or diagrams to illustrate their understanding, if desired.

• Visi-screen (visi)
• Organicore
• Recon
• Nutrium Sustate
• Wristlet
• Cesspool (QuestTool)
• Wild food

Asphyxia tends not to write lengthy expositions. Instead, she introduces unfamiliar terms organically, providing context clues as to what these items/organisations are and how they pervade people’s lives. Once they have written their explanations, encourage students to list the ways each item/organisation might improve or invade the average citizen’s life. They can hypothesise based on evidence from the text.

Activity 3

Facilitate a debate on the benefits of technological advancement. You might invite students to focus on the fictional technologies from Future Girl, or have them debate real-world examples such as mobile phone or AI usage in schools. Allow time for students to research and craft their arguments. You could run this as a whole-class activity or host several mini debates on various topics.

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Language and style

Future Girl’s construction as a series of journal entries contributes to a unique voice and style. The story is revealed not only through Piper’s direct narration, but also through a range of sources that she has copied and/or pasted into her journal. These include:

• News clippings
• Message threads
• Handwritten notes (by Piper and others)
• Cuttings from a range of documents

Additionally, although Asphyxia writes in Standard Australian English, she incorporates phonetic spellings and intentional misspellings to replicate the experience of lip reading and/or using hearing aids (this short film is extremely effective at communicating this experience). Fingerspelling is also indicated by a different font. This illustrates the range of experiences Piper has when communicating with different people, both hearing and d/Deaf.

Activity 1

Have students explore the ways information is communicated in Future Girl by answering the following questions. This can be done individually or through class discussion, depending on students’ ability and understanding.

• What different types of writing do we encounter? What are the benefits of each?
• What are the opportunities and limitations of writing in the first person?
• What do you notice about the style of the News Melbourne articles?
• How does Piper’s story benefit from the inclusion of news clippings?
• Pick out three sentences that have been written phonetically to represent how they sound to Piper when using her hearing aids. Without reading ahead, try to predict what these sentences mean.
• What do you notice about Piper’s handwritten additions to the text? When are they included? Why do you think Piper handwrite these words in particular?

Activity 2

It is important for students to understand that characterisation affects authorial decisions about style and language. This is an opportunity to review or complete the earlier work on Characterisation and Perspective, particularly Activity 2 (see above).

Have students pick out at least five words, phrases, or sentences that they think are particularly good at illustrating the fact that Piper:

• Is a teenager
• Is d/Deaf
• Has a crush
• Feels upset, frustrated, or angry
• Feels anxious
• Has made a mistake
• Feels inspired

Having examined the written text, students can then find examples of artwork, graphics, or handwriting that they believe amplify these aspects of Piper’s character.

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Text and meaning

Divide the class into six small groups and assign each group a theme from the table below. Ask students to locate as many quotes from the text as possible that they feel are particularly effective at expressing the allocated theme. This can be done in a shared document so that, when all the groups are finished, each student has access to a completed resource.

Synthesising task/activity

Ask students to choose any day from the past year and write a journal entry about it. They should aim to use a combination of written and visual elements, including illustrations, handwritten notes, and typed text. To plan their work, students should answer the following questions:

• What happened? (i.e. beginning, middle, end)
• How did I feel? (i.e. use adjectives to capture emotions)
• Where was I exactly?
• Who else was there?
• What did I feel/experience? (i.e. sights, smells, sounds, tastes, physical sensations)

Once students have finished planning, they should type up their entry with as much animation and description as possible. Have them print off their work and decorate it with drawings, handwriting, and colours. They can also include other sources of information as appropriate. Suggested additions include:

• Newspaper clippings
• Charcoal images
• Lines constructing faces or people
• Recipes or instructions

Students should aim to complete as many pages as possible and really get hands-on. This will create a scrapbook of sorts filled with words and visuals of their own creation. Remind them that there is a page of art journal ideas at the back of Future Girl that they can use for inspiration.

Afterwards, ask students to reflect on their language choices. They should consider how the words in the journal entry represent what happened and how they felt. They can then write approx. 500 words explaining their choices and how their work is a faithful and informative (visually, too) account of the day they chose to describe.

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Comparison with other texts

At the time of writing, Future Girl has yet to be adapted to another medium. However, it was optioned for TV in 2021 by Orange Entertainment Co., with Asphyxia to co-develop the project alongside DHH writers, cast, and crew. Invite students to consider how the novel might be adapted for the screen, and what benefits this might offer. A general question you could ask is:

What features of television would represent the themes, characters, and messages of the text well?

You might like to watch some or all of this interview with Nyle DiMarco and Davis Guggenheim, co-directors and producers of the documentary Deaf President Now! (2025). Around 02:35 they discuss film techniques that would immerse both Deaf and hearing audiences; you can see some of these in the documentary’s trailer.

Few texts featuring d/Deaf protagonists, or even d/Deaf characters generally, have been traditionally published. It is unlikely that many (if any) of your students will have read stories about d/Deafness if they are not d/Deaf themselves. This could be a good opportunity to explore Asphyxia’s website, which contains information and activities to help educate hearing people about the Deaf community. For example:

Deaf Children Australia and Aussie Deaf Kids have compiled book lists of stories featuring DHH characters, as well as topics related to d/Deafness and hearing loss. However, not all of them are Australian; not all are in print; and not all were written by DHH people. Below are some contemporary Australian options by DHH authors and CODAs (children of Deaf adults):

• Silence is my Habitat by Jessica White
• Thunderhead* by Sophie Beer
• Unheard Voices by Dawn Mauldon (CODA)
• The House With All The Lights On by Jessica Kirkness (GODA – grandchild of Deaf adults)
• The Shape of Sound by Fiona Murphy
• Growing Up Disabled in Australia* ed. Carly Findlay (with writing by Dion Beasley, Fiona Murphy, and Jasmine Shirrefs)
• Hearing Maud by Jessica White
• The Art of Being Deaf by Donna McDonald

* Reading Australia title

Students may be surprised to learn that two iconic Australian writers, Henry Lawson and Judith Wright, were also deaf. This 2023 Conversation article considers the implications of ignoring their deafness rather than recognising it.

It will be beneficial to examine other coming-of-age texts and encourage students to see the similarities between other characters/heroes they know and Piper. Some texts you might consider include (but are not limited to):

• Comes the Night by Isobelle Carmody
• The End of the World is Bigger Than Love* by Davina Bell
• This Is How We Change the Ending* by Vikki Wakefield
• The Road to Winter* by Mark Smith
• The Tribe trilogy by Ambelin Kwaymullina
• The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins
• Tomorrow, When the War Began* by John Marsden

You could also consider How To Bee* by Bren MacDibble and Eat the Sky, Drink the Ocean* ed. Kirsty Murray, Payal Dhar, and Anita Roy as further examples of dystopian and speculative fiction. Of particular interest in the latter is Roy’s short story ‘Cooking Time’, which also involves an unscrupulous artificial food manufacturer.

* Reading Australia title

Activity 1

Ask students to map the events of a familiar coming-of-age story against the Hero’s Journey Spiral. They can compare this to how Future Girl mapped to the spiral (see Initial Response > Synthesising Tasks > Activity 2), then give a presentation to the class that charts the similarities and differences.

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Activity 2

Have students choose a protagonist from a familiar coming-of-age story and answer the following questions to compare them to Piper. You can assign the text or allow students to choose based on their interests, as long as it is appropriate and relevant to this activity.

• How does Piper’s personality compare with your chosen protagonist?
• Which admirable qualities does your chosen protagonist have?
• How does Piper overcome hardship? How does this compare with your chosen protagonist’s approach?
• What are some of your chosen protagonist’s less admirable qualities?
• How do you think your chosen protagonist changes their world and the people around them? How does this compare with Piper?
• What barriers does your chosen protagonist face? Are these similar or different to Piper?

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Extension activity

Ask students to consider what would happen if Piper met the protagonist from another coming-of-age text. They should brainstorm and make notes on what this might look like and how the two might overcome adversity together. Attention should be given to how the characters interact based on their individual traits and the experiences they bring from their own stories. Students should draw on textual evidence from both stories to answer the following questions:

• How do the characters come together?
• What challenge might they have to overcome?
• What lesson could each character learn from this situation?
• How will they each contribute to overcoming the challenge?
• How will they part ways?

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Synthesise core ideas

Activity 1: studying codes in film

A good way to solidify your students’ understanding of dystopian fiction is to study a film. Select one from the Initial Response section (under Introductory Activities > Understanding Genre > Activity 3) or one of your own choosing. You will be teaching students how to analyse the text using film codes. A useful mnemonic device is the acronym CAMELS: camera, acting, mise-en-scène, editing, lighting, and sound. The table below will familiarise students with each code. Watch the accompanying videos and have students take their own notes.

Now have students watch the dystopian film and analyse its use of codes. One way you could do this is by splitting the class into six groups and assigning each group a different code. Students should look for where and how their code is used in the film, taking notes for further analysis. You might like to create a collaborative workspace (e.g. a Google Doc) so that everyone can contribute to the same resource.

Each group will then deliver a short presentation, explaining how their assigned code has been used to engage the audience and communicate the dystopian elements of the film.

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Activity 2: storyboarding

Have students select one chapter from Future Girl that they would like to see adapted for the screen. Have them complete at least 12 storyboard panels to visually represent how they think this would look. Storyboards are used to visually plan what a film will look like, including the use of codes. The Media Insider has a good video introduction, and templates are freely available from ACMI, the BBC, and Storyboard That.

Students must consider all six codes when composing their storyboards, even sound. They can write notes to describe what sounds would accompany each panel (or the scene more generally).

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Rich assessment task

A zine is a small handmade publication that focuses on a particular topic (see MCA Australia’s useful definition). To complete this unit of work, students will reflect on their experience of reading Future Girl by creating their own zine. This how-to guide from the Creative Independent will be a useful resource for this task.

Step 1: bringing it all together

Give students time to reflect on their responses to the novel. Have them review and refine their work from the Initial Response section (under Personal Response on Reading the Text > Activity 2). Depending on what they have written and how their thinking has evolved, you could invite them to engage in small group discussions or complete individual reflections on their learning throughout this unit.

Step 2: curating ideas

Ask students to choose six main ideas from their reflections and represent them as double-page spreads in a zine. The chosen ideas should be as distinct as possible. One approach is to have students select six of their ‘during reading’ prompts, one for each spread. Have them write an appropriate heading for each prompt and brainstorm ways to represent their reflections in their zine. They should consider:

• Words they intend to include
• Imagery that would be appropriate
• Borders, colours, shading, and textures
• How they will convey the progression of their thoughts (i.e. demonstrate how their thinking about each idea evolved over the course of this unit)

Asphyxia has a number of freely available zines on her website. Students might like to download and view these to get inspiration for their own work.

Step 3: collating the zine

Give each student six A3 sheets of card so they can create an A4-sized booklet, complete with front and back covers. Provide as many craft materials and supplies as possible. These can include:

• Scraps of paper and cardboard
• Old magazines and newspapers
• Tissue paper and other textures
• Pencils, crayons, and markers
• Scissors, glue, and tape

Students should use these materials (and others of their choosing, in consultation with you) to visually represent their six reflections on Future Girl. Remind them that there is a page of art journal ideas at the back of the book that they can use for inspiration.

Step 4: displaying the zine

It is important that students have the opportunity to share their zines. Display them around the classroom and spend a lesson allowing students to explore each other’s work. If possible, you could arrange to make the zines available at your school library.

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