The Secret River contains material that may be disturbing or upsetting to some students. The teacher may wish to prepare students for the book's violent passages. Furthermore, the author uses historically accurate but derogatory terms for Aboriginal people in the novel, which the teacher may wish to discuss with students before reading. The teacher should be particularly sensitive to the needs of any students of Aboriginal/Torrres Straight Islander descent in the classroom.
The thought questions in this lesson plan provide material and ideas that students can use to write short original essays and to develop their powers of analysis.
The questions provided for the final paper are most...
