Y 3 E N G L I S H 1

Sharing stories

Warning – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander teachers and students are advised that this curriculum resource may contain images, voices or names of deceased people.

TEACHER GUIDE Y3 ENGLISH

Y 3 E N G L I S H 2

Y3 ENGLISHSharing stories

Australian Curriculum LinkEnglish/Year 3/Literature/Literature and context/ACELT1594

English/Year 3/Literature/Responding to literature/ACELT1596

English/Year 3/Literature/Creating literature/ACELT1791

Australian Curriculum Content DescriptionACELT1594: Discuss texts in which characters, events and settings are portrayed in different ways, and speculate on the authors’ reasons.

ACELT1596: Draw connections between personal experiences and the worlds of texts, and share responses with others.

ACELT1791: Create texts that adapt language features and patterns encountered in literary texts, for example characterisation, rhyme, rhythm, mood, music, sound effects and dialogue.

Australian Curriculum ElaborationACELT1594: Reading texts in which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children/young people are the central characters/protagonists and making links to students’ own lives, noting similarities.

ACELT1596: Drawing on literature from Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander or Asian cultures, to explore commonalities of experience and ideas as well as recognising difference in lifestyle and world view.

ACELT1791: Creating visual and multimodal texts based on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander or Asian literature, applying one or more visual elements to convey the intent of the original text.

Essential QuestionHow are stories similar no matter who writes them?

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Australians Together Learning FrameworkTells Australia’s narrative through the lens of 5 Key Ideas that inform teachers and students about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives.

A past that shapes our story as a nation

Students will critically engage with Australia’s stories and understand the impact our

history continues to have on Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander people and all who call Australia home.

What’s it got to do with me?

Students will explore why Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander histories and cultures are relevant to them today.

Everyone has culture. Know about your culture and value the cultures of others

Students will learn more about their own culture and identity, and gain a better understanding of, and

respect for, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

Steps we can take to build a brighter future

Students will gain an understanding that a brighter

future is possible for all Australians, but to get there we

each need to play our part.

Injustice from the impact of colonisation

Students will recognise the pain and disadvantage many

First Nations people experience, that started at colonisation and

continues today.

GlossaryTerms that may need to be introduced to students prior to teaching the resource:

alliteration: a phrase or line of verse that contains words that begin with the same sound or letter.

characters: a person or an animal in a book, play or film.

conflict: a struggle between two forces in a story. The forces might be two characters, a character and the world around them, or the struggle one character has with their own good or bad feelings.

culture: the ideas, customs and social behaviours of a particular people or society.

custom: a consistent and accepted way of doing something; the usual way of acting in given circumstances.

dialogue: a conversation between two or more people as a feature of a book, play or film.

embellish: make (something) more attractive by the addition of decorative details or features.

exaggerate: represent (something) as being larger, better or worse than it really is.

fact: a thing that’s known to be true, especially when it can be proved.

fiction: a type of literature that describes imaginary people and events, not real ones.

First Nations people: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

illustrate: explain or make (something) clear by using examples, charts, pictures, etc.

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Teacher guidance Ideas for student activities

Introduction Before beginning the study, ask students to access their prior knowledge about the topic with an introductory question or activity.

This unit recommends specific Indigenous authors (and some options authored by non-Indigenous people) to consider the ways in which we’re all similar in our humanity and in our stories and experiences as humans. It commences with the universal concept of culture and explores what culture is: traditions handed down from generation to generation and created or re-created by families; stories that are repeatedly retold; beliefs and values shared, lived and learnt together. The idea that we all share similar experiences and the emotions that are connected with these experiences is critical to this unit. In exploring and discussing the stories with students, focus on the main ideas and themes of the texts. This emphasises our shared experiences regardless of diverse backgrounds.

Useful resourcesClass viewing/reading of Dreaming storiesABC Splash has a series of Dust Echoes recordings, which create conversation and remembrances. Moon Man is the first (05:00): https://education.abc.net.au/home#!/media/2570552/moon-man

In addition, there are Dreaming stories from Red Pixels Animation, like Girawu the Goanna (04:00): https://youtu.be/tWvoTZxvEs8

Produced by Bunjilaka Museums Victoria, and for more information regarding the message of Tiddalik as a creation story, listen to the recording of Tiddalik, which uses Indigenous names of animals and has beautiful illustrations (06:07): https://museumsvictoria.com.au/bunjilaka/about-us/creation-stories/

Class activity – brainstormAsk students to think about:

• What Indigenous stories they know already?

• Who are the main characters they can recall?

• What parts of the story do students like best (characters, illustrations, colours, words, message/moral, etc)?

• What did students learn from these stories? (Make a short list on the board.)

• Why do they think these stories are told? For example, was it:

– to understand the physical world (environment)?

– to learn an important lesson (or moral)? – because sharing these stories is an

important tradition for First Nations people?

metaphor: a figure of speech that’s used to make a comparison between two things that aren’t alike, but one is superimposed to be the other.

onomatopoeia: the creation of a word based on the sound it makes, such as, boom, zap or pop; a word formed in this way.

personification: the attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something non-human, or the representation of an abstract quality in human form.

rhyme: the repetition of similar or same sounds on the ends of lines in poetry or song.

rhythm: a strong, regular repeated pattern of movement or sound.

setting: the time, place or type of surroundings where something is positioned, or where an event takes place.

simile: a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with something of a different kind, which is used to make a description more emphatic or vivid.

tradition: the handing down of ideas, beliefs, customs, information, etc, from generation to generation, especially by word-of-mouth or by practice.

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Teacher guidance Ideas for student activities

Class viewing/reading of Dreaming storiesAs a class, watch the following videos of Dreaming stories:

• ABC Dust Echoes (05.00): Moon Man.

• Red Pixels Animation (04.00): Girawu the Goanna.

• Bunjilaka Museums Victoria (06:07): Tiddalik the Frog.

Alternatively, if your library has a collection of Dreaming stories, you may be able to read a selection.

Discuss: who was your favourite character and why?

Individual reflectionHave students draw their own original picture of how they remember or envisage their favourite or most memorable character from one of the Indigenous stories.

Ask students to write a sentence explaining why they chose this character.

Help students connect with and acknowledge the importance of culture and examine the living cultures of First Nations Peoples, which have adapted and survived since colonisation.

Culture – similar and sharedUnpack with the class the concept of culture using dictionary definitions. Focus on customs, beliefs and behaviours, considering people groups and society in general. What’s culture, where does it come from, how do we recognise it in our lives, what does it mean to people, what value does it have?

The emphasis in this unit should consistently be placed upon the similarities that are found between and across cultures, regardless of the country from which it stems. Consider types of celebrations and what’s involved in the celebrations: songs, music, dance, food, family, friends, etc. It’s also worth exploring why these experiences are important and how they make people feel, for example, the sense of belonging and purpose they can bring. Emphasise the themes that appear in both these stories and those from students’ own life. You could use the connections you’ve made between your own life, culture and tradition as an example. Important to Indigenous cultures is the idea of family (Australians Together 2020a). Exploring what family means to students in the class can further connections between students and their customs and cultures. Family is an important theme to discuss.

Class culture brainstormAsk students:

• What’s culture?

• What’s your culture?

• How do you know what your culture is?

• What happens in your life that’s a part of your culture? Do you have special traditions or customs that you follow?

• Who’s in your family and how’s family related to culture, customs and traditions?

• Why is culture important?

On the board, smart board or a large piece of paper, draw a pie graph to show the different cultures that make up the class. Pin this graph up so everyone can see it.

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Teacher guidance Ideas for student activities

Useful resourcesFor visual and aural inspiration regarding culture, you can view the following videos:

• Sharing our Culture: Aboriginal and islander ways by Tranby National Indigenous Adult Education and Training (21:22): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQvBxf1Y0Vw

• ‘How to do the Taba Naba’ from Torres Strait Islander Culture Session 2 is a welcome song, ‘Keriba ged nor e’ (04:34): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dR3A2tTmiis

This site provides free Venn diagram templates to download to support the comparison between the student activities in this section: https://templatelab.com/venn-diagram-templates/

Watch Aunty Anne Dennis in Walgett NSW ‘Living History’. She talks about the value of cultural education and what she sees in children who participate in cultural activities (02:00): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSAyPy_gwDk&feature=youtu.be

Read the QCAA’s article on storytelling from a First Nations perspective: https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/about/k-12-policies/aboriginal-torres-strait-islander-perspectives/resources/storytelling

Read Australians Together’s article on Indigenous Kinship to further grasp what family means to First Nations people: https://australianstogether.org.au/discover/indigenous-culture/kinship/

Recommended textsFamily written by Aunty Fay Muir and Sue Lawson, illustrated by Jasmine Seymour and published by Magabala Books, is a beautifully illustrated text about all the forms family can take and where and how family can exist: https://www.magabala.com/products/family

Shake a Leg by Boori Monty and Jan Ormerod, published by Allen and Unwin, is a graphic novel (cartoon) presenting both Aboriginal and Italian cultures: https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/books/childrens/picture-books/Shake-A-Leg-Jan-Ormerod-and-Boori-Monty-Pryor-9781741758900

Remembering Lionsville by Bronwyn Bancroft, published by Allen and Unwin, is a story encapsulating the themes of family, traditions and culture: https://readingaustralia.com.au/books/remembering-lionsville/

Baby Business by Jasmine Seymour, published by Magabala Books, presents the importance of cultural traditions, predominantly connection to land and Country, including a smoking ceremony: https://www.magabala.com/products/baby-business

As I Grew Older: the life and times of a Nunga growing up along the River Murray by Ian Abdulla, published by Working Title Press, is an autobiographical picture book by an Aboriginal artist who recreates his experiences as a child growing up on the banks of the Murray River, and his family’s survival and skill development. See Reading Australia’s webpage for details: https://readingaustralia.com.au/books/as-i-grew-older/

Individual culture responseInvite students to draw some pictures of things that represent their culture and to label them with names and/or descriptions. The following questions might help them with what they want to share:

• What are their ceremonies?

• What do they celebrate?

• What are their songs?

• What are their stories?

• What places are special to their culture?

• Who are the people in their lives that are a part of these ceremonies, celebrations and stories?

Ask students to write a sentence about why these parts of their culture are important to them and their family.

Class viewing and discussionAs a class, watch Sharing our Culture’s (21:22): Aboriginal and Islander Ways.

Ask students to answer the following questions:

• What are three things you learnt that are important to First Nations people regarding cultures? Why are these three things important?

• What’s the same or similar in each of your cultures and what’s different?

Class viewing and comparisonAs a class watch (04:34): ‘How to do the Taba Naba’ from Torres Strait Islander Culture Session 2.

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Teacher guidance Ideas for student activities

Bakir and Bi written by Jillian Boyd, illustrated by Tori-Jay Mordey and published by Magabala Books, is based on a Torres Strait creation story. Bakir (rock) and Mar (storm bird) live together on a remote island with their two young children. While fishing they discover a special pelican named Bi: https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/6180270. This book is out of print at Magabala Books, but you can try to source It at your local library if your school doesn’t have it.

Coming Home to Country by Bronwyn Bancroft, published by Hardie Grant, is a visual and lyrical depiction of coming home to Country from an acclaimed author and illustrator: https://www.hardiegrant.com/au/publishing/bookfinder/book/coming-home-to-country-by-bronwyn-bancroft/9781760501921

Collecting Colour by Kylie Dunstan is published by Hachette/Lothian Children’s Books. Through the sharing of two cultures, Aboriginal women’s weaving is celebrated in Arnhem Land, as Rose and Olive must collect colours to make coloured mats with Olive’s mum and aunty: https://www.hachette.com.au/kylie-dunstan/collecting-colour

Literature study questionsCharacters/characterisation

• Who are they?

• How are they described or shown to us (description, action, dialogue)?

• How do these characters overcome difficulties?

• In what ways are the characters similar to students?

Narrative structure/events• What happens?

• How does what happens unfold in the story; is there a significant conflict right at the start or do many small conflicts or difficulties arise?

• How does what happen shape the characters; do they learn an important message about life or themselves?

• What similarities are there between what happens in the story and in students’ own lives?

Ideas (themes)• Are the themes familiar to students?

• Have students felt similar feelings and had similar experiences to the characters in the story, in relation to family, relationships, grief, loss, etc.

Setting• Where does the story take place and how do you know where the story is set?

• Is the setting described and/or shown in illustrations?

• How would students describe the setting?

• How’s weather used as a part of the setting and to create the mood for the reader?

Cultural data collection and graphingOn the board, smart board or a large piece of paper, create a Venn diagram to show similarities and differences between all of the different cultures represented in the classroom. Demonstrate what a Venn diagram is and model it to the class. Draw one on the board making sure the central ‘shared’ or ‘similar’ section is the largest.

Class viewing and discussionWatch (02:00) Aunty Anne Dennis.

As a class, answer the following questions:

• What does Aunty Anne say is so important about cultural education?

• What does Aunty Anne notice in the children who practise cultural activities?

Literature study – class glossaryThroughout the unit, you’ll select texts to study with your class and discuss the connections students have with the characters depicted.

Prior to doing this, with the help of students, create a class glossary of language features, both written and visual – one per A4 page. Pin these up around the classroom. As you move through the unit, you can discuss and add to each with explicit examples from the texts you select to read.

Terminology might cover language features.

Language features:

• onomatopoeia

• rhyme

• rhythm

• simile

• metaphor

• personification

• alliteration

• dialogue.

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Teacher guidance Ideas for student activities

Illustrations• What colours are used? (Introduce the idea of colour being representative of ideas or emotions.)

• What are students’ favourite colours and why? How does each colour make them feel?

• How do the colours used in the texts make them feel?

• What images are included in the illustrations and what are excluded? Ask students to think about why this might be.

• Are the illustrations showing a particular perspective?

• Do the illustrations use symbols or are the pictures literal depictions of the story?

Visual literacyIf you need some background information on visual literacy to better discuss illustrations you may find the resources from Victoria’s Department of Education and Training helpful. Follow the link on the Visual Literacy page to ‘Visual metalanguage’: https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/teachingresources/discipline/english/literacy/readingviewing/Pages/litfocusvisual.aspx

Talk to your students about the difference between denotations and connotations of images and words if you feel they are capable of grasping these concepts.

Visual language features:

• colour

• shape

• dark and light

• texture

• symbols

• foreground

• middle ground

• background.

See ‘Useful resources’ for further information on visual literacy.

You may also wish to discuss narrative structure:

• beginning

• exposition, middle

• rising action (complications), climax, falling action

• resolution

• characterisation

• how characters are described

• how characters act

• what characters say

• class reading and literature study.

Read some Indigenous stories to the class that focus on cultures: traditions, customs, food and/or family. The recommended texts (see ‘Useful resources’) are predominantly by Indigenous authors and illustrators.

During reading, pause to ask student’s questions. See ‘Literature study questions’ in ‘Useful resources’ for ideas.

Add to your class glossary with examples from the text/s.

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Teacher guidance Ideas for student activities

Illustration responseEncourage students to describe what’s shown in one of the pictures in one or two sentences. Have students describe the colours using the following prompts:

• Are they bright and bold or soft and gentle?

• What do the colours make you feel or think?

• How well do the illustrations help the words to tell the story?

Direct students to add a single image to the illustration they chose and explain why they chose to add it.

The story of our nation’s past is hard to face but it’s important; it’s left a wound that can be seen in the inequality between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and non-Indigenous Australians. Help students understand how this wound continues to have an impact today.

Cultural dispossession and stolen childrenThe texts recommended in this section focus on stories that are fiction interwoven with fact. It may be necessary to explain the Stolen Generations and what this means in terms that your class will be able to understand. The Australians Together’s article in ‘Useful resources’ can assist you. Whether you employ the stories to do this or you introduce this prior to reading, you know your students best and what will be most helpful to them.

It may also be necessary to explain to students that Sorry Day is a real event in Australian history and explain why it was such a significant moment to many First Nations people.

Remember to build on your class glossary.

During reading of texts, pause to ask focusing questions of your students about: characters, events, themes, settings, etc, and look carefully at any illustrations.

Useful resourcesTo prepare for teaching, you may wish to go through the following resources on the Stolen Generations and Sorry Day:

• Australians Together’s article, The Stolen Generations, offers a helpful background on the topic: https://australianstogether.org.au/discover/australian-history/stolen-generations/

• Watch Channel 10’s footage of Kevin Rudd’s 2008 apology to the Stolen Generations (03:12): https://youtu.be/b3TZOGpG6cM

• View ABC Australia’s, Australia’s First ‘Sorry Day’ (06:36): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OKsoqqXttE

Class discussion of ideas (themes)Invite students to respond to the following questions:

• What are the places that you feel most safe and happy?

• Why does this place make you feel safe and happy?

Individual reflectionInstruct students to draw a picture of themselves in their favourite place.

Have them write the words that best explain how they feel when they’re in that place in a border around the picture.

Ask them to give their picture a title.

Class discussionAsk the class if they’ve ever been lost or separated from their family by accident, or perhaps they had to move away, or someone in their family moved away.

As a class, write on the board, smart board or a large piece of paper all the feelings students felt when lost or separated from their family.

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Teacher guidance Ideas for student activities

Recommended textsSorry Day, written by Coral Vass and illustrated by Dub Leffler, demonstrates language features of personification (and others). The structure of the narrative shifts between present day and flashbacks is fiction cleverly interwoven with non-fiction. This free Story Box Library reading of Sorry Day, may be a good way to introduce the topic with your class. It’s read by actor Trevor Jamieson. Ex-prime minister Kevin Rudd explains the reason for the day at the start (13:16): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m32cvvJ0tqE

A is for Aunty by Elaine Russell, published by ABC Books, explores the alphabet to illuminate life growing up on a mission, including billycart racing and yabby fishing: https://www.deadlystory.com/page/culture/media/books-v2/Young_Children_0_-_4/A_is_for_Aunty or https://www.readings.com.au/products/1634577/a-is-for-aunty#

Fair Skin Black Fella by Renee Fogorty, published by Magabala Books, tells the story of Mary who the other girls shun. She’s a young girl who lives on a cattle station because she has fair skin. A community Elder speaks up for her and with wisdom instils that Aboriginality transcends skin colour: https://www.magabala.com/products/fair-skin-black-fella

Stolen Girl, written by Trina Saffioti and illustrated by Norma MacDonald, and published by Magabala Books, is a fictionalised account of one member of the Stolen Generations; a young girl being taken from her family and sent to a children’s home: https://www.magabala.com/products/stolen-girl

Found by Bruce Pascoe, published by Magabala Books is an allegorical story about a calf separated from their family and the journey to be reunited with them. The story is told from the calf’s perspective: https://www.magabala.com/products/found

Ask students if they’ve ever felt left out or lonely and not understood why. Record the words on the board, smart board or large piece of paper that best describe how they felt at the time.

Class reading and literature studyRead some Indigenous stories to the class that focus on the impacts of colonisation. The recommended texts (see ‘Useful resources’) are predominantly by Indigenous authors and illustrators.

During reading, pause to ask students questions. See ‘Literature study questions’ in Our Cultures ‘Useful resources’ for ideas.

Add to your class glossary with examples from the text/s.

Illustration responseEncourage students to describe what’s shown in one of the pictures in one or two sentences. Have students describe the colours using the following prompts:

• Are they bright and bold or soft and gentle?

• What do the colours make you feel or think?

• How well do the illustrations help the words to tell the story?

Direct students to add a single image to the illustration they chose and explain why they chose to add it.

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Teacher guidance Ideas for student activities

There are many stories that make up Australia’s history. It’s important to use resources that include perspectives and voices of First Nations people, such as those contained in this resource.

Australia: a colonised countryAustralia’s history saw many injustices for First Nations Peoples, including invasion and dispossession of land (Australians Together 2020b). The texts below encapsulate stories that are fiction that’s based upon or interwoven with fact. They relate to aspects of Australian history from the experiences and perspectives of First Nations people. It may be necessary for you to explain specific terms in some of the texts you choose, for example, in Mazin Grace the setting is a mission, students may need to have mission defined for them.

Useful resourcesFor further reading to understand the difference between missions, reserves and stations consider this article, Living on Aboriginal Reserves and Stations, from the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment site: https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/chresearch/ReserveStation.htm

Recommended textsSay Yes by Jennifer Castles, published by Allen & Unwin, is a story of friendship, fairness and a vote for hope. Great language features are used (simile and personification) and themes of segregation and law are explored. Jessie Street and Faith Bandler, activists for Indigenous rights, are depicted along with their work around the 1967 Referendum to change the vote: https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/books/childrens/picture-books/Say-Yes-Jennifer-Castles-with-illustrations-by-Paul-Seden-9781760294670

The Rabbits by John Marsden and Shaun Tan, published by Lothian Children’s Books, is part allegorical fable about the coming of the ‘rabbits’; friendly and curious soon becomes dark as it appears the visitors are invaders. This book looks at the perspective of the colonised: https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-rabbits-john-marsden/book/9780734411365.html

Mazin Grace by Dylan Coleman, published by UQ Press, shows that growing up on the mission isn’t easy for Grace. She struggles to find a place she belongs in a community that rejects her for reasons she doesn’t understand: https://www.uqp.com.au/books/mazin-grace

Class reading and literature studyRead some Indigenous stories to the class that focus on history. The recommended texts (see ‘Useful resources’) are predominantly by Indigenous authors and illustrators.

During reading, pause to ask students questions. See ‘Literature study questions’ in Our Cultures ‘Useful resources’ for ideas.

Add to your class glossary with examples from the text/s.

Illustration responseEncourage students to describe what’s shown in one of the pictures in one or two sentences. Have students describe the colours using the following prompts:

• Are they bright and bold or soft and gentle?

• What do the colours make you feel or think?

• How well do the illustrations help the words to tell the story?

Direct students to add a single image to the illustration they chose and explain why they chose to add it.

Individual reflectionAsk students to think about what they like or don’t like about the characters in one of the stories you have read together and why they feel this way?

Character studyHave your students draw a picture of their favourite character and around it write all the adjectives they can think of to describe the character.

Remember to ask them to include not only what they look like, but how they are as a human being, for example, kind, generous, mean or selfish.

Ask students to write one question they have about their character.

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Teacher guidance Ideas for student activities

Individual setting studyAsk students to individually choose one of the stories you’ve read and illustrate one of the settings. Questions to prompt their drawing:

• If the weather is mentioned, how will they show it in their illustration?

• Is the setting indoor or outdoor?

Ask students to make a list of words that the author has used to describe the setting, write these words around your illustration.

Individual connections reflectionInvite students to answer the following questions in a written reflection:

• What parts of the stories are like parts of your life?

• Are the characters like some of your family members, a friend or even like you?

• Can you write about how a character reminds you of someone you know?

Individual connection collageWith the parts of the stories that they have connected to their own lives and worlds, have students create a collage of images; drawn, painted or collected to represent these connections. Label them with captions or annotations to explain the links between their images and the stories they’ve read.

Help students understand that because they call Australia home this relates to them. Explore what’s happening, or has happened, around your local area that’s relevant to this topic.

Protecting our countryEnvironmental protection and sustainability are important concepts, with the latter being a cross curricular priority of the Australian Curriculum. The following texts introduce ideas about caring for, respecting and honouring our country. Exploring why our surroundings are important to our quality of life and how we can better take care of our natural world are crucial ideas. It’s important to raise and discuss this with students, and stories are an avenue through which to do so. Many First Nations people have a deep understanding and connection to Country and have much knowledge and understanding of the land and how to best care for it (Australians Together 2019). Some of these stories demonstrate these qualities.

Class discussion/brainstormAs a class, discuss what they do at home to help protect the environment. For example, do they:

• recycle rubbish?• compost food?• turn off electricity when they’re not using it?• take care with water use?• grow their own fruits and vegetables?

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Teacher guidance Ideas for student activities

Useful resourcesTo better understand First Nations Peoples’ connection to Country, read Australians Together’s short article The Importance of Land: https://australianstogether.org.au/discover/indigenous-culture/the-importance-of-land/

You may also find Common Ground’s article, Connection to Country, a useful resource on this topic: https://www.commonground.org.au/learn/connection-to-country

Recommended textsWhy I Love Australia by Bronwyn Bancroft, published by Hardie Grant, celebrates Country through vivid imagery and words to explore the beauty of Australia and those associated feelings.

Badudu Stories, written by May L O’Brien and illustrated by Angela Leaney, published by Fremantle Press, tell true stories from children’s perspective about moving from a remote community to a mainstream school: https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/6390779

Dingo’s Tree by Gladys Milroy and Jill Milroy, published by Magabala Books, is the story of Dingo, Wombat, Crow and their friends as they struggle to exist alongside mining, and survive its devastating impact: https://www.magabala.com/products/dingo-s-tree

Benny Bungarra’s Big Bush Clean up, written by Sally Morgan, illustrated by Ambelin Kwaymullina, and published by Magabala Books, is an environmental tale aimed at early childhood and lower primary readers showing how animals are affected by rubbish left in their habitat by humans: https://storyboxlibrary.com.au/stories/benny-bungarras-big-bush-clean-up

Conflict types• Character versus self.

• Character versus character.

• Character versus society.

• Character versus nature.

• Character versus technology.

• Character versus destiny/God/supernatural.

Also discuss:

• What do we do at school to protect our environment?

• What more could we do at school to take care of our environment?

• Is there something we can do as a class to make a change for the better?

Class reading and literature studyRead some Indigenous stories to the class that focus on history. The recommended texts (see ‘Useful resources’) are predominantly by Indigenous authors and illustrators.

During reading, pause to ask students questions. See ‘Literature study questions’ in Our Cultures ‘Useful resources’ for ideas.

Add to your class glossary with examples from the text/s.

Illustration responseEncourage students to describe what’s shown in one of the pictures in one or two sentences. Have students describe the colours using the following prompts:

• Are they bright and bold or soft and gentle?

• What do the colours make you feel or think?

• How well do the illustrations help the words to tell the story?

Direct students to add a single image to the illustration they chose and explain why they chose to add it.

Study of conflict As a class, discuss the different types of conflict you might find in stories. See the list in ‘Useful resources’.

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Teacher guidance Ideas for student activities

In groups of three or four, students can consider the different events or moments in the story or stories when conflict is:

• encountered• caused• coped with• solved.

Have the groups of students answer the following questions to explore the detail:

• Was the conflict or difficulty caused by the characters or one particular character?

• Was the conflict caused by something outside of the characters’ control?

• How and by whom was the conflict resolved?

Individual reflectionInvite students to think about if and how they would be able to overcome similar conflict, or prevent it from happening in their life after reading these stories?

Have students write a short explanation in a brief paragraph what they’ve learnt from these stories.

Help students critically and creatively process and demonstrate their learning on this topic by exploring meaningful ways to respond. Ask students to come up with their own ideas about what they can do.

Create your own storyReflecting on the different stories you have read as a class, revisit the ideas of cultures and traditions with your students and what these mean to people regardless of their country of origin. Re-emphasise experiences, ideas and emotions that are common to all people. Revisit the themes of the texts you’ve chosen to read with your students and encourage them to incorporate one of these into their own story. Ask your students to create their own story about some fact, truth or event from their life when they experienced an emotion, such as those shared in the texts. They can then develop upon this emotion, perhaps exaggerating to create a story more fictitious than factual. Allow students to be inspired by the illustrations of the texts you’ve shared together, but be sure to emphasise that their illustrations should be their own interpretations whether literal or symbolic. You may wish to mention that copying an artist’s illustration isn’t fair. There have been instances where Indigenous artists’ work has been misappropriated, stolen or used without the artist’s knowledge. For further information please read the following articles: https://theconversation.com/indigenous-cultural-appropriation-what-not-to-do-86679 and https://www.cela.org.au/2020/07/10/avoid-cultural-appropriation

Class brainstormAs a class make a list of the different ideas (themes) that have been shared in the stories you’ve read together, for example:

• family/relationships – belonging.• celebrations – belonging.• food – belonging.• loneliness – grief and sadness.

Individual story writing Students individually complete the tasks in the Student Handout to create their own story in response to those they’ve read as a class.

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Teacher guidance Ideas for student activities

Student Handout content

IntroductionYou’re going to write and illustrate your own story. Follow the steps below to help you plan and edit your story so that it’s exactly as you wish it to be. Think about all the different stories you’ve read with your class throughout the unit and how some of the ideas and experiences are similar to your life. How can you create your own story to reflect your own life and experiences? It doesn’t have to be completely true; you can exaggerate and embellish your story as much or as little as you want, but starting with something true is a good place to begin.

Individual story writingPlanning your storyStep 1: Choose something from your life that reminds you of ideas or feelings in the stories you’ve read. It could be something like:

• a celebration.

• a favourite place.

• a favourite person – friend or family.

• a memory – happy, sad, scary, exciting, etc.

• a favourite food.

Step 2: Brainstorm describing words that explain your ideas and then share your brainstorm with a partner, maybe they’ll have some good ideas you can borrow?

Use the Y chart – consider all the words you can to describe what it sounds like, what it feels like, what it looks like in the right sections of the Y chart.

Step 3: Where will your story take place? Choose one main setting that you’ll be able to describe and illustrate. Will there be more than one setting where the story takes place? Be careful not to have too many! The setting might be one of the main parts of your story and that’s okay, but spend some time thinking about how you’ll share why it’s important. Share your setting ideas with your teacher or with a friend; they might be able to offer you some advice.

Step 4: Who are the characters in your story? Choose the main character and describe them. Who else is important? Create a list of characters that are important – don’t have too many!

Step 5: Complete the ‘Narrative structure template’ to map out what happens in your story and go through it with your teacher. What will be the conflict in your story?

Step 6: Using the illustrations as inspiration from one of the stories you’ve read, try and include some of the colours to represent the similar ideas you’re writing about in your story. For example, if someone’s lost or lonely, the background of the illustration might be pale blue.

Encourage students to write a story about one of the following ideas:

• a celebration.

• a favourite place.

• a favourite person – friend or family.

• a memory of an experience – happy, sad, scary, exciting, etc.

• a favourite food.

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Teacher guidance Ideas for student activities

Step 7: How will you illustrate your story?

• Draw and colour your own images.• Paint your illustrations.• Create them digitally.• Think of other ideas – check with your teacher.

Remember that you don’t have to create illustrations for every page of your story, you can choose the parts you want to represent in pictures. These could be main characters, important settings, important events or complications that happen.

Step 8: Write a draft of your story.

Following the outline of the narrative structure, write a beginning, a middle and an end.

Read your draft together with a friend or family member When you read your draft with someone, let them help you find mistakes you can fix, like punctuation and capital letters. They might even offer you advice about characters, settings or events, and you can make changes if you want.

Useful resourcesMake sure to explain to your students what the sensory Y chart is and how to use it. Here’s a link to a downloadable template: https://lo.unisa.edu.au/mod/book/view.php?id=611321

Explain and model the ‘Narrative structure template’ (see p. 17) to your students and how they can plot the beginning, middle and end of their story.

Information about misuse and misappropriation of Indigenous artworks: https://www.cela.org.au/2020/07/10/avoid-cultural-appropriation/ and https://theconversation.com/indigenous-cultural-appropriation-what-not-to-do-86679

References Australians Together 2019, The Importance of Land, viewed 13 March 2021, https://australianstogether.org.au/discover/indigenous-culture/the-importance-of-land/

Australians Together 2020a, Indigenous Kinship, viewed 13 March 2021, https://australianstogether.org.au/discover/indigenous-culture/kinship/

Australians Together 2020b, The Wound, viewed 13 March 2021, https://australianstogether.org.au/education/curriculum-resources/the-wound/

For the Australian Curriculum content descriptions and elaborations, © Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) 2010 to present, unless otherwise indicated. The Australian Curriculum material was downloaded (accessed 28/01/20) and was not modified. The material is licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0). For further information, see our terms of use here https://australianstogether.org.au/terms-and-conditions.

Y 3 E N G L I S H

Y3 ENGLISH Sharing stories

Narrative structure template

Orientation• Setting – where’s the story set?

• Characters – who’s the story about?

• Conflict – what’s the conflict?

Resolution• How does the story end?

• What happens to the characters?

Rising action• What do we learn about the characters?

• What do we learn about the conflicts?

Climax• What’s the most exciting part of the story? Falling action

• What now?

• How are the conflicts solved?

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