NAIDOC Week classroom ideas

NAIDOC Week is held in the first week of July and is a fantastic time to explore Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, culture and achievements. It's also the perfect opportunity to introduce young students to the key symbols and meanings in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. Before you begin, make sure your students understand the difference between a celebration and a commemoration click here for more info.

I'd like to take you through the some ideas you can use in your own classroom to explore NAIDOC Week with some activities and crafts your students will love. 

DOT PAINTING

My students always love this activity! It's so much fun! It's important to explain how dot painting came about and there is some great information here about the history and tradition of it. It's such a nice way of incorporating Aboriginal art, animal symbolism and HASS together. 

MAKE A WALL DISPLAY

I create a short written response with students about what NAIDOC Week is all about and then we glue them on to our posters with our little Aboriginal boy. This look fantastic on a wall display and parents enjoy reading the writing samples when they visit the room. 

DRILLING DOWN DEEPER

If you have time, it's great to drill down a bit deeper into NAIDOC Week by discussing some of the key concepts about this celebration. 

EXPLORE THE VOCABULARY OF WELCOME TO COUNTRY

All students would have heard 'Welcome to Country' but do they understand what it means? I like to take some of the key words and explore the definitions. You can make this part of your STRIVE program if you use it or just part of your reading group activities.

EXPLORE THE ABORIGINAL AND THE TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER FLAGS

You can create lots of interesting art pieces with the Indigenous flags but it's worth spending some time with students to explain the meanings behind the colours and symbols used. 

DESIGN NAIDOC WEEK POSTERS

I've done this activity for many different year levels and it's always a good way to work with layout, setting, cohesive devices and persuasive writing effects. Younger students may just want to colour and decorate a poster, whereas older students might enjoy creating a poster in PowerPoint.

Throughout the HASS curriculum there is an element of exploring and recognising community celebrations both within Australia and in other countries. You can find these products and more at the products linked below.