Waltzing Matilda

High school (ages 12+)
Art & Creativity

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/waltzing-matilda

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the genre?Australian bush ballad
2. What is the lyricist?Banjo Paterson
3. What is the story told in Waltzing Matilda?It tells about a wandering worker, called a swagman, who steals a sheep to eat, hides in a billabong, and later dies, leaving a ghost that haunts the waterhole.
4. Who wrote the words of Waltzing Matilda?Banjo Paterson wrote the lyrics in 1895.

Bush Ballad: A narrative poem or song, typically Australian, recounting tales of rural life, historical events, or legendary figures.
Swagman: A nomadic, often unemployed, rural worker in Australia who carried their possessions in a 'swag' (a bundle).
Matilda: Australian slang for a swag, a bundle of belongings carried by travellers.
Billabong: An Australian term for a small lake or watering hole, often a part of a river that has been cut off.