Learning Through Story: Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia

English / History

Level 7Level 8Level 9

What is this sequence about?

This sequence seeks to develop student understanding of the interconnectedness of Country and Place, People, Identity and Culture by engaging with texts written by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors. It offers students the opportunity to explore the way in which texts represent particular groups in society, and how texts position readers in relation to those groups.

Students will have the opportunity to consider the factors that inform their personal viewpoints and to consider the viewpoints of others. Through the construction of a poetic reflection and an address to the U.N. or local community, students will develop the skills to understand and experiment with the power of language to move and inform an audience.

Big understandings

Developing an understanding of the interconnectedness of Country and Place, People, Identity and Culture within texts written by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors assists students to understand the ongoing importance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, and the wisdom and knowledge embedded within them.

Texts are not neutral but use deliberate language and reference to other texts to represent groups and to position readers.

Developing the skills to analyse and respond to texts helps students to understand how language can be used for effect and develops the critical thinking skills that are necessary to navigate the world.

This sequence has been written by teachers for teachers. Written in collaboration with the Koorie Outcomes Division of the Department of Education and Training (Victoria), and in consultation with Koorie staff at the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority, this sequence is designed to provide students with rich, engaging learning experiences that address the Victorian Curriculum. 

The sequence consists of 5 flexible stages, including suggested learning intentions

Before using this sequence, review the teacher guide: docx PDF. This provides advice and protocols for teaching this content respectfully and inclusively.

Overview of stages

  • 1. Thinking Critically About Texts: positioning and points of view

    Suggested Learning Intentions

    • To understand that ideas and viewpoints in literary texts can reflect or challenge individual or group values
    • To explore the way in which words and images are combined to represent groups and to position readers in relation to those groups
    • To explore the interconnectedness of Country and Place, People, Identity and Culture in texts by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors

    Explore
  • 3. Identifying Themes in a Text

    Suggested Learning Intentions

    • To explore the concept of theme
    • To consider how language choices can affect the meaning and effect of a text
    • To explore how vocabulary choice contributes to the style and specificity of texts

    Explore
  • 5. Modelling and Co-Constructing: U.N Address

    Suggested Learning Intentions

    • To plan, rehearse and deliver a presentation that raises issues and advances an opinion
    • To interpret the stated and implied meanings in spoken texts
    • To explore and share opinions and arguments about literary texts

    Explore
  • 2. Exploring Literary Representation of Culture

    Suggested Learning Intentions

    • To build understanding of the interconnectedness of Country and Place, People, Identity and Culture in texts by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors
    • To explore representations of culture in literary texts
    • To examine how personal values and beliefs might differ between individuals and communities

    Explore
  • 4. Modelling and Co-Constructing Poetry

    Suggested Learning Intentions

    • To recognise that vocabulary choices contribute to the specificity, abstraction and style of texts
    • To build understanding of vocabulary, text structures and language features to aid in the comprehension of texts

    Explore
  • Prior knowledge

    Before using this sequence, review the teacher guide: docx PDF. This provides advice and protocols for teaching this content respectfully and inclusively.

    All resources and texts should be reviewed prior to use to assess suitability for individual classes. For guidance on text selection refer to the Teaching and Learning Resources — Selecting Appropriate Materials policy.

    In addition, it is suggested that time be allocated to creating a ‘safe space' for all students. Ground rules that stress the importance of a respectful classroom environment could be co-created, using the Level 7-8 Rights, Resilience and Respectful Relationships curriculum as a starting point.

    Before you commence this sequence, it is suggested that you ensure your students are familiar with: 

    You can find support for building students’ understanding of some of these concepts in the Literacy Teaching Toolkit.

    Teaching strategies

    The Literacy Teaching Toolkit provides advice on the teaching strategies that you could use in this sequence. These strategies include:

    The sequence highlights opportunities to apply the High Impact Teaching Strategies (HITS), which are a component of the Victorian Teaching and Learning Model

    Vocabulary

    Students should be able to understand and use the following concepts and terms by the end of the learning sequence:

    Country Identify
    Interconnectedness Enjambment
    Tone Simple sentences
    End-stops Complex sentences
    Connotation Denotation

    You can find definitions of some of these terms in the Literacy Teaching Toolkit and the Glossary for the English Curriculum. A vocabulary list with definitions of poetic terms used in this unit is also available. It is recommended that the explicit teaching of vocabulary occur throughout this learning sequence. The Literacy Teaching Toolkit provides resources and sample activities to support this practice.

    Before using this sequence, review the teacher guide: docx PDF. This provides advice and protocols for teaching this content respectfully and inclusively.

    Assessment

    Opportunities for formative and summative assessment are identified at different stages of the learning sequence. Look for the 'Assessment Opportunity' icon. 

    You may want to develop a rubric to assess students’ progress. A range of Formative Assessment resources are available from the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority. This includes a Guide to Formative Assessment Rubrics, a series of modules to support you to develop your own formative assessment rubrics, and sample rubrics across six curriculum areas that demonstrate how you can put formative assessment rubrics into practice in the classroom. 

    In developing a rubric, you may wish to co-construct assessment criteria with your students. Each stage of the sequence provides sample success criteria for students working at Level 7. 

    The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority has published annotated student work samples that provide teachers with examples of student learning achievement in each mode of the English curriculum: Reading and Viewing, Writing, Speaking and Listening.

    Victorian Curriculum connections

    Contents

    Level 7

    This sequence addresses content from the Victorian Curriculum in English. It is primarily designed for Level 8, but also addresses the following content descriptions from Level 7:

    Content description

    Stage

    English: Reading and Viewing

    Analyse how point of view is generated in visual texts by means of choices, including gaze, angle and social distance (VCELA370)

    Thinking Critically About Texts: Positioning and Points of View

    Compare the ways that language and images are used to create character, and to influence emotions and opinions in different types of texts (VCELT372)

    Exploring Literary Representations of Culture

    Discuss aspects of texts, including their aesthetic and social value, using relevant and appropriate metalanguage (VCELT373)

    Thinking Critically About Texts: Positioning and Points of View

    Exploring Literary Representations of Culture

    Identifying Themes in a Text

    Modelling and Co-Constructing Poetry

    Analyse and explain the ways text structures and language features shape meaning and vary according to audience and purpose (VCELY379)

    Identifying Themes in a Text

    Modelling and Co-Constructing Poetry

    English: Writing

    Experiment with text structures and language features and their effects in creating literary texts (VCELT385)

    Modelling and Co-Constructing Poetry

    Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts, selecting aspects of subject matter and particular language, visual, and audio features to convey information and ideas to a specific audience (VCELY387)

    Modelling and Co-Constructing Poetry

    Modelling and Co-Constructing: U.N Address

    Edit for meaning by removing repetition, refining ideas, reordering sentences and adding or substituting words for impact (VCELY388)

    Modelling and Co-Constructing Poetry

    Modelling and Co-Constructing: U.N Address

    English: Speaking and Listening

    Identify and explore ideas and viewpoints about events, issues and characters represented in texts drawn from different historical, social and cultural contexts (VCELT393)

    Thinking Critically About Texts: Positioning and Points of View

    Exploring Literary Representations of Culture

    Identifying Themes in a Text

    Identify and discuss main ideas, concepts and points of view in spoken texts to evaluate qualities, using interaction skills when sharing interpretations or presenting ideas and information (VCELY395)

    Modelling and Co-Constructing Poetry

    Modelling and Co-Constructing: U.N Address

    Plan, rehearse and deliver presentations, selecting and sequencing appropriate content and multimodal elements to promote a point of view or enable a new way of seeing, using body language, voice qualities and other elements to add interest and meaning (VCELY396)

    Modelling and Co-Constructing: U.N Address

    Personal and Social Capability

    Explore their personal values and beliefs and analyse how these values and beliefs might be different or similar to those of others (VCPSCSO038)

    Thinking Critically About Texts: Positioning and Points of View

    Exploring Literary Representations of Culture

    Intercultural Capability

    Examine how various cultural groups are represented, by whom they are represented, and comment on the purpose and effect of these representations (VCICCB014)

    Thinking Critically About Texts: Positioning and Points of View

    Exploring Literary Representations of Culture

    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Consider a range of strategies to represent ideas and explain and justify thinking processes to others (VCCCTM040)

    Thinking Critically About Texts: Positioning and Points of View

    Exploring Literary Representations of Culture

    Identifying Themes in a Text

    Modelling and Co-Constructing Poetry

    Modelling and Co-Constructing: U.N Address

    The sequence can be used to assess student achievement in relation to the following Achievement Standards from the Victorian Curriculum: English Level 7:

    • Students demonstrate understanding of how the choice of language features, images and vocabulary affects meaning.
    • Students understand how the selection of a variety of language features can influence an audience.
    • Students listen for and explain different perspectives in texts.
    • Students make presentations and contribute actively to class and group discussions, using language features to engage the audience.

    Level 8

    This sequence addresses content from the Victorian Curriculum in English. It is primarily designed for Level 8 and addresses the following content descriptions:

    Content description

    Stage

    English: Reading and Viewing

    Interconnectedness of Country and Place, People, Identity and Culture in texts including those by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors (VCELT404)

    Thinking Critically About Texts: Positioning and Points of View

    Exploring Literary Representations of Culture

    Identifying Themes in a Text

    Understand and explain how combinations of words and images in texts are used to represent particular groups in society, and how texts position readers in relation to those groups (VCELT405)

    Thinking Critically About Texts: Positioning and Points of View

    Exploring Literary Representations of Culture

    Identifying Themes in a Text

    Recognise and explain differing viewpoints about the world, cultures, individual people and concerns represented in texts (VCELT406)

    Thinking Critically About Texts: Positioning and Points of View

    Exploring Literary Representations of Culture

    Identifying Themes in a Text

    Investigate how visual and multimodal texts allude to or draw on other texts or images to enhance and layer meaning (VCELA402)

    Thinking Critically About Texts: Positioning and Points of View

    Exploring Literary Representations of Culture

    Explore the ways that ideas and viewpoints in literary texts drawn from different historical, social and cultural contexts may reflect or challenge the values of individuals and groups (VCELT403)

    Thinking Critically About Texts: Positioning and Points of View

    Exploring Literary Representations of Culture

    Identifying Themes in a Text

    Identify and evaluate devices that create tone in literary texts, including humour, wordplay, innuendo and parody (VCELT408)

    Identifying Themes in a Text

    Modelling and Co-Constructing Poetry

    Interpret and analyse language choices, including sentence patterns, dialogue, imagery and other language features, in short stories, literary essays and plays (VCELT409)

    Identifying Themes in a Text

    Modelling and Co-Constructing Poetry

    Recognise that vocabulary choices contribute to the specificity, abstraction and style of texts (VCELA401)

    Identifying Themes in a Text

    Modelling and Co-Constructing Poetry

    English: Writing

    Experiment with particular language features drawn from different types of texts, including combinations of language and visual choices to create new texts (VCELT418)

    Modelling and Co-Constructing Poetry

    Create literary texts that draw upon text structures and language features of other texts for particular purposes and effects (VCELT419)

    Modelling and Co-Constructing Poetry

    Create imaginative, informative and persuasive texts that raise issues, report events and advance opinions, using deliberate language and textual choices, and including digital elements as appropriate (VCELY420)

    Modelling and Co-Constructing Poetry

    ·         Modelling and Co-Constructing: U.N Address

    Experiment with text structures and language features to refine and clarify ideas to improve the effectiveness of own texts (VCELY421)

    Modelling and Co-Constructing Poetry

    Modelling and Co-Constructing: U.N Address

    English: Speaking and Listening

    Share, reflect on, clarify and evaluate opinions and arguments about aspects of literary texts (VCELT425)

    Thinking Critically About Texts: Positioning and Points of View

    Exploring Literary Representations of Culture

    Identifying Themes in a Text

    Modelling and Co-Constructing Poetry

    Modelling and Co-Constructing: U.N Address

    Interpret the stated and implied meanings in spoken texts, and use interaction skills including voice and language conventions to discuss evidence that supports or challenges different perspectives (VCELY426)

    Modelling and Co-Constructing: U.N Address

    Plan, rehearse and deliver presentations, selecting and sequencing appropriate content, including multimodal elements, to reflect a diversity of viewpoints, using voice and language conventions to suit different situations, modulating voice and incorporating elements for specific effects (VCELY427)

    Modelling and Co-Constructing: U.N Address

    Personal and Social Capability

    Explore their personal values and beliefs and analyse how these values and beliefs might be different or similar to those of others (VCPSCSO038)

    Thinking Critically About Texts: Positioning and Points of View

    Exploring Literary Representations of Culture

    Intercultural Capability

    Examine how various cultural groups are represented, by whom they are represented, and comment on the purpose and effect of these representations (VCICCB014)

    Thinking Critically About Texts: Positioning and Points of View

    Exploring Literary Representations of Culture

    Critical and Creative Thinking

    Consider a range of strategies to represent ideas and explain and justify thinking processes to others (VCCCTM040)

    Thinking Critically About Texts: Positioning and Points of View

    Exploring Literary Representations of Culture

    Identifying Themes in a Text

    Modelling and Co-Constructing Poetry

    Modelling and Co-Constructing: U.N Address

    The sequence can be used to assess student achievement in relation to the following Achievement Standards from the Victorian Curriculum: English Level 8:

    • Students can explain how language features, images and vocabulary are used to represent different ideas and issues in texts.
    • Students select evidence from the text to show how events, situations and people can be represented from different viewpoints.
    • Students create texts for different purposes selecting language to influence audience response.
    • Students listen for and identify different emphases in texts, using that understanding to elaborate upon discussions. 

    Level 9

    This sequence addresses content from the Victorian Curriculum in English and History. It is primarily designed for Level 8, but also addresses the following content descriptions from Level 9:

    Content description

    Stage

    English: Reading and Viewing

    Understand that authors innovate with text structures and language for specific purposes and effects (VCELA429)

    Identifying Themes in a Text

    Modelling and Co-Constructing Poetry

    Identify how vocabulary choices contribute to specificity, abstraction and stylistic effectiveness (VCELA432)

    Identifying Themes in a Text

    Modelling and Co-Constructing Poetry

    Explain how authors creatively use the structures of sentences and clauses for particular effects (VCELA433)

    Identifying Themes in a Text

    Interpret and compare how representations of people and culture in literary texts are drawn from different historical, social and cultural contexts (VCELT435)

    Thinking Critically About Texts: Positioning and Points of View

    Interpret and analyse language choices, including sentence patterns, dialogue, imagery and other language features, in short stories, literary essays and plays (VCELT440)

    Identifying Themes in a Text

    Modelling and Co-Constructing Poetry

    Analyse and evaluate how authors combine language and visual choices to present information, opinions and perspectives in different texts (VCELY442)

    Thinking Critically About Texts: Positioning and Points of View

    English: Writing

    Create imaginative, informative and persuasive texts that present a point of view and advance or illustrate arguments, including texts that integrate visual, print and/or audio features (VCELY449)

    Modelling and Co-Constructing Poetry

    Modelling and Co-Constructing: U.N Address

    Experiment with the ways that language features, image and sound can be adapted in literary texts (VCELT447)

    Modelling and Co-Constructing Poetry

    English: Speaking and Listening

    Plan, rehearse and deliver presentations, selecting and sequencing appropriate content and multimodal elements for aesthetic and playful purposes (VCELY456)

    Modelling and Co-Constructing: U.N Address

    History

    Causes of the struggle of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples for rights and freedoms before 1965 (VCHHK152)

    Identifying Themes in a Text

    Significance of the following events in changing society: 1962 right to vote federally, 1967 Referendum, Reconciliation, Mabo decision, Bringing Them Home Report (the Stolen Generations), the Apology and the different perspectives of these events (VCHHK154)

    Exploring Literary Representations of Culture

    Effects of methods used by civil rights activists to achieve change for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and the role of one individual or group in the struggle (VCHHK155)

    Identifying Themes in a Text

    Intercultural Capability

    Analyse how divergent values and beliefs contribute to different perspectives on social issues (VCPSCSO047)

    Thinking Critically About Texts: Positioning and Points of View

    Identifying Themes in a Text

    The sequence can be used to assess student achievement in relation to the following Achievement Standards from the Victorian Curriculum: English Level 9:

    • Students can analyse the ways that text structures can be manipulated for effect.
    • Students can select evidence from the text to analyse and explain how language choices and conventions are used to influence an audience.
    • Students understand how to use a variety of language features to create different levels of meaning.
    • Students can edit for effect, selecting vocabulary and grammar that contribute to the precision and persuasiveness of text.
    • Students can create texts that respond to issues, interpreting and integrating ideas from texts.
    • Students can make presentations and contribute actively to class and group discussions.

    Learning Progressions

    The Literacy Learning Progressions support teachers to develop a comprehensive view of how literacy develops over time. You can use the Literacy Learning Progressions to:

    • identify the literacy capability of your students
    • plan targeted teaching strategies, especially for students achieving above or below the age-equivalent expected level in the Victorian Curriculum: English
    • provide targeted feedback to students about their learning within and across the progressions.

    The Literacy Learning Progressions have been mapped against the Victorian Curriculum F – 10: English. Teachers are advised to familiarise themselves with this map to understand how particular progression relate to the Reading and Viewing, Writing and Speaking and Listening modes and particular curriculum levels in English.

    View the stages