'Picnic at Hanging Rock' Complete Unit – VCE English and EAL

Choose the licence that matches how the unit will be used. The Individual Teacher Licence is for one teacher and their classes. The Faculty Licence allows use by English/EAL teachers across one school campus.

Introductory pricing available until 31 January 2027.

A complete, editable VCE English and EAL teaching unit for Peter Weir’s film Picnic at Hanging Rock.

This 14-lesson sequence supports students to explore the film’s historical and social context, characters, relationships, narrative structure, cinematic style and six major themes before progressing towards sustained analytical writing.

The unit has been developed for VCE English and EAL Area of Study 1: Reading and Responding to Texts. Lessons provide explicit instruction, regular opportunities for students to respond, and carefully sequenced support for developing interpretations, selecting evidence and constructing an analytical response.

See inside the unit: Preview a complete lesson and scene-analysis extracts from the Picnic at Hanging Rock unit.

Teaching the film: Read our guide to teaching Picnic at Hanging Rock for VCE English and EAL.

What is included

• 14 editable PowerPoint slideshows;
• 14 editable student worksheets;
• Sample answers for every worksheet;
• Student scene analysis chart;
• Completed scene analysis chart with detailed sample responses;
• 24 VCAA-style analytical essay topics; and
• Unit information and licence guide.

The lesson sequence covers

• Overview, First Impressions and Narrative Structure;
• Historical Context;
• Social and Cultural Values;
• Film Techniques and Cinematic Style;
• Characters, Motivations and Relationships;
• Nature and Civilisation;
• Mystery and Uncertainty;
• Repression and Freedom;
• Femininity and Adolescence;
• Time and Fate;
• Loss and Grief;
• Developing Analytical Interpretations;
• Brainstorming and Planning an Analytical Response; and
• Writing and Improving an Analytical Response.

Each lesson includes

• A learning intention and three success criteria;
• Six clearly timed teaching and learning tasks;
• A Do Now activity drawing upon prior learning;
• Explicit teaching and worked examples;
• Frequent opportunities for students to discuss, interpret and write;
• Carefully selected film moments, dialogue quotations and film techniques;
• Guided and independent activities;
• A summary of key learning; and
• A final reflection or consolidation activity.

The editable format allows teachers to adapt the sequence, select activities that suit their classes and adjust the level of scaffolding provided. The student worksheets can be printed, distributed digitally or imported into platforms such as OneNote.

Sample answers are supplied as separate documents, allowing teachers to provide feedback, model stronger responses or support classroom discussion without displaying answers in the student version.

The scene-analysis charts provide a chronological guide to the film’s chapters, including key events, significant dialogue, themes, film techniques, explanations and approximate timecodes.

File formats

• Microsoft PowerPoint (.pptx);
• Microsoft Word (.docx);
• PDF unit information and licence guide; and
• Supplied as one downloadable ZIP file.

Licence terms

Individual Teacher Licence
Licensed to one purchasing teacher for use with classes taught by that teacher. The resources may be edited, printed and distributed to those students through secure school systems. They must not be shared with other teachers.

English/EAL Faculty Licence – One Campus
Licensed to the English/EAL faculty at one purchasing school campus. The resources may be shared among teachers at that campus and distributed to their students through secure school systems. They must not be shared with other campuses, schools or external organisations.

For both licences, the following are prohibited:

• Uploading resources to publicly accessible websites;
• Sharing outside the licensed teacher or school campus;
• Reselling or commercially reproducing the materials; and
• Removing or altering Lesson Ready's copyright and licence information.

Please note

• The film is not included. Schools and teachers must arrange lawful access to the prescribed text;
• Timecodes are approximate and may vary between editions or streaming services;
• This is a digital product. No physical item will be supplied;
• Listening assessment materials are not included in this instant-download package. These are available separately to schools through purchase order to protect assessment security; and
• Use and sharing are subject to the licence selected at purchase.