NAP

New Arrivals Program Teaching, Learning and Assessment Programs 1 Aboriginal Dreaming Stories Developing a Narrative
Aboriginal
Dreaming
Stories
Developing a
Narrative
Timeline
Approximately 10 weeks as an integrated
program.
Learning Areas
English
Texts and contexts (Everyday texts, Literature)
(Outcomes 1.4)
Society and Environment
Societies and Culture (Outcome 1.8)
Essential Learnings
Identity
Through a discussion of their own history and
cultural background, students identify themselves
as a member of a cultural group/s.
Interdependence
Students develop collaborative practices with
peers and an understanding of the interactions
and connections between people and their
environment.
Communication
Students develop understanding of different
communication modes and English language
patterns related to narrative.
Thinking
Students use a range of thinking skills and learn
different ways of representing their ideas.
Equity
Multicultural perspective
The diversity of cultural and linguistic
backgrounds and experiences of students is
valued.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
perspective
Importance of Dreaming stories and of Australian
animals to Indigenous people is acknowledged.
Context
This teaching and
learning program is a
stimulus for the teaching
of narrative as well
as understanding of
the notion of culture.
Beginning with a
reflection on the
students sharing of
aspects of their culture,
students are led into
an understanding of
Aboriginal Dreaming
stories. These are
stories of the remote
past of Aboriginal
peoples spirit ancestors
and give an insight
into the reasons for
particular environmental
and topographical
features as well as
for moral and ethical
teaching. The program
develops understanding
of the variety of
Aboriginal groups and
their diversity of cultures
and lifestyles. Sensitivity
will be required to the
fact that some students
may not be familiar with
traditions from their own
culture.
ESL Scope and
Scales
Working within Scales
27
Band
Middle Years
Year Levels
Year 57 New Arrivals
Program
Evidence
Oral, written
or multimodal
presentation of a
narrative (or narrative
retell based on an
Aboriginal Dreaming
Story).
Response to
reflection activities.
NAP
New Arrivals Program Teaching, Learning and Assessment Programs 3 Aboriginal Dreaming Stories Developing a Narrative
Teaching and Learning Cycle
Aboriginal Dreaming Stories Developing a Narrative
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Retell an Indigenous Aboriginal
Dreaming story
Present retell using PowerPoint.
Develop Little Book of structure and
features of a narrative.
Deconstruct simple narratives.
Activity grid.
Construct and present narrative.
Reflect/review
Read Dreaming story and note-take
main events.
Discuss schematic structure.
Develop text in groups.
J oint editing.
Reflection.
C
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b
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Brainstorm about Australian
Indigenous Aboriginal people.
Discuss the place and role of story in culture and
retell stories from different cultures.
Use visuals, excursions, music to gain
understanding of traditionaland contemporary
Indigenous culture and people.
Develop and discuss timeline of
Aboriginal History.
Use visuals to identify similarities and
differences in cultures.
NAP
New Arrivals Program Teaching, Learning and Assessment Programs 4 Aboriginal Dreaming Stories Developing a Narrative
Overview of language taught in the
teaching, learning and assessing program
A summary of the language mostly pertaining to a description as taught in the following teaching, learning and assessing program.
The metalanguage that students may need in order to discuss the above language features is bolded.
Text in context Language
Genre Field Tenor Mode
Explore the purpose,
structure and language
features of a narrative genre.
Construct examples of
spoken and written
narratives collaboratively and
independently.
Explore a range of Aboriginal
Dreaming stories.
Structure:
- title
- orientation
- problem/complication
- resolution
- coda.
Language to organise the
text:
- conjunctions to sequence
(eg First, Next).
Language to build cohesion:
- reference items
- articles
- pronouns.
Language to expand
information:
- linking and binding
conjunctions
- relative pronouns in
projections.
Noun groups with describers.
Verbs:
- action (doing)
- mental (thinking)
- verbal (saying)
- relational (being).
Comparatives: expressions to
compare.
Circumstances and
clauses expressions of:
- time
- place (location)
- manner (how)
- with whom
- why.
Use of direct and reported
speech.
Technical vocabulary.
Modality:
- possibility
- obligation.
Interpersonal meaning:
- feelings, attitudes,
opinions.
Subjectivity (eg express
opinions).
Speech functions:
- question (wh, yes/no)
- statement (simple and
compound)
- command
- offers.
Verbal elements:
- body posture
- eye contact
- pronunciation
- fluency
- audibility
- expression.
Tense:
- primary tense (eg present
continuous, simple
present, simple past)
- secondary.
Foregrounding (at the
beginning of sentences)
- time, place, manner
- human, non-human.
Coherence:
- introduction, body,
conclusion
- topic sentences.
Print conventions:
- handwriting
- punctuation (fullstops,
capitals, commas,
quotation marks).
Multimodality:
- matching words and
pictures
- layout.
NAP
New Arrivals Program Teaching, Learning and Assessment Programs 5 Aboriginal Dreaming Stories Developing a Narrative
Building the Field
In Building the Field, the main objective is to connect with the prior knowledge of the students, develop cultural
understandings and the everyday and technical language related to Australian Aboriginals.
Activities
The activities on the left column will provide particular
development in these areas
Supplementary and extension
activities. Comments are in italics Genre Field Tenor Mode
Australian Aboriginal people
Discuss what students know about
Australian Indigenous people.
Write any questions that the students
may have for further investigation.
Technical
vocabulary (eg
names of groups
of Aboriginal
peopleAdelaide
Plains, Kaurna
Culture).
Speech
functions:
- statements
- questions.
Subjectivity (eg I
believe, I think).
Modality (eg they
might).
Idiom (eg in the
bush).
This short brainstorm is to check and
share students prior knowledge.
BSSOs can be used to support student
learning or as a resource during this
program.
NAP
New Arrivals Program Teaching, Learning and Assessment Programs 6 Aboriginal Dreaming Stories Developing a Narrative
Activities
The activities on the left column will provide particular
development in these areas
Supplementary and extension
activities. Comments are in italics Genre Field Tenor Mode
Celebrations
Discuss customs and festivals from own
cultural group.
Organise a visual display of international
celebrations and cultural activities to
discuss similarities and differences.
Make a comparison chart to list
similarities and differences using
dot points and add to the chart on a
continuous basis.
Students draw a festival or ceremony
from their own culture. Discuss, record
and display topic specific vocabulary.
Story
Discuss the place and role of story
in culture and retell stories from their
culture.
Discuss the place and role of story in
Aboriginal culture.
Language to
organise text:
- conjunctions
(eg First, Then,
Later).
Conjunctions:
- linking (eg and,
but)
- binding (eg
because,
when).
Reference items:
- pronouns (eg
he, she, they).
Everyday
vocabulary
(eg festivals,
celebrations,
fireworks, body
painting/makeup,
costumes).
Technical
vocabulary:
- names of foods
- names of
celebrations.
Circumstances
and clauses (eg
in J anuary, When
the people arrive).
Processes:
- action (eg
celebrate, eat,
dance, sing)
- mental (eg think,
believe)
- verbal (eg
laugh, pray)
- relational (eg
is, are, has,
became, belong
to).
Comparatives
(eg different from,
similar to, same
as).
Modality:
- possibility (eg
might)
- frequency
(eg always,
sometimes,
occasionally,
once a year).
Primary tense:
- present
continuous
- simple present.
Supplementary activity:
Record new vocabulary on class
charts and/or in students books or
self-made dictionaries.
Extension activities:
Create a concept map of a festival or
ceremony. This could be a students,
groups or a BSSOs festival/
ceremony.
Write the dot points into sentences
and then into paragraphs.
Retelling of own stories is most likely to
be informal at this stage.
Building the Field continued...
NAP
New Arrivals Program Teaching, Learning and Assessment Programs 7 Aboriginal Dreaming Stories Developing a Narrative
Activities
The activities on the left column will provide particular
development in these areas
Supplementary and extension
activities. Comments are in italics Genre Field Tenor Mode
Display
Display/show a wide range of visual
materials:
- traditional (eg the video of The Kaurna
People of the Adelaide Plains).
- contemporary Aboriginal people in a
variety of contexts
- Indigenous peoples from around the
world.
Excursions
Some suggestions for excursions:
- Tandanya Culture Centre
- S.A. Museum(education officer)
- Colebrook reconciliation park, Eden
Hills
- Wairriparinga Sturt Park
- Tjilbruki Trail, Kingston Park
- Adelaide Botanical GardensBush
Tucker Trail.
Technical
vocabulary
(eg Aboriginal
groupsKaurna).
Everyday
and technical
vocabulary:
- music (eg
didgeridoo)
- equipment (eg
canoe, spear,
nets, woomera,
koolaman)
- clothing (eg
skins, fur)
- food (eg
grubs, berries,
kangaroo,
goanna)
- landscape (eg
mountains,
lakes,
waterholes,
desert)
Idioms (eg in
the bush, bush
tucker).
Through the deliberate use of visuals
of traditional and contemporary
Aboriginal people, students will have the
opportunity to begin an understanding
Australian Aboriginal history and the
concept of culture.
There are some excellent books
available depicting contemporary
Aboriginal leaders, artists, etc.
Display and discussion of pictures of
indigenous peoples from around the
world can broaden understanding of
Indigenous and provide opportunities
for some students to relate to own prior
knowledge.
Extension activities:
Listen to music and learn a song
by/about Aboriginal people (eg Yothu
Yindi, The Koori Kids, Sing Books
(DECS)).
Relate place names to Indigenous
meanings (eg Noarlunga, Tandanya).
Name some Indigenous groups.
Learn some words in an Aboriginal
language.
NAP
New Arrivals Program Teaching, Learning and Assessment Programs 8 Aboriginal Dreaming Stories Developing a Narrative
Continued...
Activities
The activities on the left column will provide particular
development in these areas
Supplementary and extension
activities. Comments are in italics Genre Field Tenor Mode
Timeline
Introduce the concept of a timeline by
having children represent their own life
story pictorially. Share with others.
Create a physical timeline (eg in the
school grounds 1 metre=1000 years
and 25cm =250 years) to show 40,000
years of Aboriginal settlement and
approximately 230 years of European
settlement.
Conjunctions:
- sequencing
(eg First, Then,
Later).
- lifestyle (eg
nomadic,
campfire, earth)
- relationships
(eg elders,
aunt/mother,
father/uncle)
- religion (eg
The Dreaming/
Dreamtime).
Verbs:
- relational (eg
belong to).
Circumstances:
- time
- location.
Time phrases:
- a long time ago
- many years
- a thousand
years ago
- thousands of
years ago
- hundreds of
years ago.
Multimodality:
- matching
words/pictures.
Past tense.
Supplementary activity:
Students can label their drawings.
Some of these concepts in the physical
timeline can be explored in maths (eg
number, left to right, measurements,
ratio, fractions/decimals).
Some children will grasp the
understanding of the timeline as being
a depiction of some length of time while
others will understand more fully what
the timeline represents (eg 40 000 of
Aboriginal settlement and 226 years of
white European occupation).
Some students may be able to
recognise that the relatively short time
of settlement has had a large impact on
the environment/society.
NAP
New Arrivals Program Teaching, Learning and Assessment Programs 9 Aboriginal Dreaming Stories Developing a Narrative
Modelling/Text Deconstruction
In Modelling/Deconstruction, the main objective is to develop students understandings of the purpose, structure and
language features of the narrative genre.
Activities
The activities on the left column will provide particular
development in these areas
Supplementary and extension
activities. Comments are in italics Genre Field Tenor Mode
Introduce Aboriginal Dreaming stories
View/read a Dreaming story, using
visuals to support comprehension.
Retell the story:
- ask students to remember the story
sequence
- record the sequence visually
- teacher scribes sentences on poster
- cut up sentences from story and
students hold up a sentence each in
sequence of story
- individually reorder and cut up the
sentences
- role play the sequence of the story.
Reference items:
- pronouns (eg
my, him, this,
the).
Projections:
- saying verb (eg
realised that ,
told him that ).
Conjunctions:
- linking (eg so,
so that)
- binding (eg
because, when,
after).
Technical
vocabulary
(eg spirit,
environment
words).
Verbs:
- action (eg
looked)
- mental (eg
thought)
- saying (eg told)
- relational (eg
has, became).
Circumstances
and clauses:
- when
- where
- how
- with whom
- why.
Descriptive
vocabulary (eg
colours).
Direct and
reported speech.
Speech functions
(eg statements,
questions, offers,
commands).
Modality:
- certainty (eg
will, think)
- obligation (eg
should, could).
Interpersonal
meaning:
- feelings,
attitudes (eg
very, best).
- names to refer
to people.
Verbal elements
(eg body posture,
actions, eye
contact).
Foreground:
- time, place,
manner (eg
Then along
came, During
that time)
- human
elements (eg
We, People).
Coherence (eg
introduction, topic
sentences and
links between
them).
Tense:
- past (eg flew,
splashed)
- secondary (eg
was sleeping,
wanted to go).
Print
conventions:
- punctuation
(eg full stops,
capitals,
quotation
marks).
The Dreaming story may be a video,
book or a performance.
Emphasise logical sequencing
according to time.
Supplementary activity:
Specific language activities can
be included to reinforce skill
development (eg degrees of
modality).
NAP
New Arrivals Program Teaching, Learning and Assessment Programs 10 Aboriginal Dreaming Stories Developing a Narrative
Activities
The activities on the left column will provide particular
development in these areas
Supplementary and extension
activities. Comments are in italics Genre Field Tenor Mode
As a class or individually:
- make a book of the story using the
scribed sentences
- illustrate the book.
Read stories to other students/classes.
Each student, with the support of ICT
teacher, develops one page of the story,
for a PowerPoint show. Sound effects
can be added. Final product is presented
to an audience.
Reflect on the use of technology:
- What was successful?
- What would you do differently next
time?
Introduction (eg
Good morning
everyone, today I
am going to ... ).
Final closing (eg
Thank you all for
listening).
Everyday
vocabulary:
- verbs.
Instructions (eg
Draw, Colour,
Paint).
Verbal elements
(eg fluency,
audibility,
pronunciation
and expression).
Print
conventions:
- handwriting
- punctuation.
Multimodal (eg
links between
illustration and
text).
Supplementary activity:
Alternative visual representations:
- a pictorial story map
- plasticine, playdough or clay
characters and setting
- paintings or drawings.
Extension activity:
Develop symbol representations
for characters and elements of the
setting.
Develop symbol dictionaries.
This is particularly useful if PowerPoint
mode of presentation is used to deliver
the final independent narrative.
Modelling/Text Deconstruction continued...
NAP
New Arrivals Program Teaching, Learning and Assessment Programs 11 Aboriginal Dreaming Stories Developing a Narrative
Activities
The activities on the left column will provide particular
development in these areas
Supplementary and extension
activities. Comments are in italics Genre Field Tenor Mode
Narrative features
Introduce the schematic structure of a
narrative in relation to the text:
- orientation (eg time, place, who)
- complication (eg problem)
- resolution (eg how the problem is
solved)
- coda (eg moral of the story or the
consequences).
Each student makes a little book to
record structure and language features of
narrative.
With students, deconstruct familiar texts
for schematic structure and language
features:
- match cut up sections of the story to the
schematic structure
- annotate texts or cloze with language
focus (eg verb types (action, saying,
thinking, being), tense, conjunctions)
- colour participants in red, processes
in green, circumstances in blue and
identify pattern for each stage of the
narrative
- identify the reference links (eg articles
and pronouns).
Language to
organise the text:
- orientation
(eg Long long
ago in the
Dreaming)
- complication
(eg Suddenly)
- resolution (eg
Finally)
- coda (eg And
that is how it
came to be).
Conjunctions to
organise the text
(eg Then, Next).
Conjunctions
to expand
sentences:
- linking (eg and,
but)
- binding (eg
because, while).
Reference:
- pronouns
- articles.
Noun groups.
Verbs.
Circumstances
and clauses.
Topic specific
vocabulary.
Direct and
reported speech.
Attitudinal
language (eg
scared, loved).
Idioms.
Names.
Speech
functions:
- statements
- questions.
Punctuation
(eg full stop,
quotation marks).
Tense.
Foregrounding:
- time, place,
manner
- human, non-
human.
The distinctive stages through which a
narrative moves to achieve a particular
purpose, needs to be taught explicitly.
Coda is an important stage in Aboriginal
Dreaming stories.
For beginning students identify and
record:
- who (or characters)
- where (or place, setting)
- what (or problem)
This can be a simple draw and label
activity.
Familiar texts can include students own
traditional stories (which the teacher
may have recorded from previous
retells) and Dreaming stories. There
are a variety of commercially available
Dreaming stories which can be used.
For each annotation of a text or cloze, it
is desirable to have a selected range of
language foci.
Supplementary activities:
Specific language activities can be
included as needed (eg extending
noun groups).
NAP
New Arrivals Program Teaching, Learning and Assessment Programs 12 Aboriginal Dreaming Stories Developing a Narrative
Narrative Structure Language
Early one school morning I was walking slowly to the toilet so that I could
get out of class. Two dogs were in the playground, snarling at each other. I
got past them and looked back at them, pleased to get away from them.
Then they started a loud and fierce growling. The two dogs were going
for it. Teeth and fangs hanging out , hair and fur all sticking up , paws
scratching. Miss Campbell shot inside her room and slammed the door. Mr.
Zuanic ran down the stairs yelling, Get out of my way!Mr. King ran for a
cup of water.
Suddenly
Out of the basement, a shadow appeared,
Was it Batman? Was it Superman?
No! It was our Ms J ohnstone!
Her teeth were hanging out Her hair was sticking up .
And she was carrying A BIN!
She raised her arm and let it fly. The bin came crashing down beside the
dogs. They scattered. HOORAY!
The kids in my class were hanging out the windows. They would never
again think of Ms J ohnstone as just a teacher. She was their hero.
What is the orientation?
Where does this story take
place?
When does it happen?
Who (or what) is involved in
the story?
What is the complication or
problem?
What is the problem?
Who (or what) is involved?
What happens?
What are the events?
When did the events
happen?
Who is involved?
What is the resolution?
How was the problem
solved?
Who solved it?
What is the coda?
Is there a lesson or moral to
the story?
in the playground
Early one school morning
I
two dogs
a loud and fierce growling
two dogs
were going for it
Mrs Campbell, Mr Zuanic, Mr
King
Ms Campbell shot inside
slammed the door
Get out of my way
Suddenly
our Ms J ohnstone
was carrying A BIN!
She
let it fly
came crashing down
scattered
would never again
Circumstance
Circumstance
Pronoun
Noun group
Noun group
Noun group
Idiom
Names
Idiom
Past tense
Direct speech
Time
Name
Action
Reference (pronoun)
Idiom
Idiom
Past tense
Future tense
Mrs Johnstone to the Rescue
NAP
New Arrivals Program Teaching, Learning and Assessment Programs 13 Aboriginal Dreaming Stories Developing a Narrative
Activities
The activities on the left column will provide particular
development in these areas
Supplementary and extension
activities. Comments are in italics Genre Field Tenor Mode
Planning
Using narrative proforma to review the
structure of the narrative.
Read Dreaming story with class and
jointly note-take main events within the
narrative structure.
Orally reconstruct the story as a whole
class.
Joint construction
Divide class into groups. Each group
takes on the writing of a stage of the
narrative - orientation, complication,
resolution and coda - on OHTs or large
paper.
After each group has completed writing
their section, the class jointly edits the
text with the teacher.
Reflection
State something you have learned about
narratives.
Schematic
structure.
Conjunctions.
Reference items.
Technical
vocabulary.
Circumstances of
time and place.
Verbs.
Modality.
Attitudinal
language.
Speech
functions.
Tense.
Foregrounding
(eg time, place
manner).
Print
conventions.
Beginners:
Make a 4 page booklet (pictures
and/or labels):
- pg 1 title
- pg 2 who (characters)
- pg 3 where (setting)
- pg 4 what (problem).
Supplementary or alternative activity:
Dictagloss activity using a familiar
Dreaming story, jointly constructed
with a partner and then with another
group.
Repeat the joint construction as time
allows.
Ensure each group has a scribe who
is able to write English with some
confidence.
It is desirable that the students have
the opportunity to experience many
Dreaming stories before independent
construction stage. Dreaming stories
can be read, viewed, discussed and
written.
Joint Construction
In Joint Construction, the teacher and students construct a written argument together. Through this process, the teacher
scaffolds the students choices and at the same time moves them towards independent construction.
NAP
New Arrivals Program Teaching, Learning and Assessment Programs 14 Aboriginal Dreaming Stories Developing a Narrative
Activities
The activities on the left column will provide particular
development in these areas
Supplementary and extension
activities. Comments are in italics Genre Field Tenor Mode
Task
J ointly develop a grid of possible story
ideas by reflecting on stories they have
already read or viewed. J ointly add new
ideas to the grid.
Students individually select their own
story lines.
Planning
Draw a picture/painting or develop a
model of the landscape/scene of the
story.
Tell the story to a classmate.
Make a story map for the narrative.
Complete the narrative structure
proforma.
Construction and presentation
Draft, edit, finalise and present the
narrative to a range of audiences as
either:
- written narrative
- oral narrative with PowerPoint
- role play.
Text structure.
Conjunctions.
Noun groups.
Verbs.
Causal relations.
Circumstances
and clauses.
Speech
functions.
Feelings,
attitudes.
Verbal elements.
Foregrounding.
Primary and
secondary
tenses.
Print conventions
and layout.
Multimedia/
multimodal.
Recently arrived students may:
- with the support of BSSOs -re-tell a
story from their own culture in their
own language, draw pictures about
the story and copy labels for the
pictures
- illustrate a story for which they can
be supported to understand the text
- match text and illustration
- work in a group with other students.
Students need to understand that
Dreaming stories were passed on by
their ancestors through an oral tradition.
However, the way in which we can
now continue to enjoy and appreciate
Dreaming stories is also by way of the
written text.
Outline of schematic structure of
narrative should be on a wall chart.
Independent Construction
In Independent Construction, students independently construct an argument as the summative task for this topic for this
teaching, learning and assessing program.
NAP
New Arrivals Program Teaching, Learning and Assessment Programs 15 Aboriginal Dreaming Stories Developing a Narrative
Independent Construction continued...
Activities
The activities on the left column will provide particular
development in these areas
Supplementary and extension
activities. Comments are in italics Genre Field Tenor Mode
Reflection
Reflect on culture:
- 3 things you have learnt about
Aboriginal culture
- 2 similarities between cultures
- 1 purpose of a story.
Reflect on narratives:
- What are the features of a narrative?
The quality of the final product depends
on a range of factors and should inform
future teaching.