Lesson 2: Strong Characters

Learning intentions 

• Reflect on the ways characters and Country (setting) are important to a story. 
• Observe and identify skills and strengths.  
• Make reflections about personal skills and strengths. 

Watch

Review Thalu episode 1,‘ Escape’. 

Access via ABC iview or download for education via the ACTF shop  

Reflect

Characters are central to stories. In Thalu, the young people in the  series are the main or central people we follow.  Characters create the action and speak the dialogue to drive the story.  

• What did you notice about the characters from episode 1 of Thalu? 

• What emotions did you experience watching the Title Sequence?  
• How are the characters presented in the Title Sequence? What do we notice about the characters and Country (setting)? 

To view the multimodal slideshow lesson in full screen, click to access the in a new tab:  Slideshow: Strong Characters  

Activity

Seven young characters come together to make the story of Thalu. These heroes are tasked to make their way to the Thalu, a place of great power, to overcome the mysterious cloud. The cloud is making the Country and the people sick, and the characters set out to stop the cloud. Focus on each character’s skills and strengths, then map your own using the worksheet and lesson slideshow to support the learning.  

In desk groups, have students share and compare personal reflections on their own skills and strengths. Then highlight for students that these qualities can be pulled together when we work in groups to overcome challenges.   

Student groups can plan how they would harness their strengths to stop the cloud together, which can be documented on paper, and reported back to the class. The guiding ideas can be used to support and focus the plan.