Genre-Bending Book Week Workshops
In 2026, our Book Week Workshops for Stage 2 and Stage 3 explore genre, connecting students with a symphony of stories from Australia and around the world. Our workshops identify the key features of major genres, discussing each genre's distinct purpose, subject matter and tone. Students explore genre from both a reader's perspective, as a classification that establishes expectations, and from a writer's perspective, as a framework that guides the way a story is told.
Story Explorers
for Stage 2
In Story Explorers, we enrol as book characters from a variety of genres. The students take part in a fun and group-focused improvisation activity that provides a glimpse into the fantastical worlds inside each book. In the second half of the workshop, students encounter books ravaged by 'bookworms'. They work in groups to rewrite the missing sections of each book, reinventing the characters and story to align with the conventions of a different genre. Students share their interpretations with the class.
Campfire Tales
for Stage 3
In Campfire Tales, we take a deep dive into the world of ghost stories. Students work together to rewrite well-known stories using the conventions of ghost stories. They consider how tone, action and characters can be altered to evoke the sense of 'pleasing terror' associated with the genre. Using Playroom's props and costumes, students then work to stage their ghost stories. They use the elements of drama to heighten the spookiness of their retelling, before performing for the class.