Preparing your home
When learning about the Stolen Generations, it is important to consider holding an Acknowledgment to Country. By doing an Acknowledgment to Country you are participating in an ancient protocol. This can be done by non-Indigenous and Indigenous people. If you’re not sure which Country you live on, the Map of Indigenous Australia is a helpful tool.
It is important to feel connected and grounded when learning about the Stolen Generations. In these activities you have been invited to find a special and comfortable place in your home, outside in the garden or somewhere quiet such as a nearby park to undertake these lessons. In many Aboriginal communities, a Yarning Circle has become a common term used to define a sacred place of meeting. While this may not be something you can do at home, it is important to know the meaning behind it.
The Stolen Generations home learning resources have been developed in close consultation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous teachers to ensure the content is age-appropriate. However it is important to note the content may cause sadness and distress for some students. Please take this into account when preparing the activities at home and consider support from your teacher/school.
In Foundation Year, students will view artwork that shows the healing journey of the Stolen Generations. They will respond to a piece by Riki Salam, to help create connections to the stories of survivors.
In Year 1, students will learn about the oral storytelling tradition and listen to the story My Country by Ezekiel Kwaymullina and Sally Morgan to help deepen their understanding of Aboriginal culture.
In Year 2 children will focus on the book Sorry Day by Coral Vass, unpack the word ‘sorry’, and how that word was felt for the survivors of the Stolen Generations.
Year 3 students will read a story about an Aboriginal girl taken from her family by the government and sent to a children’s home. They will reflect on their learning through a personal statement.
Year 4 students will respond to a video about the Stolen Generations and continue to deepen their understanding by listening to personal stories of survivors.
In the Year 5 activity students will learn more about the importance of country/place to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and consider the effects of being taken from their home.
In Year 6, students will read stories from members of the Stolen Generations and use persuasive writing techniques to help inform and encourage others to learn about it.
In the Year 7 lesson students will consider how education can shape perspectives of history, society and culture. Students will identify the importance of teaching this to others, by identifying language features in chosen text.
Year 8 students will look at history through the perspective of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. They will analyse the past and begin to look at ways we can heal as a nation.
Year 9 students will evaluate the historical, social and cultural value of a text and identify hidden messages that can be unpacked. They will then retell the story using a multimedia presentation.
In year 10, students will explore many stories about the experiences, trauma and impacts Australian Government policies have had on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Students will be presented with perspectives that may challenge what they thought they knew about Australian history.
In year 11, through the work of artist Michael Cook, students can explore the visual representation of emotions that are depicted in the journey of a woman in a deserted Australian landscape. The ‘mother’ is always alone, her baby absent.
In year 12, students will research, and reflect on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, learning about how policy has affected different areas and how First Nations resilience is keeping culture alive.
Disclaimer:
Although the writers of the resource have made every effort possible to ensure that the information and content is correct, there are many untold stories of those effected by the Stolen Generations.
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