Curriculum resources

Students learn about the different ways stories can be told, and view First Nations stories shared through the drawing of symbols and imagery in sand. Students explore how animals can be represented in stories, and share their own stories by drawing in sand and using technology.

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 investigate ways materials can be physically changed through hands-on learning. They develop understanding by predicting, observing and discussing the results of changes. Students learn about changes First Nations Peoples make to natural materials and use this knowledge, and exploration, to design their own object from natural materials.

Students explore maps as tools for understanding the spaces they occupy, and interpret different kinds of maps. They discover the ways First Nations Peoples make, use and share maps, and what this can tell us about our place in the world, and show their understanding by creating their own maps.

Students explore First Nations Peoples’ connection to Country and how it can be depicted through art. Students experience Country by observing and discussing the work of Bundjalung artist Bronwyn Bancroft, and express their own connections to special places using artistic processes and language.

Students explore shapes through home design, and use drawing and modelling to create designs. They learn about First Nations architecture to understand the connection between design function and form, and consider the importance of designing homes to meet the needs of the household and environment.

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 what flags, symbols and significant dates represent in Australia and the protocol involved in their use. Through exploring stories told by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, students identify different perspectives on significant events.

Students use drama to investigate the perspectives of people involved in first contact events. They learn about how representing multiple perspectives in historical stories helps individuals develop intercultural understanding and helps communities to value diversity.

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 explore musical styles of First Nations musicians, the use of instruments and language/s in their music, and how culture can be shared through song. Students then create and present their own composition inspired by aspects of First Nations music explored in their learning.

In this unit, students explore how First Nations people use stories and art to connect to Country. Students identify a special place to them, creating artworks inspired by that special place, and analyse the visual contentions used by First Nations artists, as well as the connection to Country the artworks represent.

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 inquire into the impact of colonisation on people and places throughout the late 1700s and 1800s. They look at the causes and effects of change on different groups of people, particularly First Nations Peoples, and the environment. Students explore varying perspectives on key aspects of colonisation.

Students learn how, in the early 1800s, European colonists sought a passage across the Blue Mountains to find resources for the growing colony at Sydney Cove. Students analyse sources, including diaries and art, to explore how expanding the colony impacted both First Nations Peoples and colonisers at Sydney Cove and their local area.

Students explore fairness in Australia’s government by comparing Western and First Nations approaches to land, law and leadership. They consider the impacts of colonisation on First Nations Peoples, and end the unit by planning a real-world civic response that promotes justice and inclusion.

Students undertake an inquiry into First Nations storytellers and cultural narratives, and the art of dramatic storytelling and elements of filmmaking. They show their responses through making a short film that tells a story of First Nations identity and resilience.