Classroom activities

1. Ask your students to develop a storyboard for One Perfect Day. Students should draw boxed pictures, like a strip cartoon, that indicate the key events in the story.
2. Working in small groups, students should look through One Perfect Day focusing on the illustrations of Dusty. Invite each group to write down which aspects of the story are conveyed through the illustrations. What is not conveyed by the illustrations of Dusty? Share the ideas generated in a class discussion.
3. Ask your students to complete the Myrtle's amazing day BLM (PDF 347kb) where they complete a diary extract. This will encourage them to see the events of May 9, 1927 from Myrtle's perspective.
4. Use the Getting into role BLM (PDF 509kb) and distribute role cards to students. Working in groups of four, students should read their cards and then take the roles of Billy, Mr Thompson, Mr Cuddy and Mrs Cuddy in a conversation. The conversation takes place when Billy and Mr Thompson return to Mr Cuddy's farm to pick up Billy's belongings.
5. Coincidence plays a major part in this story. Discuss 'coincidence' as a class, and then conduct a think, pair, share activity. Students should think of a coincidence that has happened in their lives, they should talk about it as a pair, then the pair should be given an opportunity to share their stories with the class (or a larger group).
6. Ask students to research and write a report on the history of Old Parliament House. Students may wish to use the Old Parliament House website (e.g. the online exhibition and floor plan) at www.oph.gov.au
7. Students can complete an engaging interactive activity about the Crossley car by clicking on the interactive below.
8. This beautiful car, mentioned in One Perfect Day, was used to transport the Duke and Duchess of York to the 1927 opening of Parliament House.

> Interactive on the Crossley car
(requires Flash version 8, see link below)
> Explore One Perfect Day
> Purchase book