My Year Without Sex (ATOM Study Guide)

My Year Without Sex (Sarah Watt, 2009) examines the way ordinary people live and survive. Over one messy year in the life of an ordinary family, Watt's characters, Ross and Natalie, navigate their children – Louis and Ruby – nits, faith, Christmas, job insecurity, footy practice, more nits, and whether they will ever have sex again.

This study guide has been written for senior secondary students. It provides information and suggestions for learning activities in English, Literature, Media, Religious Education and curriculum projects exploring the concepts of fate, faith and family.

In completing the tasks, students will have demonstrated the ability to:

• analyse the construction of a nonprint text and comment on the ways it represents an interpretation of ideas and experiences;
• respond to a text both personally and in detached and critical ways;
• discuss the social, cultural and historical values embodied in a nonprint text;
• draw on appropriate metalanguage to discuss the structures and features of a non-print text;
• use their own written and spoken texts to explore concepts and ideas and to clarify their own and others' understanding.

My Year Without Sex is rated M and is 96 minutes in duration.