1. Caring for Country Julie Oliver Ryde Public School
Stage Two Unit – Our Australia
Teacher selected learning outcomes
Students will:
Observe, interpret and connect with their local, state and national environments
Recognise the significance of our Indigenous peoples and their connectedness to the land
Develop research skills (including mapping)
Write informative texts for an authentic audience
Learn about environmental issues, impact of humans, ecology and sustainability
Understand past, present and future uses of our plants, state/national parks, heritage sites, technology (tools)
Values & attitudes
Caring, responsibility and respect for the environment (empathy)
Caring for Country
Julie Oliver
Ryde Public School

2. Inquiry learning (questioning)
Hands on artefacts to raise curiosity– Equity Centre
Orientation (what do we know/want to know/etc…)
How important are animals and plants in our life?
How do we live and interact with animals & plants? Is this different from pre-colonisation? How?
How did Aboriginal people survive for 60,000 years?
How can we learn to respect our environment the way Aboriginal people did (and do) in our everyday lives?
Who owns the land? What does ownership really mean?
How can Aboriginal art teach us about our history?
How has our environment changed over time?
Assessment of learning
Develop an original board game based on selected area of interest to entertain and inform others
Plan, research, test, refine & modify game
Ask other students to play game & provide feedback (authentic audience)
Review game
+ reflection journal
+ story telling through art

3. Nature Shopping Theme: How to use medicine from plants,
find bush tucker and catch animals
It was FUN!
We got to be creative, choose our own research topic and understand what women had to teach the other children in the bush as they were growing up. They were really clever people.

4. Theme: Using facts about Aboriginal art to challenge others
Deadly Designers
Theme: Using facts about Aboriginal art to challenge others
We used the game snakes and ladders to plan our board game. The colours we used for our game are colours we learnt about in class when we were doing art. It was cool to use creative ideas from our head and discover the meanings of dot paintings and symbols. The Aboriginal people were experts with using pictures to tell stories.

5. Theme: Looking at bush medicine and survival
Medicine Mania
Theme: Looking at bush medicine and survival
We learnt about how to make questions for a board game and make sure our facts were true. It was exciting and sometimes gross to learnt about the fruits, oils and grubs that used to be eaten. There should be more websites on this kind of history.

6. Theme: Learning about Australian native plants and animals
Flora & Fauna Hunt
Theme: Learning about Australian native plants and animals
It was fun to challenge other students and learn about the scientific names of things. Other kids told us they liked playing our game and learning new things too. We used the skills of each person in our groups to make a great game!

7. Theme: Looking at special places
Race to Uluru
Theme: Looking at special places
We enjoyed looking at images of Uluru, reading some Dreamtime stories to learn about it’s history and using facts to make our questions as you race around the board. It was really fun to each have jobs to do in our group.
This is a main place of importance for our First Australians.

8. Story Telling through Art
I created this artwork to make a story based on Aboriginal Dreaming. I have used Indigenous colours to represent nature and the colours they would have used thousands of years ago.
It has two fish going on a journey while Aboriginal men are hunting them. I like the way the fish look like they are really swimming away. TaeHyeon
When we were learning about Aboriginal art, we made this picture and then we got to make up our own story about them. I used crayons to decorate the fish and add Aboriginal patterns from the sample sheets of real Aboriginal symbols. The colours I used represent colours from Aboriginal culture Casey

9. Reflection Journals
I never knew that Aboriginals lived through an ice age
It is amazing how they used dot painting to pass on messages and stories, the art always has a message
I liked learning about the special ceremonies and dances
Looking at the real digging stick, coolomon, emu caller, boomerang and the painted rock was awesome
I didn’t realise all the different ways that they did art before, I only knew about dot paintings
Now I know how to wash and go to the toilet in the bush
The spirits are really COOL, I wish we had some
I think the way they looked after the environment is really special and it reminds me of our school rule
Aboriginal people had good tools and they didn’t waste anything

10. Resources Equity Centre Library artefacts & visual images
My Place text & DVD by Nadia Wheatley & Donna Rawlins
Walking the Boundaries by Jackie French
Shipwreck, Sailors & 60,000 years by Jackie French
Excursion – Field of Mars (rock carvings & native flora/fauna)
First Australians by Karin Cox
Dust Echoes – online stories
Why I love Australia by Bronwyn Bancroft
Who did that? (animals) J. Bruce
Dreamtime stories and images