These episodes align strongly with the truth‑telling language embedded in AC v9.

History – Year 3

ACHASSK064 – Celebrations and commemorations, including Australia Day, ANZAC Day and National Sorry Day, and their significance to different groups.
→ Supports teaching 26 January as both Australia Day and Invasion Day/Survival Day.

History – Years 9 & 10

AC9HH9K02 / AC9HH10K02 – British colonisation as “settlement” or “invasion”; Frontier Wars; dispossession; impacts of European colonisation.
→ Provides language for truth‑telling and multiple perspectives.

Civics & Citizenship – Years 7–10

AC9HC7K03 / AC9HC8K03 / AC9HC9K03 – Australian identity, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives on national days and historical events.
→ Supports discussion of Invasion Day / Survival Day.

Emphasises:

• Country/Place
• Culture
• People
• Continuity and change
• Perspectives and truth-telling
• Impact of colonisation
• Ongoing resilience

This priority requires embedding First Nations perspectives throughout the study of the 1780s.

• HASS (History + Civics & Citizenship)
• The Arts
• Science
• Technologies
• Cross‑Curriculum Priorities
• General Capabilities (Intercultural + Ethical Understanding)

Everything is aligned to AC v9 and written in language that supports truth-telling, cultural safety, and multiple perspectives.

Year 4

• AC9HS4K02 – Diversity and longevity of First Nations Peoples and their connections to Country/Place.

• AC9HS4K03 – Stories of early contact between First Nations Peoples and Europeans, including the nature and impact of these interactions.

• AC9HS4S02 – Pose questions about the past from multiple perspectives.

• AC9HS4S04 – Interpret information from visual, oral and written sources.

Year 5

• AC9HS5K02 – Causes and effects of European exploration and colonisation.

• AC9HS5K03 – Impact of colonisation on First Nations Peoples, including dispossession and resistance.

• AC9HS5S03 – Analyse different points of view in historical sources.

Year 6

• AC9HS6K02 – Significant events that shaped Australian society, including the arrival of the First Fleet.

• AC9HS6K03 – Experiences of different groups in the colonial period (convicts, First Nations Peoples, settlers).

• AC9HS6S04 – Evaluate sources for origin, purpose and perspective.

How the episodes support this:

• Waruwi’s perspective foregrounds First Nations knowledge, custodianship and early contact.

• Dan’s perspective highlights convict childhood, labour, justice and survival.

• Both episodes allow students to compare experiences of the same event from different cultural viewpoints.

Year 4

• AC9HC4K02 – Rules, laws and fairness in communities.

• AC9HC4S01 – Identify ways people participate in communities.

Year 5

• AC9HC5K02 – Values of justice, equality and respect in Australian society.

• AC9HC5K03 – How communities manage conflict and support wellbeing.

Year 6

• AC9HC6K02 – Australian identity, including First Nations perspectives.

• AC9HC6K03 – How shared histories shape contemporary civic values.

How the episodes support this:

• Waruwi’s story invites discussion about cultural law, kinship and custodianship.

• Dan’s story raises questions about justice, punishment and children’s rights.

• Both episodes support ethical discussions about fairness, belonging and responsibility.

Visual Arts

• AC9AVA4E01 / AC9AVA5E01 / AC9AVA6E01 – Explore how artists represent Country, culture and identity.

• AC9AVA4C01 – Create artworks that communicate ideas about place and perspective.

Drama

• AC9ADR4C01 / AC9ADR5C01 / AC9ADR6C01 – Use role‑play, improvisation and character to explore relationships and cultural perspectives.

• AC9ADR6D01 – Reflect on how drama can communicate social and historical ideas.

Media Arts

• AC9AMA4C01 – Create multimodal stories showing different viewpoints.

• AC9AMA6E01 – Analyse how media represents people and cultures.

How the episodes support this:

• Students can create soundscapes of Country, retell scenes from Waruwi’s perspective, or storyboard Dan’s journey.

• Image analysis tasks align with visual arts and media arts outcomes.

Year 4

• AC9S4U01 – Living things depend on their environment.

• AC9S4H02 – First Nations Peoples’ knowledge of sustainable practices.

Year 5

• AC9S5U01 – Adaptations of living things to environments.

• AC9S5H02 – First Nations ecological knowledge and land management.

Year 6

• AC9S6U01 – Physical conditions of environments and survival.

• AC9S6H02 – First Nations scientific knowledge of navigation, seasons and resource use.

How the episodes support this:

• Waruwi’s knowledge of Country, tracking, sound, and movement aligns with First Nations science.

• Dan’s struggle to adapt highlights environmental understanding and survival skills.

Design & Technologies

• AC9TDE4K01 / AC9TDE5K01 / AC9TDE6K01 – Explore how communities use materials, tools and systems to meet needs.

• AC9TDE4P01 – Investigate sustainable practices, including First Nations technologies.

Digital Technologies

• AC9TDI4P01 / AC9TDI5P01 – Create digital stories, timelines or multimodal presentations.

• AC9TDI6P01 – Analyse how information systems represent people and cultures.

How the episodes support this:

• Students can design tools, shelters or survival systems used by Waruwi or Dan.

• Digital storytelling tasks align with multimodal communication outcomes.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures

• Country/Place – Waruwi’s relationship with Country.
• Culture – kinship, law, knowledge systems.
• People – identity shaped by community and Country.
• Continuity & Change – impact of 1788 on daily life.
• Perspectives – truth‑telling about invasion and contact.
• Empowerment – resilience, agency and cultural strength.

Asia & Australia’s Engagement with Asia

• Early maritime connections (Macassan traders).
• Comparative perspectives on migration and movement.

Sustainability

• First Nations ecological knowledge and sustainable practices.

Intercultural Understanding

Students learn to:

• recognise different cultural perspectives
• understand First Nations worldviews
• reflect on their own assumptions
• communicate respectfully across cultures
• appreciate deep time history and custodianship

Ethical Understanding

Students explore:

• fairness, justice and responsibility
• the ethics of colonisation and contact
• empathy for different lived experiences
• consequences of actions
• respectful decision‑making

Critical & Creative Thinking

• analysing sources
• comparing perspectives
• generating questions
• interpreting evidence
• designing solutions or responses

Literacy & Numeracy

• interpreting timelines, maps, images
• reading multimodal texts
• creating narratives, reports and digital stories
• analysing simple data (e.g., population, journeys)

When discussing Dan’s interactions with the British military, refer to them as “marines” to reflect historical accuracy and support truth-telling. You might include a brief note for students:

“The men in red coats were marines, not soldiers. They worked for the navy and were sent to guard the convicts and help run the new colony.”

Who Were the First Fleet Military Personnel?

The accurate historical term for the British military personnel who arrived with the First Fleet in 1788 is “marines,” not “soldiers.” These were members of the British Marine Corps, specifically deployed to guard convicts and maintain order in the new penal colony.

✅ British Marine Corps

• The First Fleet included four companies of the British Marine Corps, under Major Robert Ross.
• These marines were chosen for their experience at sea, especially guarding convicts on prison hulks.
• They were not Army soldiers;  the Marine Corps was a distinct branch under naval command.

❌ Not Army Soldiers

• Army soldiers were not part of the initial First Fleet landing.
• Marines were considered more reliable for shipboard discipline and coastal operations.
• The term “soldiers” is historically inaccurate for this context and can mislead students about the structure of colonial authority.