History of the First Australians Set 5 & Teacher Resource

Sharlene G. Coombs

History of the First Australians Set 5 and Teacher Resource was published in response to requests for new, levelled, and culturally authentic First Nations stories from Elders and Indigenous community members Australia wide. We have achieved this through the publication of 20 geographically and culturally diverse stories about First Nations people, places, culture, history, landscapes, stories, and experiences.

From Creation/Dreaming stories, to non-fiction recounts, explanations and descriptive reports, all carefully levelled titles assist in embedding the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures Cross Curriculum Priority into the classroom literacy block, and across a variety of other Key Learning and Subject Areas. The importance of teaching this content in context makes perfect sense in the learning environment. The additional benefit of reducing the ‘crowded curriculum’ is a bonus which cannot be underestimated in today’s busy teacher schedule.

For a resource to do its job effectively, it must be engaging. To achieve this, we commissioned some incredible Indigenous authors and other community members from across Australia who all had one thing in common…a passion to share their stories. It is this passion which ignites reading engagement and encourages students on their journey as they move from learning to read, to reading to learn.

As educational publishers, we are proud to be associated with the publication of a resource which celebrates Australia’s unique and diverse Indigenous culture – past and present! This resource does this in spades, and it also addresses the important elements of cultural diversity, identity, and inclusivity, ensuring the opportunity to extend both Indigenous and non-Indigenous childrens’ knowledge and understandings of themselves, and of others who may be different from them. This assists in the development of childrens’ social and emotional wellbeing, building their sense of identity, pride, and understanding for the unique country in which they live.