TEACHER GUIDE YEAR 5 SCIENCE & HASS Sustainable solutions: how Indigenous knowledge can lead to better land and water management in Australia Warning – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander teachers and students are advised that this curriculum resource may contain images, voices or names of deceased people. COPY 17 Y5 SCIENCE & HASS – SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS How Indigenous knowledge can lead to better land and water management in Australia Australian Curriculum Link Science/Year 5/Science as a Human Endeavour/Use and influence of science/ACSHE083 HASS/Year 5/Knowledge and Understanding/Economics and business/ACHASSK120 HASS/Year 5/Knowledge and Understanding/Geography/ACHASSK112 Australian Curriculum Content Description ACSHE083: Scientific knowledge is used to solve problems and inform personal and community decisions. ACHASSK112: The influence of people, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, on the environmental characteristics of Australian places. ACHASSK120: Types of resources (natural, human, capital) and the ways societies use them to satisfy the needs and wants of present and future generations. Australian Curriculum Elaboration ACSHE083: Investigating how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ traditional ecological and zoological knowledge informs sustainable harvesting practices of certain species, such as dugongs and turtles. ACSHE083: Investigating how Torres Strait Islander Peoples and Aboriginal Peoples of arid regions of Australia use scientific knowledge to manage precious water resources. ACHASSK112: Identifying how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities altered the environment and sustained ways of living through their methods of land and resource management. ACHASSK120: Exploring how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ traditional and contemporary use of resources reflects their spiritual connections to the land, sea, sky and waterways. Essential question How can Indigenous knowledge and practices lead to more sustainable land and water management in Australia? Y5 SCIENCE & HASS 1 Australians Together Learning Framework Tells Australia’s narrative through the lens of 5 Key Ideas that inform teachers and students about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives. Injustice from the impact A past that shapes our story What’s it got to do with me? Everyone has culture. Steps we can take to build of colonisation as a nation Know about your culture and a brighter future Students will explore why value the cultures of others Students will recognise the pain Students will critically engage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Students will gain an and disadvantage many with Australia’s stories and Islander histories and cultures are Students will learn more about understanding that a brighter First Nations people experience, understand the impact our relevant to them today. their own culture and identity, future is possible for all that started at colonisation and history continues to have on and gain a better understanding Australians, but to get there we continues today. Aboriginal and Torres Strait of, and respect for, Aboriginal and each need to play our part. Islander people and all who call Torres Strait Islander cultures. Australia home. Glossary Terms that may need to be introduced to students prior to teaching the resource: agriculture: cultivation of land, including crop-raising, forestry, stock-raising and farming. ancestral: something that relates to ancestors, or people from our family who lived before us. ancestral Creation-being: a spirit or being that has aided the creation of some landform or water source. aquaculture: the use of water environments and waterways to grow and harvest food. biodiversity: the variety of species of plants, animals and microorganisms, their genes and the ecosystems they comprise. colonisation: the act of one country invading and taking over another; the invaded country is called a ‘colony’. The British began the colonisation of Australia in 1788. colonist: invading forces that take control of a populated country; the invaded country is called a ‘colony’. The British began the colonisation of Australia in 1788. conservation: the preservation of areas which are significant culturally or scientifically in their natural state. Country: a place that First Nations Peoples belong to and care for. It’s a relationship with all living things that are part of a landscape, including; animals, plants and people. custodianship: people who have the responsibility for caring and looking after something. diverse: many different kinds; lots of variety. Dreaming: sacred Indigenous stories that teach about Country, the land, water animals and plants. ecology: a type of science that is focused on the relationship between the environment and the living things dependent on it (people, plants and animals). fauna: the animals of a given region or period. First Nations people: Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Peoples. Y5 SCIENCE & HASS 2 flora: the plants of a particular region or period. groundwater: the water beneath the surface of the ground, which consists largely of surface water that’s seeped down. Gunditjmara People: the Traditional Custodians of the land in south-western Victoria, including Warrnambool, Port Fairy, Woolsthorpe, Portland and Budj Bim heritage areas. hydrology: the science dealing with water on the land, or under the earth’s surface; its properties, laws, geographical distribution, etc. oral storytelling: a way of recording information across time without the use of writing; for example, verbally (stories and songs) or physically (dance and art). phenomenon: a fact, occurrence or circumstance observed or observable. resources (of land): the food (plants and animals), water, and natural materials that we use to make building materials and tools that help people survive. sacred sites: landforms that have special meaning or significance, including: rocks and trees; billabongs, waterholes and lakes; plains, valleys and hills; and places of burial. sustainable: designed or used in a way that allows for perpetual use and maintenance at a certain level, often by avoiding damage of the connected environment or overuse of the resource. Traditional Custodian: an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person who’s directly descended from the original inhabitants of a culturally defined area, and who’s culturally connected to Country. urbanisation: the change of land from rural to towns and cities. Western: relating to countries in western Europe and other developed countries, such as, the US and Australia that share the same political systems and policies, and have common cultural ideals and beliefs, as those of western European nations. zoology: the systematic study of animals or the animal kingdom. Teacher guidance Ideas for student activities Introduction Before beginning the study, it’s important to ask students to access their prior knowledge about the topic with Y-chart an introductory question or activity. Dividing a paper, or using a SmartArt graphic in Word, create three segments shaped as a Y. In each This science and HASS resource explores the ecological, zoological and hydrological knowledge and section, write or draw any words or images that practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, from the past and the present. For Aboriginal come to mind when you hear the following: and Torres Strait Islander people ‘relationship to Country’ and ‘caring for Country’ are central to wellbeing and identity. With this focus in mind, seek opportunities for students to gain an understanding of the • What do science and scientists look like connection and importance of land and water to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and how this (images, settings, etc)? relationship impacts how natural resources are regarded, used and protected. Students will discover links • What does science sound like (words, noises)? with Indigenous knowledge, science, production and sustainability, as well as uncover how colonisation and • How do you use science? Western science devalued, and continues to dismiss the Indigenous knowledge that deeply understands and cares for this unique country we live in. • How does science influence you? Concept tree Students examine: As a class or in small groups, create a large tree • The environmental issues caused by colonisation. with many branches, on paper, whiteboard or • The history of how Indigenous knowledge and practices have been ignored. electronically. Write the word ‘science’ on the trunk. • The relationship First Nations people have to Country, and the responsibility First Nations people have to On your own, think about the word ‘science’ and care for Country. what words come to mind when you hear this • The impact environmental damage and loss of Indigenous knowledge and practices have had on term, for example, medicine or animals. Write Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. these words on pre-cut leaves provided, or in your notebook. Y5 SCIENCE & HASS 3 Teacher guidance Ideas for student activities • The impact environmental damage and loss of Indigenous knowledge and practices have had on With the class or in groups, share your ideas and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. add further words that come from the discussion. • Current programs and potential solutions to environmental issues that combine Indigenous knowledge Put the same words (leaves) together and sort with Western science and modern technologies. similar words into categories and place them