Activity: The Final Quarter – Cultures Of Australia – Years 5 & 6

Quick summary: Retired AFL star Adam Goodes is known to many for his resilient journey in the face of detrimental treatment by AFL spectators and the media beginning in 2013.

In this lesson, students consider what it means to be Australian. They unpack existing preconceptions about Australian culture and consider the vital importance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures in building our national identity. Students then develop and implement a social action project in order to increase their understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

Using only archival footage aired at the time, The Final Quarter holds a mirror to Australia and is an opportunity to reconsider what happened on and off the football field. Learn more about the film here.

We highly recommend that students view the film in its entirety before participating in subsequent lessons. Our Watching the Film lessons are designed to support you in facilitating this process. Given the content, it is also important for teachers to communicate with parents and guardians of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students before playing the film and/or engaging with the teaching and learning resources. 

Note: This film may not be suitable for viewing by all young people. Teachers are advised to use their discretion when deciding whether to show this film. If teaching in a context with a high proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, it is imperative that guidance is sought from the Principal and Aboriginal Education Officer (or equivalent) prior to screening the film.

The following resources are strongly recommended as teacher preparation for this lesson:

• Cultural competance for staff
• Cultural competance for students and children

Provided by Reconciliation Australia, these resources provide a guide to initiating and building respectful relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Learning intentions:

• Students understand that relationships are important in building connections and learning about others.
• Students understand the importance of listening to different stories and perspectives.
• Students understand that they can take action to ensure that all people in their school have a voice and feel safe to express themselves.
• Students understand the importance of acknowledging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures.

21st century skills: 

Australian Curriculum Mapping

Content descriptions: 

Year 5 Humanities and Social Sciences

• Develop appropriate questions to guide an inquiry about people, events, developments, places, systems and challenges (ACHASSI094)
• Locate and collect relevant information and data from primary sources and secondary sources (ACHASSI095)
• Work in groups to generate responses to issues and challenges (ACHASSI102)
• Present ideas, findings, viewpoints and conclusions in a range of texts and modes that incorporate source materials, digital and non-digital representations and discipline-specific terms and conventions (ACHASSI105)

Year 6 Humanities and Social Sciences

• Develop appropriate questions to guide an inquiry about people, events, developments, places, systems and challenges (ACHASSI122)
• Locate and collect relevant information and data from primary sources and secondary sources (ACHASSI123)
• Work in groups to generate responses to issues and challenges (ACHASSI130)
• Present ideas, findings, viewpoints and conclusions in a range of texts and modes that incorporate source materials, digital and non-digital representations and discipline-specific terms and conventions (ACHASSI133)

Syllabus outcomes: HT3-5

General capabilities: Literacy, Critical and Creative Thinking, Personal and Social Capability, Intercultural Understanding

Cross-curriculum priority: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures (OI.1, OI.2, OI.5, OI.7, OI.9)

Relevant parts of Year 5 achievement standards:
By the end of Year 5, students identify the causes and effects of change on particular communities and describe aspects of the past that have remained the same. They describe the experiences of different people in the past. Students develop questions for an investigation. They locate and collect data and information from a range of sources to answer inquiry questions. They examine sources to determine their purpose and to identify different viewpoints. They present their ideas, findings, and conclusions in a range of communication forms using discipline-specific terms and appropriate conventions.

Relevant parts of Year 6 achievement standards:
By the end of Year 6, students explain the significance of an event/development, an individual and/or group. They identify and describe continuities and changes for different groups in the past and present. They compare the experiences of different people in the past. They describe how people, places, communities and environments are diverse and globally interconnected and identify the effects of these interconnections over time. Students develop appropriate questions to frame an investigation. They locate and collect useful data and information from primary and secondary sources. They reflect on their learning to propose action in response to an issue or challenge and describe the probable effects of their proposal. They present ideas, findings, viewpoints and conclusions in a range of communication forms that incorporate source materials, mapping, graphing, communication conventions and discipline-specific terms.

Topic: Learning Through Film, Indigenous Education, Social Issues. 

This lesson is part of the wider unit of work: The Final Quarter – Exposing Truth. Embracing Diversity – Years 5 & 6, The Final Quarter – Building Respect – Years 5-12

Time required: 70+ mins.

Level of teacher scaffolding: High – students will need support conducting research and reaching out to members of the community.

Resources required:

• Adam Goodes Profile – digital copy
• Device capable of presenting a video to the class
• Five Dimensions of Reconciliation (optional)
• Handling Sensitive Topics and Issues (optional)
• Student Worksheets – one copy per student

Keywords: Adam Goodes, The Final Quarter, documentary, film, indigenous, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, elders, community, connection, social action, national identity, nation, diversity, history, culture, connections.

Cool Australia’s curriculum team continually reviews and refines our resources to be in line with changes to the Australian Curriculum.