Anzac Day, 25 April, is one of Australia’s most important national occasions. It marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War.
The ANZAC Portal has loads of resources you can use to teach this important Australian history.
Over the years we learned about ANZAC day in a variety of ways, including attending dawn services, visits to the Australian War Memorial in the ACT, and even having a crate full of artefacts to explore delivered to our house ( a service offered for a fee by the Australian War Memorial for students who live too far away to visit). A couple of my favourite picture books which make the themes around ANZAC day more accessible to younger children are The Anzac Puppy by Peter Millett and Trish Bowles and Gallipoli by Kerry Greenwood & Anne White.
Perhaps my favourite one is Do Not Forget Australia by Sally Murphy & Sonia Kretschmar, which tells the story of the impact of Australian Soldiers in the village of Villers-Bretonneux, and how two boys thousands of kilometers apart - one in France and one in Australia - are united by the same story. Reading it aloud to my children was one of those moments when, pausing to collect myself, a little voice piped up "Are you crying Mum?".
Sally Murphy has free teaching notes to go along with the book on her website: http://sallymurphy.com.au/do-not-forget-australia/
Storybox Library, included free in your HEA membership, has a collection of ANZAC themed books and teaching notes to go with them.
How will you commemorate ANZAC day?
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