Ms. Grese's Guide to Australia
This guide is a resource for teachers
who would like information on creating a thematic unit on Australia.
Take a look at the links below for web sites that are chock-full of information
about the land Down Under!
Scroll down or choose from this
menu!
The
Olympic Games
Fun
Facts and Activities
Teacher
Resources
Science
Literature
Social
Studies
The Olympic Games - Sydney 2000
The
Olympics may be the reason that so many people are interested in Australia
right now. Here are a few links to sites about the 2000 games.
Fun Facts and Activities
-
About
Australia! - A great site that tells all about
Australia with categories like lifestyle and business, broken down by territory.
-
Fab
Facts - Information from Australia's National
Mapping Agency
-
Surfing
Australia - Everything about surfing down under,
from contest to surf schools!
-
About:
Australia - A list of facts about Australia.
Check out the Australians' favorite song and Australian slang!
-
Gander
Academy, Australia Theme - See Australian endangered
animals and an internet project done by some Australian school children.
-
Australian
Food - This is a site dedicated to the food
of Australia. Warning!
This page may make you hungry!
-
Australian
Holidays - A guide to Aussie holidays and their
histories.
Teacher Resources
Collaborative Projects
-
AustraliaQuest
- The Mystery - Join the latest quest in which
millions of children all over the world have participated already.
Last year was AmericaQuest...next stop, Down Under!
-
EnviroNet
Monitoring Projects - A list of projects that
classes can join with other students from around the world. Try bird
watching or insect collection. Learning about your local natural
environment can be easily linked to the environment and creatures of Australia!
Lesson Plans
-
Save
the Oceans Poster - Your students can create
posters with reasons to preserve ocean life. The world's smallest
continent (and the only continental island) plays a large role in global
ocean issues.
-
Ocean
Life Mural - Creating murals of the ocean is
both fun and educational! Encourage conservation through art.
-
Ocean
Puzzle Fun - Word searches, crosswords, and
more - all about the ocean. Personalize with Australian species.
Information Sites
Science - Ecosystems and Wildlife
Literature
Books, Authors
and Folk Tales
These are the covers of two books I recommend!
Check the links below for reviews, a synopsis, and even ordering information
from Amazon.com!
Check out these last three books, illustrated brilliantly
by Bronwyn Bancroft (see above pictures), a descendant of Australian Aborigines
in the territory of New South Wales:
Social Studies
Geography
-
Maps
of Australia and the Pacific - Great maps!
-
Australia
- Thorough information of the Australian flag and its history.
-
Times
around the world - Australia - Take a look at
the current time in each of the territories of Australia.
-
ABC
Maps of Australia; Flag, Map, Economy, Geography, Climate, Natural Resources,
Current Issues, International Agreements, Population, Social Statistics,
Political System - Different maps of Australia,
from topography to regional. Also connects to other links about the
country.
History of Settlement
Aborigines
Two Aborigine schools in the Outback
share their projects:
This site was created by Whitney Grese, a 3rd grade teacher in the Bronx,
New York, at Community School 4. Questions or comments can be directed
to Ms. Grese at khrysalis@usa.net.
Thanks for coming!