History unit
Culture
Scope and sequence summary
History substrand: First Contacts; Community and Remembrance
Creative Arts substrand: Drama; Visual Arts
English substrand: Communicate through speaking, listening, reading, writing, viewing
and representing
M
Outcomes
HT2-1 Identifies celebrations and
commemorations of significance in
Australia and the world
HT2-3 Describes people, events and
actions related to world exploration and
its effects
HT2-5 Applies skills of historical inquiry
and communication
DRAS2-1 Takes on and sustains roles
in a variety of drama forms to express
meaning in a wide range of imagined
situations
VAS2.2 Uses the forms to suggest the
qualities of subject matter
VAS2.3 Acknowledges that artists
make artworks for different reasons
and that various interpretations are
Significance of Aboriginal History and
Key considerations
Historical concepts
 Perspectives: people from the past will
have different views and experiences, eg
views on the arrival of the British in Australia
from a British and an Aboriginal point of
view.
 Empathetic understanding: developing an
understanding of another's views, life and
decisions made, eg developing an
understanding of the life and attitudes of an
early colonist or convict.
 Significance: importance of an event,
development or individual/group, eg the
significance/importance of national
days/holidays; the significance of the
contributions of an early settler.
Stage 2
Duration: 2-3 weeks
Detail: 6 lessons
Overview
This unit of work encompasses:
 Some of the content of History First Contacts
and Community and Remembrance
 Some of the content of Creative Arts Visual Arts
and Drama
 Some of the content of English Communicate
through speaking, listening, reading, writing,
viewing and representing
Links to learning across the curriculum
This unit provides students the opportunity to gain a
deeper understanding and appreciation of the Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islanders histories and cultures.
Concepts explored highlight the special connection to
Country/Place by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Peoples and celebrates the unique belief systems that
connect people physically and spiritually to
Country/Place.
Students examine the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander Peoples’ culture through language, ways
of life and experiences as expressed through historical,
social and political lenses. It provides opportunities for
students to gain a deeper understanding of Aboriginal
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possible and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ ways of being,
knowing, thinking and doing.
EN2-2A plans, composes and reviews a
range of texts that are more
demanding in terms of topic, audience
and language

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Content Teaching, learning and assessment Resources

Days and weeks Activity 1: National Reconciliation Week National Reconciliation Week PowerPoint
celebrated or What is reconciliation https://youtu.be/-knV4hcoioQ
commemorated in
National Reconciliation PowerPoint NRW theme https://www.reconciliation.org.au/national-reconciliation-
Australia and the
week/
importance of What is reconciliation?
symbols and Myth busting
emblems https://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/people/aboriginal-
National Reconciliation Week theme identity-who-is-aboriginal
(ACHHK063)
Tree of Truth poster
Myth Busting discussion
https://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/people/aboriginal-
identity-who-is-aboriginal
Tree of Truth poster activity – retell some truths you
learnt today

The diversity and Activity 2: The Dreaming Map The Dreaming PowerPoint
longevity of The Dreamtime video https://youtu.be/J4rAa6PReQM
Australia's first
Ask students to share about their religious beliefs. Link to Book ‘Journeys Through Dreamtime Stories from the World’s
peoples and the
beliefs of the Aboriginal people. Why is it important to Religion’ by Anita Ganeri & Jackie Morris
ways Aboriginal
learn about Aboriginal beliefs? Link to understanding and
and/or Torres
respect for people.
Strait Islander
peoples are Additional information
connected Dreaming video stimulus  https://www.creativespirits.info/
to Country and What is Dreaming? Brainstorm and use mind map.
 https://www.usc.edu.au/learn/student-support/australian-
Place (land, sea, Explain why because Dreaming meaning is fluid
aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-student-
waterways and depending on person or community.
assistance/welcome-to-country-and-acknowledgement-of-
skies) and the Despite different ideas of Dreaming, explain significant traditional-custodians
implications for connection to Country and Place.
their daily lives
(ACHHK077) Explain because Dreaming is not just about things that
happened in the past, in a way we can also connect with
Country and Place by understanding its Australia’s
history, Aboriginal people and the Dreaming. Connect
history timeline and learning. Create a timeline using the

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Content Teaching, learning and assessment Resources

Jump Strategy from before 1770-2019 to solve how

many years ago. Emphasise the longevity of Aboriginal
people and the Dreaming stories.

Dreaming Map- What is Dreaming? Use words in

brainstorm. Sentence starters.

Shared reading: Journeys Through Dreamtime pp.37-39.

Plan, compose Activity 3: Say Yes Book ‘Say Yes A Story of Friendship, Fairness and a Vote for Hope’
and review Shared reading: Say Yes by Jennifer Castles
imaginative and Microsoft word
Discuss the treatment of Mandy at that particular time in IWB
persuasive texts Australia’s history. Was it fair? Why wasn’t it fair? How
would you feel? Link to National Reconciliation Week

Guided activity: write a letter to a politician outlining why

Mandy’s treatment is wrong and why the law should be
changed. Review persuasive text structure.

Writing Plan: write dot points outlining ‘wrong treatment’

eg pool, school, cinema and train

Start with format of a letter. Introduction (introduce

yourself, purpose, state your opinion), body (reasons)
and conclusion (restate your opinion, call for action –
recommendation, question, prediction). Model editing.

Students to copy letter in books.

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Content Teaching, learning and assessment Resources

Express dramatic Activity 4: Country and Place Book ‘When the Snake Bites the Sun’ told by David Mowaljarlai,
meaning by Complied by Pamela Lofts
taking on and Review: What is Dreaming? The environment that the
Aboriginal lived in, always includes importance of place,
sustaining familiar
where we come from
and different roles
Link to Country and Place. Why is Country and Place
and by selecting important to the Aboriginals? How do Aboriginal people
character-specific connect to Country and Place? How can we connect to
props, gestures Country and Place? Acknowledgement of Country and
and movements sharing Dreaming stories
Shared reading: When the Snake bites the Sun. What
messages are contained the story and what lessons are
being taught?

Warm-up
Clumps
 The teacher calls out a number and students
form groups of that number
 Encourage students to work with the closest
person to them

Tree Toilet Traffic Light

 The premise of this game is similar to clumps
 Students mill teacher calls either ‘tree’, ‘toilet’ or
‘traffic light’

 Students make shapes that correspond with

those instructions

 Tree: Individually students make the shape of a

tree

 Toilet: In pairs students make a toilet with one

student kneeling in front with arms out as a bowl,

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Content Teaching, learning and assessment Resources

and a student standing behind

 Traffic light: In groups of three students make a

traffic light with one student sitting, one kneeling
behind and one standing behind in a single row.
All hands are opening and closing to represent
blinking lights

 Encourage students to work with the closest

person to them

 The last person or group to make the shape gets

‘out’

Activity: Surface Walks

 Students mill around the room, getting focused
and avoiding other people
 Students may need some time to focus. Use
instructions such as ‘freeze’ to get them to focus

 Students are then asked to walk in different

fashions, e.g. forwards, backwards, sideways,
mechanical, smoothly, at a low level, fast motion,
slow motion and so on, always avoiding other
students

 Students will then imagine they are walking on

different surfaces (Eg On hot sand, On thin ice,
Through thick autumn leaves, In knee-high water,
Jumping in puddles, Through sticky mud)

 ‘The ground became scorched. The rivers dried

up… The animals began to die of thirst’

 ‘The little sun rolled across the sea to Marungi

Biddi Biddi – an island where 2 men lived’

 ‘So she took off into space to escape him, getting

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Content Teaching, learning and assessment Resources

hotter and hotter as she climbed’

 ‘But up in the sky, high above the earth, lived a

snake’

 ‘Now she could go no higher. And getting weaker

and cooler, she rolled away down towards the
edge of the earth.

 ‘At last, she slipped down into the mists below.

And the world became dark’

 Ever since that time, the little sun has made her
journey from east to west to give the world day
(light and heat) and night (cool and rest)

Activity: Animal mime actions

 Students must act out the animal and the action
that the animal is performing. No
words/speaking/sounds! Just actions e.g. an
elephant eating a banana

 The teacher chooses 2-3 students to mime

 The students must act out the animal and the

action that the animal is performing.

 The rest of the class guesses

(Emu, platypus, kangaroo, koala, wombat, echidna,

snake)

Discussion: Summarise what is Dreaming. Connection to

knowledge about Country and animals. How does When
the Snake bites the Sun show importance to Country?
(land, water, sky)

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Content Teaching, learning and assessment Resources

The diversity and Activity 5: How the Murray River was Created Map http://www.murrayriver.com.au/about-the-murray/murray-river-
longevity of map/
Australia's first
Review: what do we know about Dreaming stories? Trip to Murray River http://www.murrayriver.com.au/murray-river-
peoples and the
ways Aboriginal landscapes/
What are some Dreamtime stories that we know?
and/or Torres
Strait Islander How the Great Fish Goodoo Created the Murray River
Discuss: the Murray River
peoples are https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYQw2Pd4a78
connected Map http://www.murrayriver.com.au/about-the-
to Country and murray/murray-river-map/ Coloured pencils
Place (land, sea,
waterways and Trip to Murray River Pledge tree template
skies) and the http://www.murrayriver.com.au/murray-river-landscapes/
implications for How the Great Fish Goodoo Created the Murray River
their daily
lives(ACHHK077) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYQw2Pd4a78

Ask: what was the message in the story? How was this
story told? Orally, passed down by families/tribes

Discuss: term ‘imaginary’ vs ‘spiritual’. Dreamtime stories

are not imaginary. Dreamtime stories are spiritual beliefs.
Spiritual means even though you can’t see it, you believe
it’s true. Eg god

Activity: Pledge Hand Tree

Copy: I pledge to learn and share the true stories of the

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, their history
and culture.

What does Dreamtime mean? What truth did you learn

this week?

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Content Teaching, learning and assessment Resources

Traditions Activity 6: Aboriginal Body Painting Aboriginal Art PowerPoint

associated with Students watch and listen to the Laura Dance Laura Dance Festival https://youtu.be/ZFm-Yy13keI
different forms Festival video on YouTube. At the end of the video, ask Body template
such as drawing, the students: Paints
painting,  What is the importance of the Laura Dance
sculpture, Festival to the Aboriginal peoples?
printmaking and  Why do you think the Aboriginal peoples paint
digital works their bodies for cultural dances and festivals?

 What types of symbols did you see painted on

the Aboriginal peoples at the Laura Dance
Festival?

Display and discuss slides 24-27 of the An Introduction

to Aboriginal Art PowerPoint. Ensure that the students
understand:

o the significance of body painting to the

Australian Aboriginal peoples
o the traditional meaning of body painting
and some of its common features

o how body painting is used today in

Aboriginal cultures for special festivals,
dances and ceremonies.

Use the content of the PowerPoint to record any new

information on the body painting poster from the earlier
lesson.

Display slide 28. As a class, discuss why Aboriginal

peoples traditionally painted their bodies for cultural
ceremonies. Can you think of other cultures who paint
their bodies for cultural reasons? Eg Japanese geisha,
henna, hindu bindi

Brainstorm and list special occasions or times when you

might get your face or body painted.
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Content Teaching, learning and assessment Resources

Display slide 29 and explain the body painting activity to

the students.

Provide each student with a template of the outline of a

body. On their body outlines, ask the students to draw a
design that they would paint onto their own bodies for a
special event.

Once the students have finished, gather together as a

class to share artworks. Discuss the significance of
cultural dress at special events and/or ceremonies.

Assessment overview

 Ongoing assessment to be maintained through observations and work samples.

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