Megafauna Corner

We’ve been digging up creative writing lessons all about Australia's fossilised megafauna!

Let the incredible story of Australia’s megafauna inspire your students!

This resource pack includes:

WORKSHEETS

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Partial logo with stylized orange, black, and gray shapes and the letters 'au' in red.
Digital worksheet titled "MegaFauna Corner" for creating a megafauna profile, with sections for scientific name, size, fossils, and unusual objects, including a writing challenge.

TEACHER’S GUIDE

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…and scroll down to access 3 x live action videos!

With suggestions for cross-curricular links these ready-to-go resources can be taught as a small unit of work or built into your existing program. They have been developed by creative writing experts to inspire your primary school class to write and share stories, improve their confidence and literacy, and deepen their knowledge and appreciation of our natural environment and ecosystem.  

This project was made possible by the auDA Community Grant Program. The auDA Community Grant Program is funded by the auDA Foundation, a charitable trust established by auDA. It has distributed more than $4.5 million, supporting over 170 projects since 2006.

  • Designed with Stage 3 and 4 students in mind, but also great for a multi-stage classroom.

    • ACELT1607: Create literary texts that explore students’ own experiences and imagining.

    • ACELT1618: Create literary texts that adapt or combine aspects of texts students have experienced in innovative ways. 

    • ACELT1800: Experiment with text structures and language features and their effects in creating literary texts, for example, using imagery, sentence variation, metaphor and word choice. 

    • ACELY1714: Plan, draft and publish imaginative informative and persuasive texts, choosing and experimenting with text structures, language features, images and digital resources appropriate to purpose and audience.

  • To celebrate the launch of Megafauna Corner we are giving prize packs to the first 10 teachers who give us feedback on their class’ experience with these resources. 

    Your prize pack could include: 

    • Paintings from Engawala Art Centre 

    • A copy of Tim’s Journey Back in Time by Brigida Alberti and the artists from the Engawala Community 

    • Classroom posters 

    • Fresh mints for fresh ideas in your classroom 

VIDEO SERIES

Jerry’s surprised when Marcus, now “Professor Marcozovich,” reveals a time machine and sends him back millions of years. Jerry returns buzzing with tales of giant birds, towering eucalyptus trees and massive crocodiles. Inspired, students imagine their own time-travel adventure to meet Australia’s megafauna and bring it to life in vivid writing.

Jerry’s creative writing workshop takes a wild turn when Marcus uncovers a giant fossilised bone under the stairs. Is it a Diprotodon – the largest marsupial ever? Soon, students are swept into the world of Australia’s prehistoric megafauna, from the bone-crushing Megalania to the marsupial lion Thylacoleo. Inspired, they create their own creatures, imagine their lives and extinctions, and write the thrilling story of their discovery.

Jerry longs to return to the giant crocodile but Professor Marcozvich suggests sending a message back in time instead. With help from Lady Kirst, a time-travelling poet, Jerry learns to write odes - poems of praise and emotion. Inspired, students are prompted to craft their own poetic tributes to Australia’s megafauna and send their words into the past.

If you have any issues accessing these resources, please contact our team at programs@storyfactory.org.au