ACTF

Tales from Outer Suburbia

Tales from Outer Suburbia invites students to explore a world where the ordinary gently – and at times unexpectedly – meets the extraordinary. The series offers rich opportunities to discuss the emotional experiences of childhood, the shifting dynamics of family life and the moments of quiet magic that can appear when young people approach change with curiosity, imagination and courage.

Inspired by the tone, texture and quiet wonder of Shaun Tan’s acclaimed book, this series blends realism and whimsy to open up rich opportunities for thinking, questioning, feeling and creating. Across ten episodes, students encounter curious creatures, unexpected happenings, and moments of deep humanity - all of which encourage emotional intelligence, imaginative reflection and thoughtful dialogue.

This resource helps you bring that experience into the classroom with structured, flexible and creative learning activities. It is designed for Years 5 – 8 students and mapped to English,  Media Arts and General Capabilities.

There is no single ‘correct’ pathway through this education resource - each teacher and class can explore Tales from Outer Suburbia in the way that best suits their interests, curriculum focus and time.

This resource is designed to be open and adaptable. Each episode stands alone, giving you the freedom to explore the series in whatever way best suits your class - whether that’s focusing on a single episode, sampling a few, exploring all ten, mixing themes across episodes or using individual stories as weekly provocations or deep dives into adaptation and storytelling.

You can seamlessly integrate the episodes into a wide range of learning contexts, including:

  • English: Analysing how stories are structured and how characters, settings, viewpoints and themes are created; responding to and creating imaginative and multimodal texts.
  • Media Arts: Exploring representation, story principles and how technical and symbolic elements (sound, movement, framing) shape meaning.
  • Critical and Creative Thinking and Personal and Social Capability: Building skills in questioning, interpreting, generating ideas, empathising, and reflecting on emotions, relationships and perspectives.