Issuu

Evaluation Pack

Series Overview Yarning Strong 2e is an engaging series of novels and anthologies for Years 3–6 written by First Nations authors, giving teachers and students quality content to explore First Nations cultures and perspectives. This comprehensive and accessible series includes 32 quality fiction novels (including ten graphic novels) and four themed anthologies that include non-fiction material for Years 3–6 English classrooms. Yarning Strong 2e supports the English and Humanities curriculums. It provides culturally relevant content and supports teachers to not only meet curriculum requirements through accessible, high-quality materials, but also to expand their understanding of First Nations perspectives with historic and contemporary material.

Teacher and Student materials This series is a combination of printed novels and anthologies and a school digital subscription for the teacher resources.

Print novels The Yarning Strong printed novels are excellent mentor texts, offering students a vibrant collection of topics, voices and stories. The series includes ten engaging graphic novels. Written by well-known First Nations authors, this high-quality literature provides rich insights into real-world experiences while explicitly teaching and reinforcing key English skills and knowledge. Yarning Strong gives teachers access to novels that encourage students to think deeply about the world around them and their place within it. These novels support the development of strong literacy skills by helping students understand how texts work, including features such as audience, purpose, structure and language choices. As powerful examples of excellent writing, these authentic, whole-book novels inspire students. By using them as models, students are both motivated and well equipped to craft high-quality texts of their own.

Anthologies The four anthologies include non-fiction material, like speeches, reports, essays and maps, along with poems, artwork, songs and more based on the themes of Family, Identity, Land and Law. Beautifully designed, these books are linked to the novels in the lesson plans to create an engaging and informative lesson for students and teachers. Simplified page designs for the anthologies will make them accessible and will help reduce student cognitive load.

School Digital Subscription The School Digital Subscription contains extensive teacher materials that support explicit teaching, independent student work and discussion. The teacher resources and anthologies include factual information to support a broader understanding of First Nations’ experiences and perspectives.

eBooks of the four Anthologies Four themed anthologies are available as ebooks for front of class display.

Lesson Plans Detailed lesson plans provide comprehensive support for every part of each lesson: Getting started I do We do You do, and Check for understanding.

Background Information Sheets Background information for lesson content is provided for review prior to a lesson. This content is written by First Nations authors and presents important ideas and issues in a short, easy-to-understand format, to increase understanding of important cultural practices and social issues. These background information sheets are referenced in the lesson plans for each novel, and are also available by topic in the Teacher Resources section of the School Digital Subscription.

Front of Class materials Every Yarning Strong novel has a front-of-class presentation that is linked to the lesson plans. The front of class materials: guide teachers and students through the key material to support background information for the novel provoke and inspire students use a consistent structure to reduce cognitive load display the relevant pages from the anthologies to help focus class attention

Additional resources The School Digital Subscription also includes: teacher support for the four anthologies, allowing teachers to choose material suited to their classroom research sheets BLMs suggested Scope and Sequence document curriculum alignment documents curriculum alignment grid VTLM 2.0 alignment

Using Yarning Strong as a school The four main themes in Yarning Strong, Family, Identity, Land and Law, are explored through the series of anthologies and novels. It is suggested that one theme is chosen per term, for example, Term 1 – Identity. The theme can be purposefully chosen alongside other learning experiences occurring in the year level. All themes can be covered throughout the year. Over the following years, teachers can follow the same theme order, with different novels, and refer to different anthology material. This provides an opportunity for teachers to plan for the year or curriculum leaders to plan for stages and/or all of upper primary. This series encourages collaboration amongst educators implementing the series.

Suggested weekly planner Week 1

Week 2

Monday

Introduce novel. Discuss background knowledge and anthology activities

Review content from previous week. Lesson 3

Tuesday

Read chapter 1 as a class

Read chapter 3 in pairs

Wednesday

Lesson 1

Lesson 4

Thursday

Read chapter 2 independently

Read chapters 4 and 5

Friday

Lesson 2

Finish any work and review the lesson block

Teaching and Learning Approach Explicit Teaching This series supports the explicit teaching of curriculum knowledge and skills. Lessons are based on novels and relevant anthology material. These are organised into sections: Getting started (including background information, learning intention and success criteria), I Do, We Do, You Do and Check for understanding. Each lesson plan includes a section on Enabling and Extension, so that the teacher can support the class at their level, and include assessment ideas.

Getting Started

Short, focused review to activate prior knowledge and reinforce previously taught content and literacy skills Share background information needed to understand the novel. Share a hook to engage the students in your class. How is this information relevant and interesting? Can you tie in local examples? Lesson Plan & Front of class material

I do

Introduce learning intention and success criteria Explicit teaching of key skills Lesson Plan & Front of class material

We do

Teacher and students engage collaboratively with lesson content Lesson Plan

You do

Students apply taught knowledge and skills Support for differentiated activities provided Lesson Plan & Research Sheets BLMs

Check for Understanding

Students reflect on their learning through class discussion Lesson Plan

Learning Design At Oxford University Press, we are passionate about helping everyone achieve their full potential. By combining research-informed learning design and pedagogy with our extensive global experience and expertise, we develop educational solutions that advance knowledge and learning and deliver real impact. Throughout each Yarning Strong lesson, a range of learning design principles are applied including: managing cognitive load: the novels have chapters, so that reading can be done in smaller chunks; teachers are given different options to choose which anthology pages are suited to their class retrieval and spaced practice: the lesson plans include the opportunity to draw on knowledge from previous novels or anthologies, giving students the opportunity to revisit information over the terms and across years. motivation and learning: for First Nations students, this series gives them a chance to see themselves in stories and to share their culture. For non-Indigenous students, it will help them to make sense of information they see in everyday life: Welcome to Country ceremonies at major sporting events, local names of places, artwork, political news and events. building knowledge and skills: students apply what they are learning across different activities active learning: learning intentions at the start of each lesson set out the focus for the class adaptive learning: the lesson plans include material for enabling and extending to adapt learning for the class. These embedded principles support literacy development, build knowledge and cater to different learning needs. By gradually shifting responsibility from teacher to student, the program encourages confidence, deeper understanding and long-term learning success.

Curriculum Alignment The curriculum alignment documents in the School Digital Subscription will focus on English, but will also cover any other relevant subjects like Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures, Humanities, Art, Digital Technologies and Science. Yarning Strong is aligned to: Australian Curriculum 9.0: English, and other subjects 3–6 NSW Syllabus: English and other subjects 3–6 Victorian Curriculum 2.0: English and other subjects 3–6 Western Australian Curriculum: English and other subjects 3–6 The program also supports the VTLM 2.0 and Intercultural Capability for Victoria.

View Sample Pages

Talk with our team Your local Education Consultant can give you a full demonstration of the resource, answer your questions and support you with ordering and implementation.

Request a Consultation

Authors and Contributors Novel & Anthology Information

Authors and Contributors Yarning Strong Family Years 3-4 Value Pack That’s What Families Are For | Gayle Kennedy | Wongaiibon Importance of family bonds Not all family members are the same We Can Work It Out | Gayle Kennedy | Wongaiibon Families support each other to achieve their goals Importance of putting others first Family bonds can be strong even when they live apart Odd One Out | Cathy Craigie | Gamilaroi and Anaiwan Aboriginality cannot be judged by appearance Knowing your family heritage Super-nature Stars | Tania Crampton-Larking | Mirning Respect for elders can be shown in different ways Learning about family can happen by listening to the stories adults tell S.A.M| Tammy Lee Rock | Pakana Personal strength can be discovered through family support Families can be diverse, but they belong to each other Importance of developing resilience to cope with difficulty

Authors and Contributors Yarning Strong Identity Years 3-4 Value Pack Caught Me a Wish| Sue McPherson | Wiradjuri The value of belonging Determination achieves goals Giving support is important Findin’ Our Mob | Gayle Kennedy | Wongaiibon Discovery of self Value of family Determination The Croydon Park Cooking Club| Dub Leffler | Bigambul Importance of family background and culture Sharing traditions Learning from others Celebrating different cultures The Naming of Yellow Hair| Richard J. Frankland | Gunditjmara Elder It is important to know your family history Aboriginality cannot be judges by skin colour Where Ya From? Who’s Ya Mob?| Gayle Kennedy | Wongaiibon Importance of Family and PLace Knowing who you are Friendship and belonging Ancestry

Authors and Contributors Yarning Strong Land Years 3-4 Value Pack A Christmas Ya Won’t Forget| Gayle Kennedy | Wongaiibon Importance of land Knowing your family heritage Different traditions celebration in different ways Crossing Country| Dr Dylan Coleman | Kokatha Importance of knowledge and learning Relationship to ancestral land Reading the Bush| Cathy Craigie | Gamilaroi and Anaiwan Living from the land The environment Learning from others Respect Tiptoeing Tracker Tod| Charmaine Papertalk-Green | Bardimaya and Wajarri Cultural knowledge is significant and needs to be passed on The history of the Stolen Generations impacts children today Word play creates lively texts Under the Train Tracks| Caitlin Smith |Bunjima Everybody has a responsibility to care for the land Rules should not exclude people from the group Land rights

Authors and Contributors Yarning Strong Family Years 5-6 Value Pack His Father’s Eyes| Ali Cobby Eckermann | Yankunytjatjara Absence of family The Stolen Generations Life changes Loss and fear of loss Discovery of strength through family Death Kin Island| Jaiki Pitt & Terri Janke | Meriam & Wuthathi Importance of family in self-understanding Links between family and Place Discovering a sense of belonging Ngalga Mathematics| Dr Stephen Hagan | Kullilli Friendship across boundaries - racial, cultural, economic and regional Racism We are Family, We Are Deadly| Gayle Kennedy | Wongaiibon Feeling different Family is about respect and belonging Not all families are the same

Authors and Contributors Yarning Strong Law Years 5-6 Value Pack Caught and Court| Walter Saunders | Gunditjmara Justice Peer pressure Family relationships Milly’s Secret| Laura Dudgeon & Mitchell Dudgeon with Pat Dudgeon | Bardi Importance of family in self-understanding Links between family and Place Discovering a sense of belonging Crossroads| Larissa Behrendt | Euahleyai and Gamillaroi Deaths in custody Family and trust Peer group pressure Racism Responsibility for self and others I Made it I Own It| Gayle Kennedy | Wongaiibon Individual abilities Intellectual property Standing up for your rights

Authors and Contributors Yarning Strong Identity Years 5-6 Value Pack The Chainsaw File| Bruce Pascoe | Yuin & Bunurong Aboriginality cannot be judged by skin colour Importance of standing up for yourself and your people Jali Boy| Ricky McCourt | Gumbaynggirr Separation from family Struggle and sacrifice Achievement through hard work Jindah Murray, Wind Dancer| Fiona Wirrer-George Oochunyung | Mbaiwum-Trotj/Alngith-Liningithi and Wik Apalich Hard work and determination Discovery of self Value of family Just The Skin You're Livin' In| Gayle Kennedy | Wongaiibon Knowing who you are Refusing to be defined by others Racism The importance of family

Authors and Contributors Yarning Strong Land Years 5-6 Value Pack Common Ground| Gayle Kennedy | Wongaiibon Importance of land Bullying Taking action Standing up for your beliefs Dallas Davis, The Scientist and the City Kids | Dr Jared Thomas | Nukunu Taking responsibility for the land Taking responsibility for younger people The importance of knowledge and learning Demon Guards the School Yard | Anita Heiss | Wiradjuri Care for the land The value of friendship Taking responsibility More Than Just a Piece of Land| Gayle Kennedy | Wongaiibon Relationship to the importance of ancestral land Starting over Bullying and racism

View Sample Pages

Talk with our team Your local Education Consultant can give you a full demonstration of the resource, answer your questions and support you with ordering and implementation.

Request a Consultation

Yarning Strong Evaluation Pack