Many classrooms in the first weeks of the Australian school year will celebrate, commemorate or remember the 26th of January as Australia Day. However, not all of your students will be in a celebratory mood as they may see the 26th of January as Invasion Day and/or Survival Day. These student’s experiences should not be alienated from their peers. The question then is: How can we explore the 26th of January in a way that is inclusive and recognises many belief systems? Here are some suggestions: ●
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Lesson Preparation: Explore stimulus texts that focus on the activities of your own community on the 26th of January. You might focus on: People who are celebrating, protesting, and/or working. We have compiled some stimulus texts in a Google Doc at www.criticalclassroom.com. Lesson 1: TUNING IN: Have students recount how their family remembered Australia Day. Lead a discussion about the history of Australia Day and how it has been celebrated and/or remembered over time. Draw out a discussion about how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People might feel about Australia Day, using the analogy of our homes being taken over by someone else. Ask students to consider that different people think about the 26th of January in different ways. (Skills: Thinking, Researching, Discussing) Lesson 2: FINDING OUT. Have students research 1) what the 26th of January was/is about; and 2) what happens in the school community on the 26th of January. Have students create a collaborative class survey by interviewing other classes, teachers and their families. (Skills: Thinking, Researching, Mathematical, Literacy, ICT) Lesson 3: PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER. Your students have used primary sources in their exploration of the 26th of January. Now they can use their internet research skills to complete the cloze and comprehension activities. (Go to www.criticalclassroom.com to download your free activity sheets). (Skills: ICT, Thinking, Literacy, Writing) Lesson 4: PRESENTING AND SHARING FINDINGS. Students are now ready to present their learning by creating a poster presentation. Students can create their own header, invitation and illustration. (Skills: Thinking, Drawing, Creating) Lesson 5: REFLECTION AND THINKING FOR THE FUTURE. Before moving onto another unit, give students an opportunity to reflect on their learning. Explore how we as members of society sometimes do not necessarily know how other people feel about things. Encourage students to explore personal events and examples where other people’s points of view align (agree) and conflict (disagree). Have students draw out conclusions about how these individual (micro) situations can be reflection in community and societal (macro) situations. (Skills: Thinking, Reflecting, Discussing, Applying)
Go to www.criticalclassroom.com for activity sheets for these activities. Please note: all our free activities are created using Google Docs (a free, online collaboration tool). To make the most of these activities, you may need to sign up for a Google account.
The Critical Classroom
Edition 1. 2011