About
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Peoples have used traditional fire-starting techniques for thousands of years to ignite fire - demonstrating deep cultural connections to Country and community. Year 8 students are invited to investigate a range of these traditional fire-starting techniques to develop their understanding of energy and energy transformations. Through teacher-led lessons, classroom activities, experiments, and eLearn activities, students will explore how force, friction and motion are used to produce fire.
Students will learn about the deep ecological Knowledge that Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Peoples use to understand materials and their environment to successfully start a fire. Students will also make connections between these traditional practices and scientific concepts, including energy types, energy transfer, and energy transformations.
All educational materials are linked to the New South Wales (NSW) syllabus and Australian Curriculum (AC).
Cultural Sensitivity: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this module may contain images, voices and names of deceased persons. In some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, hearing recordings, seeing images or the names of deceased persons may cause sadness or distress and in some cases, offend against strongly held cultural prohibitions.
Before you start
Respecting Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property
Please note that Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) is embedded within these Indigenous Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (‘STEM’) Education Resources (the ‘Resources’). ICIP includes the knowledge and cultural heritage of Indigenous people, such as artwork, music, stories, language, and cultural objects and practices. For further information about how CSIRO protects ICIP, see Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property Principles - CSIRO.
Use of ICIP for educational outreach only
These Resources are for high school educators or secondary school students to support Indigenous STEM. These Resources have been published with the permission of the ICIP owners and with certain conditions on their use. This is to assert the ownership, authority and control of the ICIP owners over their ICIP and associated rights as embedded in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) – Article 31
Cultural Considerations
An eLearning course designed to guide educators and STEM professionals in building inclusive learning environments through cultural awareness and community engagement.
Curriculum links
Australian Curriculum and syllabus connections
View how the fire-starting resources can be linked to key learning areas within the NSW syllabus and Australian Curriculum.
Australian Curriculum and Syllabus Links
Australian Curriculum and Syllabus Links - accessible version
Student and teacher resources
Context PowerPoint
This presentation provides background context for the fire-starting topic including an introduction to energy and energy transformations. Use it at the beginning of the unit sequence to build a foundational understanding of key concepts.
Fire-Starting Context PowerPoint
Classroom activities guide
This guide outlines a range of classroom activities to support students’ understanding of energy and energy transformations in relation to fire-starting. Use it to plan lessons to reinforce key ideas through discussion and hands-on learning.
Classroom Activities Guide - accessible version
Example teaching sequence
This teaching sequence supports Year 8 teachers to deliver the fire-starting topic aligned to the NSW syllabus and the Australian Curriculum. Use this as a guide when planning lessons and structuring learning across the unit.
AC Example Teaching Sequence - accessible version
NSW Example Teaching Sequence - accessible version
Experiment resources
To prepare for the fire-starting experiments, teachers should read the Teacher Experiment and Procedures Guide, which provides step-by-step instructions for conducting the experiments. The Equipment List and Hazard Management Guide outline the materials required and key safety considerations. Teachers should use this resource during planning and before any practical activities.
Begin lessons with the fire-starting Experiment PowerPoint, which guides students through the investigation process and provides visual support for the experiments. Students use the Student Experiment Procedure and Planners, which detail the step-by-step procedures and provide space for recording observations, analysis, and reflections. These should be used during the practical activities alongside the PowerPoint to support student learning.
Click the button below to download the Fire-starting Experiment Resources zip file, containing 4 experiment resource files.
Experiment Resources- accessible version
About
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Peoples have used traditional fire-starting techniques for thousands of years to ignite fire - demonstrating deep cultural connections to Country and community. Year 8 students are invited to investigate a range of these traditional fire-starting techniques to develop their understanding of energy and energy transformations. Through teacher-led lessons, classroom activities, experiments, and eLearn activities, students will explore how force, friction and motion are used to produce fire.
Students will learn about the deep ecological Knowledge that Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Peoples use to understand materials and their environment to successfully start a fire. Students will also make connections between these traditional practices and scientific concepts, including energy types, energy transfer, and energy transformations.
All educational materials are linked to the New South Wales (NSW) syllabus and Australian Curriculum (AC).
Cultural Sensitivity: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this module may contain images, voices and names of deceased persons. In some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, hearing recordings, seeing images or the names of deceased persons may cause sadness or distress and in some cases, offend against strongly held cultural prohibitions.
Before you start
Respecting Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property
Please note that Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) is embedded within these Indigenous Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (‘STEM’) Education Resources (the ‘Resources’). ICIP includes the knowledge and cultural heritage of Indigenous people, such as artwork, music, stories, language, and cultural objects and practices. For further information about how CSIRO protects ICIP, see Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property Principles - CSIRO.
Use of ICIP for educational outreach only
These Resources are for high school educators or secondary school students to support Indigenous STEM. These Resources have been published with the permission of the ICIP owners and with certain conditions on their use. This is to assert the ownership, authority and control of the ICIP owners over their ICIP and associated rights as embedded in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) – Article 31
Cultural Considerations
An eLearning course designed to guide educators and STEM professionals in building inclusive learning environments through cultural awareness and community engagement.
Curriculum links
Australian Curriculum and syllabus connections
View how the fire-starting resources can be linked to key learning areas within the NSW syllabus and Australian Curriculum.
Australian Curriculum and Syllabus Links
Australian Curriculum and Syllabus Links - accessible version
Student and teacher resources
Context PowerPoint
This presentation provides background context for the fire-starting topic including an introduction to energy and energy transformations. Use it at the beginning of the unit sequence to build a foundational understanding of key concepts.
Fire-Starting Context PowerPoint
Classroom activities guide
This guide outlines a range of classroom activities to support students’ understanding of energy and energy transformations in relation to fire-starting. Use it to plan lessons to reinforce key ideas through discussion and hands-on learning.
Classroom Activities Guide - accessible version
Example teaching sequence
This teaching sequence supports Year 8 teachers to deliver the fire-starting topic aligned to the NSW syllabus and the Australian Curriculum. Use this as a guide when planning lessons and structuring learning across the unit.
AC Example Teaching Sequence - accessible version
NSW Example Teaching Sequence - accessible version
Experiment resources
To prepare for the fire-starting experiments, teachers should read the Teacher Experiment and Procedures Guide, which provides step-by-step instructions for conducting the experiments. The Equipment List and Hazard Management Guide outline the materials required and key safety considerations. Teachers should use this resource during planning and before any practical activities.
Begin lessons with the fire-starting Experiment PowerPoint, which guides students through the investigation process and provides visual support for the experiments. Students use the Student Experiment Procedure and Planners, which detail the step-by-step procedures and provide space for recording observations, analysis, and reflections. These should be used during the practical activities alongside the PowerPoint to support student learning.
Click the button below to download the Fire-starting Experiment Resources zip file, containing 4 experiment resource files.
Experiment Resources- accessible version