Student: _______________________

Two Weeks With The

QueenA play by Mary Morris

adapted from the novel by Morris Gleitzman

Year 7 2011Casino High SchoolStudent Workbook

Class rulesBring a pen everyday!Do your best work all the time.Say please and thank you.Help each other.

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Stay in your seat.Introducing the play

1. Write down the terms used to describe each of the following statements. (Hint: revision from last lesson)

A short section of a play or film, with a small group of characters, set in the one place and time.The people who speak in the play.

Instructions to the actors on what they are doing.

The words spoken by the characters.

The furniture and objects needed in the scene

2. Complete the cloze passage on Scene 6 using these words:

suffer cancer slack shouts England Queen cure sew Iris phone

Colin’s brother, Luke, has ______. Colin’s Mum and Dad want Colin to go to _______ to stay with his Auntie ____, Uncle Bob and cousin Alistair because they “don’t want you to ______ too” (p17). Colin gets very upset and ______ at his mother. “I don’t believe you!” he says. He thinks that Australian doctors are “being _____” because they can “___ a bloke’s foot on”, so they must be able to ____ Luke. Colin decides he will go to England to see the _____ and ask her for “the world’s best doctor’s _____ number”.

3. This scene would make a good ‘trailer’ for a film on the play. We learn about the main problem and Colin’s decision to help his brother by getting the best doctor to cure him. A trailer usually involves the main character and action in the story.

Who seems to be the main character? ______________________________________What will be the main action of the play? ____________________________________

4. Colin’s parents do not think he will cope with his brother’s illness and possible death. Do you think it is a good idea to send Colin away? Why?

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________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

More terms used to talk about plays

ActSettingCast

ScriptCostume

Act 1 Scene 1

Word bankplummy: a posh English voicestrafing: shooting with imaginary machine gun firedistaste: clearly unhappy with his bootsrabbits on: talking a lot about uninteresting thingsequality: the idea that everyone has the same rights and freedomsjustice: believing in fair treatment for everyone

Answer the questions in the table and find a quote in the play to prove your answer.

Question Answer Evidence

Why is Colin so annoyed with his brother?

Why do Mum and Dad “exchange a guilty glance” in the stage directions on page 3?

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Why does Colin say “Nobody ever pays any attention to him” on page 4?

Scene 2

Do you know or can you work out the meanings of these words, used in Scene 2?

gastricintestineenemaguiseprecautionchassistrepidation

Scene 2 tells the audience a lot about the characters of Colin, Luke, Mum and Dad.

Circle the adjective that you think best describes the character and write your reason in the third column.

Character

Adjectives Reason

Colin curious inventive clever

Luke selfish adventurous active

Mum worried annoyed amused

Dad cheerful helpful, brave

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There are some very funny moments in this scene. Which is your favourite and why?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Scene 3In this scene Mum rings Iris in England but we only hear Mum’s side of the conversation. Working with a partner, write down what you think Iris says.

Mum

Yes …

IrisMum

Yes …

IrisMum

No, he’s fine. They’ve taken a blood sample…

IrisMum

Tomorrow. We get the results tomorrow…

IrisMum

Yes …

IrisMum

Ambulance. That’s right…

IrisMum

No …

IrisMum

No. Completely out of the blue. One minute he was fine, the next he was on the floor…

IrisMum

The floor….

IrisMum

The FLOOR…

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Why do you think Mum has to repeat so many things in the conversation?___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What does this conversation suggest about Auntie Iris?___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Scenes 4 and 5

There are many examples of Australian idiom in the play. These are words and phrases that are used mostly by Australians and can be difficult for people from other countries to understand.

An idiom is “an expression whose meaning cannot be worked out from the actual meaning of the words used”. Idioms are understood by groups of people living in the same country.

Some examples of Australian idioms used in scenes 1 and 2 are explained below.

“snazzy shoes” (p3) means very attractive, new and stylish new shoes“as fit as a bullock” (10) means very strong and healthy“bit of a pain, eh?” (p11) means a nuisance and irritating

Working with a partner, work out the possible meanings of the following Australian idioms used in Scenes 4 and 5. Write in complete sentences.

“bowls a beauty” (p12) __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“pretty crook” (p12)__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“ Good on ya, Col” (p15)

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__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“heart went bung” (p15) __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Scene 6Colin experiences a range of emotions in this scene. Working with a partner, find a quotation from the scene that matches the emotion listed in the left column.

Emotion Meaning Quotation

confusion uncertain about the reason

disbelief can’t believe the information

hurt upset and in pain

denial refuses to accept the information

anger feels treated badly or unfairly

relief feels less anxious or frightened

Scenes 7 and 8In Scene 7, Colin says goodbye to his parents as they put him on the plane to England. List three sentences that show Colin’s parents don’t want to talk about Luke’s illness.

1. ______________________________________________________________2. ______________________________________________________________3. ______________________________________________________________

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How does Colin respond to their unwillingness to talk about Luke?___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

In Scene 8 Colin is travelling to England on a plane. He is seated next to a Business man who seems to be unwell.

Lots of adults find it difficult to talk to children about serious illness like cancer. Explain two examples of this reluctance in this scene.

1. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________2. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

This scene could probably be left out of the play. Why do you think the writer included this scene?_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Scenes 9 and 10Colin has arrived in England and it is obvious it is very cold, unlike Australia in January. Create a collage of images of places mentioned in these scenes and label them: Buckingham Palace, Madame Tussauds, London Bridge, Hyde Park. Find some pictures of other places in London to include.

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Uncle Bob has “a bit of a thing” about the Queen and the royal family. At the time this play was first written, many people were talking about Australia becoming a Republic. This is called the ‘context’ of the play. Context means the looking at the historical, social and cultural events occurring at the time a text was written and considering how these things might have influenced the writer.

Read the notes below about the way Australia is governed and the role of the Queen in our democracy. Can you tell, at this point in the play, if Morris Gleitzman, who wrote the original story, is in favour of the Queen remaining our head of state, or not?

Australia is not a republic because it has a monarch as its head. Australia is a constitutional monarchy, parliamentary democracy, and a federation. Queen Elizabeth II is Queen of Australia and of 15 other countries (including, but not limited to: the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, Jamaica, etc).

Australia was originally modelled after the British system, having been founded by the British. After almost 100 years of being a federation, the question was put to the Australian public. The issue of whether Australia should be a republic was addressed in a referendum in 1999, in which Australians voted against becoming a republic.

Today a constitutional monarchy is also a limited monarchy: the constitution does not allow the sovereign actually to govern...A constitutional monarchy, then, can be defined as a state which is headed by a sovereign who reigns but does not rule.

The term ‘republic’ ‘is rule not by a monarch in his or her own right but by the people through a constitution that controls all the parts of government. Republicanism means that the people have supreme constitutional power’. A ‘republic’ can be defined as a ‘state in which sovereignty is derived from the

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people, and in which all public offices are filled by persons ultimately deriving their authority from the people’.

The Queen, as head of the Australian nation state, is now titled ‘Queen of Australia’. References to ‘the Queen’ in the Constitution are in effect references to ‘the Australian Government’. In her capacity as Queen of Australia, the Queen formally appoints the Governor-General on the advice of the Australian Prime Minister. The only other constitutional power at present exercised by the Queen in respect of Australia is the granting of royal agreement to legislation ‘in circumstances where it is considered appropriate for the agreement to be given by the monarch rather than the Governor-General’. Section 61 of the Constitution provides that the Governor-General is the Queen’s representative. Since the Imperial Conferences of 1926 and 1930 the Governor-General represents the Queen only in her capacity as head of state.

What do you think? Use some quotations from the play as evidence.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

In scenes 9 and 10 we meet Auntie Iris, Uncle Bob and cousin Alistair. Alistair and Colin are about the same age but seem to be very different in personality.

Use the table to record these differences, using quotes from the play. The table has room for more quotations from scenes 11 to 15. Leave these for now. We will come back to them later.Scen

e Colin Alistair

9

10

10

11

12

13

14

15

Scenes 11, 12 and 13In these three scenes, Colin begins his quest to see the Queen and get “the best doctor” to help his brother, Luke. Mary Morris uses some dramatic devices in these scenes that show how effective plays can be to entertain the audience and convey the story. Performing a play is not just about saying the dialogue. What the audience sees communicates a lot of the information.

In Scene 12, for example, there is not much dialogue but a lot of action. Working in a team of five, work out how you would stage this scene.

Use these questions to help your team prepare a performance of this scene.

How would you make sure the audience laughed a lot?

What props would you need? What items of clothing could you use to identify the characters,

without wearing a complete outfit? Where do the two tourists come from? Left side? Right side? Both

from the same side? Do they watch for a while first? How might you make the Guard look a lot bigger than Colin? As Colin tries to get the guard to talk, what is he doing? Does he

move around? Pull faces? Get up close to the guard’s face?11

What facial expressions would the guard have? How might they change during the scene?

Think about the tone of voice each character might use? How would their voices change?

What did you learn about acting and performance from this task?_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Scenes 14 and 15

Colin soon discovers that Alistair knows very little about Australians and Australia and uses this to gently make fun of Alistair. He tells Alistair some tall stories about his life in Australia. Tall stories are exaggerated stories that couldn’t possibly be true and they are a traditional kind of Australian humour.

Working with a partner, list five of the tall stories Colin tells about Australia and Australians._______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

In Scene 15 Colin and Alistair are caught trying to get over the fence into Buckingham Palace. This is the last scene in Act 1. Act One has established the characters and their relationships, the main problem and the events that lead to a climax at the end of Act One. In Act Two we expect the problems to be resolved but we don’t have much of a clue about how Colin’s problem, helping Luke get better, will be

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resolved at the end of Act One. Instead we have a lot of questions that still need to be answered.

Working with a partner, write a list of the questions that still need to get answered at the end of Act One._________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Go back to page 10 and complete the table about the differences between Colin and Alistair.

By now we know a lot about Colin and the kind of character he is. Colin represents qualities that are very important to Australian people. This is sometimes referred to as the “Aussie spirit”. What does the “Aussie spirit” mean to you?_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Go back through the Act One and find evidence and quotes that show how Colin represents the “Aussie spirit”.

Australian quality Evidence from the play, quotations.

determined

rebellious

larrikin

sense of humour

self-effacing

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outgoing

confident

adventurous

helpful

loyal

Act 2The play is so effective because it deals with a number of issues that are important to people. One important issues is the process of grief.

Grief can happen for a range of reasons: Loneliness or a feeling that everyone has abandoned you. The loss of someone loved or special, through death or because

they go away Stresses within the family Failing at something or feeling disgraced. Wanting revenge on somebody Fear about your own health or physical illness.

Think about Act 1. Write down any reasons Colin might have for feeling grief. Later we will look at any reasons that appear in Act 2.

Act 1 ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Act 2 ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Grief goes through some stagesWorking with a partner, find some evidence that Colin might be experiencing some of these stages. Begin with Act 1. We will add any we find as we read Act 2.

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1. At first the person might feel dazed and shocked and pretend nothing is wrong.

2. Next he or she might get emotional, tearful or angry.

3. Then he or she might feel lonely because all the thinking is about the problem.

4. A person may have a physical reaction such as they feel awful, or have a choking feeling or tightness in the chest, or an empty feeling in the stomach.

5. He or she may feel gloomy, depressed and hopeless.

6. Sometimes the person can feel guilty, thinking “if only ….”

7. Sometimes the person may feel angry and blame someone.

8.Then the person might gradually return to normal but may feel strange about that

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9. Gradually a more hopeful outlook on life begins.

10. Finally the person comes to terms or accepts the loss or problem.

Scenes 1, 2 and 3

Bob manages to convince Colin that the Queen won’t help and gives Colin the idea that he has to “do it himself”. Colin sets out to find the best Cancer doctor but has to escape by taking the new lock off the door. The first time he tries to talk to a doctor he is kicked out of the hospital.

On page 49 the posh doctor says” The patient must always feel that he can speak to you, that you have time for him.” Re-read the section on page 50 that begins “Remove this at once …” and ends on page 51 with “Out! Out with him at once!”

This is an example of irony. Did the doctor mean the first statement? How do you know?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

On page 51 Colin starts to cry. This is the first time we see Colin cry. How does he regain his hope and stop crying?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Scenes 4 and 5

In the next two scenes Colin meets Ted, who is clearly suffering grief. Someone close to him is dying. On page 52 Colin says “At last! A grownup who isn’t scared to say that word.” What word does Colin mean and why is this moment important to him?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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These scenes also show what happens when Australian idiom is used around people who are not from Australia. What expression does Colin use that confuses Ted?____________________________________________________________________________

Scenes 6, 7 and 8Scene 6 is another one sided telephone conversation. This time Colin is trying to tell his mother the “good news”. What does his mother thinks he means when is says: “Oh well, it won’t be for much longer” on page 55.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What do you think Colin’s mother has just said to Colin when he replies “Let go off what?”. What did she mean?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

On page 58 and 59 Doctor Graham tells Colin the truth about his brother. What is Colin’s reaction? What stage of grief is this?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Scenes 9, 10 and 11Colin feels he can’t go home because he has already told his mother he has found a doctor who will cure Luke. Alistair gives him a new idea, to go to the Amazon and find a miracle cure. Alistair decides to go with him. What other things does Alistair do that suggest he might be changing in some way?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Colin goes to see Ted because he thinks he might have got Ted into trouble and offers to visit Griff, even when he realizes that the person Ted loves is a man and has AIDS. Circle or highlight two words listed below that you think best describe Colin’s qualities in this section of the play.

loyal, shocked, tolerant, compassionate, angry, rude, sympathetic, nasty, unkind, helpful

Explain your reasons using the words you chose in the sentences you write.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Scenes 12, 13 and 14Griff dies and Colin realizes why he needs to go home. Find two quotes that help Colin understand he needs to be with his brother.1. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2._______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Throughout the play there have been some very serious moments. Each time there has also been some humour. Writer’s often use humour to reduce the tension when a story has very strong sad parts. Find three times when a serious moment is followed by a humorous moment.

Serious moment Humorous moment

Scenes 16 and 17Colin invites Ted for tea, so that Uncle Bob, Auntie Iris and Alistair can meet him. Why do you think he does this, when he knows they may not like him?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Were you surprised when Auntie Iris was so kind to Ted? What message about AIDS is the writer trying to convey in this scene?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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On page 79 Colin starts crying and says he wants to go home. Auntie iris gives him reasons why he can’t. What do you think? Do you think Colin should be allowed to go home? Explain your reasons.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Scenes 18 and 19Colin manages to get to the airport and with Ted’s help is about to board the plane. Auntie Iris, Uncle Bob and Alistair arrive and try to stop him. A great change has come over Alistair. Explain what happens when Auntie Iris and Uncle Bob keep telling Alistair to “shut up”.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

How is this similar to Colin’s feelings at the beginning of the play?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

On page 12, you wrote down some questions that needed to be answerd at the end of Act 1. Have they been answered by Act 2? Write down the answers in complete sentences._______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

If you haven’t already done so, go back to page 14 and 15 and complete the table.

End Notes

Values

In the play Colin has shown many qualities that we would consider Australian. The play also has some underlying ideas about what it means to be Australian. We call these values.

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Look at the values in the box on the next page and consider how three of these might apply to Colin.

tolerance acceptance equality fairness justice competition honesty courage loyalty obedience cooperation respect

disciplineWhat evidence from the play supports your choices?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Humour

The play uses many different kinds of humour. See if you can find examples of the three types of humour in the table.

Farce is about silly or unlikely situations where everything seems to go wrong.

Slapstick is humour based on physical action, such as people falling over.

Exaggeration is used humorously when something is made to seem better, worse, larger or more extreme.

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The Republican DebateIf you haven’t already done so, go back to page 14 and 15 and complete the table.

Re-read the references to the Queen and consider how the Queen is being represented in each.

p1

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

p27 _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

p34-35 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

p45 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

p86 _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

How are we being positioned to view the Queen from these representations? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

From the evidence presented do you think Morris Gleitzman, the original author of this story supports the idea that Australia should be a Republic. What evidence leads you to this conclusion?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Reflecting on your learning

Summarise the story of the play in six sentences.__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Do you think a play is a good way to examine issues like grief and the Republican debate? Explain your reasons.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Explain two things you learned about plays and performance while we studied Two Weeks with the Queen.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Was the workbook useful to you? What did you like and dislike about the work book?_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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