Unit: Then and Now | Stage 1 | English, History
Unit overview / Duration
Thisunit provides a study of significant​ people, ​places​ and​ sites​ in​ our​ local​ community.​​ Students learn aboutchanges​ that​ occur​ over​ timeby comparing the present with the past. This​ unit​ is​ designed​ to​ develop​ critical​ and​ imaginative​ faculties​ and​ broaden​ their​ capacity​ for​ cultural​ understanding.​ / 10 weeks
1 term- 3 lessons per week
Outcomes / Assessment overview
History K-10
›  HT12 identifies and describes significant people, events, places and sites in the local community over time
›  HT14 demonstrates skills of historical inquiry and communication
›  HT13 describes the effects of changing technology on people's lives over time
English K-10
›  EN16B recognises a range of purposes and audiences for spoken language and recognises organisational patterns and features of predictable spoken texts
›  EN18B recognises that there are different kinds of texts when reading and viewing and shows an awareness of purpose, audience and subject matter
›  EN13A composes texts using letters of consistent size and slope and uses digital technologies
›  EN17B identifies how language use in their own writing differs according to their purpose, audience and subject matter / Assessment​ Task:​ Students​ choose​ a​ local​ place​ of​ their​ choice​ and​ describe​ how​ it​ has​ changed​ over​ time​​ through​ a​ medium​ of​ their​ choice.​ ​
Focus​ questions​ to​ address​:​
§  What​ was​ it​ like​ in​ the​ past?​
§  How​ has​ it​ changed?​
§  What​ has​ caused​ the​ change?​
§  What​ is​ it​ like​ now?​​
Content:
Stage 1 - Speaking and listening 2
§  rehearse and deliver short presentations on familiar and new topics (ACELY1667)
Stage 1 - Reading and viewing 2
§  understand concepts about print and screen, including how different types of texts are organised using page numbering, tables of content, headings and titles, navigation buttons, bars and links (ACELA1450)
Stage 1 - Handwriting and using digital technologies
§  understand thathandwriting and presentation of work needs to reflectaudience andpurpose in order to communicate effectively
Stage 1 - Writing and representing 2
§  discuss some of the different purposes for written and visual texts
Stage 1 - The Past in the Present
Key inquiry questions:
§  What aspects of the past can you see today?
§  What do they tell us?
§  What remains of the past are important to the local community? Why?
§  How have changes in technology shaped our daily life?
Historical concepts and skills
The historical concepts and skills to be taught throughout Stage 1 are listed in the Overview of Teaching and Learning.
Content
The history of a significant person, building, site or part of the natural environment in the local community and what it reveals about the past (ACHHK044)
Students:
§  brainstorm what aspects of the past can be seen in the local area
§  identify a significant person, building, site or part of the natural environment in the local community and discuss what they reveal about the past and why they are considered important
§  investigate an aspect of local history
The importance today of an historical site of cultural or spiritual significance; for example, a community building, a landmark, a war memorial (ACHHK045)
Students:
§  identify an historical site or sites in the local community. Discuss their significance, why these sites have survived and the importance of preserving them
§  examine local or regional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islandersites, eg local national parks
The impact of changing technology on people's lives (ACHHK046)
Students:
identify examples of changing technologies in their home or community
Resources:
Print​ Resources:
Where​ the​ Forest​ Meets​ the​ Sea​ by​ Jeannie​ Baker​​
Belonging​ by​ Jeannie​ Baker
The​ Shack​ That​ Dad​ Built​ by​ Elaine​ Russell​​​​
How​ a​ house​ is​ built​ by​ Gail​ Gibbons
Digital​ Resources:
Arrawarra​ Fact​ Sheets:
http://www.arrawarraculture.com/fact_sheets/index.html​​
Aboriginal​ History​ of​ the​ Coffs​ Harbour​ Region:
http://libraries.coffsharbour.nsw.gov.au/Local-Heritage/collection/Pages/Aboriginal-history-of-the-Coffs-Harbour-region.aspx​
Living​ Along​​ Coffs​ Creek:​
http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/nswcultureheritage/coffscreek.htm​www.daintree-rec.com.au ​​
Jeannie​ Baker​ website:
http://www.jeanniebaker.com/​
Dreamtime​ Story:​
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpzDvpZ0hMg​
Library​ Fact​ Sheets:​
http://libraries.coffsharbour.nsw.gov.au/Local-Heritage/collection/Pages/local-fact-sheets.aspx​​
Key​ Words​ Research​ Lesson​ Plans:​
http://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/k-2-unit2-usingkeywords.pdf​
Community​ resources​:
Guest​ speakers​​ -​ Local​ Aboriginal​ Elders
Teaching, learning and assessment /
Lesson​ 1:​​​
Before reading: Ask students to look at the cover of the text and predict what the story may be about and why.
Read text: Where the Forest Meets the Sea by Jeannie Baker.Show illustrations.
After reading: As a class, brainstorm the different sites (settings) of the story. Under each site, write what made it special to the character. Also add if the site was natural or man-made.
Think/pair/share: with a partner, ask students to share one way a site from the story may change over time. After both students have had a turn, ask a few people to report back some ideas to the class.
Discuss the questions: What do you think will cause these changes?​ What would happen if these changes didn’t happen?
Open Smart Notebook page on IWB:​ Before​ and​ After. Demonstrate to students how to show change to an environment through pictures and explanatory sentences.
Students completetheir​ owncomparison drawing showing the environment from the story ‘before’ and ‘after’ change. Write sentences to describe each drawing.
Ask students to share their work with the class and point out what caused the change in their storyboard.
Display finished work in the classroom.
Lesson​ 2:​​ ​
Author Study: Jeannie Baker. Go to the Jeannie Baker website​ http://www.jeanniebaker.com/ and read some information about her and the text.
In pairs, students are given the role of ‘the interviewer’ or ‘the author’. They work together to come up with several questions to ask the author about “Where the Forest Meets the Sea”. The interviewer then asks the question to the author (who is Jeannie Baker).
Give time for students to write questions and answers and practice.
Record the interviews on camera/voice recording or perform for the class.
Review and discuss the purpose of the text.
Together, finish the following sentence starter as many different ways as you can:
Jeannie Baker’s message in this story was...
Lesson​ 3:​​
Display a picture of the setting in the story.​ Ask students what kind of environment is shown in the story (forest/beach​​)​​
Explain that the setting of the story is the ‘Daintree Rainforest’.​
As a class, locate the park on a map (Google Maps).​​ Students mark this location on their own map and label it.​
Go to the Daintree website and read some information about it.
Discuss any changes that may have occurred to the rainforest over time.
Ask students to think of a forest or rainforest that is close to us.
Go online to Wikipedia and read some information about Dorrigo National Park.​
Locate Dorrigo National Park on map (Google Maps)​​
Students mark this location on their own map and label it.​​
Students write a list of reasons our forests/rainforests change. Draw pictures to illustrate points.
Lesson​ 4:​​ ​
Read the story ‘Where the Forest Meets the Sea’ aloud and ask students to act as the main character. Play rainforest music in the background.​
Construct a table as a class with the headings ‘Present’ and ‘Future’. Students brainstorm words to describe how they felt as the character in the story in the ‘present’ with the natural environment, and then how they feel about the possible change to the environment in the future.​
Ask students to think about some natural environments in their local area that they find special.​
As a class, decide on one location (e.g. Corindi beach). Re-write the story (or parts of the story) using this location.
In computers, have students go onto ‘Google Images’ and find some pictures of the local environment that could be added to the story.
Lesson​ 5:​​
Show the front cover of the story ‘Belonging’ to the students. Ask them to describe some things that they see. Open the cover up (to see the back cover as well) and repeat the same observational activity.
Go through the text with the students.
Ask them to share with a partner what they think this story is about.
Share some responses.
Discuss why they think there were no words in this book. Was this effective?
Read the ‘Author’s Note’ in the back of the book.
In pairs or small groups, ask students to think about what this book had in common with ‘Where the Forest Meets the Sea’. Write down ideas.
Ask 1 person from each group to share what they think the common themes were.
Emphasize the concept of ‘change’. Was this change in this story good? Why?
Students write a response to the text as the main character:
1. looking out the window at the beginning of the story AND
2. looking out the window at the end of the story
Possible sentence starters may include:
I look out my window and I see………..
This makes me feel………….. because……………..
Collect work to assess.
Lesson​ 6:​
Open the Notebook page:​ Aboriginal​ Sites. Read the information about Aboriginal people and their sites. Explain that there are 3 main types of Aboriginal sites.
Divide the class into 3 groups. Give each group information about one of the sites. As a group they become ‘experts’ on this particular Aboriginal site by reading the information and writing down answers to the following:
- What does this type of site show us?
- What are some examples?
Each group then shares their information with the rest of the class.
Fill in table ‘Types of Aboriginal Sites’ on Smart Notebook (next page) using the information shared.
In their books, students write the types of Aboriginal sites as headings. Under each heading they write a sentence about the site and draw a picture of an example of a site. E.g. Living Sites- Show where Aboriginal people lived.
Lesson​ 7:​ ​​
Archaeologist For a Day​
Display a picture of an Aboriginal midden- discuss what they think it is
Look up the term ‘midden’
Students write down the definition of this term.
Discuss how middens can tell us about how Aboriginal people lived.
Explain that archaeologists are like detectives. They look for clues in Aboriginal sites to tell them how people lived, piecing the clues together like a jigsaw puzzle- so they have the most complete picture possible of how people lived.
Our rubbish tells us what we eat, wear and what we do in our leisure time.
What would the student’s rubbish tell people about them in the future?
Go for a walk around the school. In small groups or in pairs, students find something that has been discarded or left behind for some reason (this could be something from the lost and found box or a drink bottle in the school yard).
When back in the classroom students write down ways the object might have been used and why it might have been discarded.
Take a photo of the object.
Lesson​ 8:​​
Begin by talking about what they did in the previous lesson.​
Explain to students that archaeologists use what they learn from an object or site together to build a story of how people lived. ​
Model how to write a story about an object and the person who used it.​
Students revise what they wrote about their objects in the previous lesson.​
Brainstorm words that they used and make a word bank on the board.​
Individually, students write a story about their object.​
Students are encouraged to edit their own work before having it checked.​
In computers, type up stories, print off and display with photos in the classroom.
Lesson​ 9:​​
Before the lesson, go onto the Arrawarra Fact Sheet website and click on the photos down the bottom of the page ready to show students.
Look at the photos with the students and ask them to tell you what they see.
After looking at the photos ask students if they know the place where these photos were taken.
Ask students who has ever been to Arrawarra. Did they do anything in particular while they were there? Did they see any of the things from the photos?
Locate Arrawarra on a map on Google Maps for those students who are unfamiliar with the area.
Explain that they will be studying this place for the next few lessons to learn more about its history.
Give students the ‘Information Detective’ worksheet. Explain that they will have to fill in the answers to the questions as we read through the information on the fact sheet.
Open up Fact Sheet 1: Gumbaynggirr Nation. Read through some of the main information about the Gumbaynggirr people and The Garby Elders.
Leave the page open for students to refer to and they can work in pairs to fill in any missing information on their page.
Go through the answers together for them to mark and reflect on what was learnt.
Lesson​ 10:​​​
Open up Fact Sheet 2: Arrawarra Headland
Read through the information together and discuss some of the interesting facts​
Jointly construct a table of perspectives of the Arrawarra Headland from different points of view:
e.g.​ Person:​ Garby​ Elder​​.​ Perspective:​ The​ Arrawarra​ Headland​ is​ a​ very​ special​ place.​ Don't​ move​ things.
Students choose one of the people and perspectives from the table. They write a sentence about a person using information from the table. e.g. Garby Elders think the Arrawarra Headland is a very special place.
Underneath their sentence they draw a picture of the Arrawarra Headland using the picture from the fact sheet as reference.
If time play ‘hot seat’: students are questioned as the people from the table (i.e. an Aboriginal woman). Students ask questions that are relevant to the person and the Arrawarra Headland.
Lesson​ 11:​​
Open up Fact Sheet 8: The Arrawarra Midden. Before reading the information, ask students if they remember what a ‘midden’ is. Revise the term.
Read through and highlight some interesting facts. Also read the ‘Did You Know?’ sections and study the pictures.
As a class, construct a mind map of information about the Arrawarra midden from what they have learnt.
Look up the words: artefact, fragment, heritage and preserve
Ask students to locate the sentences with these terms in them. Discuss the meaning of the sentences with reference to the definitions that they looked up.