Curriculum resources

This unit guides learners to explore seasons, both Western and Indigenous, through observation, community research, hands-on activities and critical thinking. Indigenous seasonal knowledge was essential in the past for living well, and remains important today in order to live with and look after Country for future generations.

Dreaming is reflected in stories and beyond to give meaning to the world. Students work with Dreaming stories, including creating tableaux in a drama activity. Students find evidence of pre-colonisation engineering, aquaculture and trade economies to learn about First Nations practices and to reflect on sustainability for a shared future.

Students explore First Nations bush foods, making connections to the seasons, environment and food availability. They investigate agriculture methods used by First Nations people to sustainably grow and harvest bush foods. Lastly, they design a bush food dish and share their dishes and knowledge.

Students explore length using both variable and uniform informal units of measurement and investigate ways First Nations people use measurement in everyday life. Students create a weaving artwork using informal measurement to share their learning with others.

Students learn about the types of toys used by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, methods used in making them, and the push and pull forces involved in using them. Students design and make a toy boat using sustainable materials and race them to test their designs.

Students explore connection to Country and place through Indigenous stories, including Dreaming stories and those by contemporary Indigenous authors. Students use stories to explore the language features of texts and oral storytelling.

Students compare the observable properties of soils, rocks and minerals, and investigate why they’re important resources. They discover how rocks and minerals are used by First Nations Peoples, and learn about scientific knowledges that have been passed down through generations.

Students inquire into the unique and spiritual connection First Nations Peoples have with Country. Students explore aspects of the interconnectedness First Nations Peoples have with Country through elements of drama and movement.

Students explore the use of scientific knowledge for the development of effective and sustainable techniques and products in First Nations communities over thousands of years. Students learn how knowledge of the change in state between solid and liquid through heating is used to adapt materials when creating a range of products.

Students are guided to see the different ways maps can represent place and learn conventions of mapping, such as BOLTSS. They identify boundaries and territories of geographical and political regions and First Nations language groups. Through the Ngurrara Canvas and other art, students also explore ways First Nations people map Country.

Students explore First Nations Peoples’ unique relationship with and responsibility to care for Country. They learn about ways of caring for Country and how knowledge has been passed down, and practices adapted to each geographic location and available resources. Students reflect on their role in protecting biodiversity in local areas and beyond.

Students examine the ecological importance of the Daintree Rainforest and learn about the Daintree’s Traditional Custodians – Eastern Kuku Yalanji People. Students also learn how, as a decomposer and keystone species, the southern cassowary regenerates the Daintree Rainforest by distributing seeds.

Students learn about water and the ways it enriches life. They explore how water’s perceived, valued and how it connects places in the environment. In looking at how First Nations Peoples understand and care for water, students develop their appreciation for water and water places, to learn to care for and sustain these places.

Students investigate properties of natural materials through investigation, experiments and research. They learn how First Nations Peoples apply scientific knowledges to create tools, clothing and artworks. Students learn how the diversity of Australia’s materials defines the design of everyday items.

Students explore the impacts of feral animals on Country and culture, and the role First Nations rangers play in protecting Australia’s unique flora and fauna. Students use online research, flowcharts and algorithms, culminating with the creation of an ebook.

Students learn how we can use scientific knowledge of erosion and weathering to better protect and preserve sites of cultural significance of First Nations Peoples. Students experiment on different materials to see erosion and weathering in action.

Students explore sustainable Indigenous resource management practices. Students engage with perspectives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples about how relationship to Country shapes decision-making, and they examine a geographical site to show how the environment was altered to sustain ways of living.

This unit explores the relationship between habitats and survival of living things and how the knowledges of First Nations Peoples about Country allowed different species to thrive for millennia. Students investigate changing physical conditions by creating their own experiment.

Students explore the importance of water for First Nations Peoples in Australia and the material, cultural and spiritual meanings associated with bodies of water. The impact of colonisation, First Nations water management and struggles for water rights are explored through three case studies.

Students compare and contrast First Nations Peoples’ different approaches to classifying organisms and the Western scientific approach known as the Linnaean system. They explore how different classification systems might inform our knowledge of the ecological interactions between organisms, including food chains and food webs.

This resource explores what Country means to First Nations Peoples, and how all that Country encompasses relates to liveability. Students examine case studies and elements of Country. And, through geographic inquiry and investigation, they apply these elements to their own places and spaces to improve liveability.

Students consider the connection First Nations people have with Country in built and natural environments. They explore the complexity of that connection through naming of Country, and study the role First Nations consultation plays in managing and caring for Country in urban settings. 

Students will develop an understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ diverse connections to and knowledge of Australia’s landscapes and landforms. Students will also explore the role Songlines play in knowing the land, and research Indigenous land-management techniques. Resource combines ACHGK049 & ACHGK052.

Students investigate how First Nations people use geological knowledge and sophisticated mining techniques to extract ochre, and the chemical processes employed to make pigments and dyes. Students analyse how the colonisation of Australia impacts the sharing of Indigenous sciences and disrupts First Nations people’s connection to Country.

Students investigate how First Nations Peoples’ land and fire management techniques assist to maintain biodiversity, reduce the severity of bushfires and reduce carbon emissions. Students explore the use of renewable energies used by First Nations people in remote communities.

Students explore how we all connect with Country, and special places for individuals – internationally and in Australia. Students learn how we can, and should, work together to manage and protect special places in partnership with First Nations Peoples.

Students explore challenges in native food production and food access within Australia’s biomes. They consider issues within these biomes, as well as management solutions and programs. Students evaluate existing programs for their effectiveness in managing food production and access in Australia.

This topic examines the significant disruption to Australian biomes by European colonisation. Native flora and fauna have struggled to compete with introduced species. Alterations in diet have negatively impacted many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Students suggest ways native food sources can be developed and promoted.

In this biological science unit, students explore the relationship humans have with ecosystems, focusing on the ways First Nations people have used and continue to use scientific knowledge to maintain ecosystems. Students investigate the use of fire to regulate biotic and abiotic factors in ecosystems, and as a land management technique.

Students learn about the contribution of First Nations knowledges to Western science, and the benefits of approaching science from different worldviews. They consider global issues using understanding of First Nations science and cultural knowledges, and show their understanding by writing a report.

Students explore community-led programs that improve wellbeing for First Nations people. They examine case studies to build their understanding of challenges and responses to human wellbeing in different settings and complete a summative report or proposal for a First Nations-led wellbeing project.