Episodes 'Before Time: Bunda' and 'Before Time: Barangaroo' support students to explore the enduring histories, cultures and knowledge systems of First Nations Peoples. Through these stories, students are introduced to the sophisticated systems of knowledge, law, kinship and connection to Country that have been nurtured over tens of thousands of years and continue to shape communities and cultures today.

This overview supports teachers to engage with these episodes respectfully and with cultural integrity, guided by the FIRST Framework and the Australian Curriculum Version 9.0 Deep Time History sub-strand. Deep Time History recognises the long and continuous histories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and emphasises the importance of understanding these histories as living, ongoing and connected to the present.

Teachers are encouraged to familiarise themselves with the following resources before continuing with this guide:

FIRST Framework (Australian Curriculum)
https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/resources/first-framework

Deep Time History of Australia Resource (Australian Curriculum)
https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/support-resources/learning-area-resources/deep_time_history_of_australia_resource

Where appropriate, teachers are also encouraged to connect learning to local Aboriginal histories, communities and Country. Engaging with local perspectives and cultural authority can help students understand the diversity of First Nations experiences and knowledge systems across Australia, while fostering meaningful connections to the Place in which they live and learn.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have diverse understandings of time, Place and connection. Deep time histories can include creation stories, knowledge traditions, ancestral beings and the formation of Coun, waterways and skies. These histories and knowledges support understandings of identity, responsibility, relationships and caring for Country.

Kinship systems help organise relationships, responsibilities and decision-making within communities. Seasonal calendars also reflect detailed knowledge of local environments, although these vary between Countries and communities and are shaped by local ecological conditions and cultural practices.

It is important to recognise that First Nations Peoples are not a single cultural group. Knowledge systems, beliefs, practices and understandings of Country differ across Nations and communities. Where appropriate, teachers are encouraged to connect learning to local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, perspectives and cultural authority.

Key ideas for students

• First Nations Peoples have diverse ways of understanding time, place and connection.
• Country is deeply connected to culture, identity, knowledge and responsibility.
• Creation stories and knowledges help explain relationships, responsibilities and connections to Country.
• Kinship systems play an important role in organising relationships and responsibilities within communities.
• Knowledge about seasons, weather and the environment is specific to different Countries and communities.

Life on Country is grounded in relationships and responsibilities to Country, family and community. Across different First Nations communities, knowledge may be learned and shared through observation, listening, participation, storytelling and guidance from Elders and other knowledge holders. The ways knowledge is shared, and who has responsibility for sharing it, are guided by cultural protocols and community practices that vary across Nations and communities.

Knowledge of local environments informs how people gather and prepare food, care for water sources, manage fire, build shelter and move through Country. These practices reflect deep understandings of place and are responsive to local environments, seasons and changing conditions.

Key ideas for students

• Knowledge can be learned and shared in many ways, including through observation, listening, participation and storytelling.
• Kinship systems help shape relationships, responsibilities and decision-making within communities.
• Ecological knowledge supports caring for Country and guides everyday practices.
• Knowledge and practices are responsive to Country, seasons and place.
• Cultural protocols and ways of sharing knowledge vary across First Nations communities.

First Nations knowledge systems are place-based and intergenerational. They include fire practices, water management, food systems, navigation, astronomy and material technologies.

These practices show deep scientific knowledge of ecology, engineering and sustainability. Technologies are carefully designed for local environments and purposes.

Key ideas for students

• Knowledge systems are scientific, ecological and relational
• Technologies are adapted to place and purpose
• Songlines and astronomy guide movement and knowledge
• Fire and water management support long-term care of Country

First Nations cultures are the oldest continuing cultures in the world. Knowledge is sustained through story, ceremony, art, song, dance and connection to Country.

Communities have adapted to major environmental changes over time while maintaining cultural identity, law and responsibility. Continuity reflects strength and resilience.

Key ideas for students

• Culture continues through story and practice
• Knowledge is passed across generations
• Communities adapt while maintaining identity
• Continuity reflects resilience and sovereignty

Deep time helps students understand that the history of Australia extends far beyond colonisation, encompassing more than 65,000 years of continuous connection to Country, culture, knowledge and custodianship. Deep time recognises the long and enduring presence of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and the sophisticated systems of knowledge, law, kinship and cultural practice that have been maintained across countless generations.

Across Australia, First Nations Peoples hold diverse understandings of Creation, Country, time and history. These understandings are embedded in stories, knowledge systems, cultural practices and responsibilities that are specific to particular Nations, communities and Country. Learning about these perspectives can help students appreciate the depth, diversity and richness of First Nations histories.

Importantly, deep time should not be understood as belonging only to the distant past. First Nations cultures, knowledges and connections to Country remain living, dynamic and continuing today. Deep time connects past, present and future, demonstrating the ongoing strength, resilience and cultural continuity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

Through this learning, students can develop a broader understanding of Australia's history and recognise the significance of First Nations perspectives in shaping how we understand Country, culture and community today.

Teaching deep time requires language that is accurate, respectful and grounded in First Nations perspectives. This means recognising sovereignty and using phrasing that reflects the depth and continuity of culture, such as acknowledging that First Nations Peoples have lived on this continent for tens of thousands of years and that knowledge is passed down through story, ceremony, kinship and Country. It also means making clear that stories are held and cared for by the communities to whom they belong. Terms such as ‘prehistoric’, ‘primitive tools’, ‘myths and legends’ and ‘nomadic’ should be avoided as they diminish cultural complexity and authority.

Students need to understand Country as a living presence rather than a backdrop. Country is alive, relational and storied, and it holds law, identity and belonging. Teaching should invite students to notice and respond to the world around them, including wind, sound, movement, animals, seasons, sky and water. In this way, learning is grounded in attentiveness and respect for Country as a source of knowledge.

Deep time stories show that children learn through observation, participation, storytelling and responsibility to family and Country. Knowledge is not given freely at any time, it is shared by the right people in the right way and at the right time. This reinforces that learning is connected to relationships and accountability, rather than individual acquisition.

Deep time should not be presented as something that has ended. Teaching should emphasise continuity, adaptation and resilience, showing that First Nations cultures remain strong and active. Cultural practices continue and knowledge systems remain living and relevant, connecting past, present and future.

When engaging with Before Time narratives, students can explore the diverse ways First Nations Peoples understand and relate to Country. This includes recognising that knowledge is held, shared and passed on through a range of cultural practices, and that stories can communicate important understandings about identity, belonging, responsibility and connection. Learning in this context encourages students to engage respectfully with different perspectives and ways of knowing, while appreciating the diversity of First Nations cultures across Australia.

Before viewing, explain that these stories take place long before 1788, in a time when First Nations cultures were thriving, adapting and caring for Country. Emphasise that these are living cultures, not distant or disconnected from the present. Prepare students to notice relationships, responsibilities, ecological knowledge, and how children learn from Country.

During viewing, encourage students to observe how Bunda and Barangaroo interact with Country and how knowledge is shared. Prompt attention to tools, movement, sound and story as guides for daily life, and support noticing how kinship shapes decisions and how Country communicates.

After viewing, use inquiry questions to deepen thinking and reflection. Ask what Country teaches Bunda or Barangaroo, how they learn from family, community and story, and what knowledge helps them live well with Country. Explore how these stories show continuity across thousands of generations, and invite students to consider what can be learned from these knowledge systems today.

Teaching about deep time invites ongoing reflection on the perspectives we bring into the classroom. Consider how your own understanding of time, shaped by schooling and cultural context, may differ from First Nations perspectives where deep time is living, continuous and inseparable from Country. Reflect on how this difference might influence what you emphasise, question or leave unexplored, and how you can broaden your approach to include ways of knowing that recognise deep time as present and active.

Think carefully about the resources you draw on and whether they are culturally endorsed, created with or approved by First Nations peoples, and grounded in local knowledge where possible. How are First Nations perspectives positioned in your teaching of deep time? Are they central to the learning, or included as an addition? Consider how you can avoid presenting deep time as distant or ‘ancient’ history, and instead highlight its ongoing significance in shaping identity, culture and relationships with Country.

It is also important to reflect on how you centre Country as a teacher in your practice. How can you support students to learn from place, to recognise the knowledge held in land, story and community, and to understand their own relationship to Country? Finally, consider the opportunities for students to connect deep-time knowledge to contemporary issues such as sustainability and identity, supporting them to respond with respect, care and informed awareness in their own lives.