Literacy 

New books 

We are so lucky to have such a range of texts in our Library. Recently, we had a bit of a stocktake of our books. We were looking specifically at the books we have that represent First Nations perspectives and those that are written in languages other than English. While we had some books that fit this criteria, we realised that this was an area of our Library that was lacking. We have therefore purchased a number of new books! 

In particular, this year we are keen to build up our resources that represent Koori voices. Learning about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures is a cross-curriculum priority in the Victorian Curriculum. It is also something we value.

During Library lessons this week, the 3/4s listened to one of our new books called ‘Our Home, Our Heartbeat’. The students found out about some of the famous Aboriginal people mentioned in the book (like Dan Sultan, Adam Goodes and Lionel Rose) and then considered how this book connected to their ‘Who we are’ unit of inquiry about the influence culture has on our identity. Lots of different ideas were presented including:

• “If I could sum the book up in one word it would be diversity. It is about people being happy about who they are and accepting others.”
• “I think this book is about being proud of who you are and thinking about the things you like to do and the people you want to be like.”
• “I think that this connects to our unit because sometimes where you come from and your history makes you who you are.”
• “Sometimes people are teased because of their skin colour and people are racist and that can make you feel bad about who you are.”
• “I think this book is about Aboriginal culture and how that makes someone who they are.”
• “This book is about the fact that we are all different but also the same. Sometimes we like the same things. Also, sometimes we like the same things but that doesn’t mean we aren’t individuals. Everyone is themselves.”