Take a fact tastic tour on Frane Lessac’s most recent picture book – Under the southern cross and discover many intriguing facts about Australia that perhaps you never knew.
Such as
- A golden staircase rises from the sea over Broome with every full moon.
- Ribbons of rainbows hover over Tasmania at certain times of the year
- Cape Tribulation is home to one of the oldest rainforests in the world
- The southern cross is used not only for navigation but to help with seasons and of course storytelling.
Each page is filled with simple facts but overarching this is the double page lllustration highlighting the beauty and wonder of the particular place in Australia.
Details abound and so much can be gained from just looking at the illustrations before reading the facts.
Under the Southern Cross is a great book to use in the classroom to show how we can learn about what really makes each place around Australia unique. We often get caught up in the basic facts and landmarks – this book will inspire your students to look further into each individual place and see what really makes it different.
What can you do with this book?
Geography
Plot each place on the map of Australia then compare at least two of them to discover the similarities and differences.
Why have these places been chosen to be in this book? Find another place or two that you think should be included in the book for their uniqueness.
Literacy
Write a short piece – similar to how each place is introduced in the book to introduce a place of your choice.
STEM
Explore other constellations that are important in the Southern Hemisphere.
Locate these in the night sky and find out if there are any Indigenous stories that accompany them.
Teacher notes:
https://www.franelessac.com/wp-content/uploads/Under-the-Southern-Cross-Classroom-Ideas.pdf
