Links
These page contains links to many useful websites related to the K-6 curriculum. Links have been arranged according to subject area. Please inform us of any sites that have changed location or are no longer available.
Disclaimer
Please Note - While every care is taken to provide links to suitable material from this site, the nature of the Internet prevents us from guaranteeing the suitability or accuracy of any of the material that this site may be linked to. Consequently, the Board of Studies NSW can accept no responsibility for unsuitable or inaccurate material that may be encountered.
K-6 Schools
School Locator - Department of Training and Education (DET) finds details of NSW public schools. This is in the "Finding a Public School" section, which is in the "Public Schools NSW" section of the site.
Creative Arts
Art Gallery of New South Wales website.
Sistine Chapel contains a supurb collection of images from the Sistine Chapel. It also includes a link back to the Vatican City collection.
The Webmuseum Network is an extensive collection of artworks from a network of galleries around the world.
English
Western Australia Department of Education and Training contains information about WebLogs. A WebLog, or Blog is a web page containing brief, chronologically arranged items of information. A blog can take the form of a diary, journal, what's new page, or links to other web sites. The development of blogging software, which doesn't require a knowledge of html and is simple to use, has seen a massive increase in the number of people who write for their own enjoyment and can experience the Web as a place for them to communicate rather than simply read. From an education perspective the availability and ease of use of blogging software makes creating Weblogs a viable classroom activity and a means for teachers to communicate with other teachers.
Australian Childrens' Television Foundation contains lesson ideas related to programs - Lift Off, Round the Twist and Crash Zone to name a few.
Primary English Teachers' Association has information about the association's activities, and links to many literature and literacy related sites and resources
Broderbund contains links to their software titles. Some have resources for lesson ideas.
HSIE
Access Asia contains free downloadable lesson plans relating to the Access Asia texts.
Asia Pacific Research on line includes Disability Rights; Sex Discrimination; Human Rights; Complaints Information; Racial Discrimination; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.
Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies includes items about the Institute; Current and forthcoming seminars.
Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation includes information about ANTAR; Latest events; How to help the cause; "Sea of Hands"; Sign Wik petition; Sign citizen's statement; Six steps to co-existence.
The Art Gallery of NSW holds significant collections of Australian, European and Asian art, and presents nearly forty exhibitions annually.
Australian Bureau of Statistics website.
The Curriculum Corporation Lesson Plans.
Sydney Morning Herald - Herald in the Classroom is a subscription based site. It offers teachers media resources and allows students to compose and respond to media texts. Features include a news quiz, issue and photograph of the week, and an awards forum featuring SMH Young Writer of the Year and SMH Plain English Speaking Awards. There is also a student news section where students can have their say and hone their writing skills. Most schools registered for Herald in the Classroom are high schools, though some primary schools are registered.
Film Australia contains free teachers notes to accompany Film Australia titles, in the Teachers Notes section. The notes contain suggestions for using the programs as an integrated educational resource, providing summaries, curriculum links, activities and discussion questions.
Gould League is Australias leading environmental education organisation. They have been educating children, schools and the general community about conservation and the environment for over 90 years. Over one million Australians have joined the Gould League since 1909.
Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales is entrusted with the care of key historic buildings and sites in New South Wales. The Trust manages 13 diverse sites and properties including houses, public buildings, a farm, gardens, parklands, a beach and urban spaces. As well as opening the properties to the public, they produce exhibitons, events, publications and education programs.
NSW Heritage Office includes Funding for Heritage projects; Publications; Frequently asked questions; State Heritage Inventory - a database containing over 17000 protected heritage items - archaeological sites, shipwrecks, industrial sites, private and civic buildings and some heritage items owned by State Government agencies.
Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) contains education modules for teachers in the Information for Teachers section of the website.
Museum of Sydney is built over the site of the first Government House. Its foundations remained buried under the many layers of urbanisation that followed and were unearthed by archaeologists in the 1980s. The Museum offers students a fascinating and challenging journey into Sydney's past: pre-contact; at colonisation; and as an evolving city.
Screensound Australia - National Screen and Sound Archive preserves Australia's audiovisual culture for all to enjoy. ScreenSound collects, preserves and shares Australia's moving images and sound recordings from the first film images of our young country to the modern classics Strictly Ballroom, Shine and beyond.
National Parks and Wildlife Service Information Centre contains fact sheets, activities, information on excursions and guided tours in the Educational Resources section.
National Trust of Australia (NSW) has an extensive reange of education programs at metropolitan and regional properties for HSIE Years K - 6.
Ida's Quest is designed to engage learners in an exploration of history. Although the website is based around a fictitious narrative, it uses real people and places. The content and approach of the website is devised to assist teachers of Stage 2 and 3 students for Human Society and Its Environment in the content area of Change and Continuity and Environments.
Parliamentary Education Office contains Kidsview, which can be used as a basis for upper primary unit on Parliament.
The Royal Australian Institute of Architects (RAIA) contains information on the K-12 Built Environment Program (BEE) in the Education section. Most States have a local BEE Team that runs projects and programs, such as 'Architects in Schools'. The BEE Teams' membership includes teachers, architects, architectural students, education department and association representatives.
The State Library of NSW contains many relevant resources in the Students page, in the Services section. The Library Shop at the State Library of NSW specialises in books about Australia and Australians, and carry many hard-to-find books. It offers amail-order service and a 10% discount for schools. View catalogues and indexes for the various State Library of New South Wales collections.
State Forests includes Information about NSW State forests, forest management, biodiversity, community access and forset species. Read about the free bus trips for teachers in the Education section.
Sydney Observatory is a museum about contemporary astronomy and its history. A downloadable Teachers Guide is available.
Taronga and Western Plains Zoos are governed by a single body, the Zoological Parks Board of New South Wales. Taronga Zoo is in Sydney, NSW, and Western Plains Zoo is located near Dubbo, western NSW. Visit the Zoo Education section.
Cockatoo Island - Excursions to Sydney Harbour's largest island offer primary school students a unique opportunity to explore the history and development of colonial and industrial Australia. Led by experienced and qualified teacher guides, students hear stories of the island's remarkable history, visit convict and industrial precincts, see audio-visual displays and undertake craft activities. A free downloadable Teacher Resource Kit is available online.
North Head Sanctuary - now hosts full-day excursions designed for the Biophysical Interactions topic of the Stage 6 Geography Preliminary Course. Students work cooperatively in small groups of up to 12 students to complete a series of fieldwork experiments including basic orienteering, weather observations, plant and animal identification, soil sampling, mapping and sketching activities and observing how humans interact with the environment. Specifically designed field work guides have been prepared.
Languages
Japanese-Online contains lessons which include a conversational dialog, a translation of the conversation, vocabulary used within the conversation, grammar points, and cultural issues.
Japanese Fonts is the page for Japanese fonts at the Yamada centre. The fonts are all public domain.
Yahoo! - Regional: Countries: Japan is a good starting point to look for Japanese resources.
Jim Breen's Japanese Page contains information about Japanese computing and dictionaries and links to some of the resources available on WWW.
The City of Hiroshima is an interesting site about a Japanese city with a significant history.
Maths
A Maths Dictionary for Kids suitable for ages ages 6 - 12. Produced by Jenny Eather. Maths A to Z - an animated, interactive dictionary for students which explains over 400 common mathematical terms in simple language. Includes definitions, animated examples, interactive activities, practice and lots of different calculators. Easy to navigate and loads quickly.
This Is Mega-Mathematics! is a site for younger maths students. The MegaMath text menu is a faster (but less graphic) entry point.
Ask Doctor Math is a world wide web and email project set up by students and staff at Swarthmore University. All topics and levels of Mathematics are covered, with sections from Early Primary to College level. There is also a section on problems disguised as 'puzzles'.
PDHPE
ACHPER - Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation contains links to the Active Australia Schools' network.
Jump Rope for Heart is an online information on this national health and fitness program endorsed by the National Heart Foundation.
Kids Health and Fitness is a Kellog's, National Heart Foundation and ACHPER initative. The site is divided into Teacher's desk and Kid's Playground areas. Practical activities, lesson ideas and webquests.
NSW PDHPE Teachers' Association is the NSW Personal Development, Health and Physical Education Teachers' Association website. Post questions on their discussion forum. Lists of teacher resources and website links. Find out about plyometric exercise.
Science and Technology
Snowy Hydro website for the Snowy Mountains Scheme is an excellent case study for Stage 3 covering Water PP S3.4, Energy PP S3.4 PS S3.5, Engineering BE S3.1, Environment LT S3.3.
CSIRO's Double Helix Science Club encourages young Australians to explore science. Membership to the Double Helix Science Club offers a magazine, member events at CSIRO Education Centres, a weekly e-mail newsletter and discounts at the CSIRO Shop and CSIRO science sites.
FT Exploring is a fun site suitable for upper primary, that explores energy and other basic science principles and shows how the same fundamental principles control how things work in nature, living organisms, and human technology. The articles are carefully researched, accurate and easy to understand. In addition to providing good basic explanations, the creative thought-provoking approach helps to generate an interest in science and technology.
MATHMOL contains an introduction to mathematics and molecules for junior students.
General Links
Primaryschool.com.au contains free Primary School Lesson Plans & Education Resources.
Early Childhood Education Council of NSW Inc (ECEC) is a professional association promoting child centres practices through advocacy and professional development, informing on current trends in early childhood education and ensuring a high profile for early childhood issues. ECEC conducts a regular professional development program for teachers and other educators, with a focus on K-3, using practising teachers, adult educators and consultant to ensure those who attend receive the most up to date information available. To support this program ECEC also publish a regular newsletter and 'Current Topics' booklets which focus on specific curriculum areas. Information about ECEC including membership, publications and contact details can be found on the website.
Australian Picture Library is a continually evolving image bank created over many years. Nearly 200 Australian photographers are represented, and there is access to world photographic libraries. There are more than 1.5 million images available.
The Curriculum Corporation leads educational thinking in delivering national approaches to curriculum.
EdNA Online is one of the world's largest education and training-related websites. It provides a gateway to current and relevant resources and services for education and training, and is a national asset collaboratively funded by the Australian State, Territory and Commonwealth Education ministries.
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development is a great site for teachers. It provides a lot of up to date information. Although it has an American slant, a lot of the details can be easily transferred to Australian conditions.
New Horizons Aussie School Fonts Deluxe includes print, pre cursive, cursive and speed loops, solid, dotted, outlined and guidelines display.
School fonts handwriting sets come with seven fonts; Bold, Dots, Cursive, Outline, Regular, Numbered Dots and Numbered Outlines. Lined and dotted thirds are included with the fonts. Site license available. All numerals or numbers are included. There is also a NEW Primary Maths Font set available. All fonts are TrueType and scaleable to any size, available for both Macintosh and IBM compatible computers (PCs).
Ready-Ed Publications contains Foundation handwriting in print, cursive, outline, numbered and mathematical symbols.
Kids Tools for Searching the Internet has a number of search engines suitable for teachers and students grouped together on the one page. You can search using Encarta, Yahooligans (Yahoo's search engine for kids) and Ask Jeeves for Kids, amongst others. This page will make the job of searching on the web easier.
Sydney for Kids in the Teachers section describes many excursion venues around Sydney for students from K-12. It includes appropriate year level, KLA supported, description of activities and cost.
Primary Programs Plus has a wide range of outcomes-based programs for primary teachers created by teachers for teachers. Each program has outcomes, indicators and a sequence of teaching and learning experiences and is emailed to you immediately. The site is a great resource which is easy to find your way around.