Contents:

• International Women’s Day: 8th March
• Harmony Day: 21st March
• Reconciliation Week: 27 May – 3 June
• Book Week: 17 to 23 August

 

International Women’s Day 

Editable powerpoint: International Women’s Day

History 

Bella Guerin: Bella was the first woman to graduate from an Australian university in 1883.

Voting Rights: On 18 December 1894, South Australia was the first electorate in the world to give equal political rights to both men and women.
https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/womens-suffrage

Recognising amazing women: 

Dr Fiona Wood: Australian plastic surgeon and ‘Spray-on Skin’ pioneer. Fiona Wood and Marie Stoner used tissue engineering technology to treat burns using ‘spray-on skin’. Dr Wood was the 2005 Australian of the Year. More information:
https://www.australianoftheyear.org.au/honour-roll/?view=fullView&recipientID=108
https://www.fionawoodfoundation.com/about-us/professor-fiona-wood/

Maryam Mirzakani: mathematician who explored the dynamics and geometry of complex surfaces, she was a mathematics professor at Stanford University, and the first woman to win a Fields Medal (maths most prestigious prize), and enjoys solving difficult problems that may take months or years to solve. https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/maryam-mirzakhanis-pioneering-mathematical-legacy  ; https://www.wired.com/2014/08/maryam-mirzakhani-fields-medal/ ; https://www.nature.com/articles/549032a

Sam Kerr: “taken the soccer world by storm in recent years, starring on the international stage with the Matildas, as well as dominating the domestic leagues in America and Australia.” https://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/the-price-sam-kerr-had-to-pay-to-dominate-women-s-football

Recent News 

The AFLW Grand Final sets an AFLW crowd record with more than 53,000 at Adelaide Oval
https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/womens-afl/the-aflw-grand-final-sets-an-aflw-crowd-record-with-more-than-46000-at-adelaide-oval/news-story/92c40074add8a1f6c951b85fca521a48

Harmony Day: 21st March

Harmony Day introductory PowerPoint (editable): Harmony Day

Harmony Week is about inclusiveness, respect and belonging for all Australians, regardless of cultural or linguistic background, united by a set of core Australian values. Reference and resources: https://www.harmony.gov.au/about/

Examples of amazing Australians, from a range of backgrounds, who are successful and help others in the community. See Harmony Day PowerPoint resource for more information.

• Bashar Krayem
• Nova Peris
• Turia Pitt
• Anh Do

Resources for supporting learning about the values of inclusiveness, respect and belonging. 
“The Invisible Boy” by Trudy Ludwig

More resources… 

• Inspirational books and videos
• Activities to support social and emotional learning 
• Anti-bullying resources 

Reconciliation Week: 27 May – 3 June

I recommend teachers consult their Aboriginal Community Education Officer prior to undertaking activities for Reconciliation Week.

Mathematics
Dr Chris Matthews from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Maths Alliance, explains how maths is everywhere and how we can change mindsets about maths to better respond to children’s natural curiosity.

History
The Rabbits by John Marsden and Shaun Tan

Art 
See link for a range of resources for learning about traditional and contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists: https://briannalaxton.blog/2018/08/26/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-art/

Sustainability Connections: Sculptures made out of recycled materials

Students collected recycled materials and used these to create sculptures inspired by the Erub Arts Collaborative: Ghost Nets from the Ocean. Students could not use modern join techniques such as sticky-tape, instead tied materials.
Tarnanthi Ghost Nets Resource

STEM– Toy Design unit which includes making connections to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and cultures (Australian Curriculum Cross Curriculum Priority) through researching toys from traditional Aboriginal culture.

• Click here for complete STEM Toy Design Unit Plan.
• Resource for researching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander toys and games:  https://australianmuseum.net.au/australian-aboriginal-toys

Or…Design, plant and maintain an Aboriginal bush tucker garden. Click here for gardening resources. Provenance Indigenous Plants at Salisbury Park (South Australia) sell such plants. For example, Silver Banksia, Coastal Saltbush, Coast Boobialla, Elegant Wattle, Native Flax, Native pelargonium, Ruby Saltbush, Seaberry Saltbush, Berry Saltbush, Karkalla, Muntries.

 

Book Week: 17 to 23 August

Book Week website: https://www.cbca.org.au/cbca-book-week

Collection of inspirational books, with themes such as kindness, respect, persistence and resilience:  https://briannalaxton.blog/2018/12/03/inspiring-videos-and-books/

The power of reading: to educate, to entertain and so much more… 

Advice from an author: 

More resources… 

• One picture everyday. Great for literacy writing prompts. http://www.pobble365.com/
• Storyline Online: videos of picture books being read. https://www.storylineonline.net/
• Readers’ Theater Scripts. I use Readers’ Theater as one of my Guided Reading groups. http://www.thebestclass.org/rtscripts.html

Teacher resources for reading instruction 

• Click here for resources for teaching reading and comprehension, including Guided Reading . 
• Storyline Online- FREE: videos of picture books being read
  https://www.storylineonline.net/
• Decodable readers- FREE: Readers can be put on an ipad, or printed and stapled to make a physical book. http://www.speld-sa.org.au/services/phonic-books.html
• NAPLAN Past reading comprehension papers- FREE
  http://www.acara.edu.au/assessment/naplan-2008-2011-test-papers/naplan-2012-2015-test-papers
• Texts and comprehension questions- FREE
  https://www.readworks.org/
• Free comprehension resources and posters
  https://debbiedraper-educationalconsultant.vpweb.com.au/comprehension 
• Readers’ Theater Scripts- FREE http://www.thebestclass.org/rtscripts.html