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Using a novel in the literacy classroom; Surfing Mr Petrovic

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Using a novel in the literacy classroom; Surfing Mr Petrovic
It begins with the dramatic line "Everybody hates me." The author then proceeds to take us on a journey written in the first person from the point-of-view of Tao Symonds, the eleven year old narrator and central character, as he reflects on the previous few months of his life. Tao thinks the whole world is against him. He is suffering pressure from school, his parents and their new partners, as well as from his peers to join in theirescapades and to top it all off, his dog has died. Tao feels confused and angry because his parents, middle aged surfer father, Greg, and his mother, a teacher called Christine, are in the process of a break-up. Tao then lists his troubles and tells the reader of his present dread as he is taken by his mother to meet Mr. Petrovic, a Croatian immigrant, to apologize for something he says is not his fault, at least not entirely his fault. Through the use of past and present tense, Colin Bowles complicates the plot telling us in Tao's view how it all started.

Tao and his friends, Matt and Bluey, are kicking a football in the street when it goes into the front yard of Mr. Petrovic. Matt sends Bluey to get it. Mr. Petrovic sees him and shouts at him so the boys all flee. Over the course of several weeks, Matt leads Tao and Bluey in harassing Mr. Petrovic due to Matt's insistence that he has to "…be Got Back"( Bowles, 1997, p.8). They turn off the water when he is in the shower, arrange for a load of firewood to be dumped in his driveway and ride their skateboards through his rose garden before Matt and Bluey use scissors to vandalise Mr Petrovic's rose garden. Against his better judgment, Tao goes along with most of these schemes because he is afraid of being left out of their gang. Tao looks up to his friend Matt who he sees as "Really cool" (Bowles, 1997, p.2) however, Matt does several things that show him as a coward. Tao bends to the peer pressure from Matt regularly even when he knows what they are doing is wrong. Tao begins to


References: Academic Controversy, (2007) Teaching Ideas and Units - Teaching Strategies. English Learning Area. Department of Education, Tasmania, School Education Division. Retrieved 1 February, 2008, from http://wwwfp.education.tas.gov.au/English/accont.htmBowles, C. (1997). Surfing Mr Petrovic. Ringwood: Puffin Books. Campbell, R & Green, D. (Eds.)(2006). Literacies and learners: current perspectives. (3rd edn). Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Education Australia. Direct Reading Thinking Activity. (2007). Especially for Teachers. English Learning Area. Department of Education, Tasmania, School Education Division. Retrieved 3 February, 2008, from http://wwwfp.education.tas.gov.au/english/DRTA.htmElements of an English Program: Sharing Texts,(2007), Teaching Ideas and Units. English Learning Area. Department of Education, Tasmania, School Education Division. Retrieved 16th January, 2008, from http://wwwfp.education.tas.gov.au/English/sharetexts.htmForms of Poetry, (2007). Teaching Ideas and Units. English Learning Area. Department of Education, Tasmania, School Education Division. Retrieved 3rd February, 2008, from http://wwwfp.education.tas.gov.au/English/formsof.htmGuided Comprehension. (2008). Visualizing Using the Sketch-to-Stretch Strategy. read.write.think. Retrieved 10 February, 2008, from http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=229Key Learning Processes. (2007). Especially for Teachers - Teaching English. English Learning Area. Department of Education, Tasmania, School Education Division. Retrieved 3rd February, 2008, from http://wwwfp.education.tas.gov.au/English/key.htmLangman, A. (2001). A 'novel ' approach to curriculum plans. australia.edu online magazine. Retrieved 7th February, 2008, from www.australia.edu/magazine/novelapproach.pdfLiterary Sociograms (2007). Teaching Ideas and Units - Teaching Strategies. English Learning Area. Department of Education, Tasmania, School Education Division. Retrieved 8th February, 2008, from http://wwwfp.education.tas.gov.au/english/litsoc.htmReaders theatre (2007). Teaching Ideas and Units - Teaching Strategies. English Learning Area. Department of Education, Tasmania, School Education Division. Retrieved 8th February, 2008, from http://wwwfp.education.tas.gov.au/English/readerstheatre.htmSykes, H. (n.d.). Teachers ' Notes for Refugee. Puffin Australia. Retrieved 10 February, 2008, from http://www.penguin.com.au/puffin/notes/title-notes.cfm?SBN=0140389857%20%20%20Targeting Text: A Guided Writing Project. (2007). Teaching Ideas and Units - Teaching Strategies. English Learning Area. Department of Education, Tasmania, School Education Division. Retrieved 10 February, 2008, from http://wwwfp.education.tas.gov.au/english/targeting.htm
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