The First ThirdAbout the Book:Life is made up of three parts: in The First Third, you're embarrassed by your family; in the second, you make a family of your own; and in the end, you just embarrass the family you've made.

That's how Billy's grandmother explains it, anyway. She's given him her bucket list (cue embarrassment), and now, it's his job to glue their family back together.

No pressure or anything.

Fixing his family's not going to be easy and Billy's not ready for change. But as he soon discovers, the first third has to end some time. And then what?

It's a Greek tragedy waiting to happen.

About the Author:

Will Kostakis (born 2 June 1989) is a Sydney-based Australian author and was the Sydney Morning Herald Young Writer of the Year in 2005.

His first novel for young adults, Loathing Lola, was released in August 2008 through Pan Macmillan. In 2005, Kostakis won the Sydney Morning Herald Young Writer of the Year for a story called Bing Me.

Personally, Will Kostakis is ready to catch a ball two seconds after it’s hit him in the face. Professionally, he’s thankful he’s chosen a career that requires little (if any) coordination. After dabbling in celebrity journalism and reality TV, he now writes for young adults.

His first novel, Loathing Lola, was released when he was just nineteen, and his second, The First Third, won the 2014 Gold Inky Award. It was also shortlisted for the Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year and Australian Prime Minister’s Literary awards.The Sidekicks is his third novel for young adults.

As a high school student, Will won Sydney Morning Herald Young Writer of the Year for a collection of short stories.

While you read…

Reading is one of the core activities of study. You need to be able to understand what you read and be able to recall the main ideas when you need them.

While you read The First Third, you will learn and practise how to use ‘sticky notes’ to help deconstruct the novel. Watch the YouTube clip on weebly on how to use ‘sticky notes’.

You will also learn how to use Visible Thinking Charts to help you organise and synthesise your ideas.

CharacterisationCharacterisation is the process by which the writer reveals the personality of a character. Characterisation is revealed through direct characterisation and indirect characterisation.

Direct Characterisation tells the audience what the personality of the character is.

Indirect Characterisation shows things that reveal the personality of a character. These include speech, thought, effect the character has on others, actions of the character, character’s looks (Remember S.T.E.A.L from Term 2)

Type of Characterisation Evidence from the textDirect

Indirect

Purpose, Audience, Language, Structure

PALS Answer Evidence from text

Purpose

Why has somebody written this?

Audience

Who was this written for?

Language

What type of language is being used? Formal or

Informal?

Structure

How is the text organized?

Examples of Purpose

Purpose Types of Textsto entertain e.g. short stories, films,to recount e.g. diary entry,to describe e.g. character profile,to evaluate e.g. school report,to inform e.g. newspaper article,to argue e.g. debate,to persuade e.g. movie poster, book reviewto instruct e.g. text book,

Plot and Conflict AnalysisThe plot is the sequence of events in a story, and the conflict is that the problem that the characters struggle with.

What type of conflict(s) did the author create?

Type of Conflict Evidence from the textCharacter vs. Nature

Character vs. Self

Character vs. Society

Character vs. Character

Deconstructing for Techniques

1. Describe the dialogue used in this novel. Look at the choice of words, structure of the sentences, the register and the modality. Also consider what is left unsaid by the character/s. What does it tell you about the character/s?

2. Describe the structure of the other sentences in the novel. Do they help create the atmosphere? The composer could have used long, complex sentences, short, simple or even fractured sentences, rhetorical questions, ellipsis, etc.

3. What impression of the character/s and setting is created by the composer’s use language features in the extract such as: poetic devices: similes, metaphors, personification, symbolism, register, personal pronouns, stream of consciousness, etc.?

Novel Study Matrix

Choose one activity to complete from each level of Bloom’s Taxonomy, discuss with your team members and complete in your workbook.

Remembering(factual answers, recollection and recognition).

Summarise the main events of the novel on a timeline.

List and describe the main characters in the novel. Write down two important quotes that relate to each of them.

Recall details about the setting by creating a picture where a part of the story took place.

What is your favourite chapter? Write two paragraphs on what happens in this chapter.

Understanding (Translating, interpreting and showing understanding).

Using a line graph, map out the action of the novel.

Predict what could happen next in the story.

Choose one setting from the novel. Explain why this setting is important. Draw this setting the way you think it would look.

Explain how the main character felt in the beginning, middle and end of the novel.

Applying(Using information gained in different or familiar situations).

Choose an important event in the novel. Write a newspaper report about the incident.

Think of a situation that occurred to a character in the story and write about how he or she could have handled the situation differently.

Write down examples of positive and negative representations of women in the novel. Explain why you have identified these two representations.

What advice would you give immigrants to Australia after reading this novel? Design a brochure that details this information.

Analysing(Breaking into parts to examine more closely).

Brainstorm the important themes in the novel. Identify and list quotes that reveal these, analysing how the themes are developed. Use PEETEEEL paragraphs to do this.

Use a table to compare and contrast how each character has changed throughout the novel. Find quotes to support your explanation.

Select one main character to analyse in a character journal. For each chapter:

1. 1. List 2 – 3 key quotations from or about the character.

2. 2. Examine the character’s actions, behaviour and reactions.

3. 3. Select one word that best represents the character.

Identify the orientation, climax, complication and conclusion of the story.Justify your response in three paragraphs.

Evaluating(Judge, use criteria, rank and justify)

How realistic do you consider the characters in the novel to be? Write two or more paragraphs on this question. Make sure you provide specific reasons and examples.

Write two or more paragraphs on whether you consider the conclusion of the novel to be a satisfactory one. Justify your response.

The characters in a novel behave in specific ways that may or may not be appropriate in each circumstance. Choose one place in the novel where you did not agree with the behaviour of one character and evaluate the character’s actions.

In what ways would the story be different if it was told from a different perspective? Write a paragraph on how this would change the story.

Creating(Combining information with new situations to create new products and ideas).

Choose a section from the novel. Rewrite this section as a one minute monologue to present to your class.

Imagine that you are a character in the novel. Offer some advice to another character in the novel. Present this as a one minute informal speech to your class.

Pretend you are sitting with the author of your chosen novel and you are presenting your opinion about this novel. Present what you would say to the author in a one minute formal presentation to the class.

Choose one of the characters from the novel. Write and present a poem from their perspective on one relevant issue they experienced. Present this to the class.