Madeline Hesse - 9/17/2013 Paula Armstrong - ED 489

Background 1. Aboriginal Culture, Culture Unit SS, Grade 6, 55 minutes 2. Wholeness The purpose of this lesson is to have the students embody the most essential value of the Aboriginal culture, storytelling. This will be accomplished by learning the basic structure of a story, enacting a dramatic story on the topic of colonization in Australia, and finally creating their own myth . 3. SCI Knowledge is structured in consciousness/The field of all possibilities is the source of all solutions/Knowledge is gained from inside and outside This relates to the Aborigines concept of the Dreaming or Dreamtime Order is present everywhere/Life is found in layers Tribal units consist of smaller groups; each member has a unique role and duty to fulfill Harmony exists in diversity/The whole is greater than the sum of its parts There are approx 500 different language groups that make up the Aborigines; by working together, white and Aboriginals can create a better world for all 4. Main Points

5. Objectives Know where the Aboriginals are located on the world map

 Know important values of the Aboriginal culture including: The Dreaming (spirituality), Connection and Custodianship to the Land, Responsibility, Reciprocity, Unity of Life Know general points of routine: gathering and preparing food, tend fire, walking long distances, hunting, living with relatives (both blood and by ritual), storytelling (dance and song), learning intimate knowledge of the Bush, go to school, go to college, meet with neighbors for celebrations and to trade, organize for human rights, play games Know leisure activities: dance, paint, carve, play didgeridoo, make crafts, tell stories 6. IA Core Understand how people from different cultures develop different values and ways of interpreting experience. Understand that each culture has distinctive patterns of behavior that are usually practiced by most of the people who grow up in it. 7. Approach Cooperative 8. Materials Hilas Mere's poem, "Spiritual Song of the Aborigine" Aboriginal Slideshow Handout: "Colonization: Australia's Story of Black and White" Fire myth to elucidate structure Empathize with the injustice of colonization Celebrate the Aboriginals through storytelling

Australian Dreaming: 40,000 Years of Aboriginal History ed. Jennifer Isaacs Poster-board and art supplies

9. Differentiation

 Option of how to tell myth: through drama, dance, song, illustration or words

Lesson Introduction 10. Review Who remembers where to find Japan on the map? Swaziland? The Inuit?

Japan's Values, Routine, Leisure? Can we find similarities to other cultures? Differences? Values can instruct behavior, they can result from behavior, they help to solidify an identity Values can be brought out in story, dance, song, daily life, or special ceremonies 11. Hook I am going to read this poem written by a member of the Aboriginal culture. It is Hilas Mere's "Spiritual Song of the Aborigine" I am a child of the Dreamtime people Part of this land, like the gnarled gum tree I am the river softly singing Chanting our songs on our way to the sea My spirit is the dust devils Mirages that dance on the plain I am the snow, the wind And the falling rain I am part of the rocks and the red desert earth Red is the blood that flows in my veins I am eagle, crow And snake that glides

Through the rainforest that climbs To the mountainside I awakened here when the earth was new There was emu, wombat, kangaroo no other man of different hue I am this land, this land is me I am Australia. Lesson Development 12. Procedure 1 What do we know about Australia? Its people?

2 Show slideshow (I'm going to show a slideshow about the culture. I'd like you to pay attention to the pictures and take notes, thinking about Values, Routine, and Leisure) 3 4 Talk in detail about some slides Ask what kids noticed/wrote down [1-4 should take 5 minutes]

5 Bring out the Values, Routine, and Leisure and write down on poster board [spend 5 minutes] 6 Transition to mythic structure: Explain how most stories have a typical flow, beginning with an introduction followed by an inciting incident, next rising action, a climax/turning point and resolution. 7 8 Draw structure and elucidate each part. Read Fire Myth to give example [6-8 should take 5 minutes]

9 Transition to topic of colonization: Now we're going to enact a story dramatically about the colonization of Australia 10 Ask what students already understand about the topic

11 Pass around hat or assign parts {Aboriginal 1, 2, & 3; British 1, 2 & 3; Mediator 1, 2, & 3} 12 Read [enact] script on colonization, with teacher as Narrator

13 Ask students to identify where is the intro, incident, rising action, climax, resolution [9-13 should take 10 minutes] 14 Transition to higher task: Now that we've learned the values, routine and leisure of the Aboriginals, and we've looked at the structure of stories, I'd like us all to create a story based on a picture. You can find your picture in this book or from the slideshow. You can work alone or in groups no bigger than three and you have a choice of telling your story through words, song, dance, drama or illustrative form. Whatever you choose, you must be able to explain which part relates to the introduction, rising action, climax, and resolution. 15 16 17 Give students 20 minutes Wrap up by sharing a few myths. For HW: Mini-myth