Linking The Tweeting Galah series into the Australian Curriculum
(includes NEW Australian Curriculum v9 Links!)
There are many ways that The Tweeting Galah series can be used in your school.
Some teachers adopt a whole class approach, using all the books with the one class group throughout the year. In this way, students are exposed to all the stories in The Tweeting Galah series in the one school year.
Other teachers (such as Digital Technologies specialists) adopt a whole school approach, with specific books/stories selected for specific year groups. In this way, students are exposed to all the stories in The Tweeting Galah series over the course of their six years of primary school.
Both ways work great ... There is no right or wrong way to use these books!
The purpose of this article is to show how the stories in The Tweeting Galah series link with the current Australian Curriculum (version 8.4) for 2022, AND the upcoming Australian Curriculum (version 9.0) for 2023 and beyond.
Hopefully, the frameworks presented help you plan for how best to use The Tweeting Galah series in your school - whether you are an experienced teacher looking to update existing programs, or a newly graduated teacher who has been thrown in the deep end!
The curriculum links presented here are for the actual stories in The Tweeting Galah series - in other words, I have listed the curriculum links you can ‘tick off’ from simply reading the books and discussing the reflection questions included at the end of each story. Keep in mind, there are infinite possibilities for developing activities and projects for your students to complete that are inspired by the books - all of which can help you address even more curriculum. There are so many opportunities to integrate these books with STEM, Science, HASS and other subject areas!
You can purchase all the books listed below as part of the Teacher's Digital Citizenship Pack (includes both printed and eBook versions).
You can also download the Curriculum Links framework listed below in easy-to-read PDF format below:
Download Australian Curriculum v8.4 Links PDF
Download Australian Curriculum v9.0 Links PDF
I love seeing how The Tweeting Galah is used in classrooms. Please tag @thetweetinggalah on Instagram so I can see & share what you are doing!
Whole School Approach
Suggested Framework
Below is a suggested framework for using The Tweeting Galah series across all primary school year groups. This framework could serve as a useful starting point for your school-wide Digital Technologies or Health program.
|
Year group |
Suggested book |
Suggested stories |
|
Year 1 |
The Little Possum who Looked Up |
The Little Possum who Looked Up
|
|
Year 2 |
The Zooming Owl |
The Zooming Owl
|
|
Year 3 |
The Tweeting Galah |
"The Tale of the Tweeting Galah" "The Curious Case of the Overly Playful Platypus"
|
|
Year 4 |
The Tweeting Galah |
"The Sensational Saga of the Bumbling Bilby" "The Strange Story of the Singing Clownfish"
|
|
Year 5 |
The Surfing Penguin |
"The Scary Plight of the Surfing Penguin" "The Courageous Quest of the Smiling Quokka"
|
|
Year 6 |
The Surfing Penguin |
"The Troublesome Episode of the Trolling Echidna" "The Galahs’ Close Encounter with the Creeping Kestrel"
|
Class Approach
Curriculum Links by Year - Australian Curriculum v.9
Year 1/2 Curriculum Links
Digital Technologies
|
Strand |
Content Descriptions |
Suggested book(s) |
|
Knowledge and Understanding |
Digital systems Identify and explore digital systems and their components for a purpose (AC9TDI2K0) |
The Tweeting Galah The Little Possum who Looked Up The Zooming Owl |
|
Processes and Production Skills |
Evaluating Discuss how existing digital systems satisfy identified needs for known users (AC9TDI2P03) Privacy and Security Discuss that some websites and apps store their personal data online (AC9TDI2P06) |
The Tweeting Galah The Little Possum who Looked Up
|
English
|
Strand |
Content Descriptions |
Suggested book(s) |
|
Literature |
Engaging with and responding to literature Discuss literary texts and share responses by making connections with students’ own experiences (AC9E1LE02) |
The Tweeting Galah The Little Possum who Looked Up The Zooming Owl |
Health and Physical Education
|
Strand |
Content Descriptions |
Suggested book(s) |
|
Personal, Social and Community Health |
Interacting with others Practise strategies they can use when they need to seek, give or deny permission respectfully (AC9HP2P04) Making healthy and safe choices Identify and demonstrate protective behaviours and help-seeking strategies they can use to help them and others stay safe (AC9HP2P05) |
The Tweeting Galah The Surfing Penguin
|
Digital Literacy Capability (Level 2)
|
Element |
Descriptions |
Suggested book(s) |
|
Practicing digital safety and wellbeing |
Manage online safety Use online tools that are age appropriate or only under supervision, seeking help from trusted adults when feeling unsafe Manage digital privacy and health Recognise that online tools (website and apps) store their personal data, which may give an impression of them Manage digital wellbeing Follow agreed rules for the healthy use of digital tools and apply them at school and home |
The Tweeting Galah The Surfing Penguin The Little Possum who Looked Up
|
Year 3-4
Digital Technologies
|
Strand |
Descriptions |
Suggested book(s) |
|
Knowledge and understanding |
Digital systems Explore and describe a range of digital systems and their peripherals for a variety of purposes (AC9TDI4K01) |
The Little Possum who Looked Up |
|
Processes and Production Skills |
Evaluating Discuss how existing and student solutions satisfy the design criteria and user stories (AC9TDI4P05) Privacy and security Identify what personal data is stored and shared in their online accounts and discuss any associated risks (AC9TDI4P09) |
The Tweeting Galah The Surfing Penguin The Little Possum who Looked Up
|
English
|
Strand |
Content Descriptions |
Suggested book(s) |
|
Literature |
Engaging with and responding to literature Discuss connections between personal experiences and character experiences in literary texts and share personal preferences (AC9E3LE02) |
The Tweeting Galah The Surfing Penguin The Little Possum who Looked Up The Zooming Owl |
Health and Physical Education
|
Strand |
Content Descriptions |
Suggested book(s) |
|
Personal, Social and Community Health |
Identities and change Investigate how success, challenge, setbacks and failure strengthen resilience and identities in a range of contexts (AC9HP4P01) Interacting with others Select, use and refine personal and social skills to establish, manage and strengthen relationships (AC9HP4P04) Explain how and why emotional responses can vary and practise strategies to manage their emotions (AC9HP4P06) Rehearse and refine strategies for seeking, giving and denying permission respectfully and describe situations when permission is required (AC9HP4P07) Making healthy and safe choices Describe and apply protective behaviours and help-seeking strategies in a range of online and offline situations (AC9HP4P08) Investigate and apply behaviours that contribute to their own and others’ health, safety, relationships and wellbeing (AC9HP4P10) |
The Tweeting Galah The Surfing Penguin The Little Possum who Looked Up |
Digital Literacy Capability (Level 3)
|
Strand |
Description |
Suggested book(s) |
|
Practicing digital safety and wellbeing |
Manage online safety Report negative or harmful online behaviour by seeking help from trusted adults Manage digital privacy and identity Identify their digital footprint (personal data stored by online tools) Recognise their digital identity represents them online and can give a negative impression Give and seek consent before sharing online with peers and trusted adults Manage digital wellbeing Follow an agreed code of conduct for the healthy use of digital tools |
The Tweeting Galah The Surfing Penguin The Little Possum who Looked Up |
Year 5-6
Digital Technologies
|
Strand |
Content Descriptions |
Suggested book(s) |
|
Processes and Production Skills |
Evaluating Evaluate existing and student solutions against the design criteria and user stories and their broader community impact (AC9TDI6P06) Privacy and security Explain the creation and permanence of their digital footprint and consider privacy when collecting user data |
The Tweeting Galah The Surfing Penguin
|
English
|
Strand |
Content Descriptions |
Suggested book(s) |
|
Literature |
Engaging with and responding to literature Present an opinion on a literary text using specific terms about literary devices, text structures and language features, and reflect on the viewpoints of others (AC9E5LE02) Identify similarities and differences in literary texts on similar topics, themes or plots (AC9E6LE02) |
The Tweeting Galah The Surfing Penguin The Little Possum who Looked Up The Zooming Owl |
Health and Physical Education
|
Strand |
Content Descriptions |
Suggested book(s) |
|
Personal, Social and Community Health |
Identities and change Explain how identities can be influenced by people and places, and how we can create positive self-identities (AC9HP6P01) Interacting with others Describe and demonstrate how respect and empathy can be expressed to positively influence relationships (AC9HP6P04) Apply strategies to manage emotions and analyse how emotional responses influence interactions (AC9HP6P06) Describe strategies for seeking, giving or denying consent and rehearse how to communicate their intentions effectively and respectfully (AC9HP6P07) |
The Tweeting Galah The Surfing Penguin
|
Digital Literacy Capability (Level 4)
|
Strand |
Descriptions |
Suggested book(s) |
|
Practicing digital safety and wellbeing |
Manage online safety Report negative or harmful online behaviour to trusted adults and know how to report it in online tools Recognise when to step away from negative online social interactions Manage digital privacy and identity Recognise the permanence of their digital footprint and digital identity, and the associated risks, including to their reputation Give and seek consent before sharing online in trusted groups Manage digital wellbeing Follow an agreed code of conduct for the healthy and productive use of digital tools, considering the impact of tool use on wellbeing |
The Tweeting Galah The Surfing Penguin
|
|
Creating and exchanging |
Create, communicate and collaborate Select and control a variety of features in appropriate digital tools to create content and communicate and collaborate with trusted groups |
The Surfing Penguin |
|
Managing and operating |
Protect content Protect content when sharing with peers and trusted adults by setting appropriate access controls Select and operate tools Troubleshoot basic problems and identify repetitive tasks to automate |
The Tweeting Galah The Surfing Penguin The Zooming Owl |
You can purchase all the books listed below as part of the Teacher's Digital Citizenship Pack(includes both printed and eBook versions).