Dragon Skin

Introductory activities

The cover of Karen Foxlee’s novel Dragon Skin features a colourful illustration of a young girl with a baby dragon on her shoulder, looking up at the shining stars. The girl is dwarfed by what appears to be a large, scaly tail that curls into the distance. She stands in a distinctly Australian landscape with red dirt and scrub. An introduction to this text should spark wonder and invite students to reflect on their understanding of what they see here, as well as uncover their expectations and hopes for the story.

Dragons

Dragons are mythological creatures that appear in the folklore of many cultures around the world. Depictions of dragons vary from what we see in mainstream media such as How to Train Your Dragon (2010, 2014, 2019, 2025) and Shrek (2001).

Split your class into small groups. Assign each group a region from the list below, and have them research relevant folklore and imagery related to dragons:

• West Asia
• East Asia
• South Asia
• Europe

Have each group contribute to a whole class report or presentation on the most common tropes observed in their research. Suggested topics include:

• Depictions of dragons over time
• Typical features of dragons
• Mythical or magical aspects of dragons
• Stories associated with dragons

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Artistic response

Create a whole-class depiction of a dragon using art supplies and/or a selection of images and cuttings from different sources.

Draw the outline of a dragon on a large piece of paper (this could be two sheets of butcher’s paper taped together). Have your students fill the image with smaller drawings or pictures of dragons from their research. They could work in their groups from the previous activity and take turns to add to the collage, creating one large image consisting of many smaller depictions. Provide markers, crayons, and pencils, and (if possible) print freely available or Creative Commons images for students to cut out or colour in. These might include scales, horns, wings, fire, or entire dragons.

Once the collage is complete, ask students what it might be like to befriend a dragon. Have each student write their own statement about the kind of dragon they would like to meet. You might prompt them with the following questions:

• What is your dragon’s name?
• Where did you meet your dragon?
• How did you become friends with your dragon?
• What is your dragon’s personality?
• What does your dragon like to eat?
• What does your dragon do for fun?
• What do you and your dragon do together?

You might like to invite students to share their statement with the class or in groups. They should justify their dragon’s attributes and/or outline the things that make them a good friend. In doing so, they should reflect on the qualities that they value in their own friendships.

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Reflective writing

NOTE: This activity may bring up difficult feelings or questions for some students. Be prepared to offer additional guidance and support. Speak with students about what they are writing and encourage them to engage with the questions positively.

While Foxlee’s novel features a dragon and other fantastical elements, it is more concerned with human relationships. Because of this, it is important to set the scene so that students can detect these relationships and the lessons being offered by the text.

Invite students to reflect on the friendships that they value most. Ask them to write 400 words in response to ONE of the following prompts. Instruct them NOT to include any names or identifying details.

• What qualities does your closest friend have that you like?
• What are the most important things a person can do to be a good friend?
• Is there a friend or connection that you no longer see or speak to that much? What good memories do you have of this person?
• What makes you a good friend?
• Is it right to keep secrets? If so, when? If not, why?

Again, encourage positivity in students’ responses.

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Tapping into prior knowledge (content, expectations)

Sharing expectations

Invite students to analyse the front and back cover and reflect on their response to it. They may expect the story to feature a dragon. What else can the imagery tell us about the story to come? Questions you could pose include:

• How might you describe the girl’s body language? Is she scared or thoughtful? What do you think is going through her mind? Why do you think these things?
• What do you think the stars suggest about the story?
• Where might the girl be standing? Consider a place in Australia that this could be.

Now have students predict what the story might be about. Get them to write their ideas about what might happen on at least THREE sticky notes. They should stick these on the inside cover of their book for safekeeping and later review.

Other depictions of dragons

Most (if not all) of your students will have seen depictions of dragons in film or television, OR read books in which they feature, such as:

* Reading Australia title

Ask students to reflect on these depictions and what expectations they contribute to a reading of the text. Create a Padlet for students to contribute their thoughts (using words or imagery) on what impressions these dragons have given them. Use the following prompts to stimulate responses:

• Friend or foe?
• Wild or friendly?
• Human connection?
• Protector?
• Magical?

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Personal response on reading the text

Predictions and conclusions

Have students jot some ideas on sticky notes before they read each chapter to predict what they think will happen and why. You might like to give them some prompting questions to address key ideas. They should spend about five minutes at the start of each chapter going over their thoughts, and stick the notes on the first page for later review. Helpful prompts might include:

• This chapter, I wonder … I am wondering this because …
• I think that Pip will learn … in this chapter.
• In the last chapter, I learned … Because of this, I think that …
• I think that [character name] will … in this chapter. I think this because …

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Chapter-by-chapter reflections

As they read each chapter, students should consider important quotes and events, and synthesise this information to draw conclusions about their significance and implications. The reflection prompts below can be used for any chapter:

• Write down FIVE things that are said (by either a character OR the narrator) that you think are important.
  • Write a statement next to each quote outlining why it could be important.
• How has Pip grown in this section of the novel?
• How do you see that she has grown (words, thoughts, actions)?
• What evidence is there that Pip is able to make connections with characters that she previously might not have?
• Use THREE adjectives to describe Laura in this section of the novel.
• What sentences in this chapter suggest something dark?
• In what ways do you think that Mika continues to be an influence in Pip’s life?

Facilitate a class conversation focusing on one of these prompts, OR break into groups so that students can share what they have written with their peers. Alternatively, have students respond individually to one or two prompts, then facilitate a class discussion focusing on those.

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Connecting with the text

Have students select ONE chapter from Dragon Skin and use it as inspiration to write themselves into the story. Scaffold this task as follows:

• Write in the first person
• Aim for 600 to 800 words
• Try to emulate but not replicate the events of the chapter
• Include your inner thoughts and reflections (as a character in the chapter) on other characters and events

Provide an opportunity for students to share their writing. You can do this in a variety of ways, but working in pairs rather than in a whole class context may assist students to feel more comfortable. They should take it in turns to read their pieces, as well as provide feedback on their buddy’s work. This can be scaffolded using the following sentence starters:

• I liked how, in your piece of writing, you …
• Some of the inner thoughts and reflections that I found interesting were …
• Here are some features of first-person narration that I could hear in your piece …
• Some other things that I thought were interesting were …

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Writing a newsletter

In groups, have students produce a newsletter for Pip’s hometown (an outback mining town) to report on some of the events from the novel. They can use a template from Canva to help create the newsletter. Events they might like to report on include:

• Sighting of a mysterious creature
• School events
• Sporting events
• Any happenings around town, such as a new person moving in, a warning not to go to the old drive-in picture theatre, etc.

You might like to look at examples of local newsletters to see what sort of stories are typically included.

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Outline of key elements of the text

Plot

Foxlee’s novel is separated into three acts with unnumbered chapters. Page references have been added to the tables below.

Have students make notes on the key events and takeaways for each chapter. You could assign chapters to different groups of students and have them contribute to a shared document. Alternatively, you could divide the class into three groups and have them focus on ONE act each.

Act 1

Act 2

Act 3

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Character

Encourage students to consider the role that each character plays in the delivery of Dragon Skin’s messages. What do they teach or reveal to us? How might the story play out differently without them? Each character makes an important contribution to the story and its themes. It will be useful to reflect on what these characters invite us to consider before examining the novel’s themes.

To begin, have students complete the following table:

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Now have students select ONE character from the novel (you might like to assign them so that there is even distribution across the class). Using the table above as a reference, students will create a biography for their chosen character. Provide A3 paper or similar, along with crayons, pencils, and markers, so that they can be creative.

Invite students to present their biographies to the class and reflect on the question:

What does this character invite us to think about?

Display the completed biographies somewhere in the classroom.

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Themes

Before embarking on a thematic study of Dragon Skin, take the opportunity to teach students how to identify themes and key ideas. You can play this short video in class to give students some tips on identifying themes. Questions to prompt discussion after the video include:

• What is a motif?
• What is a setting?
• What are symbols?

Alternatively, have students contribute to a class presentation (using Google Slides, Padlet, etc.), assigning one of the above features to different groups. Then go over the presentation as a class and have students take their own notes so that they have a good understanding of each feature.

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Display the following list of themes from Dragon Skin:

• Coming of age
• Place and belonging
• Friendship
• Grief
• Domestic violence

Invite students to consider how the novel expresses these themes. For each one, ask:

• What does this theme mean?
• How is this theme explored in the text?

Content warning

The theme of domestic violence is particularly sensitive and could be triggering for students or even yourself. While it might be tempting to omit this from discussion, the presence of aggression and trauma in Pip’s household is central to the narrative, and specifically to Pip and Melissa’s motivations. For example, Pip often physically removes herself from the house to avoid Matt, and her sense of wonder and imagination are borne out of escapism. It might be useful to have a separate lesson on this topic to scaffold and support students’ understanding. Consider the following:

• Mission Australia provides a simple explanation of domestic violence. You might discuss this with students and pinpoint Matt’s behaviours to illustrate how he is a perpetrator of domestic violence.
• Distinguish between definitions of domestic and family violence. Explain that domestic violence is not just physical, and encompasses different types of abuse (e.g. financial – when one partner controls the other’s finances to limit their independence).

Be mindful that students in your class may have close connections with this experience. Speak with your school psychologist, student services coordinator, etc. prior to this lesson to ensure that you are effectively supporting students to work through this content. Some students may need to be given an alternative activity, and supported to work with another member of staff, during lessons that address this theme. Additionally:

• ALWAYS share relevant hotlines and support services for young people, such as Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800) or Headspace (1800 650 890). Begin relevant discussions with a content warning so that students know what to expect and how they can access support.
• ALWAYS talk with students about what they can do if they feel that they are in a difficult situation at home. They should have in mind some trusted adults at school (or elsewhere) who they can turn to for help. Encourage them to consider who that person might be.

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Identifying and finding meaning in key quotes

Assign different themes from Dragon Skin to different groups of students and ask them to collect at least TEN quotes from the novel that they believe reflect that theme. Below are some examples.

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Ask students to stay in their groups and give them a new theme, along with the quotes selected by the previous group. Ask the new group to write an explanation of the meaning and significance of each quote. Prompt these responses with the following questions:

• What hints is this quote giving us?
• What happens before and after this quote?

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Themes and messages

Messages in texts give us an understanding about the world and the people around us. They help us to appreciate our impact on others and sometimes warn us against certain behaviours. They can also encourage us to think about constructive ways to behave in our communities and environments.

Establish students’ understanding of what a message is. Write the word ‘message’ on the board and invite each student to write a definition of what they think a message is. Generate a class discussion, going over each student’s contribution, and reach an agreed class definition.

Now invite students to consider what messages Foxlee is trying to communicate to her readers. Encourage them to think about why authors write about certain themes and ideas, and how they invite us to reflect on our own feelings about these things.

Have students select TWO of the discussed themes and write a paragraph for each to explain what message they think is being presented.

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Synthesising task

Have students select ONE of the following writing prompts for a 500-word creative piece. They should take on the persona of the assigned character and do their best to communicate the themes and messages they have learned about in the previous activities.

• Write a letter from Mika’s mother to Mika, explaining where she is and what she is experiencing.
• Write a letter from Mika to Pip, telling her how proud he is of her and why.
• Write a diary entry for Laura on the day she first sees Little Fella.
• Write a reflective piece from Melissa’s perspective as she waits for Pip to come home from the waterhole.
• Write some dialogue in which Pip tells Little Fella about her life and what she is learning about her new friends, Laura and Archie.
• Write some dialogue between Laura and Mrs Denning in which Laura tries to explain how she sings to Little Fella, and how she feels about it.
• Write a new chapter in which Little Fella is suddenly able to speak. What does he say, and what do Pip and Little Fella discuss?
• Write a new chapter in which Pip and Melissa arrive in Townsville. What are their first few days like?

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The writer’s craft

Structure

Dragon Skin follows a three-act structure. This would be a good time to introduce the three-act structure to students, and look at some variations in novels, films, or television shows they know.

The three-act structure

Reedsy offers a good explanation of the three-act structure. Before sharing this information, write the stages of the three acts on the board (randomly) and have students place them in an order that they think will be engaging in a narrative:

1. Exposition
2. Inciting incident
3. Plot point 1
4. Rising action
5. Midpoint
6. Plot point 2
7. Pre-climax
8. Climax
9. Denouement

Another way to do this is to split the class into small groups of three or four and give them printed labels that they can arrange on their desks.

Once students have placed the stages in their chosen order, give them the names of the three acts and have them group the stages under the corresponding acts:

1. Setup
2. Confrontation
3. Resolution

Students may not know the meaning of all of these words. Encourage them to predict the definitions before they look them up.

Finally, give students the correct order of events in the three-act structure and allow them to copy this into their workbooks.

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Applying the three-act structure

Ask students to apply the three-act structure to a text previously studied in class, OR a text of their own choosing, by completing the tables below. Use the ‘lesson learned’ column to consider the purpose and importance of each act. Students will need to reflect on the events of the act and consider its significance to the rest of the story.

Act 1: setup

Act 2: confrontation

Act 3: resolution

Students can compare their work with a partner OR present it to small groups or the whole class.

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Now that students understand the three-act structure, it is a good time for them to reflect on how Foxlee uses it in her novel. If you don’t want to repeat the above activity, simply have students summarise what happens in the three acts. Alternatively, they could work in groups of three and summarise one act each, contributing to a group summary of the structure as it applies to Dragon Skin in a shared document.

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Flashback storytelling

In addition to the chronological narrative, Foxlee also uses a series of flashbacks to provide context to her characters. These primarily relate to Pip’s time with Mika. Through flashbacks, the reader can discern the significance of Mika’s presence in Pip’s life, as well as his impact on her character development in the main storyline. It is Pip’s experiences with Mika that open her up to wonder and inquisitiveness, traits that she exhibits far less frequently in the early days of their friendship.

Using the examples below, invite students to reflect on how Pip’s experiences with Mika help her to grow and become more inquisitive about the world around her. Students should aim to chart how Pip develops from a cynical and guarded child to the open and compassionate girl we see as the story progress.

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Approach to characterisation

Foxlee writes about her characters in an implicative manner, leaving room for the reader to build their own interpretations of them, their motivations, and their learnings. Having said this, the characters and their purpose in Dragon Skin are very clear. Pip’s growth over about a week’s worth of events is significant, and she learns a lot about people and begins to break down a lot of her own barriers.

Explicit versus suggestive character-building

Ask students to catalogue the descriptions of Foxlee’s characters using the following table. Most descriptions fall into one of two categories: what is explicitly said (e.g. describing clothing), and what is suggested (e.g. body language, expressions, or language that suggests who the character is). Encourage students to find at least FIVE quotes for each category.

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Setting

The backdrop to Dragon Skin is the Australian outback, which adds complex and rich detail to the story. In some ways, the characters seem isolated, as demonstrated by Pip and Melissa’s difficulty escaping from Matt. In other ways, their surroundings offer a sense of freedom; Pip often slips away to explore, finding solace in special places both in and out of town.

There are also settings that give the reader a strong sense of character, such as Laura’s home or Pip’s bedroom. Students should examine what each setting reveals about the characters and their own contexts.

Understanding the importance of setting

Ask students to find descriptions of the following settings, and reflect on what hints those settings offer about the story and the characters:

• Pip’s home
• Mrs Jarvinen’s home (and Mika’s bedroom)
• The Dennings’ home (and Laura’s bedroom)
• School
• The creek and waterhole
• The hill with the cave

You might like to prompt students with questions to guide their reflections:

• What does this setting tell us about the story and/or the character(s)?
• How do characters use this setting?
• How do know if this setting is a happy OR a sad place?
• How does this setting create a sense of wonder? What descriptions are used?

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First Nations perspectives on the land

Dragon Skin is set on the lands of the Kalkatungu or Kalkadoon people (p. 32), the Traditional Custodians of the Mount Isa region in Queensland. Discuss with students the importance of learning about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives. Agree to a set of norms and/or expectations for safe and respectful engagement with this content. Some tips for building cultural empathy can be found in Reading Australia’s teaching resource for Ghost Bird by Lisa Fuller (see Initial Response > Introductory Activities).

As a class watch this short video, which provides an opportunity to reflect on the importance of the land in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. You might like to use the following resources to further build understanding:

• Common Ground – What is Country?
• Evolve Communities – Connection to Country: Why is Country important to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People?
• State of the Environment 2021 – Country and connections

Now, using Google Maps, have students locate a rural or remote town near a body of water somewhere in Australia. If it is available, ask students to use Street View to look around the town and imagine Pip there. They could look for points of interest that are similar to the town in Dragon Skin, such as the creek, the school, or the drive-in picture theatre.

NOTE: Given its connection with the novel, it might be interesting to explore the Mount Isa region. Alternatively, if you would like to tailor this activity to your school’s context, you could focus on towns within your home state.

Have students research the Traditional Custodians of the land on which their chosen town sits. It is vital that they understand how to locate reputable resources; relying on general websites alone (e.g. Wikipedia) will not be sufficient. Give them some guidance about seeking authentic and accurate information from credible sources, preferably those authored by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people and organisations.

Students should review material related to the history and culture of the language group they are researching. In particular, they should try to find information about that group’s connection to the land, including significant landmarks and Dreaming stories.

Finish by showing students this TEDx Talk by Djiribul woman Shelley Reys on what makes a good Acknowledgement of Country. Then invite students to write their own Acknowledgement for the Country they have been researching. Make sure they understand that they are writing from their own perspective, NOT from an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander perspective. The following resources may be helpful:

• AIATSIS – Welcome to Country
• Reconciliation Australia – Acknowledgement of Country and Welcome to Country
• Reconciliation NSW – Welcome to Country vs. Acknowledgement of Country

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The landscape as a character

The landscape in Dragon Skin almost acts as a character itself, presenting a complex and rich tapestry of detail that develops the themes and motifs in the story.

Invite students to find quotes from the novel that describe settings as though they were more than non-human environments. This is a good opportunity to introduce or revise personification, similes, and metaphors. As students locate quotes, have them identify the words that add character to the landscape. The following examples may help them get started:

• p. 101 – the description of the dying roses
• p. 107 – the description of the scaley riverbed
• pp. 127–128 – the list of Pip’s special places
• p. 133 – the description of the sky
• p. 272 – the description of the sky after the storm
• p. 272 – the description of the river

Remind students to look for personification, similes, and metaphors in other examples from the book.

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Point of view

Foxlee uses third-person narration to tell the story of Dragon Skin and help the reader empathise with Pip. This is a good opportunity to talk about point of view and teach students how to identify this in narrative storytelling.

First explain the difference between third-person objective, omniscient, and limited narration (these MasterClass and ThoughtCo articles may be useful). Then ask students to consider Dragon Skin and decide which type of narration they think Foxlee has used. They should come up with at least ONE example from the text that demonstrates this particular narrative style.

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Empathising with a character involves more than just feeling sorry or sad for them. It involves following their story, understanding what they are going through, and feeling the range of emotions that they might be feeling. In a third-person narrative, there are some key tools that authors can use to encourage connection between the reader and the character(s), such as:

• Narration that shares the character’s thoughts or inner dialogue
• Following one character more closely than others
• Presenting other characters through the main characters’ eyes
• Narration that reveals how the main character views other characters

Dragon Skin is narrated from Pip’s point of view: the reader follow events in her life and observes her thoughts, reflections, and perspectives on other people. Have students identify key moments in the text that establish Pip’s point of view in the narration. They should come up with at least FIVE examples of this.

Students can share their work and construct a class point of view poster that includes key quotes from their investigation.

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Pip’s inner voice

Another interesting feature of the novel is the inner voice that only Pip (and the reader) can hear. This is indicated by italicised text that reveals Pip’s inner dialogue with herself, as well as her conversations with Mika. This gives the reader insight into the relationship that Pip still has with Mika (or the Mika in her memories), along with her personal growth.

Mika is more than just a memory or imagined presence. By observing how Pip engages with Mika’s voice, the reader can see how she becomes stronger and more self-assured, and less reliant on him, over the course of the novel.

It would be interesting to consider Melissa’s search history – which only appears when Pip sees her mother using her phone – as an extension of Pip’s inner voice. While Pip is not privy to the contents of the phone, we understand that she knows enough about Melissa’s situation to make inferences based on her demeanour. The search terms correlate with Melissa’s emotional journey, and slowly change as the story unfolds; compare, for example, those in the first two acts (pp. 14, 118–119, 173) to those in the third (pp. 253, 323).

Ask students to compose a short piece of writing in the style of Dragon Skin that charts part of a day from Pip’s point of view. This should include:

• An observation about Melissa’s behaviour
• Some inner thoughts
• Dialogue with Mika
• Something that happens to challenge Pip

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Style

Dragon Skin melds the genres of fantasy and realism, presenting serious topics in an accessible format for children and teenagers. There is an argument for categorising the text as magical realism, as it incorporates magical or fantastical elements into scenes of mundane or ordinary life. This is amplified by Mika’s omniscient presence, giving Pip unique insights into the world around her and making her appear wise beyond her years. There is also a certain folkloric or mystical quality to the landscape as it is described in the story.

Have students fill out a comparative table (see below) to explore how Dragon Skin brings together elements of fantasy and realism. You might like to develop a shared definition of what constitutes ‘fantasy’ and ‘reality’. Broadly, elements of fantasy include magic, the supernatural, and strange occurrences and creatures. Reality, on the other hand, refers to everyday things that can be experienced by any person (e.g. home life, school life, relationships).

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Synthesising task

Have students recreate the world of Dragon Skin in Minecraft Education. The official YouTube channel offers a series of instructional videos, from simple how-tos to more detailed explanations. Consult the channel first to see if this is a viable activity for your students; if so, determine how much detail you expect them to incorporate.

NOTE: Students will need to register for an account using a school email address.

Students should select a location from Dragon Skin and attempt to recreate it in Minecraft Education. This includes objects, furniture, flora, fauna, and whatever else they imagine would be appropriate for the setting. They will also need to create some avatars for characters who appear in that setting.

Students should then write a new chapter that expands upon events from the novel OR presents an alternate series of events. This should be written to accompany the scene that they created in Minecraft Education.

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Comparison with other texts

Dragon Skin is an excellent candidate for comparison based on its central themes, which are found in many stories for children and young adults. Some suggested texts for comparison include:

• Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson (also a 2007 film)
• Moana (2016)
• The Peacock Detectives by Carly Nugent
• Sunshine on Vinegar Street by Karen Comer
• A Ghost in my Suitcase* by Gabrielle Wang
• How to Bee* by Bren MacDibble
• The Art of Taxidermy* by Sharon Kernot
• The Year the Maps Changed* by Danielle Binks

Most of these examples are not fantasy texts and focus more on themes of friendship and coming of age (and, in some cases, grief and domestic violence). Indeed, the key themes in Dragon Skin are not directly related to Little Fella; the dragon is a vehicle for a deeper exploration of Pip’s personal growth, friendships, and family.

As with any comparative study, students should identify similarities and differences between the chosen text and Dragon Skin. The intention is to encourage them to consider how different texts deal with similar themes and issues. A sample has been provided below.

* Reading Australia title

Comparative analysis: Dragon Skin and Bridge to Terabithia

Viewing the film

Before you screen the film, scaffold some things that students should look out for. Revise the central themes in Dragon Skin so that students can recognise them in Bridge to Terabithia. They might include:

• Unlikely friendships
• Growth or coming of age
• Natural landscapes and wonder
• Fantasy, magic, and imagination
• Familial disharmony

Split the class into four groups and assign each group a topic from the following list (you can add more groups and topics as you see fit):

• Landscape
• Family
• Imagination
• Friendship

As they view the film, each group should work in a shared document to take notes on their assigned topic. Set up these documents ahead of time and share them with students so that you can observe their contributions. The document should have headings such as:

• How is this topic represented in the film?
• What music do we hear when we see this topic in the film?
• What quotes are related to this topic?
• Write a group statement about the message that the film gives us about this topic.

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Class presentations

Once they have finalised their notes, have each group present their findings to the rest of the class. This can be as creative as you wish; groups could present their ideas through a brief dramatical representation, a TikTok-style review, or a simple PowerPoint presentation. Each presentation must include the following information:

• What the topic is
• How the topic is represented in Dragon Skin
• How the topic is represented in Bridge to Terabithia
• How the representation in Bridge to Terabithia differs from Dragon Skin
• How Bridge to Terabithia gives us an alternate message about the topic

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Written analysis

As an alternative to the group presentations, you might deem it more appropriate to scaffold a written analysis for a larger written assessment. This would be a good opportunity to introduce students to essay writing OR consolidate prior knowledge with this form of analysis. Below are some essay questions you might like to consider:

• In what ways do Dragon Skin and Bridge to Terabithia explore the importance of friendship?
• How does nature provide solace for the characters in Dragon Skin and Bridge to Terabithia?
• Family can provide security and stability. How is this NOT the case in Dragon Skin and Bridge to Terabithia?
• Compare the ways Dragon Skin and Bridge to Terabithia conform to and resist the conventions of the fantasy genre.
• In what ways do the central characters in Dragon Skin and Bridge to Terabithia deal with grief and loss?
• Adults do not always make the best decisions. How is this demonstrated in Dragon Skin and Bridge to Terabithia?

Students should aim to explore at least THREE ideas in relation to the question they are answering. They should develop these ideas by dividing the body of their essay into three paragraphs (one for each idea). You might like to start by inviting students to write just these three paragraphs, and then build the introduction and conclusion from there, if time allows.

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Synthesising core ideas

Revisions

Once students have finished reading Dragon Skin, encourage reflection on their initial thoughts by having them review their Predictions and Conclusions (see Initial Response > Personal Response on Reading the Text). They could group their sticky notes according to things they predicted correctly, and things that ended up being quite different. Ask them to answer the following revision questions:

• Which of your predictions about the text were correct?
• What things surprised you?
• Do you have any disappointments (about characters or plot points)?
• Select ONE chapter and explain what you would change or do differently if you were the author.

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Writing a review

Introduce students to Goodreads or The StoryGraph. This is an opportunity to expose them to wider reading, reviews, and recommendations. If students have their own personal accounts, they can chronicle their reading over the year(s) and submit their own reviews. An account is NOT required to simply browse.

NOTE: Both Goodreads and The StoryGraph are public forums, so some content may not be appropriate for your students. You might prefer to conduct the following activities in a controlled classroom environment, using reviews from reputable Australian websites such as Kids’ Book Review, Better Reading, Story Links, or Reading Time.

Ask students to locate TWO reviews of texts they have read in the past (one of these may be Dragon Skin – see More Resources for a short list). Get them to respond to these reviews by answering the following questions:

• In your opinion, what has the reviewer gotten right?
• What is something new you have learned about this text, OR what is something that has made you think differently about this text?
• Is there anything you disagree with in the review? Why?

As a class, come to an agreement about what constitutes a good review. Write a list on the board and ask students to copy it down for future reference. Some of the agreed upon points might include:

• A brief synopsis of the story that does not give everything away
• What the text makes us think about
• Who the main character is, and what is unique about them
• How the text makes us feel
• A star rating (one to five)

Now that students have read some reviews, get them to write their own for Dragon Skin. This could be done in a shared document or Padlet. You might also encourage them to comment on one another’s reviews (at least one comment).

You could take inspiration from Goodreads or The StoryGraph to encourage wider reading throughout the year. Challenge students to see who can write the most book reviews, or incorporate their suggestions into future text selection by encouraging them to find new book recommendations.

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Rich assessment task

This activity involves taking students on an excursion to a park or other area where they can try to visually capture elements of the text. They will need a device that can take photos and/or videos, or a sketchbook.

Students will capture a series of photographs, videos, or drawings that aim to recreate environments/elements from Dragon Skin. These will be accompanied by key quotes and a written statement that ties their media to the text.

NOTE: Depending on your location, you may not be able to replicate the environments exactly, but try to find an area that conveys a similar mood.

Here are some steps you might follow to run this excursion.

1. A reading

As a class, read a chapter of Dragon Skin while on an excursion. It would be good for this chapter to detail aspects of nature or the landscape (see Close Study > The Writer’s Craft > Setting). Facilitate a group discussion about the reading, or use the following prompts to guide reflection:

• How does the narrator describe the setting and nature?
• How do these things make the characters feel?
• Come up with FIVE adjectives to describe how the setting makes you feel.
• Look at the setting we are in now. What would it have looked like a year ago? Ten years ago? Ten thousand years ago?

2. Selecting a location

Give students ten minutes of free time to explore within an agreed and supervised boundary. Encourage them to look at the flashbacks in their copies of Dragon Skin, and consider how different parts of the current location might suit the text.

3. Reflections

The class should then have quiet time to journal about the location they are in, and the areas they have explored and observed. Some prompts to get them thinking during this journalling phase include:

• What is unique about this setting?
• What is different about this setting compared to the text?
• What is the best way to represent this setting (film, photography, drawing), and why?
• What aspects must I include?

4. Creating

Give students the opportunity to photograph, film, and draw while out and about. They might work in groups or pairs, but they should submit their work individually. Circulate among the class to offer guidance and support.

Students should then submit some drafts to seek formative feedback from you before embarking on their final portfolio.

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