 | Other highly recommended resources |  | SmarterSchools: Parental Engagement This website has some excellent case studies, materials and ideas about parental engagement. While not all of the materials have an Aboriginal and Torres Stait Islander focus, schools will find them very useful. Click on the image below.....
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Class Movies is an in-school and in-class documentary making project where students record their own content about their school's or class's activity, and send it away to be professionally-edited into a DVD for sale or give-away to parent, community members. Class Movies provides an easy-to-use guide Class Movies is an excellent tool for student engagement and provides a hassle-free opportunity to tell a school's own story to parents and community. Hand-on learning, creativity and connecting with families, all in one. Some school systems like WA Catholic Education Office use Class Movies widely. Click to find out more www.classmovies.com
Honey Ant Readers
Legitimising a child's first language gives them greater self-esteem and a greater chance of success.
Once you can read, you can read. If children can read in their first language, they can read in another language. Reading is a process of decoding graphemes into phonemes - from words into sound. The language of the Honey Ant Readers progresses from Aboriginal English to colloquial Standard Australian English according to Theories of Second Language Acquisition, while allowing for differences due to the influence of Aboriginal English.
There are 20 Honey Ant Readers, and these move from 1 - in Aboriginal English - to 20 - which is fully in Standard Australian English.
Studies show that phonological awareness has a high corollary to reading development. Sounds have to be learned.
Standard English has 44 phonemes including 24 consonant sounds. Only seven of those consonant sounds are found in Central Australian Aboriginal languages - so students have a large number of new consonant sounds that they need to learn in order to speak Standard Australian English.
More information about Honey Ant Readers at www.honeyant.com.au
Us Mob
UsMob is a dynamic interactive website set in the Town Camps of Alice Springs. Adults and children from the Arrernte community were involved in the creation of the project, which includes the website, interactive games and short films following the lives of four Indigenous teenagers. The key target audience for the overall UsMob project is 8 - 14 year olds but the site also gives adults an insight into the challenges and experiences of young people living in Indigenous communities.
UsMob has been designed as a collaborative project delivering messages of building relationships, experiencing culture and learning about community. Directed by David Vadiveloo, Us Mob has been developed with the Arrernte community, including the Tangentyere Council and the Aboriginal Town Camp Council in Alice Springs. The websites teacher's information includes fact sheets related to each of the 7 episodes.
NB: The interactive component of the site requires broadband. For more detailed requirements, see the front page of the website.
Sharing Culture
Sharing Culture programs offers award winning resources introducing some of the cultural, artistic and language aspects using examples of the Yolngu people of NE Arnhem land. All content and resources are developed by Indigenous people to ensure that cultural aspects are represented appropriately and retain their authenticity.
For further information visit www.sharingculture.com.au
National Indigenous Television
National Indigenous Television (NITV) is a new 24-hour television service established by Indigenous Australians.For more information go to: http://nitv.org.au/
The Bridge
The Bridge - Towards Reconciliation is an interactive board game - a learning tool that promotes reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. It aims to increase knowledge and understanding of Australian Indigenous peoples and to celebrate the many contributions made by Australian Indigenous peoples to Australian society.
It covers areas including art and culture, sport, general knowledge, history, politics and law. You will travel around Aboriginal Australia. You will negotiate treaties and you will have fun whilst you learn!
Already many schools have purchased the learning tool. It is suitable for curriculum activities in high schools and for in-service training for primary school teachers. It is also suitable for TAFE and University courses, workplace training, community and family use. It is designed so that participants can play in teams. It is non-competitive - the message is about co-operation and respect.
If you want to learn more about the learning tool go to www.therbridge.com
The website also includes a teacher's guide.
If you wish to order a copy of The Bridge you can order from our resources order form, or directly through their website here.
Indij Readers
FOR LITTLE FULLAS, FOR BIG FULLAS is a series of books featuring contemporary Aboriginal stories with illustrations by Aboriginal artists.
The aim of the series is to help kids learn to read - both Indigenous and non Indigenous. The stories deal in a relaxed and often amusing way with issues that affect the lives of all children: culture, family, self esteem, pride, setting goals and working towards them, good health, humour, tolerance and school attendance. A Teachers Guide accompanies the books and includes cultural information, lesson notes and activity sheets for each story.
For further information http://www.indijreaders.com.au/
Institute for Aboriginal Development Inc
IAD Press publishes books by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of acknowledge their significant involvement. Their titles present aspects of language, art, history and culture, and engage with contemporary issues through young peoples' fiction, short stories and poetry.
Click here to download a brochure or IAD Press online store: www.iad.edu.au/press contains full details of their available titles.
Dreamtime Kullilla-Art
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Products. Click here to download a brochure.
Questacon
Questacon ScienceLines focuses on engaging Indigenous Australians with science and technology, specially developing programmes with and for Indigenous students, their teachers and community members who may have no other opportunity to do science the Questacon way!
ScienceLines presenters travel to events, schools and communities in regional, rural and very remote areas of Australia to deliver these programmes which cover a broad range of science and technology topics in a variety of formats (eg. workshops, shows, presentations) - always in a fun, interactive and hands-on manner.
Our Indigenous Outreach Programmes aim to excite Indigenous students about science and technology, inspire their interest in these areas of study and introduce students to possible science and technology career options.
To learn about Questacon ScienceLines' programmes, follow the link www.questacon.edu.au/html/iop.html
Communicating positively: A guide to appropriate Aboriginal terminology
A booklet developed by NSW Health to provide background and guidance on appropriate word usage when working with Aboriginal people and communities, and when developing policy and programs to improve health outcomes for Aboriginal people. The use of accurate and non-offensive language is an essential component of Aboriginal cultural respect and communication training.
For further information and to download a copy of the booklet click here.
Australia's Indigenous Language
There are more than 250 Australian Indigenous Languages. This book introduces you to them. Australia's Indigenous Language shows that Australia's languages are rich, living languages that are relevant to all Austalians.
You can share the pride that Indigenous people have in their languages by reading their accounts of what their language means to them, and by learning about how Australian Indigenous languages are structured and used.
To order a copy contact:
Senior Secondary Assessment Board of South Austalia
60 Greenhill Road, Wayville SA 5034
Telephone: 08 8372 7400
Building Bridges
The Australian Early Childhood Association has published a resource that helps teachers understand Indigenous literacy. The Building Bridges book and video together produce a practical pack for early childhood professional working with Indigenous children from urban, rural and remote communities.
The Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers (AAMT)
The Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers (AAMT) is a member of the Taking it on Coalition. These are some of the teaching and learning resources from their catalogue that may be of interest to you and your staff. Members' prices are available to all school members of the Coalition on this order form.
To order a copy of any of these resources download a copy of the order form.
Racism No Way. A Guide for Australian Schools
Racism. No way! A Guide for Australian Schools is a document which aims to develop understanding of the nature of racism as well as skills to counter racism in the school context.
To download the guide click here.
Countering Racism
Countering racism: using a critical approach in teaching and learning contexts to explore portrayals of Aboriginality cover image of 'Countering racism' book
Adapt and implement critical literacy strategies from Countering racism: using a critical approach in teaching and learning contexts to explore portrayals of Aboriginality.
This book has units of work using a critical approach to explore texts eg video, postcards, sculpture, picture books and lyrics in music as well as useful strategies to explore values and beliefs about race and racism.
It has an annotated bibliography and information sheets included. Suitable for years 6-12
To order a copy contact:
Curriculum Corporation
PO Box 177, Carlton South, VIC, 3053
Telephone (toll free): 1800 887 991
Email: sales@curriculum.edu.au
Contextual teaching and learning: a strategy to improve educational outcomes for Aboriginal learners
This resource has been specifically designed to support educators of Aboriginal learners from reception to Year 10. Its focus on establishing appropriate contexts as a central component of effective teaching practice makes it, however, a valuable resource for educators of all learners in these years. It outlines a contextual teaching and learning model and provides a selection of units of work mainly in the Key Learning Areas (KLAs) of Mathematics and English, but also several that are relevant to Arts and Society and Environment.
To order a copy contact:
Curriculum Corporation
PO Box 177, Carlton South, VIC, 3053
Telephone (toll free): 1800887 991
Email: sales@curriculum.edu.au
What Works 
What Works is part of a national effort to improve outcomes for Indigenous students - a first priority for all Australian educators and trainers.
The website provides some information about that effort and, more importantly, provides advice and information about how improvement can be achieved and examples of contemporary cases where this has occurred. It is also designed to help teachers and administrators working in education and training TAKE ACTION.
For further information visit their website http://www.whatworks.edu.au/
Blackman Books
Blackman Books is a new independently owned e-business that specialises in Indigenous & Multicultural products. Their purpose is to gather all Indigenous & multicultural resources in one location to assist in education educators and the general public about the products and resources available to them.
For further information or to order resources visit their website www.blackmanbooks.com.
DVD's available through Dare to Lead
Dare to Lead has a number of DVD's available for purchase for member schools including Us Mob. Real Lives. Real Stories. How it Ends is up to you?, Aurukun Film Storytelling Project and So Many Languages to order a copy download an order form. | 
