Gabrielle Magee

31/10/2016
18563346

102085
Assignment 2: Lesson Plan
2H

PART A: PREPARATION AND STRATEGIES

Year: 9/10
Syllabus section: The Modern World and Australia: Depth Study 4: Rights and
Freedoms (1945-Present)
Page 96 97
Unit Name: Depth Study 4: Rights and Freedoms (1945-Present)
Lesson Topic: Informative Speech on Indigenous Resistance to
Duration: 60 minutes
Colonisation
Prior knowledge/skills
Resources:
required:
Personal or school devices for research
Resistance Virtual
Summary Table Worksheet
Museum Tour
Access to Resistance virtual site http://nma.gov.au/av/resistance/
and Summary Table
Worksheet
Research Capabilities
Quality Teaching Elements (lesson focus) - Highlight relevant items
1. Intellectual Quality
2.
Quality
Learning 3. Significance
1.1 Deep knowledge
Environment
3.1 Background knowledge
1.2 Deep understanding
2.1 Explicit quality criteria
3.2 Cultural knowledge
1.3 Problematic knowledge
2.2 Engagement
3.3 Knowledge integration
1.4 Higher-order thinking
2.3 High Expectations
3.4 Inclusivity
1.5 Metalanguage
2.4 Social Support
3.5 Connectedness
1.6 Substantive communication
2.5 Students self-regulation
3.6 Narrative
2.6 Student direction
How are Quality Teaching (QT) elements achieved in the lesson?
QT element
Substantive
Communicati
on

Student
Direction

Knowledge
Integration

Indicators of presence in lesson

There is sustained interaction throughout the lesson between the teacher and
the class, through scaffolding questions and advice, and between students in
groups based content studied in previous lessons; The Eva Downs protests and
other human rights violation protests and the Coniston Massacre and previous
20th century atrocities. Communication should be focused on previous lessons
knowledge and in class research. Students are required to draw on knowledge
to create research theses.
Students are allowed to dictate their own subject from a choice of two key
content areas which allows them to assume responsibility and exercise control
over their own learning experience. Students are also able to formulate their
own theses in groups, allowing them to integrate their own experiences,
perspectives and understandings into the context of the lesson.
Within the lesson there is requirement for reflection on the relevance of
content to life. Students must answer the questions, Discuss the importance
of learning about experiences of Indigenous Australians in the 20th Century.
Students must make explicit connections between the content and the wider
world, in relation to human rights and Indigenous rights and relationships in
the modern day.

PART B: SEQUENCE OF ACTIVIES IN LESSON

Syllabus outcomes:
HT5-3: Explains and analyses the motives and actions of past individuals and groups in the
historical contexts that shaped the modern world and Australia
HT5-10: Selects and uses appropriate oral, written, visual and digital forms to communicate
effectively about the past for different audiences.
Students learn to: interpret history within
Students learn about: Developments in
the context of the actions, values, attitudes
technology, public health, longevity and
and motives of people in the context of the
standard of living during the 20th century,
past.
and concern for the environment and
sustainability
Timin
g

Lesson content

Student activity

Teacher activity

Students come into the classroom, put

Students come into the

Calling roll and

Mins

down their bags, get their books and

pencil cases out. Teacher calls out roll.
If class in BYOD, have students also
get devices out of their bags. If class
uses school-owned devices, have a
couple of students hand out devices.

5
mins

Brief revision discussion with whole

class relating to the NMA museum
exhibit incursion Resistance.
Particularly the section on the Eva
Downs Protest and the Coniston
Massacre.
The structure of an informative speech
is outlined:
o Attention getting statement
o Speech-worthy Reasoning Why is
this topic speech-worthy?
o Thesis
o Three main points A point,
evidence (relevant source), significant
to modern world
o Conclusion Summarise main points
and concluding statement
Students use their previous content
knowledge and additional ICT research
to create an informative speech in
groups of four/five. They can chose
from either The Eva Downs Protest
and other successful 20th Century
protests or The Coniston Massacre
and other 20th Century atrocities.
Explain each speech should go for 3
minutes.
Student groups present their speeches
to the class.

5
mins

30
Mins

15
Mins

classroom, put down their

bags, get their books and
pencil cases out. Teacher
calls out roll. If class in BYOD,
have students also get
devices out of their bags. If
class uses school-owned
devices, have a couple of
students hand out devices.
Students discuss the
incursion, referring to
virtual tour exhibits, in
particular the exhibits on the
Eva Downs Protest and the
Coniston Massacre.
Students listen to teachers
outline of informative
speeches and ask questions
to gain an understanding of
the structure and concepts.

directing students to
sit down, and get
out their books,
pencil cases and
devices. Ensuring
students settle
quickly and
efficiently.

Students create an
informative speech about
their chosen topic. Students
must be prepared to present
their speech to the class and
to keep their points short
and to the point.

Teacher circulates
groups giving advice
and answering
questions.

Students must present

speeches with each member
of the group contributing to
some extent.

Teacher uses this

activity to assess a)
student
comprehension of
content, b) student
research skills and c)
students ability to
compose informative
speeches.

Teacher scaffolds
discussion by
referring to exhibits
and previous lessons
on Resistance and
The Rabbits
Teacher writes
outline on the
whiteboard and
describes the outline
of informative
speeches. Teacher
also answers any
questions the
students may have.

PART C: ANALYSIS AND SELF-REFLECTION

How have outcomes been achieved?
Learning outcome
Method of measuring and recording
HT5-3: Explains and
Students create a speech examining two topics related to
analyses the motives
Changing Experiences of Indigenous Australians in the 20 th
and actions of past
Century. They need to examine the motives and actions of
individuals and groups
Indigenous Australians and European invaders in their historical
in the historical
contexts and the impact that they had on the future of the
contexts that shaped
modern world.
the modern world and
Australia
HT5-10: Selects and
Students learn about the structure of informative speeches as an
uses appropriate oral,
alternative to essays for expressing understanding and
written, visual and
comprehending content. Speech structure can often be more
digital forms to
effective than essay writing as they force students to be succinct
communicate effectively and present relevant content without the extraneous detail and
about the past for
structure required by essays. Students are therefore given the
different audiences.
opportunity to use appropriate oral forms to communicate
effectively about the past for a classroom audience.
ACDSEH104:
Students engage with two significant elements of the struggle of
Background to the
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples for rights and
struggle of Aboriginal
freedoms. The Coniston Massacre and the Eva Downs protest are

and Torres Strait

in some ways representative of the ongoing changing experiences
Islander Peoples for
of Indigenous Australians prior to 1965, and thus are important
rights and freedoms
for understanding of future struggles after 1945.
before 1965, including
the 1938 Day of
Mourning and the
Stolen Generations
Links to next lesson: This lesson is a culmination of a cross-curricular unit based on the NMA
exhibit Resistance and on the book The Rabbits by Shaun Tan. The skills of informative
speech writing and research learned in this lesson, and the reflection at the end of the
speech designed to engage students in a greater understanding of Indigenous Australian
experiences in the 20th Century and how they relate to modern relationships, will be
beneficial for all future history units.
AISTL graduate standards and evidence that this lesson achieves this standard.
AITSL Standard
Evidence within this lesson
2.4: Understand
I believe Standard 2.4 is fulfilled by this lesson for two reasons:
and respect
Students study two different topics: Indigenous Australians
Aboriginal and
successfully resisting Non-Indigenous oppression and atrocities
Torres Strait
committed by Non-Indigenous colonists towards Indigenous
Islander people
Australians. This shows two examples of experiences of Indigenous
to promote
Australians, with the aim of recognising the tumultuous history of
reconciliation
relationships between these groups.
between
Reflection on the experiences of Indigenous Australians can
Indigenous and
strengthen students understanding of the need for reconciliation
non-Indigenous
between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
Australians
8 Ways Content

Evidence within this lesson

This lesson covers the Deconstruct/Reconstruct element of the 8 Ways
Pedagogical Framework because it gives students an opportunity to take
all the individual elements of the site and text studies that have been
studied and deconstructed in the unit, and reconstruct them into a
concluding assessment in the form of a speech.
WHS considerations: Ensure that discussions about deceased individuals and about the
atrocities committed towards Indigenous Australians are conducted with cultural sensitivity
to avoid any mental or emotional anguish.
References: National Museum of Australia Resistance http://nma.gov.au/av/resistance/

Reflection
Prior to this unit, I must admit I felt some trepidation at the thought of teaching
Indigenous students. My scholarship dictates that I must work in a rural school, most
likely in the west, and I was somewhat hesitant as to what I would do if placed in an
area with a high indigenous population. It wasnt because I am prejudiced, but
because coming from the very white area, I havent had the opportunity to work
with Indigenous children before. I was very sure I would say or do the wrong thing and
cause offense or upset. I was relieved when they first tutorial of this unit provided me
with a dos and donts of terminology, and I knew that I would gain a lot from this
unit.
During the course of this unit, I have learned a number of things about myself and
about my pedagogical practise. My main learning has centred on learning about useful
pedagogical practise, including Chris Sarras Smarter Stronger Program and the 8
Ways learning framework, but I have also learned a great deal about myself and the
way I perceive the world. The expo assignment was a great opportunity to implement
as much of my education from this unit as possible, and I hope this is reflected in my
unit outline and lesson plan.
This assignment was a challenge for a number of reasons, including lack of proximity
to the university and to my group members. But I feel that this issue challenged us to
communicate my effectively, and to learn to collaborate in a more efficient manner,

using social media and the useful VUS group discussion forum. Shared love of history
and literature has really pushed this assignment forward, as I found our site very
quickly due to its use of fantastic historical figures and events and its use of primary
and secondary sources. The fact that most of us were on professional practise, and
incorporated our current pedagogy into our unit outline. A challenge for me was
finding ACARA history content that matched what I wanted to achieve in the unit
outline, and though some of this content was repeated throughout the unit, including
Background to the struggle of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples for rights
and freedoms before 1965, including the 1938 Day of Mourning and the Stolen
Generations (ACARA, 2014, ACDSEH104), I feel that this is justified because this is
such a crucial issue for students to understand. I feel students will be unable to
comprehend the Indigenous rights movement of the 20th century until they have a
comprehensive understanding of the atrocities committed towards Indigenous
Australians and past Indigenous acts of resistance. I feel this was a mutual feeling
among the group, and that this is reflected in the unit outline.
This assessment proved extremely valuable for my practical experience in several
ways. On a practical level, I was able to utilise the lesson plans on the John Marsden
and Shaun Tan text The Rabbits ()that my group created for our unit as a part of my
own picture book unit. The allegory of native Australian animals and invasive,
overpopulating rabbits was simple enough for junior students to understand, but way
poignant enough to draw their interest. The incredible artwork was steeped in visual
techniques, including colour, shape, symbolism and salience. This book was
introduced to me through this unit, which has provided me with a valuable tool I can
use repeatedly for a number of subjects. My mindset after experiencing a significant
shift at the beginning of the unit was centred on ensuring my lessons were beneficial
for a culturally diverse classroom. At the end of professional practise, while filling out
my final report, I fretted that I hadnt had an opportunity to fulfil standards 1.4 and
2.4. At this point my supervisor told me I had actually been teaching several
Indigenous children, and that she had noted their engagement in my Rabbits
lessons, and in lessons where I have implemented 8 ways principles such as Nonverbal and Non-linear (Purdie, et al. 2011). This was very gratifying but also eye
opening, as I have now experienced what is like to educate a class of students from
diverse cultural backgrounds. After reflection, I began to understand the holistic
nature of 8 Ways, that it doesnt need to be an explicit framework, rather a series of
educational ideas that can be embedded within pedagogical practise. I also gained a
clearer understanding of how the Quality Teaching Framework and 8 Ways overlap, as
I often structured lessons with QTF in mind, and realised later that they also fit within
the 8 Ways framework.
For myself I have been confronted and educated about my own privilege and
fragility (DiAngelo, 2011, p.54-70). From the moment I stepped into the first lecture I
have needed to become more self-aware, as I was never before someone who took my
privileged way of life for granted. I have definitely changed in this respect, but also in
my understanding of the challenges faced by Indigenous students in Australian
schools. I am grateful now for this opportunity to gain a better understanding of
myself before my career has really began.
A significant learning experience occurred when I read The Stolen Generations: What
does this mean for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people
today? (Williams-Mozley, 2015). As a historian I had studied the facts and figures of
this terrible atrocities but until I read William-Mozleys work I never truly understood
that ongoing effects that still impact the lives of all Indigenous Australians. Reading

that had a fundamental impact on the way I viewed history. Another lesson that
impacted on my understanding of history was the lecture of getting site studies
correct. Having conducted site studies in the past, it wasnt until this lesson and the
corresponding assignment that I understood the ethical implications of some site
studies. This informed greatly on the site I chose for our assignment. Because our
chosen subject addresses atrocities committed towards Indigenous Australians during
the 20th century, I believed that the museum exhibit would allow the students to
access the information and gain an understanding of the concepts, without unethically
subjecting them to more primary sites that may cause distress or cultural disrespect.
This subject has been such a personal and professional eye opener and I hope this
education will continue throughout my studies.
A significant part of The 8 Aboriginal Ways of Learning pedagogy framework will be a
significant addition to my future practise as an educator, by helping me to find
common ground between mainstream and Aboriginal pedagogies (Yunkaporta and
McGinty. 2009. P.55-87). In particular the Deconstruct/Reconstruct methodology,
which is going to become a crucial part of my English KLA text studies. Working from a
whole text to parts and back to the whole again is an effective method I have used in
my professional practise. Readings throughout the textbook were also utilised within
my lesson plans, both in my assignment and in my classroom, i.e. Radalls advocating
of ICT use for Indigenous students, as they work well when ICT work is flexible,
outcomes orientated and unstructured. I used this principle when creating a ICT
lesson plan for creating picture books and was surprised to see how well my students
reacted, considering they were an easily distracted class. My future pedagogy will also
be greatly influenced by Chris Sarras work with the Smarter Stronger institute.
Consistent high expectations, positive senses of community and culture and open
minded relationships are all aspects of Sarras work which I will take great care to
embed within my own (Sarra, 2012. p.12). Overall, the most significant aspects of
pedagogy I have learned came from Brenda Dobias lesson in Week 5. Mental health
risk and protective factors, are, I believe, one of the most important elements student
welfare, and I feel very grateful for the opportunity to study them to such an in depth
level. These aspects of pedagogy I have studied will be valuable for my work with all
students, not just Indigenous students.
Over the course of this unit I have learned a great deal. Perhaps one of the most
significant things I have taken from this unit is the capacity for displays of cultural
identity within a learning environment. I saw this in the displays of cultural identity
within the lectures and tutorials, not only from Indigenous students but students of
every race and cultural background. This environment allowed me to experience my
own cultural identity in relation to the unit, which greatly enhanced my experience of
the unit. My pedagogy and my own personal teaching philosophy has been forever
changed by this unit.
Word Count: 1444
Works Cited:
ACARA. (2016). History Curriculum. Acara.edu.au. Retrieved 25 October 2016, from
http://www.acara.edu.au/default.asp
DiAngelo, R. (2011). White Fragility. International Journal Of Critical Pedagogy, 3(3),
54-70.
Purdie, N., Milgate, G., & Bell, H. (2011). Two way teaching and learning. Camberwell,
Vic.: ACER Press.

Sarra, Chris. Stronger Smarter Institute Limited (2014). High-Expectations

Relationships: a foundation for quality learning environments in all Australian schools.
Stronger Smarter Institute Limited Position Paper.
Williams-Mozley, J. (2015). The Stolen Generations: What does this mean for Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander children and young people today?. In K. Price, Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander Education: An Introduction for the Teaching Profession (1st ed.,
pp. 21-34). Sydney: Cambridge University Press.
Yunkaporta, T., & McGinty, S. (2009). Reclaiming Aboriginal knowledge at the cultural
interface. Australian Educational Researcher, 36(2), 55-72.