INDIGENOUS PERSPECTIVES
The PrimaryConnections Indigenous perspectives framework acknowledges people's differing worldviews and the diversity of perspectives that is the reality of Australian classrooms. The framework supports teachers' development of curricula that incorporates relevant, contextualised and embedded Indigenous perspectives to accelerate science and literacy learning outcomes for Indigenous students.
The Indigenous curriculum links are designed to assist teachers to create a context that will generate interest, discussion and exploration of Indigenous perspectives that enhance the learning outcomes in PrimaryConnections units. Linking with local Indigenous people to establish contextualised, relevant Indigenous perspectives is important and recommended in the Indigenous perspectives framework. Six key concept areas underpin the PrimaryConnections framework and are explained in the Connecting Minds DVD: Introduction
Click on the links in the table below to navigate to the Indigenous perspectives curriculum links.
Year |
Biological sciences |
Chemical sciences |
Earth and Space Science |
Physical sciences |
Curriculum focus: Awareness of self and the local world |
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K (Early stage 1) |
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1 (Stage 1) |
Spot the difference |
Up, down and all around  |
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2 (Stage 1) |
Watch it grow! (Formerly known as Growing and changing) |
All mixed up |
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Curriculum focus: Recognising questions that can be investigated scientifically and investigating them |
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3 (Stage 2) |
Feathers, fur or leaves? |
Melting moments (Formerly known as Runny or not) |
Heating up |
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4 (Stage 2) |
Beneath our feet (Formerly known as Buried in time) |
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5 (Stage 3) |
Desert survivors |
Solids, liquids and gases |
Earth's place in Space |
Light fantastic |
6 (Stage 3) |
It's electrifying/
Essential energy |
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| Note: Shaded boxes indicate published PrimaryConnections units. Unshaded boxes indicate units in development. | |
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Incorporating Indigenous perspectives |
The Western Australian Department of Education and Training has developed the Aboriginal Perspectives Across the Curriculum (APAC) project to contribute to broadening and deepening students' and teachers' understanding of Aboriginal cultures and ways of being. Choose from sample lesson plans that feature an Aboriginal context at: http://www.det.wa.edu.au/education/abled/apac/lessons/lessons_area_science.html
Indigenous Science Links available at: http://members.ozemail.com.au/~mmichie/netlinks.htm
Indij Readers is an innovative and unique, not-for-profit company that develops and publishes contemporary, Indigenous literacy materials for Indigenous and non-Indigenous students learning to read and write. See http://www.indijreaders.com.au/
The ideas of classification used in science are not shared by Indigenous people. Their classifications tend to be based on utility, not the same criteria which we use in the different areas of science.
See http://members.ozemail.com.au/~mmichie/engag_class.htm
