Classic texts
59 texts by writers such as Banjo Paterson, Henry Lawson, Emily Dickinson and William Shakespeare. Each is a short extract, chosen for the years it is used in. Spelling and punctuation follow the edition named.
The Lamb, William Blake. Songs of Innocence, 1789. From Project Gutenberg eBook 1934.
Used in Comparing texts, Years 9 and 10.
The Tiger, William Blake. First published in Songs of Innocence and of Experience, 1794. From Project Gutenberg eBook 1934.
Used in Close reading and the Paragraph builder, Poetry ear, Comparing texts, Years 7 to 10.
Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë. First published in 1847. From Project Gutenberg eBook 1260.
Used in Close reading and the Paragraph builder, Years 11 and 12.
Facts are based on: Wikipedia, Charlotte Brontë and Jane Eyre.
The Soldier, Rupert Brooke. Written in 1914; published in 1915. From Project Gutenberg eBook 262.
Used in Essay builder, Years 11 and 12. Shown only when a parent turns on texts about war and death.
My Last Duchess, Robert Browning. First published in Dramatic Lyrics, 1842. From Project Gutenberg eBook 28041.
Used in Poetry ear, Years 11 and 12. Shown only when a parent turns on texts about war and death.
For the Term of His Natural Life, Marcus Clarke. First published as a serial from 1870 to 1872, and as a book in 1874. From Project Gutenberg eBook 3424.
Used in Close reading and the Paragraph builder, Years 10 to 12.
Facts are based on: Australian Dictionary of Biography, Clarke, Marcus Andrew Hislop (1846 to 1881); Wikipedia, For the Term of His Natural Life; Wikipedia, Macquarie Harbour Penal Station.
A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens. First published in 1843. From Project Gutenberg eBook 46.
Used in Close reading and the Paragraph builder, Years 7 to 9.
Because I could not stop for Death, Emily Dickinson. Written about 1862 or 1863; first published in 1890 under the title "The Chariot". From Project Gutenberg eBook 12242.
Used in Poetry ear, Comparing texts, Years 9 to 12. Shown only when a parent turns on texts about war and death.
Hope is the thing with feathers, Emily Dickinson. First published in 1891, under the title "Hope". From Project Gutenberg eBook 12242.
Used in Poetry ear, Years 7 to 9.
The Adventure of the Speckled Band (from near the end), Arthur Conan Doyle. First published in The Strand Magazine in 1892. From Project Gutenberg eBook 1661.
Used in Close reading and the Paragraph builder, Years 7 to 9.
Facts are based on: Wikipedia, Arthur Conan Doyle and The Adventure of the Speckled Band.
The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald. First published in 1925. From Project Gutenberg eBook 64317.
Used in Close reading and the Paragraph builder, Years 11 and 12.
Facts are based on: Wikipedia, F. Scott Fitzgerald and The Great Gatsby.
My Brilliant Career, Miles Franklin. First published in 1901. From Project Gutenberg eBook 11620.
Used in Close reading and the Paragraph builder, Years 10 to 12.
Facts are based on: Australian Dictionary of Biography, Franklin, Miles (1879 to 1954).
The Yellow Wallpaper (from early in the story), Charlotte Perkins Gilman. First published in 1892. From Project Gutenberg eBook 1952.
Used in Close reading and the Paragraph builder, Years 11 and 12.
The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame. First published in 1908. From Project Gutenberg eBook 289.
Used in Close reading and the Paragraph builder, Reading Detective, Years 5 to 8.
Facts are based on: Wikipedia, Kenneth Grahame and The Wind in the Willows; the chapter list of Project Gutenberg eBook #289.
Votes for women in the new Commonwealth, Frederick Holder. Spoken on 15 April 1897; printed in the Convention’s official record in 1897. From the Official Record of the Debates of the Australasian Federal Convention, Adelaide, 1897 (pages 715 to 716), University of Toronto copy on the Internet Archive.
Used in Argument analyser, Years 9 to 12.
Facts are based on: Australian Dictionary of Biography, Holder, Sir Frederick William (1850 to 1909); Parliament of South Australia, Voting history in SA; ABS Year Book Australia 2001, Women in government; Australian Dictionary of Biography, Holder; ABS Year Book Australia 2001, Women in government; Australian Electoral Commission, Electoral milestones for Indigenous Australians; ABS Year Book Australia 2001, Women in government; Parliament of South Australia, Voting history in SA; Official Record of the Debates of the Australasian Federal Convention, Adelaide, 1897, pages 725 and 732; Australian Dictionary of Biography, Trenwith, William Arthur (Billy).
Why lay down arms before the battle begins?, Frederick Holder. Spoken on 26 March 1897; printed in the Convention’s official record in 1897. From the Official Record of the Debates of the Australasian Federal Convention, Adelaide, 1897 (pages 150 to 151), University of Toronto copy on the Internet Archive.
Used in Argument analyser, Years 10 to 12.
Facts are based on: Australian Dictionary of Biography, Holder, Sir Frederick William (1850 to 1909); Parliament of South Australia, Voting history in SA; ABS Year Book Australia 2001, Women in government; Australian Dictionary of Biography, Holder; ABS Year Book Australia 2001, Women in government; Australian Electoral Commission, Electoral milestones for Indigenous Australians; ABS Year Book Australia 2001, Women in government; Parliament of South Australia, Voting history in SA; Official Record of the Debates of the Australasian Federal Convention, Adelaide, 1897 (Holder, pages 151 and 716; the principle of One Man One Vote quoted in the debate of 25 March); Official Record of the Debates of the Australasian Federal Convention, Adelaide, 1897, pages 725 and 732; Australian Dictionary of Biography, Trenwith, William Arthur (Billy); Official Record of the Debates of the Australasian Federal Convention, Adelaide, 1897, pages 149 to 151.
Pied Beauty, Gerard Manley Hopkins. Written in 1877; first published in 1918. From Project Gutenberg eBook 22403.
Used in Poetry ear, Comparing texts, Years 11 and 12.
The Fox and the Grapes, Aesop, retold in English by Joseph Jacobs. This retelling first published in 1894. From Project Gutenberg eBook 28.
Used in Reading Detective, Years 5 and 6.
The Hare and the Tortoise, Aesop, retold in English by Joseph Jacobs. This retelling first published in 1894. From Project Gutenberg eBook 28.
Used in Reading Detective, Years 5 and 6.
The Lion and the Mouse, Aesop, retold in English by Joseph Jacobs. This retelling first published in 1894. From Project Gutenberg eBook 28.
Used in Reading Detective, Years 3 and 4.
To Autumn, John Keats. Written in 1819, published in 1820. From Project Gutenberg eBook 23684.
Used in Close reading and the Paragraph builder, Years 10 to 12.
Facts are based on: Wikipedia, John Keats and To Autumn.
Bell-Birds, Henry Kendall. First published in 1867, collected in Leaves from Australian Forests in 1869. From Project Gutenberg eBook 962.
Used in Close reading and the Paragraph builder, Poetry ear, Years 7 and 8.
Facts are based on: Australian Dictionary of Biography, Kendall, Thomas Henry (1839 to 1882); The Sydney Morning Herald, 25 November 1867, page 5 (Trove).
How the Camel Got His Hump, Rudyard Kipling. First published in 1902. From Project Gutenberg eBook 2781.
Used in Reading Detective, Years 5 and 6.
Andy’s Gone with Cattle, Henry Lawson. Published in In the Days When the World Was Wide, and Other Verses, 1896. From Project Gutenberg eBook 214.
Used in Poetry ear, Years 8 and 9.
The Drover's Wife, Henry Lawson. First published in The Bulletin in 1892, collected in While the Billy Boils in 1896. From Project Gutenberg eBook 7144.
Used in Close reading and the Paragraph builder, Years 9 and 10.
Facts are based on: Australian Dictionary of Biography, Lawson, Henry; Wikipedia, The Drover's Wife (short story).
The Duck and the Kangaroo, Edward Lear. First published in 1871. From Project Gutenberg eBook 13650.
Used in Reading Detective, Years 3 and 4.
The Jumblies, Edward Lear. First published in 1871. From Project Gutenberg eBook 13650.
Used in Reading Detective, Years 5 and 6.
The Owl and the Pussy-Cat, Edward Lear. First published in 1871. From Project Gutenberg eBook 13650.
Used in Reading Detective, Years 3 and 4.
The Garden Party, Katherine Mansfield. First published in 1922. From Project Gutenberg eBook 1429.
Used in Close reading and the Paragraph builder, Years 10 to 12.
On Liberty, Chapter 2, John Stuart Mill. Published in 1859. From Project Gutenberg eBook 34901.
Used in Argument analyser, Years 10 to 12.
Anthem for Doomed Youth, Wilfred Owen. Written in 1917, published in 1920. From Project Gutenberg eBook 1034.
Used in Close reading and the Paragraph builder, Poetry ear, Comparing texts, Essay builder, Years 9 to 12. Shown only when a parent turns on texts about war and death.
Dulce et Decorum Est, Wilfred Owen. Written in 1917 and 1918; published in 1920. From Project Gutenberg eBook 1034.
Used in Poetry ear, Years 10 to 12. Shown only when a parent turns on texts about war and death.
Common Sense, Thomas Paine. Published in Philadelphia in January 1776, months before the Declaration of Independence. From Project Gutenberg eBook 147.
Used in Argument analyser, Years 10 to 12.
Speech in her own defence, Emmeline Pankhurst. Spoken in October 1908; printed in her book My Own Story in 1914. From Project Gutenberg eBook 34856.
Used in Argument analyser, Years 8 to 12.
Clancy of the Overflow, A. B. "Banjo" Paterson. First published in The Bulletin in 1889, collected in 1895. From Project Gutenberg eBook 213.
Used in Close reading and the Paragraph builder, Essay builder, Years 7 to 12.
The Man from Snowy River, A. B. "Banjo" Paterson. First published in The Bulletin in 1890, collected in 1895. From Project Gutenberg eBook 213.
Used in Close reading and the Paragraph builder, Poetry ear, Years 7 to 9.
Facts are based on: Australian Dictionary of Biography, Paterson, Andrew Barton (Banjo); Wikipedia, The Man from Snowy River (poem).
Dot and the Kangaroo, Ethel C. Pedley. First published in 1899, the year after her death. From Project Gutenberg eBook 3703.
Used in Close reading and the Paragraph builder, Reading Detective, Years 5 to 8.
Facts are based on: Australian Dictionary of Biography, Pedley, Ethel Charlotte (1859 to 1898).
The Raven, Edgar Allan Poe. First published in 1845. From Project Gutenberg eBook 17192.
Used in Close reading and the Paragraph builder, Poetry ear, Years 7 to 10.
The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck, Beatrix Potter. First published in 1908. From Project Gutenberg eBook 14814.
Used in Reading Detective, Years 3 and 4.
The Tale of Peter Rabbit, Beatrix Potter. First published in 1902. From Project Gutenberg eBook 14838.
Used in Reading Detective, Years 3 and 4.
Remember, Christina Rossetti. Written in 1849; published in Goblin Market and Other Poems, 1862. From Project Gutenberg eBook 16950.
Used in Poetry ear, Essay builder, Years 10 to 12. Shown only when a parent turns on texts about war and death.
Macbeth, Act 5 Scene 5 ("She should have died hereafter"), William Shakespeare. First performed about 1606, published in 1623. From Project Gutenberg eBook 1533.
Used in Essay builder, Years 11 and 12. Shown only when a parent turns on texts about war and death.
Macbeth, Act 5 Scene 5 ("To-morrow, and to-morrow"), William Shakespeare. First performed about 1606, published in 1623. From Project Gutenberg eBook 1533.
Used in Close reading and the Paragraph builder, Years 10 to 12. Shown only when a parent turns on texts about war and death.
Romeo and Juliet, the Prologue, William Shakespeare. Written about 1595, first printed in 1597. From Project Gutenberg eBook 1513.
Used in Close reading and the Paragraph builder, Years 9 and 10. Shown only when a parent turns on texts about war and death.
Facts are based on: Wikipedia, Romeo and Juliet.
Sonnet 18, William Shakespeare. Published in 1609. From Project Gutenberg eBook 1041.
Used in Close reading and the Paragraph builder, Poetry ear, Essay builder, Years 9 to 12.
Sonnet 73, William Shakespeare. Published in 1609. From Project Gutenberg eBook 1041.
Used in Essay builder, Years 11 and 12. Shown only when a parent turns on texts about war and death.
Frankenstein, Mary Shelley. First published in 1818. From Project Gutenberg eBook 84.
Used in Essay builder, Years 11 and 12.
Frankenstein: the creature makes a bargain, Mary Shelley. First published in 1818; this is Mary Shelley’s revised text of 1831 (Chapter 10). From Project Gutenberg eBook 84.
Used in Argument analyser, Years 9 and 10. Shown only when a parent turns on texts about war and death.
Frankenstein: the creature pleads to be heard, Mary Shelley. First published in 1818; this is Mary Shelley’s revised text of 1831 (Chapter 10). From Project Gutenberg eBook 84.
Used in Argument analyser, Years 8 to 10.
Ozymandias, Percy Bysshe Shelley. First published in The Examiner, January 1818. From Project Gutenberg eBook 4800.
Used in Poetry ear, Essay builder, Years 9 to 12.
From a Railway Carriage, Robert Louis Stevenson. Published in A Child’s Garden of Verses, 1885. From Project Gutenberg eBook 136.
Used in Poetry ear, Years 7 and 8.
Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson. First published in 1886. From Project Gutenberg eBook 43.
Used in Close reading and the Paragraph builder, Years 9 to 11.
Windy Nights, Robert Louis Stevenson. Published in A Child’s Garden of Verses, 1885. From Project Gutenberg eBook 136.
Used in Poetry ear, Years 7 and 8.
The Eagle, Alfred, Lord Tennyson. First published in 1851. From Project Gutenberg eBook 34237.
Used in Poetry ear, Years 7 and 8.
The War of the Worlds, H. G. Wells. First published as a book in 1898. From Project Gutenberg eBook 36.
Used in Close reading and the Paragraph builder, Years 9 and 10.
Facts are based on: Wikipedia, H. G. Wells and The War of the Worlds.
When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer, Walt Whitman. First published in Drum-Taps, 1865; later part of Leaves of Grass. From Project Gutenberg eBook 1322.
Used in Poetry ear, Comparing texts, Years 10 to 12.
I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud, William Wordsworth. First published in 1807; this is his revised text of 1815. From Project Gutenberg eBook 16436.
Used in Poetry ear, Years 8 to 10.
Upon Westminster Bridge, William Wordsworth. Written in 1802, looking over London early one morning; first published in 1807. From Project Gutenberg eBook 1304.
Used in Comparing texts, Years 10 to 12.
The Lake Isle of Innisfree, W. B. Yeats. First published in 1890. From Project Gutenberg eBook 38877.
Used in Poetry ear, Comparing texts, Essay builder, Years 9 to 12.
Texts we wrote
37 modern stories, poems, speeches and information texts written by SubjectMate. The people in them are invented. Where a text uses real facts, the sources are listed with it.
Make your own rain gauge. A procedure (instructions), written in 2026.
Used in Reading Detective, Years 3 and 4.
Facts are based on: Bureau of Meteorology, Observation of rainfall.
The deep end. A story, written in 2026.
Used in Reading Detective, Years 3 and 4.
The laughing kookaburra. An information report, written in 2026.
Used in Reading Detective, Years 3 and 4.
Facts are based on: Australian Museum, Laughing Kookaburra.
The lunchbox swap. A story, written in 2026.
Used in Reading Detective, Years 3 and 4.
The Penguin Parade. An information report, written in 2026.
Used in Reading Detective, Years 3 and 4.
Facts are based on: BirdLife Australia, Little Penguin; BirdLife Australia; Birds in Backyards, Little Penguin; National Geographic, Penguin Parade, Phillip Island; Frommer’s, Phillip Island Penguin Reserve; Victorian Government wildlife fact sheet, Little Penguin.
The platypus. An information report, written in 2026.
Used in Reading Detective, Years 3 and 4.
Facts are based on: NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Platypus; PBS Nature, Platypus; Australian Platypus Conservancy; Australian Platypus Conservancy, Platypus diet.
The thing in the roof. A story, written in 2026.
Used in Reading Detective, Years 3 and 4.
Whale watching. A recount, written in 2026.
Used in Reading Detective, Years 3 and 4.
Facts are based on: NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Humpback whale.
Why is wombat poo square?. An information report, written in 2026.
Used in Reading Detective, Years 3 and 4.
Facts are based on: Yang et al. (2021), Soft Matter 17: 475 to 488; Gizmodo coverage; University of Tasmania news, 28 January 2021; Australian Geographic, February 2021; General reference (reported, not checked this session).
Building the Sydney Harbour Bridge. A historical recount, written in 2026.
Used in Reading Detective, Years 5 and 6.
Facts are based on: Britannica, Sydney Harbour Bridge; Reported, widely cited; not confirmed by a primary source this session; National Museum of Australia, Defining Moments; Museums of History NSW; National Museum of Australia, Defining Moments; National Film and Sound Archive, The Opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge: cutting the ribbon; 1932 publication cited in search results; Australian Geographic.
Have you seen Biscuit?. A story, written in 2026.
Used in Reading Detective, Years 5 and 6.
How far away is the storm?. A procedure and an explanation, written in 2026.
Used in Reading Detective, Years 5 and 6.
Facts are based on: Bureau of Meteorology, Explainer: what is thunder?; Bureau of Meteorology, A bolt from the blue: what is lightning?; SA State Emergency Service, During a storm.
The cane toad: a plan that went wrong. An information report, written in 2026.
Used in Reading Detective, Years 5 and 6.
Facts are based on: Australian Museum, Cane Toad; Queensland Government (Business Queensland), Cane toad.
Waiting out the storm. A story, written in 2026.
Used in Reading Detective, Years 5 and 6.
Why coral turns white. An explanation, written in 2026.
Used in Reading Detective, Years 5 and 6.
Facts are based on: Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (reported, not opened this session); Curious, Australian Academy of Science, What is coral bleaching?; Curious, Australian Academy of Science; NOAA; NOAA coral bleaching fact sheet; Greenpeace Australia Pacific.
Backyard cricket. A rhyming poem about a summer game, written in 2026.
Used in Poetry ear, Years 7 and 8.
Gate 3 (an extract). A short story (an extract), written in 2026.
Used in Close reading and the Paragraph builder, Year 7.
Low tide. A rhyming poem about rock pools, written in 2026.
Used in Poetry ear, Years 7 and 8.
Sunday soup (an extract). A short story (an extract), written in 2026.
Used in Close reading and the Paragraph builder, Years 7 and 8.
Swooping season. A poem (free verse), written in 2026.
Used in Close reading and the Paragraph builder, Years 7 and 8.
Facts are based on: Department for Environment and Water (SA), Keep your head about you this swooping season, August 2023.
The hill (an extract). A short story (an extract), written in 2026.
Used in Close reading and the Paragraph builder, Years 7 and 8.
The southerly (an extract). A short story (an extract), written in 2026.
Used in Close reading and the Paragraph builder, Years 7 and 8.
When the rain came. A poem (free verse), written in 2026.
Used in Close reading and the Paragraph builder, Years 7 and 8.
A skate park for Wattle Creek. A submission, written in 2026.
Used in Argument analyser, Years 8 to 10.
Facts are based on: Coverage of the Tokyo 2020 skateboarding events (Ariake Urban Sports Park).
Lock them away. A speech, written in 2026.
Used in Argument analyser, Years 8 to 10.
Facts are based on: Premier of Victoria, media release, 26 June 2019.
Our bins are full of dinner. An opinion piece, written in 2026.
Used in Argument analyser, Years 8 to 12.
Facts are based on: National Food Waste Strategy Feasibility Study (2021), Food Innovation Australia Ltd; Australian Government, National Food Waste Strategy (2017); Queensland Government, Food waste facts.
Peak hour. A rhyming poem about a train ride, written in 2026.
Used in Poetry ear, Years 8 and 9.
Catastrophic (an extract). A short story (an extract), written in 2026.
Used in Close reading and the Paragraph builder, Years 9 and 10.
Facts are based on: CFA Victoria, About fire danger ratings; ACT Emergency Services Agency, Fire Danger Ratings.
Fund the girls’ teams. A speech, written in 2026.
Used in Argument analyser, Years 9 to 12.
Facts are based on: FIFA Council decision, June 2020, as reported; Seven West Media, Matildas v England smashes viewing records; Australian Sports Commission, Play Well: Great potential for women and girls in sport.
Keep our beach. A letter to the editor, written in 2026.
Used in Argument analyser, Years 9 to 12.
Facts are based on: IPCC AR6 Working Group I (2021), Chapter 9; Pilkey and Wright (1988), Seawalls versus beaches, Journal of Coastal Research special issue 4; NSW coastal management planning.
Night shift (an extract). A short story (an extract), written in 2026.
Used in Close reading and the Paragraph builder, Years 9 and 10.
Questions for Pop (an extract). A short story (an extract), written in 2026.
Used in Close reading and the Paragraph builder, Years 9 and 10.
Seen (an extract). A short story (an extract), written in 2026.
Used in Close reading and the Paragraph builder, Years 9 and 10.
Sold. A poem in free verse, written in 2026.
Used in Comparing texts, Years 9 and 10.
The harbour (an extract). A short story (an extract), written in 2026.
Used in Close reading and the Paragraph builder, Years 9 and 10.
Two kitchens. A poem in free verse, written in 2026.
Used in Comparing texts, Years 9 and 10.
Sounding sure is not the same as being right. A reply to an AI chatbot’s advice, written in 2026.
Used in Argument analyser, Years 10 to 12.
Facts are based on: Dunlosky et al. (2013), Psychological Science in the Public Interest 14(1), 4 to 58.
Exercises we wrote
Every Fix-it paragraph, every Sentence builder sentence and every Writing planner prompt is written by SubjectMate.
Questions about a text
If you think a text is not right for a year level, or you find a mistake, email hello@subjectmate.com.au and we will look at it.