Dust Echoes: Amazing Interactive Aboriginal Dreamtime Stories with Teacher Guides

Dust Echoes is one of the most polished digital literacy sites I have seen for a while.  It contains a large selection of Australian Aboriginal Dreamtime Stories as animated cartoons with a range of interactive activities and lesson ideas to ensure these beautiful stories continue to be told to the world for the next fifty thousand years.

DustEchoes is a series of twelve beautifully animated dreamtime stories from Central Arnhem Land, telling stories of love, loyalty, duty to country and aboriginal custom and law.

It looks amazing containing loads of stylized Aboriginal Artwork.  The animation and dreamtime stories are beautifully narrated in simple language that caters for learners of all ages.  The stories are almost biblical in nature as the simple yet highly relevant messages being told through characters still relate to us all.

How can I integrate this into the classroom:  The Australian Aboriginals are recognized as one of the oldest civilizations on the planet who lived an uninterrupted existence with nature until 1770 when Captain Cook stepped onto the Australian shore line and changed their people forever.  Aboriginal culture is extremely rich and diverse within their own groups of people who lived in perfect harmony with mother earth.

Their stories of sustainability, peace, harmony and respecting the earth as a living being with a soul to be respected may be more relevant to our society than ever before.

Download the Study guide for the story you wish to share.  Watch the stories, identify the characters and answer the quiz relating to each story as a whole class.  Once Students have an understanding of the make up of a an aboriginal dreamtime story get your children to create their own dreamtime stories that have a message for us in 2010.  If you want to use authentic aboriginal art styles and colours you need to check out this site. 

I would love to see some of these posted up on the web that could be shared with our readers.