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 the many ways stories can be told in First Nations cultures. They explore the cultural and educational role stories play and engage in processes of retelling and creating stories about our world and our experiences using elements of music, movement and dance.

This unit explores the important information First Nations Peoples collect and communicate from observing the natural environment. Students will identify and make connections to what we observe, why we observe, how we observe and ways to communicate observations.

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 will be immersed in First Nations stories, art and dance and reflect on how this can enrich their own communication and understanding. They will learn how to use features such as animal tracks, visual patterns, rhyme, descriptive words and movement to read the world and communicate meanings to others.

Students explore the meaning behind the Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement of Country protocols and how we can use these protocols, meaningfully, to show respect for the relationship between First Nations people and Country.

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 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 learn how First Nations Peoples understand and use the life cycle of living things sustainably. They develop an understanding and appreciation for the diversity of life through personal observation, investigation and creative writing.

Students engage with Indigenous stories to understand how cultural traditions are important in recognising similarities and differences across all people’s lives. They explore characters, settings, events and language features creating multimodal texts inspired by elements from stories they read.

Students explore First Nations perspectives and storytelling through poetry, and examine a selection of poems and how literary techniques convey key messages and emotions. Students respond to the poems, create their own poem and dramatise it, applying the techniques explored throughout the unit.

This unit immerses students in the cultural stories and songs of First Nations Peoples, exploring the important role cultural practices and beliefs play in the development and expression of identity. Students consider the role culture plays in their own lives and reflect on how they might express their unique identity.

Students explore the diversity of Indigenous languages in Australia and how they’ve shaped the Standard Australian English used today. Students look at the historical context of European records of Indigenous languages, and consider how colonisation and the loss of Indigenous languages has impacted First Nations people and Country.

First Nations people are using media arts to share stories and keep culture strong. Students explore podcasts, music videos, animations, virtual reality and other media art projects that have been generated by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander creators. Students keep a blog (digital or written) to reflect on their learning each week.

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 examine literary texts by First Nations people that depict impactful events. They explore aspects of the texts that convey historical context, investigate narrative voices in the texts, and analyse the responses these voices evoke.

This unit explores protest songs of the 20th and 21st centuries from Australia and around the world, looking closely at the techniques employed by artists to persuade audiences to their way of thinking. Of particular focus are persuasive techniques: emotive language, simile, metaphor, personification, repetition, alliteration and rhyme.

Students read short novels by First Nations authors and explore authors’ styles. They analyse the elements and themes in the works to find out how style can be connected to culture and personal experiences.

In small reading groups students explore themes in novels by First Nations authors. They experience a story through the lens of the author and examine characters, settings and events. This learning is then applied in group discussion and writing activities.

English in Australia has many influences. The rich diversity of Indigenous languages have helped to develop different varieties of English and influence the vocabulary of Standard Australian English. By understanding these contributions we show respect for all languages in Australia and can describe and understand this land more fully.

Students explore poems by First Nations authors on themes such as connection to Country, disconnection from Country and heroes on Country. Students learn how literary devices are used by First Nations poets to build meaning, and create original poetry to demonstrate their learning.

Students explore the representation of Indigenous characters in texts from different historical, social and cultural contexts. They analyse stories and songs of challenge told by First Nations people to build knowledge about culture and literary heritage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

Students develop awareness of the ways speeches inform ideas and actions around reconciliation. Relevant concepts are unpacked and their representation in spoken texts is examined. Students engage with a variety of texts, a diversity of voices and different uses of persuasive language techniques.

Students explore lived experiences of First Nations Peoples, reflecting on the use of language to examine themes of identity, Country and disconnection from culture. Students develop an understanding of tone and other literary devices, and skills in communicating their ideas about texts.

This unit allows students to develop awareness of the ideas, contexts and perspectives around reconciliation. Students unpack relevant concepts and texts and are encouraged to convey a respectful attitude towards learning about a complex issue that affects all Australians.

Students explore how First Nations Australian authors reflect unique ways of being, knowing, thinking and doing. This is achieved by reviewing the early history of First Nations literature and the difficulties of storytelling, and by analysing and contextualising protest poetry, drama and contemporary autobiographical writing.

Students explore how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have traditionally been represented in literature in Australia. They examine stereotypes of people and misrepresentations of culture. Students then explore texts by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors.

This unit encourages students to engage with and appreciate a diverse range of First Nations Dreaming stories. By exploring modernised texts, which have transformed previously oral texts into contemporary forms, students begin to appreciate the cultural importance of Dreaming stories.

Students understand key differences between mainstream commercial media and Indigenous-controlled media. They learn about how and why regulations and codes of practice governing the mention of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in media reports have come about. Ideas for critical analysis are given.