Year 7/8
English
Suggested duration: Two lessons
Summary
Students will read about, then check their knowledge and understanding of the chapter ‘Our Leadership and Activism’ in The Little Red Yellow Black Book. The focus for this activity will be the activism of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples both in past times as well as in recent years. Students will practise skim-reading to look for keywords in the book that appear as clues in the questions and statements.
Cultural resistance is arguably one of the most important forms of survival. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have fought to retain our languages and ways of life, and our many cultures are proudly seen as the longest ongoing living cultures in the world. Our warriors include not only those who served with honour and pride in Australia’s military, but our ancestral warriors who fought against colonial invasion and occupation over many years. Today our modern-day warriors continue the fight to maintain our culture, battle against racism and work in defence of our sovereignty and rights to self-determination (The Little Red Yellow Black Book, p.142).
Learning outcomes
- Students will demonstrate skim reading and comprehension skills
- Students will able to identify and discuss their understanding about the effect of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership and activism both past and present.
| General capabilities | Cross-curriculum priorities |
|---|---|
| Literacy | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures |
| Intercultural understanding | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures organising ideas: 2, 3 |
| Ethical Understanding | Sustainability |
Australian Curriculum content descriptions
Year 7 English
- Use comprehension strategies to interpret, analyse and synthesise ideas and information, critiquing ideas and issues from a variety of textual sources (ACELY1723).
Year 8 English
- Use comprehension strategies to interpret and evaluate texts by reflecting on the validity of content and the credibility of sources, including finding evidence in the text for the author’s point of view (ACELY1734).
Provisions for differentiation
Learning support
Students with special learning needs may need more time in which to complete the comprehension questions. They may also benefit from being assigned a reader to offer them further assistance.
Extension
Students wanting an additional challenge could complete the questions in time-limited conditions.
Resources
- Photocopies of the Activity worksheet (PDF) - one per student
- Photocopies of the Answer key (PDF) - make four copies
- 2B pencils and erasers
- The Little Red Yellow Black Book - An introduction to Indigenous Australia (4th edition), ‘Our Leadership and Activism’, Aboriginal Studies Press, AIATSIS, Canberra, 2018.
For teachers
Ensure that the guidance notes included in The Little Red Yellow Black Book teacher resources have been considered.
Vocabulary
- Activism
- Autonomy
- Citizenship
Preparation: Read pages 147 to 156 as a class and discuss the links between leadership, activism and land rights. Make photocopies of the Activity worksheet — one per student. Make photocopies of the Answer Key
Step 1.
Give the students 30 minutes to complete their Activity worksheet. They should use their skim-reading skills to locate the relevant content of The Little Red Yellow Black Book in order to answer the questions.
Step 2.
Organise the students in seven or eight groups of four students and hand out one Answer key to each group.
Step 3.
Ask students to mark their papers.
Step 4.
Have the students discuss the answers they got incorrect within their groups.
Assessment ideas
- Check completed comprehension papers
- Q and A to check for understanding