For Primary Schools

The 5-week Program

Our outreach program, funded by our generous sponsors, enables disadvantaged schools in our region to work with a writer over five visits. Writers (“guides”) attend once per week for 60-90 minutes to run workshops based around setting, character, plot development, tension and editing. This program is designed to build on the ideas explored each week, enabling students to develop a complete story with interesting characters and events. The Story Hunter Guides act as mentors throughout the entire process of bringing a story to life and share some of our favourite games, tips and insights. Schools with an ICSEA below 1000 may be eligible to participate in this program at no cost – please contact us to discuss further.

Story Hunter 5-Week Program – outreach program for disadvantaged schools in the Hunter region

90 Minute Incursions

  • In your classroom or library
  • $10pp (minimum 20)
  • Designed for Stage 3, or High Potential & Gifted students in Stage 2
  • Choose from poetry, character, plot, setting, dialogue or editing
Story Hunter 90-minute school incursion for primary school students

Poetry

How does language evoke feeling? Learn some of the principles of poetry, the power of sensory language, and how students can draw on their own experience to write a poem.

Character

What makes a character interesting? Develop a character with captivating personality traits, and consider how their thoughts and actions might be influenced by those traits.

Setting

An island, a forest, a fantasy land? In this workshop, students dig deeper to think about the ways a chosen setting can influence the content of a story, and how to put their readers in the scene.

Plot

With hands-on activities, group work and planning templates, delve into the process of turning an idea into a coherent story with a logical order of events.

Dialogue

“What’s that workshop about?” she asked. He paused and looked up. “It’s for helping you write interesting, realistic dialogue between your characters.”

Editing

How do the professionals edit? Moving beyond mere punctuation and spelling, explore the different types of editing, and what to look for when trying to improve your work.