Julia Mastripolito

110066420

Humanities and Social Science

Resource Review
How the stories of families and the past can be communicated, for
example, through photographs, artefacts, books, oral
histories,digital media and museums (ACHASSK013).
The following resource review is based on resources that support the Humanities
and Social Science (HASS) content descriptor for Foundation students, how the
stories of families and the past can be communicated, for example, through
photographs, artefacts, books, oral histories, digital media and
museums(Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA],
2015, ACHASSK013). The unit of work that will be planned using these resources
focuses mainly on how stories of the past can be communicated through
Aboriginal dreamtime stories and storytelling by grandparents. This topic was
chosen as it has strong cross-curricular links and can be used to discuss
important aspects of the Indigenous Australian culture that are appropriate and
engaging for students of a young age (Fiford, 2011). Learning about Indigenous
Australian culture engages with the Cross-curricular priorities set out in the
National Curriculum and can be presented in many different modes (Fiford,
2011). The teacher resources chosen to provide background knowledge are
What does Jukurrpa (dreamtime, the dreaming) mean? A semantic and
conceptual journey of discovery (Wierzbicka & Goddard, 2015), and a South
Australian government resource called The Dreaming. These both provide an
accurate and culturally sensitive insight into Indigenous dream time stories. The
art of storytelling for cross cultural understanding (Al-Jafar & Buzzelli, 2004) was
used to discuss the importance of storytelling to pass on historical information
and the comparison of storytelling between cultures.
Resources used for lesson plans include a YouTube video depicting the story of
Wayambeh the Turtle as well as a traditional Aboriginal painting telling this story.
In contrast to these Indigenous Australian methods of communicating the past,
the book Papa and the Olden Days by Ian Edwards is used to tell the story of a
grandfather passing on historical stories to his grandchildren.
A journal article Inquiry Approaches in Primary of Society and Environment Key
Learning Area (Gordon, 2000) discusses the TELSTAR (Queensland School
Curriculum Council [QSCC], 2000) inquiry model informing the implementation of
the HASS learning area.

Teacher Resources
'What does 'Jukurrpa' ('dreamtime', 'the dreaming') mean? A semantic
and conceptual journey of discovery' (Wierzbicka & Goddard 2015)

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This article explores and explains the concept of dreamtime or the dreaming,
known as Jukurrpa. It is done in a way that is simple to understand, using crosstranslational words. This resource is crucial for teachers to deliver content that
holds such importance in the Indigenous Australian culture. To be able to deliver
content accurately, sensitively and with a good understanding of the topic
teachers need to understand the true meaning of the dreaming. By
understanding the complexities of dreamtime the teacher will be able to use this
information to meet the requirement of the content descriptor by discussing how
Indigenous Australians passed on their knowledge about how things in their
world came to be. In this way students are able to make sense of their world and
help future generations understand their culture and context. This research is
quite current, being published in 2015, therefore the concepts and terms should
be up to date and contextually correct. The in-depth explorations required in the
TELSTAR (QSCC, 2000) model of inquiry will demand that students are able to
obtain knowledge from different sources. The knowledge that they gain from the
teacher is their first resource and so the information delivered needs to be
accurate. This resource enables the creation of unique and correct learning
experiences through having a good understanding of the true meaning of what
dreaming is and how it is a significant part of the Indigenous culture that should
be cherished and continued.

The Dreaming Australian Government

This resource was created by the Australian government to summarise key areas
relating to the dreaming. It discusses how dreamtime stories explain the
creation of animals, plants, rocks and all other things making up the earth. As
well as how dreamtime stories explore relationships between humans, animals
and the land. This resource is used in addition to Wierzbicka and Goddards
(2015) article which focuses on the meaning of the dreamtime whereas this
government source gives a summary of the purpose and basis of dreamtime
stories. Drawing from this resource, one can understand how stories of the past
are linked to the present. The Aboriginal culture is wrapped up in the dreaming
as it guides acceptable social behaviour and the responsibility to keep the
dreaming stories alive through song, art, dance and ceremony.
This resource guides lesson planning by allowing the reader to grasp complex
concepts and sort previous assumptions and new knowledge into categories of
what is accurate and what is not. Forming a true understanding of the
dreamtime is crucial to ensure that students are receiving the right information,
as this topic is too important to get wrong. Information about Indigenous Cultures
have not been delivered accurately for many years, therefore engaging with
resources such as this ensure that a sound understanding can be formed and
passed on.

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'The art of storytelling for cross cultural understanding' (Al-Jafar, A &

Buzzelli, C 2004)
Al-Jafar and Buzellis (2004) article discusses the art of storytelling to encourage
young people to learn valuable lessons through storytelling. This article
discusses westernised storytelling compared to the storytelling in other cultures.
When comparing Indigenous Australian dreamtime stories to the storytelling that
occurs within families, many similarities are noticed. Families become
responsible for delivering past family information to younger generations that
ensure cultural beliefs and practices are continued.
This resource has been beneficial in the comparison of different types of
storytelling to promote cultural understanding. In the article students compared
the stories from a culture they were familiar with and unfamiliar with and then
wrote their own story. The stories that the students created contained parts of
each story in a way that was unique and based on interpretation. This will inform
the testing phase of the TELSTAR (QSCC, 2000) model of inquiry where
students will be creating their own stories. The purpose of this is to create a
connection between how different cultures present stories of the past differently
but with the same purpose. Emphasis will be placed on someone else reading
the story in the future and learning a lesson.

Student Resources
YouTube: Wayambeh the turtle
Uploaded in February 2012 this video depicts the story of Wayambeh and how he
became the first long neck turtle. Being just under 3 minutes long, this video is a
great resource to engage students and introduce them to dreamtime stories. It is
important that in a constructivist classroom students are engaged and interested
in their own learning (Reynolds, 2014).While dreamtime stories are thousands of
years old, having them remastered into YouTube clips reaches the younger
generation in a way that they can understand and enjoy. This YouTube clip is
suitable for all ages as it uses simple language that tells the story in an
interesting way using colourful animation. While this resource does not show
dreamtime stories in their original form, which is through oral storytelling, it
presents the information in a way that is engaging to junior primary students.
The resource opens up opportunities to discuss the modes of delivery of
dreamtime stories and how they have changed and developed over time.
Having this resource is a good start to introduce the topic of the dreamtime in
the Tune In phase of the TELSTAR (QSCC, 2000) inquiry model. From here the
class can discuss what the dreamtime is and how it is important to Indigenous
Australians. The story shows how Indigenous Australians believe turtles were
created and how they became turtles in the first place. Dreamtime stories like
this one show the relationship between Indigenous Australians, animals and the
land, this will be an important aspect to focus on as it encompasses the HASS
value of ecological sustainability (QSCC, 2000).

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Wayambeh the Turtle painting Peter Muraay Djeripi Mulcahy

This painting depicts the story of Wayambeh the Turtle, showing the events
correlating to the story in the video. This resource will be used during the Look
and Sort phase of the TELSTAR (QSCC, 2000) model of Inquiry. During this
time students will receive copies of this picture, they will be able to look at it and
connect the story they know with the images. The resource shows how paintings
and images tell a story, it is not particularly obvious at first but one is aware of
the Wayambeh story, it is easy to see the story unfold. As this picture is created
using traditional Indigenous Australian techniques such as using colours like
brown, yellow and orange it again reflects the cultural connection to the land,
playing an important part in ecological sustainability. Again this resource is
suitable for all age groups, however it may need to be adapted slightly for the
Foundation class as some of the images are symbolic so labels will be put on
each part of the picture to guide students in their explorations. This image will
spark the interest of children as they recognise how the pictures come together
to form the story of Wayambeh.

Papa and the Olden Days by Ian Edwards

This resource is used to show how every family has their own stories to tell, like
Indigenous Australian Ancestors told their stories through the dreaming. In this
particular story Papa tells his grandchildren stories of his youth, where there
were no cars, TVs or radios. This story is particularly important in the Act
phase of the TELSTAR(QSCC, 2000) inquiry process, where comparisons can be
made between the dreaming stories and the story of Papa as well as the stories
of the students own families own families. The book highlights how information
about the past can be passed on through the written word and allows students to
explore other methods of passing on historical information. While this book is
well suited to junior primary students, it may need to be unpacked, while being
read to the class, ensuring the students are following the story.
Originally being published in 1989, the book is quite dated but the story remains
relevant as it is based on stories of an Australian country childhood being passed
on to modern day children. To make the book more relevant to 2015 comparisons
of new technologies such as iPads and mobile phones could be used to show
how much has changed.

TELSTAR Model of Inquiry

Inquiry Approaches in Primary Studies of Society and Environment Key Learning Area
(Gordon, 2000)

The inquiry process is one that encourages a deep understanding through rich
exploration and discovery. It is important that the complex subject of HASS uses
inquiry to allow students to form a sound understanding of the subject. The
TELSTAR (QSCC, 2000) model of inquiry uses this acronym to symbolise the

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phases of the inquiry process. This resource describes how using the TELSTAR
model is used to teach HASS to enrich the learning process. Each aspect of the
model is important and should not be rushed. The first aspect Tune In is
described as being very important in that students construct their own meaning
and current understandings. As students move on to the next phases of inquiry;
Explore and Look students discover their feelings towards the topic as well as
the viewpoints and feelings of others. This is essential when focusing on how
information about the past is delivered allowing students to compare how
different people and cultural groups could pass on information differently. In the
Sort phase students are able to group information into what they know, what is
credible, accurate and relevant. When moving on to the Test and Act phases
students come to draw conclusions from their explorations while understanding
the importance of the passing on of information about the past. The reflection
stage of the process allows students to look back on what they have learnt and
see how their perceptions have changed. The TELSTAR model is quite complex
but can be simplified for younger students by focusing on key aspects. The
process allows students to develop metacognitive capabilities that inform their
own thinking and learning. To encourage students to develop critical thinking
through inquiry, students need to be made aware of the stages they are working
through. Therefore posters could be made that allows teachers to explain to
students where they are up to, what they are doing and where they are going.

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References
Al-Jafar, A & Buzzelli, C 2004, 'The art of storytelling for cross cultural
understanding', International Journal of Early Childhood, vol. 36, no. 1, pp. 35-48.
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) 2015, F-10
Curriculum, Humanities and Social Sciences, viewed 30 November 2015,
<http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/humanities-and-socialsciences/hass/curriculum/f-10?layout=1#page=2>
Australian Government 2015, The Dreaming, viewed 30 November 2015,
<http://www.australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/dreaming>.
Edwards, I 1989, Papa and the Olden Days, Black Dog Books, Australia.
Fiford, J 2011, 'Finding quality resources', Ethos, vol. 19, no. 3, pp. 7-11.
Gordon, K 2000, Inquiry Approaches in Primary Studies of Society and
Environment Key Learning Area, Occasional Paper for the Queensland School
Curriculum Council.
Peter Muraay Djeripi Mulcahy 2015, Dreamtime Paintings and Stories, viewed 30
November 2015, <http://www.aboriginalaustralianart.com/dreamtime_art.php>.
RedPixelsAnimation 2012, Dreamtime Stories Wayambeh the Turtle, video,
YouTube, 13 February, viewed 30 November 2015,
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpzDvpZ0hMg>.
Reynolds, R 2014, Teaching Humanities and Social Sciences in the Primary
School , 3rd edition , Oxford University Press, South Melbourne, Victoria .
Wierzbicka, A & Goddard, C 2015, 'What does 'Jukurrpa' ('dreamtime', 'the
dreaming') mean? A semantic and conceptual journey of discovery', Australian
Aboriginal Studies, no. 1, pp. 43-65.
Queensland School Curriculum Council, 2000, Studies of Society and
Environment, Year 1 to 10 Syllabus, viewed 2 December 2015, <
https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/publications/reports-papers/qscc>.