Family Diversity
A Family is a Family is a Family by Sara O’Leary is a heartwarming picture book that celebrates the diversity of families. Told through the perspective of a child, the story unfolds as students in a classroom share what makes their family special. Some have two dads, some live with grandparents, others are part of blended or foster families—yet all are bound by love and care. Through its inclusive storytelling and engaging illustrations, the book helps young readers understand that families come in many forms, but love is what truly defines them.
Curriculum Alignment
This book is an excellent resource for early years students, aligning with key learning areas of the Australian Curriculum. In this post, we’ll focus on the Foundation Year and areas such as Health and Physical Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, English, and Visual Arts.
Humanities and Social Sciences (HaSS)
- Students get a chance to reflect on their own family structures, supporting an understanding of relationships and the diversity of family backgrounds. The book highlights various family types, allowing children to connect with how their family may differ or share similarities with the ones in the story. (AC9HSFK01)
- The book invites children to share their personal family stories, which include their favourite things to do with the family and what they do to show care to each other. (AC9HSFS03)
- A Family is a Family is a Family helps students engage in reflective thinking about the diversity in family types. The book provides a platform for children to draw conclusions about how different families work, based on the various examples presented, such as families with same-sex parents, grandparents raising children, or multi-generational families. (AC9HSFS04)
English
- Comprehension: Students can predict what types of families will appear next, summarise key events, and ask questions about the diversity of families in the story. The illustrations in the book also help deepen understanding, allowing students to explore how images and words combine to convey meaning about different family structures (AC9EFLY05, AC9EFLA07).
- Interaction skills & discussion: After reading A Family is a Family is a Family, students respond by sharing their feelings and thoughts about the characters and events in the book, fostering empathy. They interact by listening to others’ perspectives and use appropriate voice features (including volume) when expressing their opinions about family diversity (AC9EFLE02, AC9EFLY02, AC9EFLY01).
- Presentation: Students create and deliver short spoken texts about their own families, using clear communication and volume control. After engaging with the book, they will share their thoughts on what makes their family unique, reflecting on the key messages from the story while practising their presentation skills (AC9EFLY07).
Health and Physical Education
The text encourages students to reflect on their own identities within the context of their families (AC9HPFP01). The book promotes self-awareness by helping children recognise the different forms of family and how they contribute to shaping who they are.
Visual Arts
In A Family is a Family is a Family, students are inspired to create visual representations of their own families (AC9AVAFC01). Through artistic exploration, they express their understanding of family dynamics, using drawings or other forms of visual art to communicate their thoughts and feelings about family diversity.
In Summary
A Family is a Family is a Family serves as an excellent educational resource for introducing young students to the concept of family diversity. By aligning with multiple areas of the Foundation Year curriculum, it provides opportunities for discussions about personal identity, social structures, and inclusion. The book’s gentle recount and engaging illustrations encourage children to appreciate and respect the various forms that families can take, fostering empathy and understanding in the classroom.
Leave a Reply