Education

Teacher resources to match the Australian cross-curriculum priorities

A cheat sheet helping teachers plan lessons for the Australian curriculum.

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Last updated: • 5 min read
Author: Jens Korff
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The Australian national curriculum suggests learning areas for each of the subjects below.

The list of resource links below can help you prepare lessons in line with the curriculum and teach the Aboriginal perspective.

English

Curriculum learning areasSuggested resources
  • contemporary Aboriginal literature
  • story-telling traditions
  • social, historical and cultural contexts associated with different uses of language
  • diversity of Aboriginal languages and dialects
  • Creole and Yumplatok
  • writing systems and oral traditions

Science

Curriculum learning areasSuggested resources
  • knowledge through observation, senses, prediction and hypothesis, testing
  • passing on methods through generations
  • particular ways of knowing the world
  • significant contributions to development in science
  • ways of combining traditional and western scientific knowledge

History

Curriculum learning areasSuggested resources
  • taking an Aboriginal viewpoint on history
  • life prior to colonisation
  • invasion contact and impact
  • key policies and political movements
  • significant roles in today's society

Geography

Curriculum learning areasSuggested resources
  • relationships with place
  • interconnection with the environments (land, water and sky)
  • different ways of thinking about and interacting with the environment
  • use of land
  • spiritually-based connection to Country
  • knowledge and practices
  • effects of invasion on people and environments
  • inequalities in human welfare, sustainable development and human rights
  • environmental management and regional economies

Economics & Business

Curriculum learning areasSuggested resources
  • enterprising behaviours
  • traditional, contemporary and emerging economic practices
  • cultural, community and economic capacity
  • interconnectedness between people, culture and country/place
  • past and present economic activities

Civics & Citizenship

Curriculum learning areasSuggested resources
  • customary law
  • contemporary experiences of Australia’s legal system
  • identity

The Arts

Curriculum learning areasSuggested resources
  • art forms and their combinations
  • relationships between people, culture and country/place
  • identity
  • oral histories and belief systems
  • cultural expression in story, movement, song and visual traditions

Technologies

Curriculum learning areasSuggested resources
  • interconnectedness between technologies and identity, people, culture and country/place
  • sustaining environments, histories, cultures and identities
  • capacity for innovation
  • traditional, contemporary and emerging technologies and practices

Health & Physical education

Curriculum learning areasSuggested resources
  • cultural heritage
  • modes of communication and ways of living
  • connections to place, people and ways of being
  • importance of family and kinship
  • health, safety and wellbeing
  • traditional and contemporary Aboriginal games

Languages

Curriculum learning areasSuggested resources
  • learn an Aboriginal language
  • languages and land/sea, country/place, the environment, fauna and flora
  • interlinguistic and intercultural comparisons

Work studies

Curriculum learning areasSuggested resources
  • sense of identity
  • how identity is strongly linked to belief systems and spiritual connection
  • practices and strategies used within different communities to maintain and balance work and family life
  • experiences of employment

Books to support curriculum preparation

Booktopia has an entire section dedicated to Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islands History & Culture for the Australian Curriculum where you can browse for books to use.

Cite this page

Korff, J 2021, Teacher resources to match the Australian cross-curriculum priorities, <https://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/education/teacher-resources-to-match-the-australian-cross-curriculum-priorities>, retrieved 20 April 2024

Creative Spirits is a starting point for everyone to learn about Aboriginal culture. Please use primary sources for academic work.

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