Resource List
This kit has been developed to target the learning needs of Year 1 and 2 students at an Sydney public school, learning through a Geography unit entitled ‘Peoples and Places’. With over 87% of students in the entire school coming from an English as an Additional Language/Dialect (EAL/D) background, the linguistic diversity amongst the students is immense. While traditionally this school has had a high proportion of new arrivals to Australia within the community, two years of Covid19 restrictions has changed this demographic, as well as having a significant effect on the literacy learning opportunities for this cohort of students. As such, this kit has been designed to cater for students who are only at the very beginning of their literacy journey to those who are on their way. High visual content and predictable texts have been considered in selecting the texts to assist with English language development of EAL/D and other students (NSW Department of Education, 2020). As travelling has been restricted for a high proportion of these students lives, this kit will create literary traveling opportunities to places beyond a 5km radius.
| Resource 1 | |
| Bibliographic Details | McCormick, P. D. (2021). Advance Australia Fair (T. Flowers, Illus.). Scholastic Australia. |
| Format | Picture Book |
| Genre | National Song |
| Annotation | The lyrics of the updated Australian National anthem are the sole text for this story. Alongside this, the illustrations provide a storyline which showcases Australians in all walks of life all around Australia, including Antarctic territory. Readers journey through the different landscapes which display iconic landmarks some of which are immediately recognisable to early childhood students, some which would need teacher explanation. This resource can add depth of understanding to both the National Anthem and the multicultural nature of Australian society. |
| Curriculum Connections | Geography: Stage 1 People and Places (ACHGK010) identification that places exist across a range of scales eg personal, local, national (NESA, n.d.-b) |
| Supplementary Resources | National Anthem Background Information (Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, 2022) |
| Resource 2 | |
| Bibliographic Details | Lester, A. (2004). Are we there yet? (A. Lester, Illus.). Penguin / Viking. |
| Format | Picture Book |
| Genre | Travel Fiction |
| Annotation | While traveling around Australia is not possible for everyone, this book takes readers on this journey. With the very familiar phrase of ‘Are we there yet?’ connecting with anyone who has been on a trip longer than 1 hour, the landscape of Australia is explored. This text may need to be read in stages, however the geographical skills which can be gleaned from the text are numerous. For example, directional reading of a map is explored throughout the illustrations and landmarks of significance to both Indigenous Australians and tourists are brought to life. |
| Curriculum Connections | Geography: Stage 1 People and Places (ACHGK013) discussion of why people visit other places, identification of factors influencing people accessibility to places (NESA, n.d.-b) |
| Supplementary Resources | Further lesson ideas (Reading Australia, 2022) |
| Resource 3 | |
| Bibliographic Details | Pennachio, M. (2013). Somewhere in Australia (D. Snell, Illus.). Scholastic Australia. |
| Format | Picture Book |
| Genre | Stories in rhyme, Australian stories |
| Annotation | This book takes the form of the traditional song ‘Over in the meadow’, however, presents the animals and locations as Australian ones. With links to numeracy and the lyrical nature of the text, ‘Somewhere in Australia’ lends itself to interactive read-alouds or possibly sing-alongs. Readers may investigate the habitats mentioned in the text and make links to the ecosystems which Australia has. |
| Curriculum Connections | Geography: Stage 1 People and Places (ACHGK010) identification that places exist across a range of scales eg personal, local, national (NESA, n.d.-b) |
| Supplementary Resources | Instrumental Over in the Meadow (Wiggly Karaoke, 2021) |
| Resource 4 | |
| Bibliographic Details | Toy, M. (2020). The great Australian bite (M. Toy, Illus.). Five Mile. |
| Format | Picture Book |
| Genre | Stories in rhyme, Australian stories |
| Annotation | This fun, rhyming story weaves its way through the states of Australia through the dreams of a young student daydreaming in class. Besides the obscure geographic references such as ‘Eggs and Bacon Bay’, this book provides illustrated references to the states through which it travels. It provides many opportunities to discuss geographic locations as well as reasons why people visit different places. It lends itself also to investigations of proper nouns and the conventions of using these, as this knowledge will be imperative for child led geographical research of the places mentioned in the text. |
| Curriculum Connections | Geography: Stage 1 People and Places (ACHGK013) discussion of why people visit other places (NESA, n.d.-b) |
| Resource 5 | |
| Bibliographic Details | McCartney, T. (2018). The Gum family finds home (C. Booth, Illus.). NLA Publishing. |
| Format | Picture Book |
| Genre | Australian stories |
| Annotation | This picturebook takes a koala family on an adventurous journey through many geological wonders in Australia. Included in the book are photographs and facts about the geological features, such as Karlu Karlu’s importance in Dreaming stories, giving the enjoyable story some factual information to digest as well. Like other resources in this kit, map exploration and research of places in Australia could easily be investigated from the book. |
| Curriculum Connections | Geography: Stage 1 People and Places (ACHGK010) identification that places exist across a range of scales eg personal, local, national (NESA, n.d.-b)
Cross Curriculum Priority- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Histories and Cultures (ATSIHC): CCP-ATSIHC OI.3 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have holistic belief systems and are spiritually and intellectually connected to the land, sea, sky and waterways (Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), n.d.). |
| Supplementary Resources | Additional Teacher notes for book engagement (NLA Publishing, n.d.) |
| Resource 6 | |
| Bibliographic Details | Tisdell, S. (n.d.). The river [Video]. Story Box Library Pty Ltd. https://storyboxlibrary.com.au/stories/the-river |
| Format | Online video |
| Genre | Australian stories |
| Annotation | Tisdell (n.d.) commences the reading of this online story by giving a sensory perspective of the land from which she reads the story. This focus on the senses and gratitude could be expanded to the students with their own local sensory walk in their locality or other experiential tasks involving the senses. The book itself also takes a multi-sensory approach to storytelling looking at evocative language explaining the area the story is set; a river with animals living in the ecosystem. This too links with aspects of the Science curriculum content for Stage 1 Living Things (NSW Education Standards Authority, n.d.-a). |
| Curriculum Connections | Geography: Stage 1 People and Places (ACHGK010) identification that places exist across a range of scales eg personal, local, national (NESA, n.d.-b)
Cross Curriculum Priority- ATSIHC: CCP-ATSIHC OI.3 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have holistic belief systems and are spiritually and intellectually connected to the land, sea, sky and waterways (ACARA, n.d.). |
| Resource 7 | |
| Bibliographic Details | earth.google.com. (n.d.). Where on Google Earth is Carmen Sandiego? [online video game]. https://earth.google.com/web/@17.90693717,-12.41937117,-34606.6327455a,57359668.97d,35y,0.00004064h,18.19296234t,0r/data=CjwSOhIgYmU3N2ZmYzU0MTc1MTFlOGFlOGZkMzdkYTU5MmE0MmEiFnNwbC14LXgteC1zcGxhc2hzY3JlZW4 |
| Format | Interactive online game |
| Genre | Mystery |
| Annotation | This resource takes the 1980s version of the computer game of the same name to the next level. Users must solve the puzzle of where Carmen Sandiego is traveling in the world by solving clues which directly relate to 3D images on Google Earth. A great introduction to geological maps online. Facts about each country visited are included in the clues and will require students to use online research to work out the answers. |
| Curriculum Connections | Geography: Stage 1 People and Places (ACHGK013) identification of factors influencing people’s accessibility to places |
| Supplementary Resources | Flags of the world images (Countries-ofthe-world.com, 2008-2022) |
References
Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority. (n.d.). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures (version 8.4). https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/cross-curriculum-priorities/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-histories-and-cultures/
Countries-ofthe-world.com. (2008-2022). Country flags of the world. https://www.countries-ofthe-world.com/flags-of-the-world.html
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. (2022). Australian National Anthem. https://www.pmc.gov.au/government/australian-national-anthem
NLA Publishing. (n.d.). The Gum family finds home: Teachers’ Notes. https://pegiwilliams.com.au/pdfs/teachernotes/9780642279255.pdf
NSW Department of Education. (2020). EAL/D advice for schools. NSW Department of Education. https://education.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/main-education/policy-library/associated-documents/eald_advice.pdf
NSW Education Standards Authority. (n.d.-a). Living World. https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/k-10/learning-areas/science/science-and-technology-k-6-new-syllabus/content/2762
NSW Education Standards Authority. (n.d.-b). People and places. https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/k-10/learning-areas/hsie/geography-k-10/content/1178
Reading Australia. (2022). Are we there yet? Copyright Agency. https://readingaustralia.com.au/lesson/are-we-there-yet/
Wiggly Karaoke. (2021, September 25). Over in the meadow (karaoke) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppPZqDEQL0k