Runner

Robert Newton

Yr 8 ENGLISH ACTIVITY AND STUDY BOOKLET

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 INSTRUCTION:
Where required, answer in your English workbooks, with the
underlined titles in this booklet as your heading.
Always answer clearly, in full sentences or with the question
re-written

CONTENTS
P3. THE SPANISH INFLUENZA

P4. MAPPING OF THE STORY

P5. COLLOQUIALISM

P6. REFLECTIVE READING AND RESPONDING (Sparring with the Duck, Saturday Night)

P6. WRITING DIALOGUE

P7. CHAPTER STUDY QUESTIONS

P10. CREATIVE WRITING

P10. SYMBOLISMS

P10. SETTING

P12. THEMES STUDY

P13. SPEAKING AND LISTENING DRAMA ACTIVITIES FOR ‘RUNNER’

P14. PLOT AND CHARACTER STUDY

P15. THE CECIL REDMOND COACHING ACADEMY

P16. RELATIONSHIP WITH SQUIZZY

P17. PRACTICE ESSAY QUESTION AND PLANNING TEMPLATE

P20. ERROR ANALYSIS

Researching the Spanish Influenza

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WE HEARD THE BELLS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J83DZQcDFy8

INFLUENZA PANDEMIC OF 1918

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yH33-2K5bo

NOVA SCIENCE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJM6M3AMwSs

AMERICA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpzxNoLZx0w

DOOMSDAY FLU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CooTTAfii-8

SPANISH INFLUENZA

http://virus.stanford.edu/uda/

TASK:

Imagine that you lived at the time of the Spanish Flu in Melbourne. Write a journal entry
documenting what everyday life was like at the time. How were you affected by the presence of
the Spanish Flu in Melbourne? Include details from the excerpt. You may choose from one of the
following personas: school student, nurse, housewife, returned soldier, young or old person of the
time, a medical professional, city official – or you may think of someone else.

Remember to be as authentic as you can be.

150 words minimum.

Mapping the Story

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  Stick the map found below in your workbook/in your folder.
 Read p.11-15 of the novel – the description of the race
 Read p.140-145 of the novel – the liquor run
 Plot the route Charlie takes for both the race and the liquor run on the map (Use
different colours for each).

http://www.street-directory.com.au/sd_new/mapsearch.cgi

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LOOKING AT LANGUAGE- AUSTRALIAN
COLLOQUIALISM
1. LOOK UP THE DEFINITION FOR “COLLOQUIALISM AND WRITE YOUR ANSWER HERE:

2. Read the following colloquial statements within context, and define the underlined colloquial
words (write next to the sentences).

1. “I know the fang farrier…” (p2)-

______________________________________________________

2. “Just go like the clappers, son.” (p.10)-

_________________________________________________

3. “…thieved from a Toorak toff’s fowl ‘house.” (p.11)-

_____________________________________

4. “I took a punt on the size” (p. 46)-

____________________________________________________

5. “The Fitzroy push are a pack of sheilas.” (p.99)-

_________________________________________

6. “What are you gawkin’ at?” (p.113)-

__________________________________________________

7. “Ya must be makin’ a nice quid or two_ eh?” (p. 116)

_____________________________________

8. “…a screaming blaggard who’d squeal on is mother to save his own skin.” (p. 9)-
_______________

9. “They’re saying there’s an almighty stoush brewin’….” (p.122)

______________________________

10.“You’ll get yerself in ta strife.” (p.126)-

_________________________________________________

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11.“Hang on a jiff” (p.156)-
_____________________________________________________________
12.“she’s a right boiler, that one.” (p.166)-
________________________________________________

13.“Keep yer shirt on.” (p.215)-

________________________________________________________

Sparring with the Duck

Consider Charlie’s relationship with the duck Harriet/Harry. See p.32, 39, 124 and 156.

1. What do these scenes add to the enjoyment of the novel?

Saturday Night
Read the description of Saturday night- such simple pleasures! See p. 34

1. How have things changed today?

2. Write a descriptive piece about Saturday night at your house.

Writing Dialogue
Dialogue contributes a great deal to the atmosphere of this novel. Look at the way Newton
writes conversations in this book (see p. 109-110)

“With the transaction complete, Barlow took the pies and stepped towards the door.

“By the way,” he said. “If ya change yer mind ‘bout goin’ to the flicks, ya know where ta find me.”

After the door closed, Alice dropped the coins into the register

“Thanks for that,” I said. I take it yer not all that keen on Jimmy Barlow.”

“He’s a tosser. He thinks he can push people round just because he’s done a bit a boxin’.”

“Ya don’t like boxin’?”

“I hate it”.

 Discuss with your teacher the techniques Robert Newton uses to capture the sound of speech
in this community at this time.

Note the use of:

 He said/she said- or lack of it! How does this affect the reader?
 How is it clear who is talking?
 Slang
 Abbreviations- how is punctuation used to show missing letters?

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  Try telling a simple story using mainly dialogue and without using lots of “he said/she said”
 Experiment with dialects to differentiate between speakers

CHAPTER STUDY QUESTIONS

CHAPTER ONE

Richmond, Melbourne, 1919

1. Charlie refers to the “slums of Richmond” (p.2). List the evidence of poverty given in
the first three pages.
2. Why does Charlie begin running?
3. Charlie says: “The street was my classroom now and I was a student eager to
learn.”(p.4) Explain the significance of this.

CHAPTER TWO

1. Explain the coloured sashes and the odds depicted on the board (p.7).
2. Describe Squizzy Taylor as Charlie Feehan sees him.
3. What more do we learn about Jimmy Barlow’s family?
4. What is the point of the entire race?
5. Charlie wins the race due to the hard boiled eggs. Why doesn’t he own up to the
deception?

CHAPTER THREE

1. What more do we learn about Charlie’s family? According to Charlie, how have
things changed since his father’s death?
2. Why won’t his Ma let Charlie work for Squizzy Taylor?

CHAPTER FOUR

1. What more details about the Feehans’ lives are added in this chapter?

CHAPTER FIVE

1. What more do we learn about Charlie’s relationship to his Dad?

CHAPTER SIX

1. Why does Charlie decide to work for Squizzy Taylor despite his Ma’s opposition?
2. What does Squizzy do for Charlie to help him along with his new job? What
problems might these things cause for Charlie in future?
3. What do the new boots symbolise?

CHAPTER SEVEN

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 1. What sorts of things did Squizzy get Charlie to do in his first week and how much
did he pay him?
2. Why does Mr Peacock refuse to give Charlie any wood?

CHAPTER EIGHT

1. What do we learn about the organised crime network operating in Richmond in the
1920s?
2. Charlie says that he is not like his father and Nostrils because he (Charlie) wants “a
piece of the action”(p.61). Explain what he means.
3. How do the police deal with the organised crime network?
4. Why does Charlie decide he really likes working for Squizzy Taylor?

CHAPTER NINE

1. What more do we learn about Richmond?

2. Running becomes a vital part of Charlie’s life. Why?
3. Why does Squizzy help Charlie? Is it just because of Dolly?
4. How does Charlie’s relationship with his Ma change?

CHAPTER TEN

1. Explain Mrs Feehan’s strange behaviour.

2. How does Charlie feel about being called “the man of the house”(p.80)?
3. What does Charlie learn about boxing?

CHAPTER ELEVEN

1. What lessons are learnt by Charlie during the footy match?

CHAPTER TWELVE

1. How does Charlie’s Ma’s condition worsen?

2. What do we learn about the Fitzroy gangsters, Snowy Cutmore and Micky
Morgan?
3. How does Charlie become more deeply involved in the criminal underworld in this
chapter?

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

1. In what ways is Fitzroy similar to and different from Richmond?

2. What does Charlie realise about the people he has gone to collect money from like
Alice and Kenneth Cornwall?
3. Why does Charlie decide to pay Squizzy the £3 owed to him by Kenneth Cornwall
out of his own money?

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CHAPTER FOURTEEN

1. What changes occur in this chapter?

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

1. What new insights does the reader get into Squizzy Taylor’s character in this
chapter?
2. How do you think Charlie’s view of him might change after this encounter?
3. Why doesn’t Charlie want to quit running for Squizzy Taylor?

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

1. Did Charlie make the right decision not to intervene during the assault on
Nostrils?

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

1. How do you explain the change in Ma?

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

1. How does Nostrils feel about the incident with Barlow? How does Charlie feel?
2. Why does Charlie decide to quit running for Squizzy?
3. What does the incident with the silver handgun tell us about Charlie and about
Squizzy?

CHAPTER NINETEEN

1. How does Charlie’s running become transformed into something positive in this
chapter?
2. Charlie comments that “Gangsterism had arrived”(p.173) in Melbourne. Explain
what he means.

CHAPTER TWENTY

1. What motivates Charlie to run?

2. How does Ballarat contrast to Richmond?

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

1. Charlie admits that the race he will be running in Ballarat would be the “race of
(his) life and the stakes were high” (p.195). Explain what he means.
2. In what ways can Mr Redmond be seen as a father figure for Charlie?

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO and TWENTY-THREE

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 1. How does Mr Redmond’s advice about “Finkin’ and footwork”(p.212) help
Charlie?
2. Explain all the different meanings of the term “runner” as it is used in this novel.

Creative Writing
Think about a time you made an important choice, one you might have regretted, or one you
were pleased about. Tell the story in a way that highlights the importance of the choice.

SYMBOLISM: My father’s boots

We first see Charlie’s boots when he turns up to race for Squizzy (p.6-8)

1. ‘Are you big enough to fill your father’s boots?’ What does this expression mean in common
use?

2. How are the boots used in this story to tell us about Charlie’s state of mind? (2 marks)

3. Below are a list of times when Charlie changes shoes. What is significant about these changes?
a. P.46- when Dolly offers new boots

b. P.188- when Cecil gives him the running spikes

c. P.198- when Charlie runs barefoot. Why do you think he does this?

SETTING
THE WORLD OF ‘RUNNER’

Task One: Draw a timeline of Squizzy Taylor’s life. Begin with his birth on the 29 th of June
1888 and end with his death on the 27th of October 1927. List 10 events, including his birth
and death. You could draw the timeline in landscape with dates on one side and events on
the other. You need to make sure that your events are adequately explained (about one
sentence for each).

Consider the following questions when deciding on which events to put into your timeline:

 What was Squizzy’s full name?

 When and where was he born?”
 When and why was he called “Squizzy”?
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  What crimes was he involved in and what was his role in Melbourne’s underworld?
 Was he ever in prison? If so, when and for what crime?
 When did Squizzy die and what was the cause of his death?

MARKS: 5 marks for presentation and 5 marks for content (10 marks overall).

Task Two:

Research the Spanish influenza and prepare answers to the following questions:

1. When did the Spanish influenza occur?

2. What were the possible causes of the Spanish Influenza?
3. What were the symptoms?
4. How many people died a) worldwide b) in Australia?
5. How long did it last?

MARKS: 20 marks for the whole task

Task Three:

What was life in Melbourne like in 1919?

To begin with,

 Name 10 things that did not exist in 1919.

 Name 10 things that were used in 1919 that we no longer use today.
 Look at a current street map of Richmond and Melbourne. Trace the route of the
race described on pages 12 – 16. Highlight Cubitt Street, Darlington Parade, Hoddle
Street/Wellington Parade intersection, Treasury Gardens, Parliament House and
Bourke Street between Russell and Swanston Streets.

Now, research this time in Melbourne’s history. Write notes on the following aspects of life
in Melbourne:

 Housing
 Transport
 Education
 Employment
 Food
 Clothing
 Entertainment, sport and hobbies
 Roles of men and women

Imagine you are an old person telling a young person (year 8 student) about how life was
like for you in 1919. Write this as if you are speaking to the young person directly.

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MARKS: 30 marks

Task Four:

Write a conversation between two Australians living in 1919 in Richmond. Include as many
colloquialisms as you can without making the conversation seem unrealistic! Write about a
page. (20 marks)

Total MARKS / 80

THEMES STUDY
Choices:
There are times when Carlie makes critical decisions. These are ‘moments that define
who you are’ (p.146). As he does so, time in the novel seems to stand still.

‘Heads or Tails’

‘Yes or no’

‘Stay or go’ (p. 147-169)

1. Read p. 146-152 and p 168-170 List the choices Charlie makes

2. What do these choices reveal about Charlie? Do they show different sides of his character?

3. Has Charlie changed in the time between these two decisions? If so, how?

4. Is Charlie too hard on himself in relation to his first decisions? If so, explain how he is too hard
on himself.

5. Could he have done anything different? How?

6. Is Charlie remarkably brave or silly in relation to his second decision? Justify your response.

Mind Map:

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Your teacher will allocate two themes to you. Use the titles provided below
for your mind map, and answer in great detail.
a) THE MESSAGE: Explain what messages you think Robert newton/the novel are giving us about
life and people by explaining your theme in a few sentences

b) THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE THEME IN ‘RUNNER’: How does the story define your theme? What
characters or events are centred around your theme?

c) EVIDENCE: Provide at least five pieces of evidence or quotes from the novel that help explain
your theme in greater detail. You must provide page numbers. Next to each piece of
evidence/quote, you must also explain what these examples (quotes) tell us about the theme

a) Grief e) Hardship i) Family

b) Friendship f) Humour j) Relationships
c) Chance g) Growing up k) Choices – times when
d) Courage h) Determination Charlie makes critical
decisions

SPEAKING AND LISTENING DRAMA ACTIVITIES

FOR ‘RUNNER’
INSTRUCTIONS:
STEP ONE

Select one of the following topics and write a script for it. You may write this script
from any point in the text - beginning, middle or end. It should be about two to three
pages in length.

 The conversation between the Heaths when they find out Nostrils has been picked for
the Richmond Hill football club.

 Two henchmen visiting Miss Nagle to arrange for Charlie’s report card to be altered.

 Investigative reporter interviewing people involved in the crime network associated

with Squizzy.

 Jimmy Barlow and Charlie meet after a few years. What are they doing now? Who is
with them? Under what circumstances do they meet? What do they say to each other?

 Mr and Mrs Redmond and Mrs Feehan meet and talk to each other about Charlie.
When do they meet (at what point in the novel do they meet?) what do they say to
each other?

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 Charlie and Alice talking.
 Mr and Mrs Heath talking about Nostrils being beaten up.

 Alice talking to a friend about Charlie.

 Mr Heath’s conversation with Nostrils in the interval of the footy match with Barlow
and after the game when they get home.

 Alice and her Dad talking about Charlie and Squizzy.

 As Charlie, write and perform a monologue where you explore how you felt after one
or more of the following key events: winning the first race and getting the job with
Squizzy; seeing your mother being abused and going to Squizzy for help; collecting
debts for Squizzy; visiting Nostrils in hospital; your final confrontation with Squizzy;
winning the Ballarat mile.

 As Nostrils, write and perform a monologue explaining your relationship with Charlie
and considering the confrontation with Barlow.

 As Mr Redmond, write and perform a monologue describing your relationship to the

Feehans and paying special attention to your relationship with Charlie.

 As Mrs Feehan, write and perform a monologue describing your relationship with your
deceased husband, your feelings upon his death, the incident with Mr Peacock and
how you believe all this has affected your son Charlie.

STEP TWO

Form a group or pair up with someone. Read eachothers’ scripts. As a group, decide
whose script you are going to use as the basis of an oral presentation. You may, as a
group, decide to change the script to make it more dramatic.

If working as a group, it is essential that every member participates effectively and

fully. Your presentation will be about 5 – 10 minutes in length depending on the size of
your group and the script you have been working on

PLOT AND CHARACTER STUDY

TASK ONE: Character mind map (INDIVIDUAL TASK)

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-You will be assigned a character which you must draw a mind map for. (2-3 periods prep)
-Mind map poster must show detailed responses for the following:

a) Explanation of character motivation

b) Description of their personality
c) Rationale for decisions/actions
d) Graph or explanation of their relationships with others
e) Drawing and description of the character’s appearance
f) Select significant passages in relation to your character, and explain what they tell us about the
character.

TASK TWO: Oprah/Dr Phil/Ellen show (WORKING IN GROUPS OF 2 or 3)

-You will follow a talk show format is and formulate questions to ask the characters questions (2-3 periods)

Active group participation

Students work on mind maps for characters in groups and each group then adds on to all characters during
a walk-about. Give each group member some responsibility. Some may have more than one role.

 Leader - makes sure they stay on task and reports back to the class
 Time keeper - discussion is effective so they don’t run out of time
 Monitor - makes sure that everyone has offered some information
 Encourager - person who prompts or encourages a person to have a say
 Scribe - person who take the notes for the group

Group leader to report back on their character

THE CECIL REDMOND COACHING ACADEMY

Read about Charlie’s attempts to learn boxing and to train as a runner with Cecil.

Cecil’s System could be described like this;

Step 1 Skipping- to the accompaniment of nursery rhymes

Step 2 Finkin’ and footwork

Step 3 Have dog- chase rabbit- chase dog

1. What do you think about Cecil’s coaching methods?

2. Discuss with your teacher effective ways to wrote an instructional text
3. Research an activity in which you have some expertise
4. Give instructions to the class in how to effectively and safely increase performance in this
activity.
5. Either write a brochure, or give a talk, or use a PowerPoint presentation

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 RELATIONSHIP WITH SQUIZZY
Plot Charlie’s relationship with Squizzy from beginning to end. You need to show the
transformation in events and Charlie’s feelings about link with Squizzy.

SQUIZZY TAYLOR

Helps Charlie

1………………..

2…………………

Charlie feels……………..

Charlie works for Squizzy

1………………..

2…………………

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Charlie feels…….

And so on…

Use your own design if you want.

Yr8 ‘RUNNER’ essay plan for your practice piece

• Essay topic:

Introduction
Let the reader know how you will respond to the essay topic and what you are going to cover. Use the topic
sentences in your plan to guide you. Don’t rewrite the topic sentences but you can use the same
information but just saying it in a different way. This is called sign posting. It gives your reader some
direction.

What is the essay question/topic asking you?

Identify key words (ideas from the essay topic that

you will spend your time responding to and
focusing on)

Rewrite the topic in your own words to make your

contention

What three ideas from the novel can you use to

support your contention?

Write your full introduction that includes the title,

author, your contention, and three main ideas
you intend to discuss

Body Paragraphs
Topic sentence 1
Write a full sentence. Does it respond/answer the
essay topic?

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 Explanation Do this in dot points.
Give more information about the topic sentence and 
what you mean. 
Each dot point will become a sentence of its own. Aim
for at least two dot points that will become well
developed sentence.

Evidence
What specific evidence are you going to use from the
text that will support your explanation? Direct
quote/key scene (anecdotal evidence)/ novel
technique (zooms in/out, high angle, low angle,
sound effect, colour etc...).

Link
One sentence that ties your paragraph back to the
essay topic

Topic sentence 2
Write a full sentence. Does it respond/answer the essay
topic?

Explanation Do this in dot points.

Give more information about the topic sentence and what 
you mean. 
Each dot point will become a sentence of its own. Aim for
at least two dot points that will become well
developed sentence.

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Evidence
What specific evidence are you going to use from the text
that will support your explanation? Direct quote/key
scene (anecdotal evidence)/ novel technique (zooms
in/out, high angle, low angle, sound effect, colour
etc...)

Link
One sentence that ties your paragraph back to the essay
topic

Topic sentence 3
Write a full sentence. Does it respond/answer the essay
topic?

Explanation Do this in dot points.

Give more information about the topic sentence and what 
you mean. 
Each dot point will become a sentence of its own. Aim for
at least two dot points that will become well
developed sentence.

Evidence
What specific evidence are you going to use from the text
that will support your explanation? Direct quote/key
scene (anecdotal evidence)/ novel technique (zooms
in/out, high angle, low angle, sound effect, colour
etc...)

Link
One sentence that ties your paragraph back to the essay
topic

Conclusion

Write your CONCLUSION paragraph Try to make a final point that follows on from what you have said,
but do not repeat the introduction and do not introduce new material. Basically sum up your
paragraphs and contention reflectively- DO NOT REPEAT YOUR INTRODUCTION

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 Use sentences like “Overall…..” or “Throughout the novel…..” It’s a reflective comment. Not a defensive
one about your opinion

Essay Structure

Introduction

 Introduce your point of view and a general discussion about what your essay is about so your
reader is prepared for what is to come. Use your points to write your introduction, then each
point becomes a body paragraph.

Body Paragraphs

 YOU MUST USE TEEL FOR EACH PARAGRAPH (this is a formula like you would use in maths. If
your formula is wrong, your answer will be wrong!)

Topic sentence - the first sentence in the paragraph responds to the essay topic (this is
one of the points you included in your introduction)
Explanation - explain what you mean by your topic sentence
Example - give a concrete example from the novel to support the
explanation
Link - use your last sentence to link this paragraph back to the essay topic

Now repeat TEEL for your other two body paragraphs. Make sure that each paragraph is well
developed and that you have given relevant information. (Do not summarize the novel
because you will not get a good mark)

Use TEEL and you will not be wrong.

Conclusion
Try to make a final point that follows on from what you have said, but do not repeat the
introduction and do not introduce new material. If you cannot think of anything relevant or
different, then sum up what you have said in the essay.

YEAR 8 ENGLISH PRACTICE ESSAY – ERROR ANALYSIS

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In your work book, write a decent response for the following.

1. Select a paragraph and rewrite it, using the feedback given and your
reflection to guide your improvements.

2. What did you do well with? Explain how it made your essay effective?

3. What didn’t you do well? What made your essay ineffective and how can it be
improved?

4. How has your paragraph now been improved?

5. Find the correct spelling for all the words highlighted, and re write them ten
times

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