Years 1 - 2
Habitat, where plants and animals live
Overview
Module 1 - The Bush as Shelter provides the first steps for students to explore their bush as scientists and understand the concept of habitat. Science methods include observation, counting, measuring, recording, and graphing. From their data, students conclude that animals live where they have shelter.
Module 2 – The Bush as Food, the Noongar help students to explore plants and animals as food. How flowers make seeds by pollination is explained and the Honey possum is introduced as a pollinator. Engaging with the Noongar helps students to understand the bush as a home.
Outcomes
By the end of Year 2, students:
With the help of the Noongar, understand how Aboriginal people lived in their Country.
Explore the natural environment as scientists.
Learn to record in a science notebook.
Represent data visually as a graph.
Find a middle number (median) in the data.
Understand the basic structure of a plant, and its reproductive parts as a flower.
Learn how seeds are made from pollination and who pollinate.
Research how plants need water to grow, and their leaves produce oxygen.
Explore where animals are found, understanding the concept of shelter as habitat.
Extension:
Are introduced to the Honey possum.
Curriculum Links
Living things live in different places where their needs are met (ACSSU211)
Science involves observing, asking questions about, and describing changes in, objects and events (ACSHE021)
Pose and respond to questions, and make predictions about familiar objects and events (ACSIS024)
Use a range of methods to sort information, including drawings and provided tables through discussion, compare observations with predictions (ACSIS027)
Compare observations with those of others (ACSIS213)
Represent and communicate observations and ideas in a variety of ways (ACSIS029)
Compare observations with those of others (ACSIS041)
Represent and communicate observations and ideas in a variety of ways (ACSIS042)
From a Noongar Elder
The late Kevan Davis says ...
“Nyoongar people value connection to boodja, moort (family), and kaartdijin (knowledge). The Wargal, the dreamtime snake, gave us our knowledge of the seasons, and how to manage our boodja, and this helped us survive. This kaartdijin was passed down by our Elders and moort in stories about people, seasons, stars, when it’s time to move camp, when bush foods will be in season, and what a change in animals activities mean. The stories represent our belief systems and knowledge of country.
We have a deep respect and obligation to our boodja. We took only what we needed from nature. We ate foods when they were plentiful and in season. We left some behind when we moved camp so that resources would be available the next year.”
IN: The Derdibin Gnamma Storybook. www.wheatbeltnrm.org.au
How to engage with the Noongar
Teachers are encouraged to reach out to their Aboriginal community, by inviting the parents of their students, to join with them during On Country classes. This provides opportunity for an Aboriginal educator to share their knowledge of plants and animals, and their stories of Country. It is a valuable experience for both Western and Aboriginal children. It gives confidence to the Aboriginal student, and creates respect between the Western and Aboriginal knowledge systems.
The teacher will need to advise the Aboriginal participants that their cultural and ecological knowledge, which they choose to share with students (both ecological and literary) may be recorded and embedded in class activities. You will need their approval.
Teachers are referred to:
• The Aboriginal Cultural Standards Framework, Department of Education, Western Australia, 2015 https://www.education.wa.edu.au/dl/jjpzned
From the Expert
Professor Steve Hopper AC says…
“Engaging with Aboriginal people is not too dissimilar from engaging with people of other cultures more generally. It hinges on mutual respect, a willingness to learn and listen, and to ‘yarn’. This Aboriginal term embraces walking or sitting together and sharing stories. Often, it starts with discussing family and origins, given the fundamental importance of country and kinship in Aboriginal cultures.
Tips for teachers.
• Some Aboriginal people may feel uncomfortable talking to individuals of other cultures because of past injustices or maltreatment. So politely asking if it’s OK to have a conversation with them is an excellent starter.
• Some questions you may have could be inappropriate to pose, in which case you might say “may I ask you about XXX?” rather than launching straight into the question. • Education is often communicated to others by demonstrating an activity without saying a word.
• Sign language and body language are important forms of communication in addition to talking. Pointing fingers may be interpreted as an aggressive act. Pointing with a tilt of the head or with your lips pouted is more acceptable.
• In traditional Aboriginal cultures, there are also protocols for who you might speak to and who not, depending upon gender, age, kinship, and degree of initiation you have been through.
• If you honour these protocols, and show respect and good humour, putting people at ease, hopefully you will be part of many rich and memorable conversations.”
