Education resource guide
Prepared by Cultural Infusion for Australian primary school teachers
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Table of Contents
Note from Cultural Infusion..................................................................................................................... 4
Using this guide ....................................................................................................................................... 5
What is culture? ...................................................................................................................................... 6
Extra teacher resources....................................................................................................................... 6
Food and culture ..................................................................................................................................... 7
Extra teacher resources....................................................................................................................... 7
Languages in culture................................................................................................................................ 8
Extra teacher resources....................................................................................................................... 9
Music and culture .................................................................................................................................. 10
Extra teacher resources..................................................................................................................... 10
Example lesson plans............................................................................................................................. 11
Appendix 1: Educational questions (by cultural profile) ........................................................................ 22
Ajak (South Sudanese, African).......................................................................................................... 22
Alan (Aborigine, Australian) ............................................................................................................... 23
Raniem & The Ladies (Syrian and Turkish, Middle Eastern) .............................................................. 24
Maria & Helen (Samoan, Pacific Islander and Greek, European)....................................................... 25
Sean & Buddha (Cambodian and Vietnamese, Asian) ....................................................................... 26
Alice (Georgian, Eastern European)................................................................................................... 27
Bachar (Lebanese, Middle Eastern) ................................................................................................... 28
Flavio (Argentinean, South American) ............................................................................................... 29
Tiffany (Outback Australian) .............................................................................................................. 30
Appendix 2: Activities by year level ....................................................................................................... 31
Activities by year level: foundation – grade 2................................................................................... 31
Activities by year level: grades 3 – 4.................................................................................................. 34
Activities by year level: grades 5 – 6.................................................................................................. 37
Appendix 3: Recipes for Harmony activity sheets .................................................................................. 40
Match and colour activity: ................................................................................................................. 40
Find and colour activity: .................................................................................................................... 40
Word find: ......................................................................................................................................... 40
Appendix 4: Icebreakers ........................................................................................................................ 45
Human knot ....................................................................................................................................... 45
What’s in a name? ............................................................................................................................. 46
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Tell them how it is ............................................................................................................................. 47
Trust tube .......................................................................................................................................... 48
Appendix 5: Related Activities ............................................................................................................... 49
Human interest ................................................................................................................................. 49
Outside the in-group ......................................................................................................................... 50
Driven out.......................................................................................................................................... 51
Appendix 6: Compliance Matrix ............................................................................................................ 52
FOUNDATION (PREP) YEAR MATRIX .................................................................................................. 52
GRADE 1 / GRADE 2 YEAR LEVEL MATRIX .......................................................................................... 54
GRADE 3 / GRADE 4 YEAR LEVEL MATRIX .......................................................................................... 57
GRADE 5 / GRADE 6 YEAR LEVEL MATRIX .......................................................................................... 60
Appendix 7: Additional Resources ......................................................................................................... 67
Credits ................................................................................................................................................... 68
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Note from Cultural Infusion
“A nation’s culture resides in the hearts and soul of its people.” – Mahatma Gandhi
With the recent implementation of intercultural understanding as a general capability within the
Australian Curriculum, we are now able to recognise and educate the next generation of the
contribution of domestic and international culture in Australian society.
Our society is rich and diverse with culture, and with every passing year we grow richer as people
settle in this country, set up business, contribute to society and have their own families. Use this
guide to support learning though the eBook Recipes for Harmony. Couple these activities with your
own lessons and activities; include it with rich cultural experiences both internally and externally at
schools. With the growing diversity comes a new climate in Australian schools, and a fantastic
opportunity for everyone to share in learning across the whole spectrum.
We’ve gathered recipes and personal stories from all over the country to help you celebrate
Australia’s cultural diversity. Supported by the Australian Government Department of Social Services
in partnership with the Scanlon Foundation, the eBook has been created especially for primary school
students to highlight people from diverse backgrounds who call Australia home.
The eBook and teacher resources have been launched to coincide with the 15th anniversary of
Harmony Day on 21 March 2015, and A Taste of Harmony events occurring from 16-21 March 2015
where schools can register to gain access to additional resources and share stories of cultural
heritage. Recipes for Harmony has been produced by Cultural Infusion, the nation’s leading education
provider in intercultural content presenting incursions and programs in schools. Cultural Infusion’s
CEO, Peter Mousaferiadis comments, “Today intercultural understanding must be a core value and key
competency of global citizenship. Humanity's greatest asset is our cultural diversity. As a global society
we have the opportunity to draw on diverse ideas, skills, and knowledge to foster innovation, creation
and progress for a richer and more harmonious world.”
Combined with extensive teachers’ resource notes, this multi-purpose cross disciplinary tool to
educate students on cultures from across the globe with text, videos and audio covering personal
stories, recipes and cultural profiles from both prolific personalities and everyday Australians. Adapt
the eBook and associated activities within your lesson plans and explore the many diverse corners of
the globe within your classroom.
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Using this guide
This guide has been created with teachers in mind. You are welcome to take and modify whatever
you find enclosed to support teaching culture and intercultural awareness in your classroom. Most of
the activities are very adaptable however it is best to accompany them alongside the Recipes for
Harmony eBook to assist students learning in this area.
Within this guide, you can choose multiple streams of engagement within your classroom.

One stream might be to focus on a single cultural talent and discuss them at length with the
support materials and additional materials you can source from the internet and your school
library.

Another option might be to focus on many cultural talents to compare and contrast, utilising
chosen examples and classroom highlights from this package and your own materials.

Another lesson could focus on all of the cultures, utilising the included broader activity sheets
and allow students to link more closely to some broader concepts that are presented in fun
and educational activities.
Age and grade levels are simply a guide for you as the teacher. Be sure to choose the appropriateness
of the questions. You can potentially develop your own or even use questions or activities from more
advanced or less advanced years if you feel they are more appropriate for your classroom.
The key goal is to expand the students understanding of the cultures across Australia. How you do
this, is up to you.
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What is culture?
“Culture is the collective programming of the human mind that distinguishes the members of
one human group from those of another. Culture in this sense is a system of collectively held
values.” - Geert Hofstede
In other words, culture simply defines individuals and communities as a part of an in-group, by
distinguishing away from the out-group members. It is culture that keeps societies together, as a
result of underlying hidden or observable values.
However, the underlying meaning of out-group does not concentrate on discrimination of other
cultures. Personal ability to distinguish what one’s culture is, creates a deeper understanding of
knowing the similarities and differences between individuals and societies.
Communication among other members of the same or other culture allows individuals to share those
values and constantly interrelate. Values can be shaped by past experiences and history of the people
from that culture.
School cultures also form beliefs, perceptions, relationships, attitudes, and written and unwritten
rules that shape and influence every aspect of how a school functions. Furthermore this also includes
physical and emotional safety of students, the orderliness of classrooms and public spaces, or the
degree to which a school embraces and celebrates racial, ethnic, linguistic, or cultural diversity.
Culture encompasses many things including:
 values
 knowledge
 attitudes
 beliefs
 interpretation and meaning
 religion
 experience
 concepts
 material possessions
 music
 language
 food
Extra teacher resources
For further resource notes on the subject matter, these links can assist you to find extra information:
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Australia – International Cultural Council
Changingmind.org – What is culture?
The Glossary of Education Reform – School Culture
Texas A&M University - Culture
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Food and culture
“If you really want to make a friend, go to someone’s house and eat with him… the people who
give you their food give you their heart.” – Cesar Chavez
Food, cooking, and eating habits play a central role in every culture.
Eating is never a purely biological activity since the consumption of food, whether it is simply or
elaborately prepared, is always imbued with meaning, which is understood and communicated often
in symbolic and ritualistic ways.
Preparing food for consumption, and eating socially, are activities that are conducted for purposes
other than mere nutrition. Most early civilizations have been built on the cultivation of one staple
food crop, which is almost invariably endowed with religious significance, the origin of which is usually
shrouded in myth. In most cultures also, people often do not feel satisfied if their principal meal does
not involve a product of the traditional staple food. Thus, the diet of 75% of the world's population is
still based on one principal starch food.
Elaboration of the cultural significance of food and eating focuses on social values, meanings and
beliefs rather than on dietary requirements and nutritional values. Some cultures have an underlying
idea about rules which apply to food and eating.
Cultural rules can be described by:
 good and bad table-manners
 right and wrong ways to present dishes
 clear understandings about food appropriate to different occasions
 what should be consumed or avoided
The meaning behind food consumption
Foods can convey a range of cultural meanings; to communicate information of occasion, social
status, ethnicity and health. Atkinson (1980) has remarked, a “mouthful of wine will convey very
different meanings to the professional wine taster, the bon viveur, the Christian celebrating Holy
Communion and the alcoholic down-and-out”.
The cultivation, distribution, preparation, and appreciation of delicious and healthy food are critical to
our individual and cultural well-being. Furthermore, preparation and consumption of food provides
the ability for expression of abstract significance of social systems and cultural values. Intake of
various foods may define an individual’s social identity, and membership of social group.
Extra teacher resources
For further resource notes on the subject matter, these links can assist you to find extra information:
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Association for the Study of Food and Society
Scanlon Foundation – Taste of Harmony
(PDF) Symposium on Food habits and culture in the UK
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Languages in culture
“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in
his language that goes to his heart.” – Nelson Mandela
Defining language
Language is a form communication between people. Language can change in time and place,
depending on the individual and collective learning ability. It can be written or spoken words, but it is
also rich in symbols such as hand movements. AUSLAN, for example, is the Australian sign language,
which is a cultural language for deaf people expressed primarily by hand and facial gestures. There
are also particular hand movements in diverse cultures which are attributed with certain meanings
such as the closed hand palms together which is a custom in Thailand, Cambodia and India when
greet which can also mean giving thanks or apologies.
The highest percentage of the world’s population (46%) speak the Indo-European languages. This
includes English, Russian, Spanish, and Hindustani. The Sino-Tibetan languages, which include
Mandarin are used by 21% of the world.
As a result of globalisation, languages which are widely recognisable around the world supersede
other historic languages which are no longer desired by the society. This leads to the extinction of
certain languages that may affect cultural diversity.
There are almost 7,000 distinct languages in the world. However, it is not possible to provide a
specific number of languages as some are considered to be different as a result of dialect.
Linguistics refers to the study of language. Sign or oral language involves a phonological system which
administers the way in which symbols are used to form sequences. These sequences are known as
words or morphemes, which are administered by the syntactic system in order to form phrases when
joined.
Language has most likely developed in the process of people’s ability to form representation of their
and other’s mind, and characterise distinct mental states of others from oneself. These processes
have developed over time with the need for more socially superior communication skills, thus forming
numerous sounds and visual representations.
Physically speaking, certain areas of the brain are responsible for speech and the further use of
language. “Broca’s area” is responsible for speech production, while “Wernicke’s area” is responsible
for speech comprehension.
In contrast to animals, human communication is far more advanced. Whales or birds for example
have the ability to communicate songs among each other from imitating members of their specie.
However, there is no complex language included in animal communication which contains grammar
or syntax.
UNESCO five points of language endangerment include being "safe", "vulnerable" (language only
spoken at home), "definitely endangered" (not spoken by children), "severely endangered" (spoken by
the oldest groups), and "critically endangered" (only spoken by some members of the oldest
generation).
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Importance of language in cultures
Culture helps define the identity of individuals which contributes to how the outlook of self and the
group of which the identity is present. Language is a part of culture which reflects communicating
values, beliefs and customs. Language fosters group identity and belonging. Through language,
meanings as well as valued traditions can be conveyed and preserved.
Australia is one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse nations in the world. This diversity has
always been embedded in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander societies and has grown in the last 200
years along with the arrival of people from over 150 distinct cultures from around the world.
Although English is the dominant language in Australia, many people also speak another language
within the family and community setting. Over 300 other than English are spoken in Australia today.
Understanding others can lead to a better understanding of self: identity is complex, as individuals are
defined on the basis of comparison or in relation to other people - individually and collectively, in a
constantly shifting pattern.
Extra teacher resources
For further resource notes on the subject matter, these links can assist you to find extra information:
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racismnoway – About Racism
UNESCO.org – Leaning: The treasure within
UNESCO.org – Endangered Languages
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Music and culture
“I think music in itself is healing. It’s an explosive expression of humanity. It’s something we are
all touched by. No matter what culture we’re from, everyone loves music.” – Billy Joel
What is music?
Music is a form of art, which conveys the culture of the given society and group. Furthermore,
music allows groups to communicate. Memory of music may be greater for culturally familiar
music, due to early life experiences as early as in infancy. However, those preferences may
change in adulthood.
Similarly just like with language, music is an extension of the celebration in communication of
emotions and information of knowledge. Metaphorically, sound may also convey messages which
have been acquired earlier.
The study of ethnomusicology is the holistic approach to studying music in its cultural contexts.
This is often described not only as looking at the history of music, but broadly looking at music
within culture, music as culture and music as a reflection of culture. Every culture of the world
has created or contributed to the development of music for religious, traditional or
entertainment means.
According to Levitin (2008), there are six songs communicated to the world:
 Friendship
 Joy
 Comfort
 Knowledge
 Religion
 Love
(The World in Six Songs)
Extra teacher resources
For further resource notes on the subject matter, these links can assist you to find extra
information:
-
Australia.gov.au – Music and Performance.
(PDF) Music as Culture: Toward a Multicultural Concept of Arts Education.
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Example lesson plans
Included within this guide are four example structured lesson plans you are welcome to use or adapt
within your classroom. They are structured for different year levels however can be adapted and used
across the year level and draws directly on the questions and activities listed within the Appendix 4 of
this document.
Year level: grade 2
Approximate duration: 30 mins
Objective: Introduce students to the chosen culture through the eBook Recipes for Harmony and its
related activities.
Chosen culture: Argentinean – Flavio Perez
Materials required:
-
Class picture set of Argentinean food (sourced from Google), printed in colour and
contacted. Include ingredients on the back of each food.
Network enabled tablet device.
Projection and audio capabilities from tablet device.
Extension colouring activity with markers.
Learning intention: “Learning about Argentina with Recipes for Harmony.”
Introduction (1 - 2 mins):
State learning intention: “Today we are going to learn a little about Argentinean culture using the
Recipes for Harmony eBook. Flavio Perez is an Argentinean, martial artist now living in Adelaide,
South Australia.”
The eBook (10 - 12 mins):
Utilise the eBook and read out the story to the class (using the playback function if available). If
time permits, ensure the class spend time looking at pictures of Flavio and engaging with some of
the cultural material included in the resource. Ensure that you stop to fill student knowledge gaps
as you go.
Activity “Questions for Flavio” (4 - 5 mins):
Measure the engagement levels of the students as you go through the eBook, as well as relating
the questioning to the material. Utilise the questions as you see fit, it is not necessary to deliver all
the questions.
Questions:
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(Food) - Have you been to a family barbeque? How often do you have one?
Response – Varied depending on cross sectional nature of the classroom extend this and be
inclusive in the response.
(Arts & traditions) - Did you know martial arts and dance are very similar? How many martial arts
are there? How many dance styles? Where are they from?
Response – There are over hundreds of martial arts styles worldwide. Break up some of the
responses the class might give to their place of origin (List_of_martial_arts). There is at least as
many dance styles as there are cultures in the world. Many cultures and styles have variants within
the same style. List a few according to place/culture of origin (List of dances).
(Culture) - How many languages are there in Australia? How many are spoken in this school?
“Learn hello in a few different languages” activity (5 - 6 mins):
Teacher to research common cultures in the classroom.
Response - There are over 200 languages spoken in Australia and they vary from state to state
according to most popular (Racism noway).
N.B. This statistic references languages with more than 150 speakers.
Print out a “cheat sheet” involving some common classroom languages, you can utilise this website
(Omniglot) or a similar help deliver this. Be sure to include Spanish on the phrases and Argentinean
culture page to link to the eBook material.
Food activity (8 - 10 mins):
Argentina is rich in a number of cuisines inspired by Spanish and influence by other cultures over
the course of a number of centuries. Across a table, spread out images of Argentinean dishes
sourced from the internet. These foods also have a number of ingredients. Pick your favourite and
see if you know some of the ingredients that go into those foods.
Conclusion (1 - 2 mins):
Wrap up explaining the activities that has just happened. Include feedback as necessary.
“We’ve now had a chance to learn more about a specific culture that makes up part of Australia.
Over the course of the next few weeks we’ll look at a few more cultures so that you can learn
about Australia’s multicultural heritage.”
Extension activity (colouring activity):
For children in need of additional engagement materials or an alternative activity, utilise the
colouring activity sheets with colouring markers.
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Assessment:
Teachers should assess engagement and creative skills of students in both an individual and group
basis against a standard assessment tool.
National curriculum linkages:
Teachers are encouraged to adapt lesson plans to meet their own curriculum priorities within their
school and to use the curriculum linkages as a guide. This lesson plan may contain elements that
can be utilised for younger and older year levels.
(ACELA1460) (ACELA1461) (ACELA1470) (ACHHK044) (ACHGS013)
(ACADAM003) (ACADAR004) (ACAMAM054) (ACTDIK001) (ACPPS018) (ACPPS024)
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Year level: grade 4/5
Approximate duration: 30 – 40 mins
Objective: To engage students with several cultures through the eBook Recipes for Harmony and its
related activities.
Chosen culture/s: All cultures profiled in the eBook, or also can be limited to a teacher’s selection if
questions are specific.
Materials required:
-
-
-
Class set of network enabled tablet devices (at least one per two students but preferably
1:1) with earphones for each student (or pair). Recipes for Harmony will need to have been
preloaded on the devices.
Teacher devised questions relating to all cultures, broad enough to adapt to the particular
cultures that are chosen by the students. These can be limited to four distinct comparison
questions.
An audio and video enabled electronic whiteboard or similar device paired with the
teachers tablet device for demonstrative purposes.
Additional extension activities as required for students with extra needs or requirements.
Learning intention: “Comparing cultures: difference and similarities.”
Introduction and instructions (2 - 3 mins):
State the learning Intention: “Good morning class, today we are going to use the Recipes for
Harmony eBook and learn more about cultures that are present in Australia. Take out your iPad
and open the eBook icon on your screens.”
Demonstrate assessing culture to the class via the interactive whiteboard or projection. Encourage
at least one video option and one personal story (audio/text) option. Students can view up to three
cultures.
Cultures (9 - 11 mins):
Teacher supervises the class and ensures that all students (and/or pairs) are accessing the cultures
and reading/listening/watching each culture as necessary. Try to ensure an even spread across the
class for all the cultures.
Find and colour broad activity sheet (Appendix 3) – whole class adaptation (5 - 8 mins):
Teacher sketches the broad activity sheet onto the board (or their own variant) and it includes
missing letters. Another variant could be a “hangman” style game, which might take some time but
would be more rewarding if the students are familiar with the game. Teacher (or a student)
facilitates the filling out of this activity.
Students also could be encouraged to fill out the sheet on they own.
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Questions on culture (10 mins):
Teacher can then give each group a question (more if they happen to move quickly through it) to
compare the cultures and the people they are studying. It is encouraged that they use the eBook
however the teacher may supplement the activity with additional ICT materials or textbooks on
specific cultures.
Examples of questions might include:
1) Explain the differences in music between each culture. How do they present/play to an
audience? How formal is their style?
2) How similar is each cultures’ food to another culture that you are looking at? Do they use
the same ingredients? How different/similar are the tastes?
3) What do the cultures have in common with each other? How do they sleep? What jobs do
they do? How hot/cold/wet/dry is their home country? Do they celebrate the same
holidays?
4) Is the countries they come from bigger or smaller than Australia? How crowded is their
capital cities compared to Australia? How big is the average family here and in their home
country? Compare.
Presentations (14 - 15 mins):
Singles or pairs are encouraged to get up and present some quick information on the question/s
they were given and present it to the class. This needs to be kept quite tight as some children might
want to share a lot, while others might not want to share much at all (though should be
encouraged through prompting questions).
Conclusion (1-2 mins):
Wrap up with a student/s explaining what has just happened. Including extra student feedback as
necessary (but keep it short).
“We’ve now had a chance to learn more about a broad cross section of cultures that make up
Australia. Over the course of the next few weeks we’ll look more in-depth at a few more cultures so
that you can learn about Australia’s multicultural heritage.”
Word find extension activity:
For children that are either struggling to deliver the exercise or engage with the material, they can
receive the word find and be asked to find as many words related to the stories and videos as
possible. They can also take this home as homework.
Assessment:
Teachers should assess engagement, teamwork and comprehension skills on whatever assessment
materials they have.
National curriculum linkages:
Teachers are encouraged to adapt lesson plans to meet their own curriculum priorities within their
school and to use the curriculum linkages as a guide. This lesson plan may contain elements that
can be utilised for younger and older year levels.
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(ACELT1603) (ACELY1687) (ACELY1689) (ACELY1692) (ACELT1608) (ACELT1610) (ACELY1700)
(ACHHK077) (ACHHS085) (ACHHK096) (ACHGK020) (ACHGK023) (ACHGK026) (ACHGK028)
Year level: foundation (prep) and/or grade 1
Approximate duration: 40 - 45 mins
Objective: To engage students with several cultures from the Recipes for Harmony eBook.
Chosen culture/s: Aboriginal (Australia) and Vietnam/Cambodia.
Materials required:
-
Network enabled tablet with eBook loaded
Electronic whiteboard or projector and audio setup synced with tablet device.
Print out the colouring activity sheets for the foundation – grade 2 Level. Also add a class
set of coloured markers.
Learning Intention: “Learning about Aboriginal, Vietnamese and Cambodian cultures with Recipes
for Harmony.”
Introduction and reference to Aboriginal culture (4 - 5 mins):
State the learning intention. “Good afternoon students, today we are going to use the Recipes for
Harmony eBook and learn more about three cultures that are present in Australia. First we’ll begin
with a revisit on Australia’s First Peoples. After a game we’ll then look at Vietnamese and
Cambodian cultures.”
Play the audio story of Alan, pausing and fielding any questions as necessary.
Aboriginal culture questions (5 - 6 mins):
Teacher goes through a series of questions that are related to Aboriginal culture. These can be
devised by the teacher or use the examples below.
(Food) How many of you have tried bush tucker? Have you ever had kangaroo? How about
goanna? What do you think it would taste like?
(Arts & traditions) Have you ever seen a traditional Aboriginal dance? Have you ever tried
to play a didgeridoo? How about clap sticks? Have you seen Aboriginal paintings before?
(Culture) Have you met an Australian Indigenous person before? Did they live in the city or
in the outback?
The teacher may need to research some of these topics and provide visual stimulus for students to
help prompt their memories or at the very least give them something inspiration and engaging
material.
Art exercise – colouring and/or Aboriginal inspired art (13 – 15 mins)
16
Following the arts and traditions questioning, this can lead to naturally engaging students with
images of Aboriginal artwork, paying close attention to the flowing lines and the coloured dots.
Student can be encouraged to draw their own artwork inspired by Alan’s story or create their own.
Alternatively the teacher can use the prepared colouring images and get them to use the dots of
colour within that image/s.
Teachers can then have children attach the images or paintings to put on display within the
classroom and used as part of a larger study on Aboriginal culture.
Sean & Buddha video ( 5 - 6 mins):
Teacher leads the class through the next two cultures presented through the short video about
Sean and Buddha. Some general questions along the way might need to be answered where the
teacher can choose to pause the video and deliver a suitable answer.
Questions linking to Vietnamese and Cambodian cultures (6 - 7 mins):
Like with the Aboriginal culture, the teacher can create their own questions directly related to the
video or use some suggestions below.
(Food) What foods do you see on the video? Do you think it was really stinky? Would you
like to have a taste?
(Arts & traditions) Did you know food can be artistic?
(Culture) Are you the same as your parents? What makes you different?
Answers to these questions are likely going to be quite broad and it is worth steering questioning
between relating to items on the video and students reflecting on their own experiences with
Cambodian and Vietnamese culture. Is there a local restaurant that has these foods? It might also
be worthwhile seeing if the teacher can get a menu and talk about the names of some of the dishes
on the menu as well as the ingredients. Another area to focus on is how a number of cultures
traditionally eat with their hands either with some or all of their dishes. It is even interesting to
discover which hand is traditionally used for eating (and which is not) in cultures that use their
hands rather than utensils for eating.
Conclusion (2 - 3 mins):
Wrap up with a student or number of students explaining what has just happened. Including extra
student feedback as necessary (but keep it short).
“Over the course of the next few weeks we’ll look more in-depth at a few more cultures so that you
can learn about Australia’s multicultural heritage.”
Match and colour extension activity (Appendix 3):
As a homework or related activity, students can be given colouring activities for the cultures. For
particularly advanced students, they might want to do the early years’ activity sheet and link the
items to the culture presented on the sheet.
Assessment:
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Teachers should assess engagement, active and passive listening, creativity and comprehension
skills on whatever assessment materials they have.
National curriculum linkages:
Teachers are encouraged to adapt lesson plans to meet their own curriculum priorities within their
school and to use the curriculum linkages as a guide. This lesson plan may contain elements that
can be utilised for older year levels.
(ACELA1426) (ACELA1429) (ACELT1783) (ACELT1579) (ACELY1646) (ACELY1647) (ACELA1453)
(ACELT1582) (ACELY1655) (ACELY1656)
(ACHHK002) (ACHHS020) (ACHGK001) (ACHGK002) (ACHGK006)
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Year level: grade 6
Approximate duration: 60 mins
Objective: To use ICT to develop a world map of classroom culture, utilising some or many of the
cultures in the Recipes for Harmony eBook as a starting point.
Chosen culture/s: Some or all of the cultures from the Recipes for Harmony eBook plus additional
classroom cultures that are relevant. Teacher should also include some more popular cultures
(American, Chinese, New Zealand etc.) as well as other cultures less prevalent or familiar (Brazilian,
South African, Nepalese, Swiss etc.).
Materials required:
-
-
Class set of network enabled tablet devices (at least one per two students but preferably
1:1) with earphones for each student (or pair). Recipes for Harmony will need to have been
preloaded on the devices.
A large map of the world that can take up a sizable space on the wall. If nothing like this is
available, use a pre-activity to create this first.
An audio and video enabled electronic whiteboard or similar device paired with the
teachers tablet device for demonstrative purposes.
Single A4 paper and colour markers for students to create their own cultural flags.
Additional extension activities as required for students with extra needs or requirements.
Learning intention: “Creating a world map of classroom culture.”
Introduction and instructions (2 - 3 mins):
State the learning intention. “Good morning students, today we are going to begin a long term
project using the Recipes for Harmony eBook and learn more about the cultures that are present in
our classroom.”
Icebreaker activity (4 – 5 mins):
Use “A-Z of culture” in Icebreakers from (Appendix 4).
Watch a video (6 – 7 mins):
Teacher plays the Sean & Buddha video from the eBook.
Teacher should take some time after the video to discuss briefly the idea of culture, and their own
culture of origin (make it exciting if you can). Link this towards Sean and Buddha’s comments on
culture.
Establishing culture (2 – 3 mins):
Teachers should do a head count and determine the various cultures that are represented in their
classroom. When tackling this exercise, encourage students to take about their culture before
prompting and providing responses.
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As an extension on “What is culture?” teachers can give a few examples of his/her own culture.
This could be a personal culture, including traditions and habits they do frequently, or cultural,
familiar or religious culture depending on the learning prerogatives in their classroom.
Students then can take time to offer comments on their own culture, also including some unique or
personal responses. Use this for the “Your own culture” exercise later in the lesson.
Spending time with a few cultures (13 – 15 mins):
Students can be put into groups or work individually depending on how many class sets of iPads or
computers the students have. Encourage students to use the Recipes for Harmony eBook and
choose two cultures to focus on ad explore. They need to look at the personal stories, culture and
recipes from their chose cultures.
Teacher should roam the classroom and measure retention and learning as they move through the
class.
Physical activity (3-4 mins):
Follow the “Human knot” Icebreaker exercise in (Appendix 4).
Your own culture/country of origin (10 – 12 mins):
Encourage students to choose their own culture outside of Australia. This doesn’t have to be their
family’s culture/country of origin, just one that they want to look into.
1) What is that culture/countries flag?
2) Find some general facts on this culture/country. Including population, where in the world,
number of beaches.
3) What’s the popular sport of that country?
4) Does that country/culture have a popular tradition or pastime?
5) What is their relationship to Australia?
Make your flag activity (6 – 7 mins):
Students create a flag that reflects their culture.
Students can choose to do origin culture, Australian culture, or their own culture.
Questions on culture (10 mins):
Reflect on some specific ideas around culture, use information in this guide and simplify for your
classroom. Some examples include:
1) What similarities are there between Americans and Scottish people?
2) How many countries are there in Africa? How similar and different are the people’s customs?
3) What sports do they play all over the world? How popular are they?
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Conclusion (1-2 mins):
Wrap up with a student or number of students explaining what has just happened. Including extra
student feedback as necessary (but keep it short).
“Over the course of the next few weeks we’ll look more in-depth at a few more cultures so that you
can learn about Australia’s multicultural heritage.”
Extension activities (classroom activity sheets):
Choose all extension activities or a combination that you believe is relevant to the lesson.
Assessment:
Teachers should assess engagement, creativity, research and comprehension skills on whatever
assessment materials they have.
National curriculum linkages:
Teachers are encouraged to adapt lesson plans to meet their own curriculum priorities within their
school and to use the curriculum linkages as a guide. This lesson plan may contain elements that
can be utilised for older year levels.
(ACELA1515) (ACELT1613) (ACELY1709) (ACELY1710)
(ACHHK114) (ACHHK115) (ACHHK116) (ACHHS125)
(ACHGK031) (ACHGK032) (ACHGK033) (ACHGK035) (ACHGK036)
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Appendix 1: Educational questions (by cultural profile)
Ajak (South Sudanese, African)
Foundation – grade 2 questions (ages 5 – 7)
(Food)
Have you ever tried African food? Do you know what is in it?
(Arts & traditions)
How old is music? Did you know music comes from all over the world?
[Activity] Collect all the things from around the room to make music with, and
form a band with some classmates.
(Culture)
How far away is South Sudan? What part of the world is it? (see continent)
Grades 3 – 4 questions (ages 7 – 10)
(Food)
Have you ever tried African food? Do you know what is in it? [Activity] Make a
short 3-4 line song about a cultural food, that you think tastes yum. Ask your
teacher if you are stuck.
(Arts & traditions)
How old is music? Did you know music comes from all over the world? How
many types of world music have you heard?
(Culture)
What continent is South Sudan in? How far away is it? How long do you think it
would take to travel there and back?
Grades 5 – 6 questions (ages 10 – 12)
(Food)
Have you ever tried African food? Do you know what is in it? What other
cultures food (different to regular Australian food) have you tried?
(Arts & traditions)
How old is music? Did you know music comes from all over the world? How
many types of world music have you heard? What things have people made
music from that you know of?
(Culture)
What continent is South Sudan in? How far away is it? How long do you think it
would take to travel there and back? Did you know refugees often come
through other countries? [Activity] List the countries that you know have
refugees currently. Where do they come from?
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Alan (Aborigine, Australian)
Foundation – grade 2 questions (ages 5 – 7)
(Food)
How many of you have tried bush tucker? Have you ever had kangaroo? How
about goanna? What do you think it would taste like?
(Arts & traditions)
Have you ever seen a traditional Aboriginal dance? Have you ever tried to play
a didgeridoo? How about clap sticks? Have you seen Aboriginal paintings
before? [Activity] Let’s make some Aboriginal inspired art.
(Culture)
Have you met an Australian Indigenous person before? Did they live in the city
or in the outback?
Grades 3 – 4 questions (ages 7 – 10)
(Food)
How many of you have tried bush tucker? Have you ever had kangaroo? How
about goanna? What do you think it would taste like? [Activity] Can you draw
as many types of “Australian food” that you can think of?
(Arts & traditions)
Have you ever seen a traditional Aboriginal dance? Have you ever tried to play
a didgeridoo? How about clap sticks? Have you seen Aboriginal paintings
before?
(Culture)
How many Aboriginal people are there in Australia? Where do you think most
of them live?
Grades 5 – 6 questions (ages 10 – 12)
(Food)
How many of you have tried bush tucker? Have you ever had kangaroo? How
about goanna? What do you think it would taste like?
(Arts & traditions)
Have you ever seen a traditional Aboriginal dance? Have you ever tried to play
a didgeridoo? How about clap sticks? Have you seen Aboriginal paintings
before?
(Culture)
How many Aboriginal people are there in Australia? Where do you think most
of them live? How much Aboriginal history do you know? [Activity] Present a
small presentation about Aboriginal culture to the class.
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Raniem & The Ladies (Syrian and Turkish, Middle Eastern)
Foundation – grade 2 questions (ages 5 – 7)
(Food)
Do you like ice cream? How many types of ice cream are there?
(Arts & traditions)
Is there something you do regularly? Every day or every week that you really
love? Can other people be involved?
(Culture)
Are you in an after school group? Do you do a sport? How about going to
church or temple on Sunday? Or any other day? [Activity] With your teacher,
list all the groups or activities the class does, and how many you are a part of or
want to be a part of.
Grades 3 – 4 questions (ages 7 – 10)
(Food)
What food do the girls make? What food do the ladies make? Do you know
what they both taste like? When would you eat them? [Activity] Find out
what’s in ice cream and what’s in dolmas.
(Arts & traditions)
How many of you have grandparents? How often do you spend time with
them? Have they taught you something interesting? Told you stories from
their childhood?
(Culture)
Are you in an after school group? Do you do a sport? How about going to
church or temple on Sunday? Or any other day?
Grades 5 – 6 questions (ages 10 – 12)
(Food)
What food do the girls make? What food do the ladies make? Do you know
what they both taste like? When would you eat them? Have your
grandparents ever taught you to make something? What might you like to
learn?
(Arts & traditions)
How many of you have grandparents? How often do you spend time with
them? Have they taught you something interesting? Told you stories from
their childhood? [Activity] How many cultural or family traditions do you know?
(Culture)
Are you in an after school group? Do you do a sport? How about going to
church or temple on Sunday? Or any other day?
24
Maria & Helen (Samoan, Pacific Islander and Greek, European)
Foundation – grade 2 questions (ages 5 – 7)
(Food)
What foods did you see on the video? Have you had lamb before? What else
have you had?
(Arts & traditions)
Did you like the dancing and singing in the video? What did you see? [Activity]
In small groups, teach each other a cultural dance. If nobody knows a cultural
dance then make one up for your culture or use the video as inspiration.
(Culture)
Are any of your friends Greek or Samoan? How similar are their cultures?
Grades 3 – 4 questions (ages 7 – 10)
(Food)
What foods did you see on the video? Have you had lamb before? Have you
tried taro leaf? What else have you had?
(Arts & traditions)
How many examples of singing and dancing did you see? Have you seen these
before?
(Culture)
Where is Greek culture from? Where is Samoan culture from? How far away
are they from Australia? [Activity] Locate where Australia, Samoa and Greece
are using a world map in the classroom.
Grades 5 – 6 questions (ages 10 – 12)
(Food)
What foods did you see on the video? Have you had lamb before? Have you
tried taro leaf? What else have you had? Does your family have a cultural dish
of their own? [ACTIVITY] Make a list of the food you regularly eat, where does it
come from originally?
(Arts & traditions)
How many examples of singing and dancing did you see? Have you seen these
before? Where might you see these traditional performances?
(Culture)
Where is Greek culture from? Where is Samoan culture from? How similar are
their cultures?
25
Sean & Buddha (Cambodian and Vietnamese, Asian)
Foundation – grade 2 questions (Ages 5 – 7)
(Food)
What foods do you see on the video? Do you think it was really stinky? Would
you like to have a taste?
(Arts & traditions)
Did you know Food can be artistic? [Activity] Experiment with your lunch and
find a different way to eat it. Try rolling it, eating parts of it or mixing it.
(Culture)
Are you the same as your parents? What makes you different?
Grade 3 – 4 questions (ages 7 – 10)
(Food)
What does Sean cook for Buddha? What does Buddha cook for Sean? Who
likes Asian or Asian-inspired food?
[Activity] List all the types of Asian food that you can think of, then try to identify
which country you think they are from.
(Arts & traditions)
How many cultures have interesting food and costumes? Can you name a few?
How old do you think these traditions are?
(Culture)
Are you the same as your parents? What makes you different? How about
your grandparents, are they the same?
Grades 5 – 6 questions (ages 10 – 12)
(Food)
What does Sean cook for Buddha? What does Buddha cook for Sean? Who
likes Asian or Asian-inspired food?
(Arts & traditions)
How many cultures have interesting food and costumes? Can you name a few?
How old do you think these traditions are?
(Culture)
What do you know about Vietnamese culture and food? Do you know anything
about Cambodia, their food and traditions? [ACTIVITY] Pick one of those
cultures (or another South Eastern Asian culture) and give a short presentation
to the class with a buddy.
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Alice (Georgian, Eastern European)
Foundation – grade 2 questions (ages 5 – 7)
(Food)
Have you ever helped cook something with your parents? How did it taste?
(Arts & traditions)
What did you do last weekend? Did you do it the weekend before? [Activity]
Make a class list of fun activities that you do regularly on weekends.
(Culture)
How many religions do you know of in Australia? How many do you think there
are?
Grades 3 – 4 Questions (ages 7 – 10)
(Food)
Have you ever helped cook something with your parents? What ingredients
did you use? How did it taste? [Activity] Design a class list of family recipes.
Break it up into entrée, main and dessert to create a menu.
(Arts & traditions)
What did you do last weekend? Did you do it the weekend before? Was the
activity physical or artistic?
(Culture)
How many religions do you know of in Australia? How many do you think there
are in the World?
Grades 5 – 6 questions (ages 10 – 12)
(Food)
Have you ever helped cook something with your parents? What ingredients
did you use? How did it taste? Could you cook it on your own?
(Arts & traditions)
What did you do last weekend? Did you do it the weekend before? Was the
activity physical or artistic? Can you think of more you can do on the
weekend?
(Culture)
How many religions do you know of in Australia? How many do you think there
are in the world? [Activity] Make a list of as many religions you can and think of
some countries you can find them in. Note the countries with multiple religions.
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Bachar (Lebanese, Middle Eastern)
Foundation – grade 2 questions (ages 5 – 7)
(Food)
Have you had Lebanese food? What did you have?
(Arts & traditions)
Do you know what a Quran or Bible is? Do you know any stories from either?
(Culture)
There are many different sporting groups that we like to follow, like in AFL,
soccer or cricket. What sporting group do you or your family like?
List all the sports that are played in teams that you can think of.
Grades 3 – 4 questions (ages 7 – 10)
(Food)
Have you had Lebanese food? What did you have? Describe the taste? How is
it different/similar to what you usually eat? Make some Lebanese food in class.
(Arts & traditions)
Do you know what a Quran or Bible is? Do you know any stories from either?
Who are the main people featured in these holy books?
(Culture)
There are many different sporting groups that we like to follow, like in AFL,
soccer or cricket. What sporting group do you or your family like? Have you
been to a live match before?
Grades 5 – 6 questions (ages 10 – 12)
(Food)
Have you had Lebanese food? What did you have? What were the
ingredients? Describe the taste? How is it different/similar to what you usually
eat?
(Arts & traditions)
Do you know what a Quran or Bible is? Do you know any stories from either?
Who are the main people featured in these holy books?
Students choose a story to focus on, research the differences between the two
and how they relate to teachings in both religions.
(Culture)
There are many different sporting groups that we like to follow, like in AFL,
soccer or cricket. What sporting group do you or your family like? Have you
been to a live match before?
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Flavio (Argentinean, South American)
Foundation – grade 2 questions (ages 5 – 7)
(Food)
Have you been to a family barbeque? How often do you have one?
(Arts & traditions)
Did you know martial arts and dance are very similar? How many martial arts
are there? How many dance styles? Where are they from?
(Culture)
How many languages are spoken in Australia? How many are spoken in this
school? [Activity] Learn hello in a few different languages. The teacher can
highlight common cultures in the classroom.
Grades 3 – 4 questions (ages 7 – 10)
(Food)
Did you know the asado is a traditional Argentinean barbeque? How different
do you think this is from an Australian Barbeque?
(Arts & traditions)
Did you know martial arts and dance are very similar? How many martial arts
are there? How many dance styles? Do you know any dance or martial arts?
[Activity] Show the class in a safe demonstration (or make one up).
(Culture)
How many languages are spoken in Australia? How many are spoken in this
school? How many do you think is spoken at home by parents of children at
this school?
Grades 5 – 6 questions (ages 10 – 12)
(Food)
Did you know the asado is a traditional Argentinean barbeque? How different
do you think this is from an Australian barbeque? What kind of food might be
at each of them? [Activity] Make a shopping list for your own personal asado.
(Arts & traditions)
Did you know martial arts and dance are very similar? How many martial arts
are there? How many dance styles? Do you know any dance or martial arts?
(Culture)
How many languages are spoken in Australia? How many are spoken in this
school? How many do you think is spoken at home by parents of children at
this school?
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Tiffany (Outback Australian)
Foundation – grade 2 questions (ages 5 – 7)
(Food)
What’s your favourite food? [Activity] Make a class list with your teacher and
include pictures.
(Arts & traditions)
Do you have any brothers or sisters? Are you friends with them?
(Culture)
Where is the country for you? Have you been there? Did you like it?
Grades 3 – 4 questions (ages 7 – 10)
(Food)
What’s your favourite food? How often do you have it?
(Arts & traditions)
Do you have any brothers or sisters? Are you friends with them? How often do
you play with them? [Activity] Make small groups and play a game you would
with you sister or brother with the whole group.
(Culture)
Where is the country for you? Have you been there? Did you like it? What do
you think it would be like to live there?
Grades 5 – 6 questions (ages 10 – 12)
(Food)
What’s your favourite food? How often do you have it? Do you know how to
make it without help from your parents?
(Arts & traditions)
Do you have siblings? What’s something you do with them regularly? If you
don’t, what would you do?
(Culture)
Where is the country for you? Have you been there? Did you like it? What do
you think it would be like to live there? [Activity] Using Google, make a list of
towns 100 km away, 200 km away, 300+ km away.
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Appendix 2: Activities by year level
Activities by year level: foundation – grade 2
Arts & traditions #1 – South Sudanese
Lead-in questions: How old is music? Did you know music comes from all over the world?
Collect all the things from around the room to make music with, and form a band with some
classmates.
Students are encouraged to use anything not nailed down to create percussive and wind
instruments. This can be guided by the teacher and extended to creating items using craft materials
or could be as simple as making tubes, sticks, toys and other items available and then designating a
conductor (Teachers or adults are best for this, but some children may also be natural leaders).
Consider grouping the students so they are in small groups and can make a short 1-2 minute piece
for the rest of the class.
Couple this activity with information on the different African countries, and how they create music
using instruments fashioned from materials they have access to.
Arts & traditions #2 – Aboriginal
Lead-in questions: Have you ever seen a traditional Aboriginal dance? Have you ever tried to play a
didgeridoo? How about clap sticks? Have you seen Aboriginal paintings before?
Let’s make some Aboriginal inspired art.
This activity will likely require arts and craft supplies or coloured pencils/markers and paper.
Teacher will show some examples of aboriginal arts (sourced from the internet) and make sure that
students have this as stimulation to create their own inspired art.
Put it on display in the classroom afterwards and potentially use it a larger study on Aboriginal
artforms.
Arts & traditions #3 – Samoan & Greek
Lead-in questions: Did you like the dancing and singing in the video? What did you see?
In small groups, teach each other a cultural dance. If nobody knows a cultural dance then make one
up for your culture or use the video as inspiration.
Teacher may want to be creative and look to some popular dance-styles on YouTube, or if they
associate with a particular culture themselves, teaching one from their culture. Children should be
encouraged to potentially form small groups and devise or show they dance a small number before
trying to teach the whole class first. Be sure to link this to the video and include many examples
from Samoan and Greek cultures.
31
Arts & traditions #4 – Cambodian & Vietnamese
Lead-in questions: Did you know food can be artistic?
Experiment with your lunch and find a different way to eat it. Try rolling it, eating parts of it or mixing
it.
Students are encouraged to play with their own food only to avoid issues with allergies. Teachers
may wish to adapt this exercise and bring their own food or ingredients in but be mindful of all
allergies. Have a backup plan also for those students that don’t bring their own lunch. Link this to
the video and remind students that many cultures (particularly Vietnam) have traditions of
wrapping up food and eating with their hands.
Arts & traditions #5 – Georgian
Lead-in questions: What did you do last weekend? Did you do it the weekend before?
Make a class list of fun activities that you can do regularly on weekends.
Tradition is really important to many cultures. Teachers should encourage even mundane exercises
like watching cartoons on Saturday morning and eating fish and chips on Fridays are fun traditions
too. Link this towards information in Alice’s story and include links to what they think they might
like to do that would also be fun, especially when they are older.
Cultures #9 – Lebanese
Lead-in questions: There are many different sporting groups that we like to follow, like in AFL,
soccer or cricket. What sporting group do you or your family like?
List all the sports that are played in teams that you can think of.
If the teacher is not familiar with many sporting teams, do a little bit of research and determine a
list of current teams. As a bit of an extension, find out when each of those teams last won a
premiership, or have a list of some long-term and semi-famous players from each team.
Cultures #1 – Syrian and Turkish
Lead-in questions: Are you in an after school group? Do you do have a special interest? How about
going to church or temple on Sunday? Or any other day?
With your teacher, list all the groups or activities the class does, and how many you are a part of or
want to be a part of.
The teacher may wish to do some research on popular activities or groups in the area or groups
that are run or endorsed through the school and couple this with this activity. Encourage groups
that empower young children. Link this to the explanation that both the young girls and the mature
ladies are members of social groups that they attend regularly and have friends and fun with.
Some examples include Brownies, Cubs, Scouts, swimming clubs, gymnastics, martial arts etc.
32
Culture #2 - Argentinean
Lead-in questions: How many languages are there in Australia? How many are spoken in this
school?
Learn hello in a few different languages. The teacher can highlight common cultures in the
classroom.
There are many free online resources that can help with this (use Google). Encourage students to
provide their answers first before offering other cultures. Be relevant to cultures that exist in the
school and parallel that with a few other countries (including Argentina). An interesting fact is the
historical and geographical significance of Argentina being in South America while Spain (the origin
of their language) is in Europe.
Food #1 – Outback Australian recipe
Lead-in question: What’s your favourite food?
Make a class list with your teacher and include pictures.
Students should be encouraged to be creative and draw all their favourite foods. This can be
coupled with a word activity where (particularly if the student is too young to write/read suitably)
the teacher can write the word for them and they can sound it out. Link this towards the pub food
culture that exists in rural Australia and mention a few items that they may have had in the past,
e.g. steak and vegetables, lamb roast, steak and onion pie, chicken parmagiana, fish and
chips/calamari, spaghetti bolognese, etc.
33
Activities by year level: grades 3 – 4
Food #2 – South Sudanese recipe
Lead-in questions: Have you ever tried African food? Do you know what is in it?
Make a short 3-4 line song about a cultural food that you think tastes yummy. Ask your teacher if you
need help.
Teachers should encourage students to decide on a food first. Students should be encouraged to
use whatever song they feel fits the lyrics they want. Most students are likely to do this anyway.
You can also use haiku or nursery rhymes as inspiration. Link this to African culture (especially as
many in the class likely won’t have tried African food) and how tasty simple staples can be.
Food #3 – Aboriginal recipe
Lead-in questions: How many of you have tried bush tucker? Have you ever had kangaroo? How
about goanna? What do you think it would taste like?
Can you draw as many types of Australian food that you can think of?
Teachers can be quite open and varied to this. Link the idea that almost anything can be Australian
food (as a lot of cultures that have called Australia home have put their own local twist on it). Link
some of the more common food to their international counterparts and explain how this is similar
and/or different. Be sure to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander tucker.
Food #4 – Turkish & Raniem’s recipe
Lead-in questions: What food did the girls make? What food did the ladies make? Do you know
what they both taste like? When would you eat them?
Find out what’s in ice cream and what’s in dolmas.
This can be done as a class research activity or the teacher might like to treat this as a more
exploration exercise. This means that the teacher will need to know the process and ingredients of
both foods. If you are feeling particularly generous, get samples for the classroom (being aware of
allergies).
34
Culture #3 – Greek & Samoan
Lead-in questions: Where is Greek culture from? Where is Samoan culture from? How far away are
they from Australia?
Locate where Australia, Samoa and Greece are using a world map in the classroom.
The larger the map of the world the better. Students need to get an idea of the vast distances that
people cover between Australia and their country of origin. This can be done on a scale activity, or
an ICT activity using good maps. See if they can find other countries of origin for their families or
other cultures that they know of.
Food #5 – Vietnamese & Cambodian
Lead-in questions: What does Sean cook for Buddha? What does Buddha cook for Sean? Who likes
Asian or Asian-inspired food?
List all the types of Asian food that you can think of, then which country you think they are from.
The teacher should encourage that many, if not all types of food, should come from the students.
You might need a map of Asia to help with the location. This can also be adapted into a
hotter/colder game for them. Be sure to research the types of possible food that might come and
their country of origin.
Food #6 – Georgian recipe
Lead-in questions: Have you ever helped cook something with your parents? What ingredients did
you use? How did it taste?
Design a class list of family recipes. Break it up into entrée, main and dessert to create a menu.
Students may need assistance with the type of foods typically in the three categories. This might
also be useful as a homework activity if a number of the students aren’t forthcoming with family
dishes. Be sure to add some extra traditional dishes of your own in.
Food #9 – Lebanese
Lead-in questions: Have you had Lebanese food? What did you have? Describe the taste? How is it
different/similar to what you usually eat?
Make some Lebanese food in class.
Teachers can research the Lebanese ingredients and make them in class (if the facilities are
available). Alternatively, print out colour representations of all the ingredients and present an
interactive simulation on how to make some of the food. Encourage students to take home recipes
to try at home with their parents.
35
Arts & traditions #6 – Argentinean
Lead-in questions: Did you know martial arts and dance are very similar? How many martial arts are
there? How many dance styles? Do you know any dance or martial arts?
Show the class in a safe demonstration (or make one up).
Ensure there is plenty of space for this exercise. Some crash mats might be useful. Martial arts
should be done in a non-contact way, and dances should be kept simple. Perhaps encourage the
student to show the teacher first during another activity and if appropriate the teacher can make
suitable safety measures for the individual student and for their classmates. Be sure to link this to
capoeira, and perhaps some YouTube clips of this energetic style.
Arts & traditions #7 – Outback Australian
Lead-in questions: Do you have any brothers or sisters? Or cousins that you are close with? Are you
friends with them? How often do you play with them? Make small groups and play a game that you
would play with your siblings or cousins with the whole group.
Students should be encouraged to give the teacher a number of the games and then they can
choose them for appropriateness. The teacher can ask for clarification and also break larger groups
up into smaller groups depending on the requirements for the particular game. Encourage children
to be creative in this activity. For those that don’t know any games, make one up or teach them a
simple one yourself.
36
Activities by year level: grades 5 – 6
Culture #4 – South Sudanese
Lead-in questions: What continent is South Sudan in? How far away is it? How long do you think it
would take to travel there and back? Did you know refugees often come through other countries?
List the countries that you know have refugees currently. Where do they come from?
There may be a broad number of opportunities within your classroom for this depending on the
demographic of your class. Research this and make sure that your students understand what a
refugee is from a political and historical perspective. Think about the emotional strains on this
person and the hardship they must have faced to leave their country. Think about what it would be
like to leave your home without any of your possessions and sometimes without members of your
close family. Emphasis should be put on that a refugee can be anyone from any place in society and
country. Most countries have a history at one point or another where they are either seeking or
housing refugees. Relate this to current information on South Sudan and Africa as a whole.
Culture #5 – Aboriginal
Lead-in questions: How many Aboriginal people are there in Australia? Where do you think most of
them live? How much Aboriginal history do you know?
Present a small presentation about Aboriginal culture to the class.
Break the presentations into different elements of culture (see above information on culture or
group some of the students and/or give them the same element of culture as they might find
different information). Ensure that this relates directly with Alan’s story and other learning on
Aboriginal culture in class.
Arts & traditions #8 – Syrian & Turkish
Lead-in questions: How many of you have grandparents? How many? How often do you spend time
with them? Have they taught you something interesting? Told you stories of their childhood?
How many cultural or family traditions do you know?
Teachers should encourage students to look at anything they do regularly and consider this as a
cultural, family or personal tradition. This can be very simple and doesn’t even need to be regular,
just occurring frequently, even once per year. Be sure to link this to indications of cultural and
family traditions in the video.
37
Food #7 – Greek & Samoan
Lead-in questions: What foods did you see on the video? Have you had lamb before? Have you
tried taro leaf? What else have you had? Does your family have a cultural dish of their own?
Make a list of the food you regularly eat, where does it come from originally?
Students might be quite broad in this and it should be used as a whole classroom activity. Try to
make some sort of marking for repeat offenders (multiple entries) but also spend some time talking
about some more different ones with rare ingredients as a side topic. Include common and
traditional food from Greece and Samoa.
Culture #6 – Cambodian & Vietnamese
Lead-in questions: What do you know about Vietnamese culture and food? Do you know anything
about Cambodia, their food and traditions?
Pick one of those cultures (or another South-East Asian culture) and give a short presentation to the
class with a buddy.
Teachers should try and break the class into two groups and attempt to ensure each group of
students or individual student has a topic to focus on. This will ensure the information being
presented won’t be doubled up.
Culture #7 – Georgian
Lead-in questions: How many religions do you know of in Australia? How many do you think there
are in the world?
Make a list of as many religions you can and think of some countries you can find them in. Note the
countries with multiple religions.
Students will likely come up with a number of the usual suspects for this exercise (Muslim,
Christian, Jewish, Hindu) however be sure to have a few extra handy and some remote locations
that might be great points of interest. This can also be coupled with a computer exercise where
students can look up a specific country and find the information on religious demographics. Ensure
to find extra links this to areas of the Middle East and Eastern Europe.
Arts and Tradition #9 – Lebanese
Lead-in questions: Do you know what a Quran or Bible is? Do you know any stories from either?
Who are the main people featured in these holy books?
Students choose a story to focus on, research the differences between the two and how they relate
to teachings in both religions.
It is important that you follow the particular guidelines within your school in regards to balance and
equality in religious instruction. There is a lot of information on both the Christian Bible and the
Islamic Quran. This exercise can be expanded to include other religions if teachers see fit.
38
Teachers should prepare a simple comparison and table of similarity between the major religions
and their stories (or just the Islamic and Christian) and draw comparisons between them. Particular
focus should be on finding similarities and discussing common ground. Some differences can also
be highlighted as key beliefs within a certain religion but try to maintain neutral on this.
Try to present an even handed and informative method to introduce a positive outlook particularly
on Islamic faith and its virtues that are shared with many other faiths. Encourage an aspect of
understanding within this exercise.
Food #8 – Argentinean
Lead-in questions: Did you know the asado is a traditional Argentinean barbeque? How different do
you think this is from an Australian barbeque? What kind of food might be at each of them?
Make a shopping list for your own personal asado.
Students should be encouraged to be as creative as possible with this exercise, they should treat
this as their own personal barbeque with all the delicious food that they love to eat. This could also
tie into the healthy eating pyramid or at least some information on a balanced and nutritious diet.
Be sure to link this to some additional information on Argentinian cuisine.
Culture #8 – Outback Australian
Lead-in questions: Where is the country for you? Have you been there? Did you like it? What do
you think it would be like to live there?
Using Google, make a list of towns 100 km away, 200 km away, 300+ km away.
This can be a simple ICT exercise with iPads or computers. Students can be encouraged to
guess/estimate distances or even get a ruler and measure out the distance and map it against the
legend. Good also has a drop pin function that will be able to tell you the distance from another
given point. Link this to the vast distances between country towns and relate it to their neighbours,
who are about 10 metres away in most cases. A variant on this could be the teacher doing this on
the projector.
39
Appendix 3: Recipes for Harmony activity sheets
We have created a number of printable sheets that you can use in your classroom to help engage
students with the characters and stories in the Recipes for Harmony eBook.
Match and colour activity:
This may be suitable for students in the middle years of primary school. Have them read and engage
with the eBook and connect the foods to the character. These are also great to colour in.
Find and colour activity:
Encourage older students to fill in the missing letters that relate to the characters and their country of
origin. They can also indicate on the map where the cultural heritage of those characters are from.
Word find:
This is a more difficult activity for older primary school kids. Encourage them to find all the words
buried in the word find. Words go in every direction.
40
41
42
43
44
Appendix 4: Icebreakers
Icebreakers are a great way to start engagement with your classroom early on. In this section
we provide a list of some suggested activities that might be useful in your classroom.
Human knot
for 7 or more students
Suggested age: 8 years old and above
Suggested grades: grade 2 and above
Participants use teamwork and problem solving to try and untangle the group from a
human knot.
-
Students stand in a tight circle facing each other.
Ask everyone to extend their hands towards the centre of the circle, taking the
hand of two different people chosen at random.
When all hands are taken, students must slowly untangle themselves without
letting hands go.
Students will need to spin, duck and climb over each other to entangle.
If all goes well, they will find themselves in a large circle holding hands, or a number
of smaller circles.
The teacher can watch a see who speaks the most and who tries to get on and
solve this by themselves.
Exercise can be repeated a number of times (recommended no more than three)
and students can try to be quicker each time (use a stopwatch).
A to Z of culture
for 5 or more students
Suggested age: 7 years old and above
Suggested grades: grade 2 and above
A memory reinforcement game in which participants take turns to say one word on a given
topic, with the first word beginning with ‘a’, the second word beginning with ‘b’, and so on
through the alphabet.
-
Have the group sit in either one or two circles (depending on the numbers and
ability of the students to self-regulate a game).
One student begins by contributing one word about culture that starts with the
letter ‘a’.
The second student (to the right) adds a word that starts with the letter ‘b’, and so
on.
As a visual reference, the teacher may throw symbol or letter cards in the centre of
the circle where students can see them.
45
What’s in a name?
for pairs of students (minimum of 6)
Suggested age: 8 years old and above
Suggested grades: grade 2 and above
A simple game in which participants pair up and explain to each other the meanings of
their names.
-
-
-
-
-
Organise students into pairs.
Explain that each name has a meaning – that parents choose names for a variety of
reasons. This could be to honour a family member, friend of famous person, for
reasons of religion or tradition, or because the name might be a popular one at the
time of birth.
Sometimes we see qualities in people that match the name they have been given.
However, sometimes their personalities are the opposite of what their name
means.
Ask participants to turn to their partner and explain (as far as they know) what their
own name means, where it comes from, and why it was given to them.
Inform students that if they don’t know the meaning behind their name they can
invent what they would like it to mean, or invent another name which they would
prefer to have.
Give an example like “kind of heart” or “clever and fast”.
Bring the group back to the circle.
Ask each person to introduce his/her partner to the larger group.
One by one the students introduce their partners name and explain what his/her
name means, where it comes from including invented meanings (monitor this for
appropriateness).
Many students have a surprising amount of interesting information about where
their name comes from and what it means.
Perhaps ask those students who didn’t know their meaning to try and find out at
home.
The greater the ethnic and cultural diversity in the group, the better this exercise
tends to work.
Variation: The activity can be extended into revealing the background behind other
names. For example, nicknames often have interesting family and cultural
connections.
46
Tell them how it is
for groups of 4 to 6
Suggested age: 7 years old and above
Suggested grades: grade 1 and above
A simple game in which participants say as many positive things about one another as they
can.
-
Break the class into groups of four or six.
Ask the students focus on one member at a time.
Have all the students in the group say all the positive things they can think of about
that person.
Encourage compliments that focus on behaviour rather than something that cannot
be altered or developed like a physical characteristic.
Ask one student to be the recorder who writes down all the compliments under the
name of each in his or her group (use a separate piece of paper for each student).
This list is then given to each person for him/her to keep.
If students are finding it hard to openly or verbally give praise students can write
compliments privately.
Balloons aloft
for groups of students (preferably more than 5)
Suggested Age: 6 years old and above
Suggested grade: foundation and above
A high energy game in which participants work together to keep a balloon aloft using only
the power of their lungs.
-
Students gather together in an open space.
Teacher releases 5 or 6 balloons, and students are to try to keep balloons up in the
air as long as possible.
It’s a group effort for students to prevent the balloons from hitting the ground.
As each balloon touches the ground it is removed from the game by the teacher
until only one balloon remains.
If participants seem to be able to keep it aloft indefinitely, stop the game
accordingly at the right moment.
47
Trust tube
for a classroom, large groups may want to
split in 2
Suggested age: 7 years old and above
Suggested grades: grade 1 and above
A trust game in which participants must run blindfolded through a tunnel of people, relying
on their fellow participants to catch them if they go off course.
-
-
-
The teacher arranges students in two parallel lines facing each other, forming a
tunnel about 8 feet wide. These students are the guides.
The students in each line stand approximately 3 feet apart, spanning the length of
the room.
The teacher asks two students to stand at one end of the tube, and they become
the catchers, responsible for catching their blindfolded classmate when they reach
the end.
The first participant begins at the open end of the tube with a blind fold on and
their hands out in front, and attempts to run between the lines to the other end.
You may need to ask students that are slightly less coordinated to walk quickly
rather than run.
If the participant veers off to either side, the guides gently redirect the participants
back towards the centre of the tube.
Rotate until everyone has a go.
Have 2 or 3 blindfolds in action being used in relay fashion to keep the game
running quickly.
Some participants will run confidently and fast, while others will be very tentative.
Either type of participant will follow an unpredictable course.
The teacher must keep an eye on students in the side lines to make sure they are
properly performing their role as guides.
48
Appendix 5: Related Activities
Human interest
for groups of more than 5 students
Suggested age: 9 years old and above
Suggested grades: grades 4 and above
A brainstorming game in which participants list as many possible answer to a broad
question, before voting on the best/most important points.
-
Initiate a high energy class discussion on what makes human and the culture
interesting.
Write answers on the board.
When you have at least 15 answers, ask students to vote for the top 5 answers.
Reward participation with treats if necessary.
Example topics/questions include:
-
personality, emotions, humour
creativity or inventiveness, intelligence, reason and knowledge
morals, beliefs or religions
customs and superstitions
art, dance, and music
celebrations
food
language
self-awareness
clothes and tools
status
communication
empathy
spirituality
politics
rules
visionary
dreaming
family
49
Outside the in-group
for groups of more than 7 students
Suggested age: 8 years old and above
Suggested grade: grades 3 and above
An alternative perspective game in which participants experience what it’s like to be
excluded from the group
-
The teacher explains the concept of the game to students.
Ask the group to form a tight circle and lock arms.
One student is left outside the group.
This student then tries as hard as they can to break into the group.
If and when this student successfully breaks into the circle, they become part of the
group.
Another person takes his/her place outside and tries to break in.
Each student should have a turn being outside the group.
Post exercise questions and dialogue:
1. Ask students to reflect on how they felt being outside of the group (isolated, left
out, alone, etc.).
2. Ask students if they have ever been left out or kept someone out of a group.
3. Ask students if there are justifiable reasons someone might be kept out of a group
and ask what these reasons could be.
4. Bring in issues or examples of differences in race, language, or culture that people
use to exclude others.
50
Driven out
Whole class activity
Suggested age: 10 years old and above
Suggested grades: grades 5 and above
A role playing game in which participants play out the scenario of having been driven from
their country by conflict and become refugees.
-
-
Ask students to write down the five most important thing in their life at the
moment.
Read the following scenario.
“Australia has been invaded. The government has been overthrown and Australian
citizens are not being allowed to work, go to school or own their own homes. Some
girls are allowed to work as servants in the homes of the new owners of the
country, and some boys are allowed to work on farms, but not for money. People
under the age of 15 and above the age of 40 are being killed because they cannot
work hard enough. You and your family must escape the country by boat before
you are all killed, with only the clothes on your back. You arrive safely in India and
are accepted as refugees.”
Ask students to cross off the items on their list they will no longer have at this
point.
Ask the students to put up their hands if they still have five things on their list, four
things, and so on. Most students will have nothing on their list.
Extensions:
-
Invite students to discuss the things they have lost and retained.
Make a new list of the five things that are most important to them in their new
country.
In small groups, students compare their first and second lists.
Lead a discussion about the impact of migration and refugee transition to a new
country.
Encourage discussion of the importance of things such as a sense of belonging,
basic needs and rights, ability to communicate, access to services and assistance
from the government.
51
Appendix 6: Compliance Matrix
Using the Compliance Matrix:
-
-
Options isolated to relevant subjects with Intercultural Understanding (general capability) and
cross-curriculum priorities, ‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures’ and
‘Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia’.
Broken up into the 4 learning groups applicable to the Australian curriculum website.
Extension
Activities
Icebreakers
Broad Activity 3
Broad Activity 2
Broad Activity 1
Cultural
Activities
Cultural
Questions
Australian Curriculum
Standard Content Descriptions
Recipes for
Harmony eBook
FOUNDATION (PREP) YEAR MATRIX
ENGLISH SUBJECT
Language variation and change
Understand that English is one of many
languages spoken in Australia and that different
languages may be spoken by family, classmates
and community (ACELA1426)
Y
Language for interaction
Explore how language is used differently at home
and school depending on the relationships
between people (ACELA1428)
Y
Examining Literature
Replicate the rhythms and sound patterns in
stories, rhymes, songs and poems from a range
of cultures (ACELT1579)
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
HISTORY SUBJECT
Personal and family histories
The different structures of families and family
groups today, and what they have in
common(ACHHK002)
Personal and family histories
How they, their family and friends commemorate
past events that are important to
them (ACHHK003)
Personal and family histories
How the stories of families and the past can be
communicated, for example through
photographs, artefacts, books, oral histories,
digital media, and museums (ACHHK004)
52
Analysis and use of sources
Identify and compare features of objects from
the past and present (ACHHS019)
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
GEOGRAPHY SUBJECT
Geographical knowledge and Understanding
The representation of the location of places and
their features on maps and a globe(ACHGK001)
Y
Geographical knowledge and Understanding
The Countries/Places that Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander Peoples belong to in the local area
and why they are important to them(ACHGK003)
Geographical knowledge and Understanding
The reasons why some places are special to
people, and how they can be looked
after(ACHGK004)
53
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Extension
Activities
Y
Icebreakers
Y
Broad Activity 3
Y
Broad Activity 2
Cultural
Activities
Y
Broad Activity 1
Cultural
Questions
Australian Curriculum
Standard Content Descriptions
Recipes for
Harmony eBook
GRADE 1 / GRADE 2 YEAR LEVEL MATRIX
ENGLISH SUBJECT – Year 1
Language variation and change
Understand that people use different systems of
communication to cater to different needs and
purposes and that many people may use sign
systems to communicate with
others(ACELA1443)
Language for interaction
Understand that language is used in combination
with other means of communication, for example
facial expressions and gestures to interact with
others (ACELA1444)
Y
Y
Texts in context
Respond to texts drawn from a range of cultures
and experiences (ACELY1655)
HISTORY SUBJECT – Year 1
Present and past family life
Differences in family structures and roles today,
and how these have changed or remained the
same over time (ACHHK028)
Present and past family life
How the present, past and future are signified
by terms indicating time such as ‘a long time
ago’, ‘then and now’, ‘now and then’, ‘old and
new’, ‘tomorrow’, as well as by dates and
changes that may have personal significance,
such as birthdays, celebrations and
seasons(ACHHK029)
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Present and past family life
Differences and similarities between students'
daily lives and life during their parents’ and
grandparents’ childhoods, including family
traditions, leisure time and
communications.(ACHHK030)
Y
Y
Analysis and use of sources
Identify and compare features of objects from
the past and present (ACHHS035)
Y
Y
54
GEOGRAPHY SUBJECT – Year 1
Geographical Knowledge and Understanding
The natural, managed and constructed
features of places, their location, how they
change and how they can be cared
for(ACHGK005)
Y
Y
Geographical Knowledge and Understanding
The weather and seasons of places and the ways
in which different cultural groups, including
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples,
describe them (ACHGK006)
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Collecting, recording, evaluating and representing
Collect and record geographical data and
information, for example, by observing, by
interviewing, or from sources such as
photographs, plans, satellite images, story books
and films (ACHGS008)
Y
Y
ENGLISH SUBJECT – Year 2
Language variation and change
Understand that spoken, visual and written forms
of language are different modes of
communication with different features and their
use varies according to the audience, purpose
,context and cultural background (ACELA1460)
Y
Y
Responding to literature
Compare opinions about characters, events and
settings in and between texts(ACELT1589)
Y
HISTORY SUBJECT – Year 2
The past in the present
The history of a significant person, building, site or
part of the natural environment in the local
community and what it reveals about the
past (ACHHK044)
Y
The past in the present
The importance today of an historical site of
cultural or spiritual significance; for example, a
community building, a landmark, a war
memorial (ACHHK045)
Y
The past in the present
The impact of changing technology on people’s
lives (at home and in the ways they worked,
55
travelled, communicated, and played in the
past) (ACHHK046)
Analysis and use of sources
Identify and compare features of objects from the
past and present (ACHHS051)
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
GEOGRAPHY SUBJECT – Year 2
Geographical Knowledge and Understanding
The location of the major geographical divisions of
the world in relation to Australia(ACHGK009)
Y
Y
Geographical Knowledge and Understanding
The definition of places as parts of the Earth’s
surface that have been given meaning by people,
and how places can be defined at a variety of
scales (ACHGK010)
Geographical Knowledge and Understanding
The ways in which Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander Peoples maintain special connections to
particular Country/Place (ACHGK011)
Y
Y
Y
Y
Geographical Knowledge and Understanding
The connections of people in Australia to other
places in Australia, the countries of the Asia
region, and across the world (ACHGK012)
Y
Collecting, recording, evaluating and representing
Collect and record geographical data and
information, for example, by observing, by
interviewing, or from sources such as,
photographs, plans, satellite images, story books
and films (ACHGS014)
Interpreting, analysing and concluding
Draw conclusions based on the interpretation of
geographical information sorted into
categories (ACHGS016)
56
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Extension
Activities
Y
Icebreakers
Y
Broad Activity 3
Y
Broad Activity 2
Cultural
Activities
Y
Broad Activity 1
Cultural
Questions
Australian Curriculum
Standard Content Descriptions
Recipes for
Harmony eBook
GRADE 3 / GRADE 4 YEAR LEVEL MATRIX
ENGLISH SUBJECT – Year 3
Language Variation and change
Understand that languages have different written
and visual communication systems, different oral
traditions and different ways of constructing
meaning (ACELA1475)
Y
Creating Literature
Create imaginative texts based on characters,
settings and events from students’ own and
other cultures using visual features, for example
perspective, distance and angle(ACELT1601)
Y
HISTORY SUBJECT – Year 3
Community and remembrance
The importance of Country and Place to
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples
who belong to a local area. (This is intended to
be a local area study with a focus on one
Language group; however, if information or
sources are not readily available, another
representative area may be studied) (ACHHK060)
Community and remembrance
The role that people of diverse backgrounds have
played in the development and character of the
local community (ACHHK062)
Y
Y
Y
Community and remembrance
Days and weeks celebrated or commemorated in
Australia (including Australia Day, ANZAC Day,
Harmony Week, National Reconciliation Week,
NAIDOC week and National Sorry Day) and the
importance of symbols and
emblems.(ACHHK063)
Community and remembrance
Celebrations and commemorations in other
places around the world; for example, Bastille
Day in France, Independence Day in the USA,
including those that are observed in Australia
such as Chinese New Year, Christmas Day, Diwali,
Easter, Hanukkah, the Moon Festival and
Ramadan (ACHHK064)
Y
Y
57
Extension
Activities
Icebreakers
Broad Activity 3
Broad Activity 2
Broad Activity 1
Cultural
Activities
Cultural
Questions
Recipes for
Harmony eBook
Australian Curriculum
Standard content descriptions
GEOGRAPHY SUBJECT – Year 3
Geographical Knowledge and Understanding
The many Countries/Places of Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander Peoples throughout
Australia (ACHGK015)
Geographical Knowledge and Understanding
The location of Australia’s neighbouring countries
and their diverse characteristics(ACHGK016)
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Geographical Knowledge and understanding
The main climate types of the world and the
similarities and differences between the climates
of different places (ACHGK017)
Y
Geographical Knowledge and understanding
The similarities and differences in individuals’ and
groups’ feelings and perceptions about places,
and how they influence views about the
protection of these places (ACHGK018)
Y
Geographical knowledge and understanding
The similarities and differences between places in
terms of their type of settlement, demographic
characteristics and the lives of the people who
live there (ACHGK019)
Y
Y
Collecting, recording, evaluating and representing
Collect and record relevant geographical data and
information, for example, by observing
by interviewing, conducting surveys, measuring,
or from sources such as maps, photographs,
satellite images, the media and the
internet (ACHGS020)
Y
Y
Y
Y
Communicating
Present findings in a range of communication
forms, for example, written, oral, digital, graphic,
tabular, and visual, and use geographical
terminology (ACHGS024)
Y
Y
58
Y
Y
Y
Extension
Activities
Y
Icebreakers
Y
Broad Activity 3
Y
Broad Activity 2
Y
Broad Activity 1
Cultural
Questions
Y
Cultural
Activities
Recipes for
Harmony eBook
Australian Curriculum
Standard Content Descriptions
ENGLISH SUBJECT – Year 4
Language variation and change
Understand that Standard Australian English is
one of many social dialects used in Australia, and
that while it originated in England it has been
influenced by many other languages(ACELA1487)
Y
Y
HISTORY SUBJECT – Year 4
First Contacts
The diversity of Australia's first peoples and the
long and continuous connection of Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander Peoples to Country/
Place (land, sea, waterways and skies) and the
implications for their daily lives.(ACHHK077)
Y
First Contacts
The nature of contact between Aboriginal people
and Torres Strait Islanders Peoples and others,
for example, the Macassans and the Europeans,
and the effects of these interactions on, for
example families and the
environment (ACHHK080)
GEOGRAPHY SUBJECT – Year 4
Geographical Knowledge and Understanding
The custodial responsibility Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander Peoples have for Country/Place,
and how this influences their past and present
views about the use of resources (ACHGK023)
59
Icebreakers
Y
Y
Extension
Activities
Broad Activity 3
Broad Activity 2
Broad Activity 1
Cultural
Activities
Cultural
Questions
Australian Curriculum
Standard Content Descriptions
Recipes for
Harmony eBook
GRADE 5 / GRADE 6 YEAR LEVEL MATRIX
ENGLISH SUBJECT – Year 5
Language variation and change
Understand that the pronunciation, spelling and
meanings of words have histories and change
over time (ACELA1500)
Y
Literature and context
Identify aspects of literary texts that convey
details or information about particular social,
cultural and historical contexts (ACELT1608)
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
HISTORY SUBJECT – Year 5
The Australian Colonies
The reasons people migrated to Australia from
Europe and Asia, and the experiences and
contributions of a particular migrant group within
a colony. (ACHHK096)
GEOGRAPHY SUBJECT – Year 5
Geographical Knowledge and Understanding
The location of the major countries of Europe
and North America in relation to Australia and
the influence of people on the environmental
characteristics of places in at least two countries
from both continents (ACHGK026)
Y
Y
Y
Geographical Knowledge and Understanding
The influence of people, including Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander Peoples, on the
environmental characteristics of Australian
places (ACHGK027)
Collecting, recording, evaluating and representing
Collect and record relevant geographical data
and information, using ethical protocols, from
primary and secondary sources, for example,
people, maps, plans, photographs, satellite
images, statistical sources and
reports(ACHGS034)
60
CIVICS AND CITIZENSHIP – Year 5
Citizenship, diversity and identity
Why people work in groups to achieve their aims,
and how they can express their shared beliefs and
values and exercise influence(ACHCK027)
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Civics and Citizenship Skills
Develop questions and gather a range of
information to investigate the society in which
they live (ACHCS028)
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
DANCE – Year 5
Perform dance using expressive skills to
communicate a choreographer’s ideas, including
performing dances of cultural groups in the
community (ACADAM011)
Y
Explain how the elements of dance and
production elements communicate meaning by
comparing dances from different social, cultural
and historical contexts, including Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander dance(ACADAR012)
Y
Y
Explore representations, characterisations and
points of view of people in their community,
including themselves, using settings, ideas, story
principles and genre conventions in images,
sounds and text (ACAMAM062)
Y
Y
Explain how the elements of media arts and story
principles communicate meaning by comparing
media artworks from different social, cultural and
historical contexts, including Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander media
artworks (ACAMAR065)
Y
Y
Y
Develop technical and expressive skills in singing
and playing instruments with understanding
of rhythm, pitch and form in a range of pieces,
including in music from the
community (ACAMUM089)
Y
Y
Y
Explain how the elements of music communicate
meaning by comparing music from different
social, cultural and historical contexts, including
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
music (ACAMUR091)
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
MEDIA ARTS – Year 5
Y
Y
Y
Y
MUSIC – Year 5
Y
VISUAL ARTS – Year 5
Explore ideas and practices used by artists,
including practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Y
Y
61
Islander artists, to represent different views,
beliefs and opinions (ACAVAM114)
Develop and apply techniques and processes
when making their artworks (ACAVAM115)
Y
Y
Y
Plan the display of artworks to enhance their
meaning for an audience (ACAVAM116)
Y
Y
Y
Explain how visual arts conventions communicate
meaning by comparing artworks from different
social, cultural and historical contexts, including
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
artworks (ACAVAR117)
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
HEALTH AND PHYSICAL ED – Year 5
Being healthy, safe and active
Explore personal and cultural identities and how
they change and adapt to different contexts and
situations (ACPPS051)
Y
Y
Y
Y
Contributing to healthy and active communities
Explore how participation in outdoor activities
supports personal and community health and
wellbeing and creates connections to the natural
and built environment (ACPPS059)
Understanding Movement
Participate in physical activities from their own
and other cultures and examine how involvement
creates community connections and intercultural
understanding (ACPMP066)
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
ENGLISH – Year 6
Language Variation and change
Understand that different social and geographical
dialects or accents are used in Australia in
addition to Standard Australian
English (ACELA1515)
62
Y
Y
Y
Y
Australia as a nation
Stories of groups of people who migrated to
Australia (including from ONE Asian country) and
the reasons they migrated, such as World War II
and Australian migration programs since the
war. (ACHHK115)
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Australia as a nation
The contribution of individuals and groups,
including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
people and migrants, to the development of
Australian society, for example in areas such as
the economy, education, science, the arts,
sport. (ACHHK116)
Y
Y
Extension
Activities
Y
Y
Icebreakers
Australia as a nation
Experiences of Australian democracy and
citizenship, including the status and rights of
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples,
migrants, women, and children (ACHHK114)
Y
Broad Activity 3
Cultural
Activities
Y
Broad Activity 2
Cultural
Questions
Y
Literature and context
Make connections between students’ own
experiences and those of characters and events
represented in texts drawn from different
historical, social and cultural
contexts(ACELT1613)
Broad Activity 1
Recipes for
Harmony eBook
Y
Australian Curriculum
Standard Content Descriptions
Y
HISTORY – Year 6
Y
GEOGRAPHY – Year 6
Geographical Knowledge and Understanding
The location of the major countries of the Asia
region in relation to Australia and the
geographical diversity within
the region(ACHGK031)
Y
Geographical Knowledge and Understanding
Differences in the economic, demographic and
social characteristics between countries across
the world (ACHGK032)
Y
Y
Y
Y
Geographical Knowledge and Understanding
The world’s cultural diversity, including that of its
indigenous peoples (ACHGK033)
Y
Y
Y
Y
Geographical Knowledge and Understanding
Significant events that connect people and places
throughout the world (ACHGK034)
Y
Y
Geographical Knowledge and Understanding
The various connections Australia has with other
Y
Y
Y
Y
63
countries and how these connections
change people and places (ACHGK035)
Y
Y
Y
Y
Citizenship, diversity and identity
The obligations citizens may consider they have
beyond their own national borders as active and
informed global citizens(ACHCK039)
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Perform dance using expressive skills to
communicate a choreographer’s ideas, including
performing dances of cultural groups in the
community (ACADAM011)
Y
Y
Y
Y
Explain how the elements of dance and
production elements communicate meaning by
comparing dances from different social, cultural
and historical contexts, including Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander dance(ACADAR012)
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Extension
Activities
Y
Icebreakers
Y
Broad Activity 3
Citizenship, diversity and identity
Who can be an Australian citizen, the formal
rights and responsibilities, and shared values of
Australian citizenship (ACHCK038)
Broad Activity 2
Y
Collecting, recording, evaluating and representing
Collect and record relevant geographical data
and information, using ethical protocols, from
primary and secondary sources, for example,
people, maps, plans, photographs, satellite
images, statistical sources and
reports(ACHGS041)
Broad Activity 1
Y
Australian Curriculum
Standard Content Descriptions
Cultural
Activities
Cultural
Questions
Y
Recipes for
Harmony eBook
Geographical Knowledge and Understanding
The effects that people’s connections with, and
proximity to, places throughout the world have
on shaping their awareness and opinion of those
places (ACHGK036)
CIVICS AND CITIZENSHIP – Year 6
Y
Questioning and research
Develop questions and gather a range of
information to investigate the society in which
they live (ACHCS040)
Y
DANCE – Year 6
DRAMA – Year 6
Explain how the elements of drama and
production elements communicate meaning by
comparing drama from different social, cultural
Y
64
and historical contexts, including Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander drama(ACADRR038)
MEDIA ARTS – Year 6
Explore representations, characterisations and
points of view of people in their community,
including themselves, using settings, ideas, story
principles and genre conventions in images,
sounds and text (ACAMAM062)
Y
Y
Y
Explain how the elements of media arts and story
principles communicate meaning by comparing
media artworks from different social, cultural and
historical contexts, including Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander media
artworks (ACAMAR065)
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Cultural
Activities
Broad Activity 1
Broad Activity 2
Y
Y
Explore ideas and practices used by artists,
including practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander artists, to represent different views,
beliefs and opinions (ACAVAM114)
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Explain how visual arts conventions communicate
meaning by comparing artworks from different
social, cultural and historical contexts, including
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
artworks (ACAVAR117)
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Explain how the elements of music communicate
meaning by comparing music from different
social, cultural and historical contexts, including
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
music (ACAMUR091)
Extension
Activities
Cultural
Questions
Y
Australian Curriculum
Standard content descriptions
Icebreakers
Recipes for
Harmony eBook
Develop technical and expressive skills in singing
and playing instruments with understanding
of rhythm, pitch and form in a range of pieces,
including in music from the
community (ACAMUM089)
Broad Activity 3
MUSIC – Year 6
VISUAL ARTS – Year 6
Y
HEALTH AND PHYSICAL ED – Year 6
Being health, safe and active
Explore personal and cultural identities and how
they change and adapt to different contexts and
situations (ACPPS051)
Y
Y
65
Understanding movement
Participate in physical activities from their own
and other cultures and examine how
involvement creates community connections and
intercultural understanding (ACPMP066)
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
66
Appendix 7: Additional Resources
 The latest version of the National Indigenous Languages Survey is available here:

The Little Red Yellow Black website is a companion website to their best-selling book
providing lots of information for educators and students.
67
Credits
Program director:
Peter Mousaferiadis
Education content writer:
Douglas Montgomery
Illustrator:
Rocsanne Putri
Graphic designer:
Rafael Arocha
Editor:
Sophia Sourris
Communications advisor:
Rob Nicholson
Classroom activities adapted from the Intercultural Citizenship Ambassador Program (ICAP) Developed
by Cultural Infusion
Thanks to the Australian Government Department of Social Services Harmony Day Team
Author:
Cultural Infusion
Release date:
March 2015
© Australian Government Department of Social Services 2015
68