Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander peoples are advised that this page and the contents in Yarning Strong may include names and images of people now deceased.
Many schools recognise the importance of embedding First Nations perspectives across the curriculum but face challenges finding authentic texts, building teacher confidence and creating meaningful learning experiences throughout the year.
Yarning Strong brings together rich literature by First Nations authors with comprehensive teaching support, helping schools embed these perspectives authentically while supporting explicit English instruction.
Support explicit English instruction with resources aligned to your curriculum
While many schools use individual novels and texts to explore First Nations perspectives, building a coherent teaching program can be time-consuming. Yarning Strong combines carefully selected fiction, graphic novels, anthologies and teaching resources into a curriculum-aligned program that supports explicit English instruction and meaningful discussion throughout the year.
The School Digital Subscription provides curriculum maps for each year level for the:
Australian Curriculum 9.0: English and other subjects 3–6
NSW Syllabus: English and other subjects 3–6
Western Australian Curriculum: English and other subjects 3–6
Victorian Curriculum 2.0: English and other subjects 3–6.
The program also supports the VTLM 2.0 and Intercultural Capability for Victoria.
High-quality resources to embed First Nations histories, perspectives and experiences in your classroom
Teaching First Nations histories, cultures and perspectives requires high-quality resources and appropriate context. The teacher materials and anthologies provide background information, discussion prompts and curriculum support to help teachers approach learning with confidence and respect while creating meaningful classroom conversations.
All novels in the series are written by First Nations authors and explore themes that resonate with students, including belonging, friendship, family, identity, cultural diversity and community. The inclusion of graphic novels alongside traditional novels provides multiple entry points for readers and helps engage a wide range of learners.
The anthologies bring together a wide range of text types, including speeches, reports, essays, poems, artwork, songs and historical sources. These rich mentor texts help students develop reading comprehension, vocabulary, discussion and writing skills while exploring important First Nations perspectives and experiences.
Teachers often spend considerable time searching for authentic resources, identifying curriculum links and planning lessons. The School Digital Subscription brings curriculum maps, lesson support and teaching materials together in one place, helping schools embed First Nations perspectives across the year while reducing preparation time.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Effective embedding goes beyond celebrating significant events or teaching a single unit of work. The Australian Curriculum encourages schools to integrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures across learning areas so students encounter these perspectives throughout their education. By combining fiction, non-fiction, discussion and explicit literacy instruction, Yarning Strong helps schools incorporate First Nations perspectives into everyday classroom learning.
Research shows that students benefit from exposure to high-quality, knowledge-rich texts that expand vocabulary, background knowledge and comprehension. Strong mentor texts also provide models for students' own writing, helping them understand how authors communicate ideas, structure texts and engage readers. The novels, graphic novels and anthologies in Yarning Strong expose students to a wide range of text types, voices and themes that support reading, discussion and writing development.
Texts written by First Nations authors provide authentic voices, lived experiences and cultural perspectives that help students develop a deeper understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and experiences. Yarning Strong features novels and resources created by First Nations authors from across Australia.
The series uses rich fiction, graphic novels, anthologies and teaching resources to support reading comprehension, vocabulary development, discussion, text analysis and writing. The School Digital Subscription includes curriculum-aligned resources that support explicit English instruction.
Yes. The series is designed to help schools embed First Nations perspectives throughout the year through a broad collection of texts, themes and curriculum resources across Years 3-6.
Yes. The teacher resources provide curriculum support, factual information and teaching guidance to help teachers confidently facilitate meaningful learning and discussion.
Many teachers want to provide meaningful learning experiences but may feel uncertain about teaching unfamiliar content or facilitating sensitive discussions. High-quality teaching resources can help by providing background knowledge, contextual information and discussion support. The Yarning Strong School Digital Subscription includes extensive teacher materials and factual resources designed to support thoughtful, respectful and curriculum-aligned teaching of First Nations histories, cultures and perspectives.
From leading voices in First Nations literature
Gayle Kennedy, a proud member of the Wongaiibon clan of South West NSW, is a prominent figure in Indigenous literature, disability advocacy, and the arts. Her writing career spans poetry, short stories, graphic novels, radio plays, and essays in major publications.
Dr Anita Heiss AM is a proud member of the Wiradyuri nation of central New South Wales and one of Australia’s most prolific and well-known authors, publishing across genres including non-fiction, historical fiction, commercial fiction and children’s fiction.
Anita wrote the novel Demon Guards the School Yard, along with poems and reflections within the Anthologies.
Dr Jared Thomas is a Nukunu person of the Southern Flinders Ranges who grew up in Port Augusta. Jared works as a curator, archivist and researcher. For the series Yarning Strong, he wrote Dallas Davis, the Scientist and the City Kids, which is based on the way his family works with many people, including scientists, to protect Nukunu traditional lands.
Jared has had novels and short stories published, including the Uncle XBox series (Magabala Books, 2023), and plays produced, including in Kenya and Uganda. He is passionate about making reading, writing and learning fun for young people.
Dub Leffler is an illustrator, writer, animator and mixed media artist, working in the arts through books, film, television, muralism and art education. He is descended from the Bigambul and Mandandanji people of southwest Queensland.
Dub wrote the novel The Croydon Park Cooking Club and illustrations a number of covers in the Yarning Strong series.
Caitlin Smith is a Bunjima woman. She was born in Wickham and grew up in Roebourne, on the Pilbara coast of Western Australia. She works as a mining geologist and for Yarning Strong she wrote the novel Under the Train Tracks, as well as a personal recount in the Land Anthology.
Stephen Hagan, a Kullilli traditional owner born in Cunnamulla in 1959, is the second eldest of Jean and Jim Hagan’s five children who were raised on a fringe camp on the outskirts of town.
Stephen wrote Ngalga Mathematics.
Bruce Pascoe is a Palawa, Bunurong and Yuin writer of literary fiction, non-fiction, poetry, essays and children's literature. For Yarning Strong he wrote The Chainsaw File and contributed content to the Anthologies.
Dub Leffler wrote The Croydon Park Cooking Club, as well as illustrated a number of covers in the Yarning Strong series. In this interview he reflects on the writing process and examines how Identity is explored.
Learning Design Principles
At Oxford University Press, we are passionate about helping everyone achieve their full potential. By combining research-informed learning design and pedagogy with our extensive global experience and expertise, we develop educational solutions that advance knowledge and learning and deliver real impact.
Throughout each Yarning Strong lesson, a range of learning design principles are applied.
These embedded principles support literacy development, build knowledge and cater to different learning needs. By gradually shifting responsibility from teacher to student, the program encourages confidence, deeper understanding and long-term learning success.
The novels have chapters, so that reading can be done in smaller chunks; teachers are given different options to choose which anthology pages are suited to their class.
The lesson plans include the opportunity to draw on knowledge from previous novels or anthologies, giving students the opportunity to revisit information over the terms and across years.
For First Nations students, this series gives them a chance to see themselves in stories and to share their culture. For non-Indigenous students, it will help them to make sense of information they see in everyday life: Welcome to Country ceremonies at major sporting events, local names of places, artwork, political news and events.
Students apply what they are learning across different activities.
Learning intentions at the start of each lesson set out the focus for the class.
The lesson plans include material for enabling and extending to adapt learning for the class.
Classroom-ready support for informed, inclusive teaching
The Yarning Strong School Digital Subscription provides flexible and comprehensive teacher support. There are:
eBooks of the four anthologies, for front of class display
detailed lesson plans for the 32 fiction novels, to support explicit teaching
suggested scope and sequence for guidance on how to include this series in your lessons
front-of-class materials to help structure lessons
background articles for topics and references in the novels to give the class context and help answer questions on sensitive topics, such as the Stolen Generations, dispossession, land rights, Treaty and Voice to Parliament
At Oxford University Press ANZ, we’re committed to incorporating the knowledge, perspectives and identities of First Nations peoples and cultures into our resources. To support this mission, we’re creating the Oxford First Nations Advisory Board.
The Narragunnawali program has tools and resources for schools and early learning services to take action towards reconciliation between non-First Nations Australians and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Based around the core pillars of relationships, respect and opportunities, RAPs provide tangible and substantive benefits for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, increasing economic equity and supporting First Nations self-determination.
Read our RAP
Contact Us
Yarning Strong will be published in September 2026, with the digital resources ready for implementation from Term 1, 2027. Contact us today to go through the series with your local education consultant!
