Gifted and Talented Teacher creates high-quality teaching resources and printable teacher resources designed to support calm, organised, and engaging learning environments. From curriculum-aligned teaching tools to functional classroom decor, our resources are classroom-ready and designed to save teachers time.

Build students' understanding of how language reflects identity, culture and context with this comprehensive teaching bundle centred on Wilam: A Birrarung Story. Designed to lighten the planning load while delivering explicit, curriculum-aligned instruction, this premium resource combines a detailed lesson plan, comprehensive teacher slides and differentiated student activities into one cohesive, classroom-ready lesson sequence.

Please note: This resource is designed to be used alongside Wilam: A Birrarung Story by Aunty Joy Murphy and Andrew Kelly, illustrated by Lisa Kennedy (Walker Books Australia, 2021). This picture book is required for the teaching and learning within this lesson.

Built around the I Do, We Do, You Do model, the lesson sequence provides a gradual release of responsibility, guiding students from explicit teacher modelling to collaborative analysis and independent application. Through close reading of Wilam: A Birrarung Story, students investigate how authors intentionally select language to communicate identity, culture, perspectives and connection to Country. Students explore how Woiwurrung language, traditional place names and culturally meaningful descriptions contribute to meaning while considering how these purposeful language choices influence the reader's understanding of people, place and culture.

Throughout the lesson, students participate in discussion, guided annotation and evidence-based analysis to explain how language reflects identity, cultural perspectives and context. Scaffolded learning experiences and differentiated tasks support every learner to move beyond simply identifying language features, developing the confidence to analyse how authors communicate meaning, belonging and relationships with place.

What's included in this teaching bundle?

Lesson Plan (PDF)

• A complete lesson sequence aligned to the Gradual Release of Responsibility framework
• Clear learning intentions and success criteria
• Explicit teaching focused on how language reflects identity, culture and context
• Teacher modelling, guided discussion and formative check-ins
• Exit ticket to assess student understanding

Teacher Slides (PowerPoint)

• Comprehensive, ready-to-teach presentation exploring language, identity and culture through Wilam: A Birrarung Story
• Explicit teaching of how purposeful language choices communicate identity, perspectives and relationships with place
• Think-alouds demonstrating evidence-based language analysis
• Guided close reading and annotation opportunities
• Interactive discussion prompts and collaborative analysis tasks
• Embedded check-ins for understanding throughout the lesson

Differentiated Student Activities (PDF)

• Three scaffolded pathways supporting a range of learners
• Option 1: Guided identification of purposeful language choices with structured support to locate evidence and explain how language reflects identity, culture and connection to Country
• Option 2: Independent analysis of a broader range of language choices and their contribution to meaning, cultural perspectives and reader understanding
• Option 3: Extended analytical tasks requiring students to evaluate language choices, justify their thinking with textual evidence and explain how language communicates identity, culture, values and belonging
• Open-ended activities encouraging close reading, evidence-based reasoning and analytical writing

This complete teaching bundle supports students to move beyond recognising language features and develop the analytical skills to explain how authors intentionally use language to communicate identity, culture and connection to Country. Ideal for upper primary classrooms, it provides a structured, engaging and meaningful approach to language analysis while fostering appreciation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures.

Formats: PowerPoint and PDF

Aligned to Australian Curriculum: Understand that language is selected for social contexts and that it helps to signal social roles and relationships (AC9E5LA01)

Gifted and Talented Teacher creates teacher resources designed to lighten the load and classroom decor that lifts the room.