The Saibai community is located on the island of Saibai, one of the northern-most islands of Torres Strait. People from Saibai Thabu (Snake) clan have chosen to share one of their traditional stories. The Story of Girbar is a Creation story that tells of how Girbar brought food crops to the island. The story is traditionally told in Kalaw Kawaw Ya and has been presented in English for Sharing Our Stories.

Key features:

• Developed to be integrated into existing SOSE/HSIE/Humanities (strands/units on culture and beliefs) and English units of work
• Covers a diverse range of Indigenous communities
• Could have multiple uses in a literacy session, e.g. shared reading, comprehension, promotion of critical literacy skills
• Genre studies - traditional tales and oral histories/storytelling; provides opportunities for students to explore recounts and narratives
• Culturally relevant for Indigenous students
• Includes supportive teaching notes for educators who are not confident in teaching Indigenous studies

Liz Thompson is an award-winning documentary film maker, radio presenter, writer and the co-creator of sharingstories.com.au. She has been involved in the creation and promotion of Indigenous literacy projects for over twenty years, and is passionately devoted to advancing shared understanding through education.

Suitable for middle to upper primary students

This unique series gives students the chance to study Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures. This series aligns with the Australian Curriculum, and supports the crosscurriculum priority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures. Flexible enough to be embedded into a History or Geography lesson, the series can also be used for literacy in shared reading, comprehension and promotion of critical literacy skills.

Sample pages from The Story of Girbar.