A ten-week unit of integrated learning experiences for students working towards Stage 1 outcomes

Introduction and Outcomes
Initiating Activity - audio files
Learning Sequence:
Concluding Activity
Resource List

Aim

This unit provides opportunities for students to explore concepts of belonging to groups of people and of belonging to places. The unit focuses on the students' local community and local area, and provides opportunities for learning experiences about Aboriginal people's relationships with family, community, environment and place. The unit looks at aspects of pre-invasion Aboriginal life as well as contemporary Aboriginal communities.

Areas of integration

Focus question/Area of inquiry

My Place

Learning sequences

Assessment tasks

Assessment of student work occurs during the unit. Assessment is especially based on their 'My Place' books or folders and their participation during activities such as 'Our Community Day'.

CONTENT

Knowledge

• People identify with their environment.
• We share our place with other people and together it is our responsibility to look after it.
• Pre-contact Aboriginal communities did not all live the same way. For example, Aboriginal people who lived in the desert had a very different lifestyle to those who lived on the coast.
• Contemporary Aboriginal communities can be found in cities, country areas, coastal areas and in traditional homelands.
• Contemporary Aboriginal communities have retained many of their traditional beliefs and customs but have also changed to suit their needs.
• There is a continuity of place through past, present and future generations.

Generic skills

• Responsibility
• developing an awareness of personal, local, national and global responsibilities.
• Cooperation
  • working cooperatively with others.
• Task management
  • using time and resources effectively.

Before you begin

• An excursion to a local Field Study Centre or equivalent needs to be booked as soon as possible (for Learning Sequence 4).
• An Aboriginal speaker and storyteller are required for Learning Sequence 1 and Concluding Activity. Contact your local Aboriginal community, AEA, ACLO or consultant.
• Before commencing the unit teachers need to ask students to bring a photo of a family member or group, and to check the library for access to resources mentioned in the unit.

You will need

Initiating Activity

Learning Sequence 1

Learning Sequence 2

Learning Sequence 3

Learning Sequence 4

Concluding Activity

Extension Activity

Outcomes

ENS1.6
Demonstrates an understanding of the relationship between environments and people.

SSS1.8
Identifies roles and responsibilities within families, schools and the local community, and determines ways in which they should interact with others.

Values and Attitudes

• Recognising the interdependence of people and the environment.

• Identifying and appreciating the cultural, linguistic and spiritual heritages of oneself and others.

• Respecting different viewpoints, ways of living, belief systems and languages.

Talking and Listening

TS1.1
Communicates with an increasing range of people for a variety of purposes on both familiar and introduced topics in spontaneous and structured classroom activities.

TS1.3
Recognises a range of purposes and audiences for spoken language and considers how own talking and listening are adjusted in different situations.

Reading

RS1.5
Reads a wider range of texts on less familiar topics with increasing independence and understanding, making connections between own knowledge and experience and information in texts.

RS1.7
Understands that texts are constructed by people and identifies ways in which texts differ according to their purpose, audience and subject matter.

RS1.8
Identifies the text structure and basic grammatical features of a limited range of text types.

Writing

WS1.9
Plans, reviews and produces a small range of simple literary and factual texts for a variety of purposes on familiar topics for known readers.

WS1.10
Produces texts using the basic grammatical features and punctuation conventions of the text type.

WS1.14
Identifies the structure of own literary and factual texts and names a limited range of related grammatical features and conventions of written language.

IRS1.11
Identifies the ways in which they communicate, cooperate and care for others.

GDS1.9
Describes the characteristics that make them both similar to others and unique.

BES1.1
Creates, modifies or models built environments to suit the needs of users.

ESS1.6
Identifies and describes ways in which people and other living things depend upon the Earth and its environments.

DMS1.8
Develops and implements own design ideas in response to an investigation of needs and wants.

UTS1.9
Selects and uses a range of equipment, computer-based technology, materials and other resources to undertake an investigation or design task.

MUS1.1
Sings, plays and moves to a range of music, demonstrating an awareness of musical concepts.

DAS1.2
Explores and selects movement using the elements of dance to make dance express ideas, feelings or moods.

VAS1.1
Makes artworks in a particular way about experiences of real and imaginary things.

VAS1.4
Begins to interpret the meaning of artworks, acknowledging the roles of artist and audience.

Resource List

Books

Adams, Jeanie, 1991, Going for Oysters, Omnibus Books

Adams, Jeanie, 1989, Pigs and Honey, Omnibus Books

Dawul School, 1992, My Community - Doon Doon Station, Aboriginal Education Resources Unit, Perth, WA

Groom, S, 1991, My Community - One Arm Point, Aboriginal Education Resources Unit, Leederville, WA

Russell, Elaine, 2000, A is for Aunty, ABC Books

Stokes, Deirdre, 1993, The Desert Dreamings, Rigby

Kits

Board of Studies NSW, 2000, Affirmations of Identity - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Visual Arts Resource Kit, Board of Studies NSW, Sydney

Board of Studies NSW, 1997, Big Mob Books for Little Fullas, Board of Studies NSW, Sydney

My Mob
Cathy Freeman's Story
Aboriginal Big Book and Read Along Kit, 1992, Ashton Scholastic

Music

Further Suggested Reading

Abdulla, Ian, 1993, As I Grew Older, Omnibus Books

Abdulla, Ian, 1993, As Kauyu's Waiting, Omnibus Books

Buxton, Lisa, 1998, Guyunggu, Catholic Schools Office, Diocese of Broken Bay

Fitzherbert, Sarah, 1989, My Dreaming is the Christmas Bird, Bookshelf Publishers

McCallum, Grant, 1998, Aussie Stars Series, Coolabah Publishing

Christine Anu
Mandawuy Yunupingu and Yothu Yindi
Ernie Dingo

Torres, Pat, 1988, Jalygurr - Aussie Animal Rhymes, Magabala Books

Websites

Teachers should preview and select material required.

Famous Aboriginal People –
www.eps.vic.edu.au/history/Famous%20Aborigines.htm

www.wn.com.au/abled/studies/famous.htm

www.yothuyindi.com

This site has the words to My Island Home but will not allow you to print them –
www.gel.com.au/koala/seachange/music_anu.html

Photographs of Christine Anu in concert –
www.christineanu.com.au

Teacher Resources K-12

A list of texts for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education
www.acsa.edu.au/indigenous/read4.htm

continue on to initiating activity