Rabbit-Proof Fence STAGE 3

Before Reading 4 The girls never walked close to the fence because
they did not want to leave tracks that would be easy
ACTIVITIES ANSWERS

BEFORE READING ACTIVITIES (PAGE 60) to find.

BEFORE READING CHAPTER 7
ACTIVITY 1 BEFORE READING
Encourage students to speculate and to guess, but
1 F 2T 3F 4T 5T 6F 7T 8F
do not tell them the answers. They will find out as
ACTIVITY 2 BEFORE READING they read that the answer is 3.
The three reasons were no money, an uncertain
CHAPTER 7 AND SEVENTY YEARS LATER
future, and low social rank. Encourage students to WHILE READING
discuss these reasons and exchange their opinions. 1 Gracie never returned to Jigalong.
2 Ten years later Molly was sent back to Moore River.
While Reading 3 Mollys daughter Doris was left behind at Moore
River.
THE FENCE, CHAPTERS 1 AND 2 WHILE READING 4 Molly and Daisy lived at Jigalong as old ladies.
1 To stop the rabbits moving west into farmlands.
2 Because they were half-castes, and the government
had decided that these children should be taken
After Reading
away from their families and sent to school, where ACTIVITY 1 AFTER READING
they would learn to be domestic servants and farm 1 UNGRATEFUL!"/2)').!,')2,3
workers. The government has failed to catch the half-caste
3 By car, by train, and by ship. girls who escaped from Moore River Settlement
4 They were frightened, cold, and tired. several weeks ago. A lot of money has been spent on
BEFORE READING CHAPTER 3
these children, but if they do not want the chance
Encourage students to speculate and to guess, but to make a better life for themselves, why make them
do not tell them the answers. They will find out as go to school? We should spend the money on more
they read that the answers are 1a, 2a, 3c. useful things, and the law about these Aboriginal
children must be changed.
CHAPTERS 3 AND 4 WHILE READING 2 WONDERFUL !"/2)').!,')2,3
1 The girls who were locked up in the boob for They were cold, hungry, and scared most of the
running away. time, but they never stopped walking. They hunted
2 Moodoo the black tracker. for their food, catching rabbits, lizards, and birds,
3 Molly. and cooking them over a fire. They built shelters
4 Two Mardu men that they met. every night, pulled them down in the mornings,
5 'RACIEAND$AISY covered their fire holes, and were careful not to leave
BEFORE READING CHAPTER 5
easy tracks for the police to follow. They just wanted
Encourage students to speculate and to guess, but to get home to their families, and thats the best
do not tell them the answers. They will find out as place for any child to be.
they read that the answers are 2 and 3. ACTIVITY 2 AFTER READING

CHAPTERS 5 AND 6 WHILE READING

If students need help with this, encourage them to
look at links in the language.
Suggested answers:
3 M ART H A : Heard the news?
1 Sometimes Molly carried the other two girls,
6 PO L LY : No, what is it? Tell me!
because they had painful sores on their legs.
13 M ART H A : Those three new girls from Jigalong.
Oxford University Press

2 When they found the fence, they did not know that
Molly, and the younger two. Theyve gone
they still had more than eight hundred kilometres to
escaped!
walk.
10 PO L LY : Escaped! They only arrived two days ago.
3 Don Willocks gave the girls food, but later he
When did they go?
reported the meeting to his employer, who reported
5 M ART H A : This morning. They never came to school
it to the police.
at all, but nobody realized that till this evening.

OXFORD BOOKWORMS LIBRARY STAGE 3 64 RABBIT-PROOF FENCE

 8 PO L LY : So that means theyve had all day. Has ACTIVITY 5 AFTER READING

Moodoo gone after them? Open answers.

1 M ART H A : Yes, he has. But hes not going to catch ACTIVITY 6 AFTER READING
these three. Ive got a feeling about it. Open answers.
14 PO L LY : Why not? Hes always caught the other
ACTIVITY 7 AFTER READING
runaways.

ACTIVITIES ANSWERS
9 M ART H A : Ill tell you why not. Because it rained Open answers. Encourage students to think about
most of the afternoon, didnt it? the difference between must and should.
4 PO L LY : Well, yes, but what difference does the rain
make?
11 M ART H A : Moodoos a tracker, right? But he cant
follow tracks if the rain has washed them all
away!
2 PO L LY : Oh yeah, of course! That Mollys a clever
one, for sure. Do you think theyll get all the way
home?
7 M ART H A : Dont know. Jigalongs a long, long way.
But I hope they do.
12 PO L LY : @3ODO)'OODLUCKTOTHEM)SAY

ACTIVITY 3 AFTER READING

4 ( ' % ' ) , 2 & , 4 3 . %
! " / 2 ) ' ) . % % 2 $ & !
B E V T R T Z E N R A C O H
A N E C A E A I C N C R O L
I F R E B T R H E A K U T N
4 ( . % " 9 $ # ! . ' . 0 %
T O M U I T L A N D M A R K
S H E L T E R H E R E W I I
+ ! . ' ! 2 / / . 4 ( ! . %
B U T S P A D L O C K Y T H

0%/0,% !.)-!,3 4().'3

Aborigine kangaroo landmark
government rabbit shelter
runaway lizard padlock
fence
track
footprint
ACTIVITY 4 AFTER READING
The sentence is from the letter on page 5:
The girls need a better chance in life than they can get
out here in the bush.
1 Mr Hungerford, Superintendent, Jigalong Depot.
2 !BOUT-OLLY$AISYAND'RACIE
3 He probably meant that if they went to school and
had some education, they would have more choices
in life.
Oxford University Press

4 Open answers.
5 Open answers.

OXFORD BOOKWORMS LIBRARY STAGE 3 65 RABBIT-PROOF FENCE