The lesson ideas contained in this section have been developed to assist students in years K-2 develop the foundation knowledge and skills needed to counter racism, prejudice, and discrimination.
Activities reflect the anti-bias approach pioneered by Louise Derman-Sparks in Anti-Bias Curriculum: Tools for Empowering Young Children and extended for the Australian context by the Lady Gowrie Child Centre in their Fair Play: Anti-Bias in Action Training Kit, 1997.
This section is continually being updated for the Australian Curriculum.
Puzzles and quizzes: Activities which aim to develop students’ general knowledge of Australia’s cultural diversity and history, human rights, racism and discrimination.
Activities by theme
Developing identity & self-esteem
Kindergarten
- K.1: Calendar events
Students develop ability to relate well to others by acknowledging a diversity of significant events such as birthdays and festivals. - K.2: My name
Students develop ability to communicate effectively in pairs and groups using agreed interpersonal conventions, active listening, appropriate language and taking turns. - K.3: Who is in our class?
Students recognise high-frequency words, including own name. - K.4: ‘Me’ collage
Students make associations with characteristics that identify each of us, e.g. food that we like; places that we like; colours that we like. - K.5: Special things
Students describe an object of interest to the class e.g. toy, pet.
Year 1
- 1.1: Who Am I?
Students make short presentation using some introduced text structures and language. - 1.2: All shapes and sizes
Students describe characteristics that make them both similar to others and unique. - 1.3: Groups
Students use interaction skills, including active listening behaviours and communicate in a clear, coherent manner. - 1.4: Connections
Students describe features of places and the connections people have with those places.
Year 2
- 2.1: Multicultural mural
Students interact with other students and adults. - 2.2: Guess who?
Students identify specific attributes of other students. - 2.3: What’s in a name?
Students listen to, and contribute to, conversations and discussions to share information and ideas. - 2.4: Knowing me, knowing you
Students communicate with a range of people in informal and guided activities demonstrating interaction.
Being comfortable with difference
Kindergarten
- K.6: Reflections
Students label external body parts, names their functions and recognises similarities and differences between others. - K.7: Flip book
Students respond to a range of imaginative and creative texts, by making a flip book using their own self-portraits. - K.8: Pasta families
Students sort & classify familiar objects and explain the basis for these classifications. - K.9: My family
Students talk about family and the people who care for them.
Year 1
- 1.5: Likes and dislikes
Students make short presentations using some introduced text structures and language. - 1.6: Class collage
Students develop positive relationships with peers and other people. - 1.7: Flower power
Students discuss the things that they do well, e.g. games, schoolwork, caring for siblings. - 1.8: Making choices
Students select a widening range of texts for enjoyment and pleasure and discuss reasons for their choice. - 1.9: Similarities and differences
Students communicate an understanding of change and continuity in family life using appropriate historical terms.
Year 2
- 2.5: Good to be different
Students identify specific attributes of other students. - 2.6: What makes my family unique?
Students describe their families and other groups to which they belong. - 2.7: A grandparent’s tale
Students compare and contrast daily life with that of parents or grandparents at the same age through stories or photographs and pose questions to ask parents/grandparents. - 2.8 The immigrant experience
Students use interaction skills, including active listening behaviours and communicate in a clear, coherent manner.
Understanding prejudice
Kindergarten
- K.10: Traditional tales
Students discuss and respond to, familiar written and visual texts. - K.11 Shared Spaces
Students compose a text to communicate feelings, needs, opinions and ideas about living and/ or working in a shared space. - K.12 Sneeches
Student expresses feelings, needs and wants in appropriate ways.
Year 1
- 1.10: Goldilocks – the real story
Students engage in conversations and discussions, using active listening behaviours, showing interest and contributing ideas, information and questions. - 1.11 Teasing
Students engage in conversations and discussions, using active listening behaviours, showing interest and contributing ideas, information and questions. - 1.12 Anti bias role plays
Students engage in conversations and discussions, using active listening behaviours, showing interest and contributing ideas, information and questions. - 1.13 The other side of the story
Students recognise that there are different kinds of texts when reading and viewing.
Year 2
- 2.9 Who are you?
Students interact effectively in groups or pairs, adopting a range of roles. - 2.10 What makes a good person
Students demonstrate ways to help, encourage and care for others. - 2.11 What is racism?
Students will learn about what racist behaviour is and begin to be able to identify it in familiar contexts such as at school, at home, online, or in the community.
Taking action against prejudice
Kindergarten
- K.13: NO GO TELL!
Students ask for help when injured or hurt. - K.14: What if?
Students compose texts to communicate feelings, needs, opinions and ideas.
Year 1
- 1.14 Class rules
Students demonstrate ways to help, encourage and care for others.
Year 2
- 2.12: Respect
Students listen to and contribute to conversations and discussions to share information and ideas and negotiate in collaborative situations. - 2.13: Prejudice no way! poster
Students use visual representations, including those digitally produced, to represent ideas, experience and information for different purposes and audiences.