The approach to novel reading in this unit

Teachers are encouraged to support as many students as possible to read and enjoy Playing Beatie Bow in its entirety. However, the reality is that some students may find this a challenge, while others may not feel sufficiently engaged. This is always a matter of judgement for teachers, especially in the middle years of schooling when there is one compulsory text shared amongst a diversity of students. In this unit, it is acknowledged that students may choose to not read the set novel and may resort to online plot summaries or the goodwill of fellow students.

In this spirit of openness, the unit makes no assumption or requirement for all students to read the entire book (or pretend to) though teachers may well encourage or even plead with students to do so! The value of this novel study lies in the opportunities presented by Playing Beatie Bow to open up learning and discussion in relation to three key points, which can be developed across this unit and within the assessment task:

  • the evolution of the English language, including the impact of new technologies on language
  • the genre of time travel
  • broadening vocabularies in relation to the novel and the two points above.

Consequently, it should be enough for students to listen to the opening chapters read aloud in class (see Activity 3) and engage in the discussions arising and the activities inspired by the novel to successfully complete the unit.

At this early stage in the unit, teachers are advised to make this clear to students and alert them to the fact that there is one compulsory Receptive Assessment Task for all students. However, those students who do read the novel in its entirety will be at some advantage because they will have the opportunity to select one of two available Productive Assessment Tasks: either the Twitter Poem Task or the Time Travel DVD task. Those who choose not to read the novel should be advised to avoid the Twitter Poem task because of its reliance on a knowledge of narrative development across all thirteen chapters.

 

Outline of key elements of the text

Plot

Abigail Kirk finds herself transported back to the late nineteenth century and becomes embroiled in the family life of the Bows. The Bows will not let her return home believing that she is ‘the stranger’ who will preserve the family gift. (See the Goodreads website.)

Characters in Playing Beatie Bow

From the twentieth century: Abigail Kirk (formerly Lynette); Katherine Kirk (Abigail’s mother); Weyland Kirk (Abigail’s father); Justine, Vincent and Natalie Crown (neighbours).
From 1873: Abigail Kirk (time traveller), Beatrice May Bow (Beatie Bow), Gilbert Samuel Bow, Judah Bow, Samuel Bow, Robert Bow, Dorcas Tallisker (Dovey), Alice Tallisker (Granny).

  • themes
  • colonial and contemporary Sydney
  • family love and values
  • coming of age
  • resilience and overcoming adversity
  • identity
  • hardship and poverty.

This unit will also explore the concepts of time travel and the evolution of the English Language.

Pre-reading activity

In order to accommodate all students, there will be a focus on close language study and the evolution of English to reflect a changing world, and particularly in relation to new technologies. Teachers should ensure that students complete the pre-reading activities before engaging with Playing Beatie Bow.

Activity 1: Puzzles of changing English

While Activity 1 may appear to be very complex, it is designed as a group puzzle with teacher hints along the way to support student success. Please see the teacher cheat sheet below:

The original texts  Translation
(to support teachers and provide hints for students as needed)
Text 1:
From Chaucer’s Wife of Bath’s Prologue
Middle English poetry from the 14th century  

(Lines 3–8)To speke of wo that is in mariage; For, lordynges, sith I twelve yeer was of age, Thonked be God that is eterne on lyve, Housbondes at chirche dore I have had fyve, — If I so ofte myghte have ywedded bee, — And alle were worthy men in hir degree.(and further in the Prologue, Lines 587–592)

Whan that my fourthe housbonde was on beere,
I weep algate, and made sory cheere,
As wyves mooten, for it is usage
And with my coverchief covered my visage . . .

(from Poets.org website)

Text 1:
From Chaucer’s Wife of Bath’s Prologue
Middle English poetry from the 14th century 

(Lines 3–8)I am going speak about the trouble with marriage; So, friends, since I was twelve, Thanks be to God (who is alive), I have married five men in a church; and if I’ve married so many men, Then all were worthy men to some degree.(and further in the Prologue, Lines 587–592)

When my fourth husband was being cremated,
I cried and looked really sad,
as wives must do at their husband’s funeral,
And with my hankie covered up my face . . .

You may wish to refer to Harvard University’s Geoffrey Chaucer website, which contains a list of common Chaucerian words and a more comprehensive glossary.

Text 2:
Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Act 3, scene 1, 114–121
Shakespearean/Elizabethan English 16th – 17th century

Hamlet: I did love you once.Ophelia: Indeed, my lord, you made me believe so.

Hamlet: You should not have believ’d me, for virtue cannot so inoculate our old stock but we shall relish of it. I lov’d you not.

Ophelia: I was the more deceiv’d.

Hamlet: Get thee to a nunn’ry, why woulds’t thou be a breeder of sinners?

Text 2:
Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Act 3, scene 1, 114–121
Shakespearean/Elizabethan English 16th – 17th century

Hamlet: I told you that I loved you once.Ophelia: Yes, Hamlet, you did.

Hamlet: Well, you shouldn’t have believed me because all of us are rotten at the core, no matter how hard we try to be good. I didn’t love you.

Ophelia: Well, I was tricked.

Hamlet: Get to a convent, become a nun so that you cannot breed sinners like me.

You may wish to refer to this online Shakespearean dictionary.

Text 3:
From Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice
An English novel from the early 19th century

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife. However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighbourhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered as the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters. (p.1)
Text 3:
From Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice
An English novel from the early 19th centuryEveryone knows that a single, rich man wants to marry. Even if little else is known about him it is assumed that he is available as a potential husband for their daughter.
Text 4:

Ruth Park’s Playing Beatie Bow
Late 19th and 20th century English/Scottish dialect

‘I dunna ken where your ain place is’, protested Beatie. I didna mean to go there myself. It were the bairnies calling my name. I dunna ken how I did it, honest. I never did it afore I had the fever’ As though to herself in a puzzled worried voice she said, ‘One minute I was in the lane, and the next there was a wall there, and the bairnies skittering about, and all those places like towers and castles and that…that great road that goes over the water, and strange carriages on it with never a horse amongst them, and I was afeared out of my wits, thinking the fever had turned my brain.’(Chapter 3, p. 46 in Penguin Classics edition)

Text 4:

Ruth Park’s Playing Beatie Bow
Late 19th and 20th century English/Scottish dialect

‘I don’t know where your place is. I didn’t mean to go there myself. It was the children calling my name. I honestly don’t know how I did it. I never did it before I got sick.’ As though to herself in a worried voice she said, ‘One minute I was in the lane and the next there was a great wall there and the children were playing around. There were towers and castles and a bridge that went over the water with cars going across it. I was afraid and thought I’d gone crazy.’If students need help with Scottish dialect, you might want to refer them to the online Collins dictionary.

Then download the Evolution of Language worksheet (PDF, 167KB) for this activity and print out copies for your students.

The activity requires students to examine the language used in a range of original texts from the fourteenth century (Chaucer) through to the twenty-first century (emoticons). Changes in the English language over time should become evident as the texts are explored. In the initial stages of the activity, groups of students should be given the original texts without the translations.

In small groups students work through the following steps:

  1. Try to decipher the language of each of the five texts included in Activity 1: Puzzles of changing English.
  2. Highlight in colour 1 all the words that are still familiar and spelt according to current spelling.
  3. Highlight in colour 2 all words that are similar but spelt differently.
  4. Highlight in colour 3 any words that mean nothing to you.
  5. Go back over the puzzle and see how much of it you can translate.
  6. You may wish to use the suggested online dictionaries to explore the meaning and origin of unknown words and to assist with the translation. For example, the root word of bairns in the passage from Playing Beatie Bow means child and has its origins in Scottish and Northern English language, barn child.

Students share with the class what they discovered about the evolution of the English language

  • What evidence is there that English has changed over the centuries?
  • Which words from the earlier texts are no longer used and which have evolved with new spelling?
  • What is significant of these changes?

(ACELA1528)   (ACELA1529)   (ACELY1723)   (EN4-2A)   (EN4-8D)   (EN4-2A)

Activity 2: An introduction to time travel and Playing Beatie Bow 

The concept of time travel is central to the text Playing Beatie Bow. In the following activities students’ previous experiences and knowledge of the time travel genre are initially explored. Students will then watch a series of film clips and film trailers that explore the notion of time travel from 1936 to now. The intention here is for students to experience the different styles of film-making where the central dramatic device used is time travel. Students might also notice how film-making has changed with advances in technology, and with changing styles of acting and direction. After viewing each clip students might like to discuss their observations and initial reactions to the films. This discussion will support their success in the first rich assessment task.

Step 1:

In small groups, students make a list of time travel texts. These may include novels, films, TV series, comics and/or digital games.

Step 2:

Share with the whole class and create one large class list, which can be further developed and categorised (such as film, novel, TV series) during the unit. Teachers may like to consult lists such as Best Time Travel Movies and Goodreads for inspiration.

Step 3:

As a whole class, discuss which texts they have enjoyed/not enjoyed and why and how authors/filmmakers have used time travel as a device in these stories.

Step 4:

View a selection of the following time travel clips:

  • Clip 1, The Time Machine (PG) was made in 1936 and is considered one of the earliest and best example of time travel in movies (2 minutes, 30 seconds).
  • Clip 2, Back to the Future (PG) was made in 1986 and formed part of the Back to the Future trilogy (1 minute, 20 seconds).
  • Clip 3, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (PG) is the third in the Harry Potter series made in 2004 (2 minutes, 50 seconds).
  • Clip 4, Meet the Robinsons (PG) was made in 2007 and is an example of an animated time travel film (2 minutes, 30 seconds).
  • Clip 5, Time (PG). Made in 2013 this short film was a Tropfest Finalist.
  • Clip 6, Playing Beatie Bow (PG). The film was made in 1987 (6 minutes, 23 seconds).

Step 5:

Focus on Clip 5, and the question ‘if time travel were possible, what message would you leave in the future for someone in the past to find?’ Discuss with the class, or provide writing time for students to make a personal response by deciding what message they would want to leave for someone to find.

Step 6:

Watch Clip 6, Playing Beatie Bow. In this clip, students are introduced to the main characters, Abigail and Beatie Bow. They will see the pivotal moment where Abigail is transported from the twentieth century back in time to the nineteenth century. Watching this clip will visually provide students with contextual information about the setting: The Rocks in 1970s Sydney and 1873 Sydney Town. As well as this, the students will become familiar with the Scottish dialects and accents featured in the film. This is particularly important for those students who might find reading dialects and accents more challenging.

Step 7:

Using Google Maps show students the area in Sydney, New South Wales, where the story, Playing Beatie Bow is set and the clip is filmed: in and around The Rocks area.
(ACELA1528)   (ACELT1622)   (ACELT1621)   (ACELT1623)   (EN4-2A)   (EN4-1A)