Indigenous Studies - Year 4

Outcomes include:

Improving learning conditions of Indigenous students
Improving knowledge of indigenous issues and cultures

Objectives:

The student demonstrates intercultural understanding
The student understands about Australia and Australians

Challenge activities:

1. Find out about the traditional owners of the land you were born on.
2. Research the life of a prominent Indigenous person - choose from writing, visual art, literature, as well as sport.
3. Research and find at least 10 significant dates in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history.
4. Research at least 10 local place/street names and find out their Aboriginal meaning.

Word Bank:

Aboriginal, Dreamtime, boomerang, community, spirit, ancestors, shelter, storytelling, waterholes, kangaroo, hunting, spears, canoe, fire, children, elders, kinship, digging, Bogong moth, Witchetty grub

Activities:

Introduction to topic:

- Word Bank activity
- 'What I know' (pre test) journal entry.

Background Information:

- Study of The Dreamtime to gain insight into how traditional Aboriginal people view the world.
- Analysis and illustration of the Aboriginal creation story

Elements of traditional Aboriginal culture:
Tribes/Families/Community

- Comparison of similarities and differences between family structure of students and traditional Aboriginal families.
- Researching roles/routines of different tribe members, act/draw/write what they would do in a typical day - present to class.

Living off the land

- Research different food and shelter sources (lakes, bush, etc) summarising what is found there and how it is gathered.
- Design an ideal environment showing where food can be found and shelter can be formed. Evaluate each design and discuss what we can learn from this way of living.

Storytelling

- Read/view several traditional Dreamtime stories, identify common elements (morals, characters, language, themes). Discuss purpose and modes of storytelling in both our own and the traditional Aboriginal societies.
- Write class Dreamtime story to be acted out and shared.

Reflection

- Final written entry - What have you learned/enjoyed.

Assessment and evalutation will include:

Journal entries
Anecdotal evidence (discussions and group work)
Work samples
Presentation and illustration of work