Civics in Pictures
Picture books are a highly engaging and accessible way to explore Civics and Citizenship with young people! Discover a range of inspiring picture books activities aligned to the Australian Curriculum, specifically designed to help you engage with Civics and Citizenship in your classroom.
Civics in Series
Creative connections with nature
Support students to build connections with local environments by using a little creativity, adding some personality and bringing plants and objects to life. This is a fantastic springboard to create stories, artworks, illustrations, short movies and posters inspired by nature, intended to build empathy with others.
Who will you be?
Explore and identify qualities which are important to students through this inspiring and uplifting activity.
Creating a Better World
These books all explore real-world scenarios of young change makers. Inspire students to consider the world around them and consider how they can create positive change in the world.
Expand Your Thinking
Wonder and connect to the natural world using picture books by the incredibly talented author / illustrator Yuval Zommer. This activity draws on visible thinking strategies to encourage students to zoom in, zoom out and consider what is missing.
Civics in Pictures
Australian Backyard Buddies
Encourage students to explore and appreciate the small creatures found in their own backyards, school or local community. These backyard buddies play an important role in our ecosystem. Support students to incorporate sustainable practices, plant flowers and design habitats to help our planets smallest creatures thrive.
I am...
Draw on the importance of developing qualities in students to support the co-creation of a class agreement.
Naturopolis
Naturopolis, written by Deborah Frenkel and illustrated by Ingrid Bartkowiak, is a wonderful acknowledgement of the unseen, and the world that awaits the viewer, eager to connect with nature.
- Naturopolis activity sheet (1 MB)
Great and Small
Great and Small, written by Alison McLennan and illustrated by Connah Brecon, is a beautiful picture book which explores universal design, acknowledging our unique abilities and celebrating diversity.
- Teacher classroom ready resource (2 MB)
- Accessible play space activity sheet (430 KB)
- Goal setting activity (1.7 MB)
- Creating inclusive learning spaces (1 MB)
Finding Our Heart
Finding Our Heart, written by Thomas Mayor and illustrated by Blak Douglas allows all of us to understand our past so we can created a shared future.
First Nations Activities
The link below features a collection of activities including:
- Create a meaningful Acknowledgement of Country
- Create your own seasonal calendar
- Learning and using language
- Celebrating culture through music
- Exploring with senses
First Nations activities (2.3 MB)
You Matter - Be Your Own Best Friend
You Matter - Be Your Own Best Friend, written by Sue Lawson and Sue Hindle, illustrated by Prue Pittock, is a practical toolkit of wellbeing activities for young people.
Explore a variety of thoughtful wellbeing activities with students and inquire into what works for them.
- You Matter - Be Your Own Best Friend (819 KB)
Macca the Backpacker
When in doubt, ask your friends to help out! Written and illustrated by Matt Cosgrove, Macca the Backpacker is the story of Macca; a young, carefree alpaca, who sets out on a challenging mountain adventure all by himself.
In this activity, picture positive thoughts with friends and classmates to help out in challenging times.
- Macca the Backpacker - Picture Positive activity sheet (1 MB)
- Macca the Backpacker - Supporting Materials (Colour) (2.4 MB)
- Macca the Backpacker - Supporting Materials (B&W) (1.6 MB)
Who Am I?
Who Am I? written and illustrated by Philip Bunting, asks us to consider who we really are when all the outside parts of ourselves are stripped away.
Continue these threads of thought through mindscapes - a unique, visual activity that prompts students to ask who they are and who they want to become.
The World Awaits
Written by Tomos Roberts, The World Awaits teaches us that we all have within us ‘potential’, an amount of positivity and goodness that we can add to the world.
Use this text at the start of the year to inspire positivity and create a collaborative classroom agreement!
The Wonder of Winsome
Kath Murdoch’s The Wonder of Winsome invites us to reflect on the importance of wonder to our own learning.
Use this story at the beginning of a new topic, through a creative activity encouraging student discovery.
Your Planet Needs You
Phillip Bunting's Your Planet Needs You is a great introduction to thinking about the environment, and actions we can take to live more sustainably.
Use this text as a hook into a sustainability unit, through an activity intended to spark curiosity, inquiry and self-directed learning.
Celebrating Citizenship
This heart-warming activity looks to build inclusivity and celebrate what is special about our country. Young people will have the opportunity to create an authentic welcome message to share with a new citizen.
To help get you started check out the online school resources on citizenship available on the Department of Home Affairs website.
Welcome messages created by students can then be passed onto local government councils to provide as gifts to new citizens attending their citizenship ceremony!
Billie
Billie, written by Nicole Godwin and illustrated by Demelas Haughton, is an eye-opening story which draws attention to the many human-made perils facing marine wildlife.
Consider how we can better support marine life through this engaging beauty and truth thinking routine.
- Billie activity sheet (1.2 MB)
We Are Australians
Written by Duncan Smith and Nicole Godwin, with paintings by Jandamarra Cadd, We Are Australians explores what it means to be a citizen.
In this series of activities students explore the natural environment and build connections to land, culture and with each other.
- We Are Australians Activity sheet (1.3 MB)
Camp Canberra
Camp Canberra written by Krys Saclier and illustrated by Cathy Wilcox follows the students of Mount Mayhem Primary School as they travel from the National Gallery to Questacon, through engaging collage illustrations.
Activity 1: Capital Design
Explore the design of Australia's Capital City and invite students to reflect on important buildings, and design their own capital city!
Activity 2: The Missing Museum
Support students to design their own museum and consider what might be missing in the Capital.
Hey teachers! Looking for some pre/post-visit activities for your students around your annual Canberra Excursion? Use this Museum Wonderings activity before and after your visit to encourage curiosity, creativity, and reflection!
- Camp Canberra Pre/Post Visit - Museum Wonderings activity sheet (305 KB)
- Camp Canberra Pre/Post Visit - Supporting Materials (1.5 MB)
Vote 4 Me
Written by Krys Saclier, illustrated by Cathy Wilcox, Vote 4 Me explores preferential voting through a school student election.
Activity 1: Classroom Convention
Use this engaging text as a basis for incorporating student voice and agency into the development of a list of class rights and responsibilities.
Activity 2: Persuasive Power
This activity will support students to critically reflect on enrolling to vote and respond with an advertisement piece.
Purchase this book from the MoAD online store here. All MoAD shop sales support the work of the museum.
Too Much Stuff!
Written and illustrated by the exceptionally talented Emily Gravett, Too Much Stuff! explores our need to collect things.
In this activity, students can explore the power of advertising through upcycling an item and creating an advertisement to convince others about their new product!
- Too Much Stuff! - Upcycle Advertising activity sheet (1.1 MB)
- Too Much Stuff! - Supporting Materials (4.3 MB)
Do Something for Someone Else
Written by Loll Kirby and illustrated by Yas Imamura, Do Something for Someone Else is about exploring real-life stories of children spreading kindness through their everyday actions.
In this activity, invite your class to consider how small positive actions in their school or community can have a huge impact on others!
Advance Australia Fair
Explore Australia's National Anthem, Advance Australia Fair, through beautiful illustrations and photographs highlighting the rich natural and built environments which make Australia unique.
This book has been paired with fantastic new recordings of Advance Australia Fair and mesmerising photographs released by the Australian Government, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.
In this activity, create your very own class picture book to accompany the lyrics of Advance Australia Fair.
- Advance Australia Fair - Our Lands, Our Community activity sheet (780 KB)
- Advance Australia Fair - Supporting Materials (1.1 MB)
Information about the National Anthem can be found here or to access the YouTube recordings click here.
This Small King
This Small King by Lauren Streifer, illustrated by Rita Ivanova is a charming and innovative story that teaches children about the power of kindness and kind leadership.
Use this suite of engaging activities suited for years K-6 to explore the importance of kindness within our everyday lives towards ourselves and others, as well as leading with kindness.
Purchase this book from the MoAD online store here. All MoAD shop sales support the work of the museum.
Welcome to Country
Senior elder of the Wurundjeri people, Aunty Joy Murphy welcomes us to Country with a Wurundjeri wominjeka (welcome).
Through storytelling, and illustrations by Trawlwoolway artist Lisa Kennedy, readers are invited to explore welcoming ceremonies and their significance to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians.
Windows
Windows written by Patrick Guest with illustrations by Jonathan Bentley, shows the perspectives of five young people stuck indoors during lockdown, wondering about the world through their windows.
In this activity, inspire students to reflect on the future they want to see through their window...
The Journey
The Journey by Francesca Sanna is a beautifully illustrated picture book that introduces children to a new perspective on migration.
This activity encourages students reflect on migration through exploring their own family history.
Dreaming Soldiers
Dreaming Soldiers, written by Catherine Bauer and illustrated by Shane McGrath, weaves tales of childhood adventures and battlefield challenges with Dreaming themes.
Use this text with your class to consider a First Nations perspective on the ANZAC story, and through this, explore the qualities of a good friend and how we can include others. (590 KB)