Tell Me Why (Video)

CRACKERJACK EDUCATION — TEACHING WITH AUNTY Year 6

Knowledge area: Tools, Weapons and Utensils

TEACHING NOTES Tell Me Why (Video)

Text type: narrative, written, online, multimodal

VISUAL STIMULUS FOCUS

Tell Me Why is a sensitive story that introduces readers to the issue of the Stolen Generations and how it affected the Aboriginal people of Australia. It explores Aboriginal language, and family heritage and history.

PRIOR TO VIEWING

Introduce the Tell Me Why video to the students. Start the video on the website. Ask the students what clues the name of the book gives them about the type of story it is.

Background • The story Tell Me Why is set in the location • The story Tell Me Why discusses how of contemporary Perth, Western Australia. Aboriginal people lived when the European When we refer to the Noongar (Noong-ahh) colonisers appeared. Full use was made people of Western Australia, we are using of natural resources to produce whatever a general term that covers all Aboriginal possessions were needed … String, cord and people that come from the state of Western hair were woven into nets, baskets, mats and Australia. fishing lines … Wood and bark were used to • This is also the case when we refer to Koori make dishes, shields, spears and boomerangs, (Coo-ree) people from New South Wales, and also they made dugout canoes, and other Koorie (Coo-ree) people from Victoria, types of watercraft, such as rafts. Stone was Palawa (Pal-la-wah) people from Tasmania, chipped to form tools that could be used and Murri (Ma-ree) people from Queensland. as weapons, or to cut and carve wood … Large pebbles and flat stones were used to • These names are more of a quick reference grind seeds to flour and pieces of bone were that are fast becoming outdated due to the sharpened into spear points, and even used Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander cultural as needles to sew together skin for cloaks and revival and people reclaiming their traditional rugs … skins of animals were treated to carry knowledge and individual homelands. water. 1

SHARED VIEWING

Tell Me Why is a lovely story that introduces Aboriginal family heritage, language and structure into your classroom. It is written by Robyn Templeton and Sarah Jackson. It features vibrant illustrations by Robyn Templeton and is read by Aboriginal community worker Ms Moira Bligh. The book highlights several important issues relevant to Indigenous people living in Australia today, such as the Stolen Generations, having a light skin colour and no longer living under traditional law.

26 sec

The story introduces Sarah, the main character of the story.

58 sec

Sarah introduces her family — her mum, dad, sister, brother and dog. (Pause the story after the introduction on the picture of Sarah’s family in front of their house. Ask the students to identify the landscape or setting. Do they think it is a modern story or from a long time ago?)

1 min 35 sec

Sarah describes her school and her classroom and what she does there.

2 min 5 sec

Sarah starts to realise that not all people have the same skin colour or features.

2 min 26 sec

Sarah thinks about her Nana Mac, Grandma Doris and other relatives. She begins to question her own physical features and the different skin colours in her mixed-heritage Aboriginal family.

2 min 56 sec

Sarah asks her Nana Mac why her skin colour is brown while Sarah’s is white. Nana Mac explains that it is because Sarah’s mum is Aboriginal and her dad is white, but also that it is not so simple.

3 min 40 sec

Nana Mac and Sarah visit Grandma Doris, Nana Mac’s mother, to learn more. (The author describes Grandma Doris as a very soft and loving person. This invites the readers to trust Doris. Grandma Doris is an Elder of Sarah’s family. Ask the students why it is important to listen to our elders. )

4 min 5 sec

Sarah relays her confusion and openly questions Grandma Doris about why her skin is not dark like hers. Sarah says she is white on the outside, but feels brown (Aboriginal) on the inside. Grandma Doris is happy that Sarah feels Aboriginal on the inside, as it is important for people to know where they come from and for stories to be passed on.

5 min

Grandma Doris gives Sarah a family history lesson about how past generations of Aboriginal Australians lived together in harmony with the land before Europeans came to this country. She explains the tools and weapons they used, as well as how they collected and prepared food.

5 min 44 sec

Grandma Doris explains about some sad and unhappy times for Aboriginal people in Australia. Sarah’s great-great-grandma Rosie was taken from her family by the government and told not to speak in her language anymore. She worked as a servant and had to ask permission to marry. Life was hard for Rosie and Grandma Doris, and hearing the stories makes Sarah very sad.

(Explain to the students that Sarah’s great-great-grandma Rosie was part of the Stolen Generations. This was a time when many Indigenous children and babies were removed from their families so Europeans could bring them up in white culture.)

7 min 20 sec

Nana Mac puts on some didgeridoo music for Sarah to listen to and it cheers her up. When Sarah leaves with Nana Mac, Grandma Doris explains that it is important to ask questions and for Sarah to feel proud of who she is. Sarah has had her questions answered, and feels much more confident and proud of her Aboriginal heritage.

(Discuss with students what Sarah learned from Nana Mac and Grandma Doris. What is the moral of the story? Answer: We can learn a lot from what happened in the past. We need to respect each other and not treat others badly if they look or act different.)

Didgeridoo • One of the tools highlighted in the story is the didgeridoo — a famous Aboriginal instrument made from a branch or trunk of a tree hollowed out by termites. The didgeridoo was used to announce rituals and celebrations in Northern Australia in ancient times. It is important to remember that even though Aboriginal people no longer all live in the bush, are dark skinned and hunt bush tucker each day, the heritage and belief system of Aboriginal people is still strong and has the capacity to be restored and strong again.

ACTIVITY

Living Together in the Past and Present (use Worksheet 2) STEP 1 Provide each student with a copy of Worksheet 2. Rewatch the part of the Tell Me Why video (at approximately 5 minutes) where Grandma Doris talks about how Sarah’s Aboriginal ancestors lived in the past. STEP 2 Have the students fill out the table on the worksheet comparing their lives in the present to the way Sarah’s Aboriginal ancestors lived in the past. Have them consider the following questions to help them: o How many people do you have in your family? Do you all live together? o What kind of food does your family eat? How do you prepare it? o Where does your family get your food from? Who collects it?

AFTER VIEWING DISCUSSION

• Discuss with the students the importance of • Ask the students: knowing about and understanding heritage, o Is it important to know where your traditions and culture. family comes from? Why? • Explain to the students that Aboriginal o What elements of the story are similar people have very large extended families, to how you live (e.g. your house, school, and they are often close to everyone in the siblings or pets)? Aboriginal community they live in, not just their close relatives.

o What elements of the story are different to how you live (e.g. Aboriginal heritage; Sarah’s family history and experiences, such as dancing to didgeridoo music)? o Do you know who an Elder is in Aboriginal culture? (Answer: An Elder is a respected older person who is thought of as wise and knowledgeable by the Aboriginal community they live in. The Elders in Aboriginal culture are the keepers of the Dreaming stories, the location of sacred places, and the knowledge of protocols and taboos.)

SUPPORTING WORKSHEETS

Worksheet 1: ‘Tell Me Why’ Word Search A word search activity where students find the words from the story Tell Me Why, as well as traditional tools, weapons and utensils used by Aboriginal people in the past.

Worksheet 2: Living Together in the Past and Present A comparing activity where students compare how their families live today with the way Sarah’s Aboriginal ancestors described in the story Tell Me Why lived in the past. (The worksheet can be used for the Shared Viewing activity ‘Living Together in the Past and Present’.)

Worksheet 3: Create Your Own Sacred Carved Tree A drawing activity where students create their own sacred carved tree by drawing their own design on the tree trunk using patterns, symbols or images of animals.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Worksheet 1: ‘Tell Me Why’ Word Search (Answers)

Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Protocols: Aboriginal People and the Land

http://www.crackerjackeducation.com.au/resources/aboriginal-and-tsi- protocols-aboriginal-people-and-the-land/

Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Protocols: Welcome to Country http://www.crackerjackeducation.com.au/resources/aboriginal-and-tsi- protocols-welcome-to-country/

CURRICULUM

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGIES Content description Elaboration

Investigate how and why food and fibre are • considering traditional and contemporary produced in managed environments and prepared to methods of food preparation used in a variety of enable people to grow and be healthy (ACTDEK021) cultures, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander methods

HISTORY Content description Elaboration

Experiences of Australian democracy and citizenship, • investigating the lack of citizenship rights for including the status and rights of Aboriginal and Aboriginal Peoples and Torres Strait Islander Torres Strait Islander Peoples, migrants, women and Peoples in Australia, illustrated by controls on children (ACHASSK135) movement and residence, the forcible removal of children from their families leading to the Stolen Generations, and poor pay and working conditions

KNOWLEDGE AREAS AND THE NATIONAL CURRICULUM

Design and Technologies Grandma Doris gives Sarah a family history lesson about how past generations of Aboriginal Australians lived together in harmony with the land before Europeans came to this country. She explains the tools and weapons they used, as well as how they collected and prepared food. (ACTDEK021) History In the story Tell Me Why, Sarah’s great-great-grandma Rosie was part of the Stolen Generations. This was a time when many Indigenous children and babies were removed from their families so Europeans could bring them up in white culture. (ACHASSK135)

REFERENCE

1. Frank Senauth, Lives Without Pity, pp. xiv–xv. (Bloomington, USA: AuthorHouse, 2015), Kindle edition.