In partnership with Nelson Cengage, we are giving away one set of resources from Our Land, Our Stories (winner’s choice) to a Reading Australia subscriber. Read on to learn more about the resource on offer, and visit the giveaway page when you are ready to enter.
As we prepare for the new school year, we’d like to highlight a fantastic resource from Nelson Cengage to help you teach Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stories effectively and respectfully: the landmark Our Land, Our Stories series, which represents and celebrates First Nations voices from all over Australia.
Our Land, Our Stories was created in partnership with the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS). AIATSIS cares for Australia’s largest collection of First Nations photographs, artworks, videos and printed materials, many of which have been incorporated into the series. AIATSIS was involved at every stage of production, checking for accuracy and cultural appropriateness, so teachers can be assured that the series is authentic and credible.
Our Land, Our Stories comprises three sets of resources for lower, middle and upper primary school. Each set contains a teacher’s resource book (packaged with a copy of Bruce Pascoe’s Little Red Yellow Black Book), three big books and a box of cards. The books and cards feature QR codes linked to rich digital content, enabling students to watch videos, view photographs and – most importantly – hear spoken language.
Many of the included stories were written by leading Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors, such as Bruce Pascoe, Professor Gary Foley, Shelley Ware, Lisa Fuller, Elder Carolyn Briggs, Professor John Maynard, Nayuka Gorrie, Nai Nai Bird, Bill ‘Yidumduma’ Harney and more. The lower primary stories were written by three children and their families from very different locations around Australia: Josie from Thursday Island in the Torres Strait, Orlando from Yilka Country in Western Australia and Shae from the Sunshine Coast in Queensland.
Indigenous students will see themselves reflected in these stories, while non-Indigenous students will read about the importance of Country and cultures to First Nations peoples, and the significant achievements and contributions of Indigenous people. Teachers will feel empowered to educate their students about First Nations peoples, cultures and histories, complete with important protocols, discussion points and student activities.
Like Reading Australia’s resources, Our Land, Our Stories is linked to the Australian Curriculum and the cross-curriculum priority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures. It was praised for its “authenticity in the way that it celebrates contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures” at the 2020 Educational Publishing Awards Australia (EPAAs), where it was the overall winner for Outstanding Primary Resource.
Nelson Cengage believes that Our Land, Our Stories has the potential to change how people think about Australian history. To this end they are giving one Reading Australia subscriber the chance to win a set of resources for their school! For entry details and terms and conditions, visit our giveaway page.