Fighting against Racism through Education.
Cool Australia has produced 52 lessons designed for Years 5-12 that investigate racism, privilege, truth-telling, cultural pride, resilience, values and dignity.
We have consulted with experts in human rights, reconciliation and psychology to ensure these lessons promote emotional safety and cultural awareness.
These Primary and Secondary resources are designed to support teachers and students in exploring the key themes of Australian documentary, THE FINAL QUARTER. This powerful film captures a period from 2013-2015 focusing on leading Sydney Swans AFL player Adam Goodes in the final years of his football career.
About the Film
Adam Goodes is a champion AFL footballer and Indigenous leader who became a lightning rod for an intense public debate and widespread media commentary that divided the nation.
During the last three years of his career, Goodes was named Australian of the Year, accused of staging for free kicks, and performed an on-field war dance celebration.
When the football crowds turned on him, the Brownlow medallist left his beloved game.
Director Ian Darling’s film is crafted using only archival footage aired at the time, which has been expertly edited. The result is a powerful film that holds a mirror to Australia and suggests we reconsider what happened on and off the football field.
Where to start: Watching the Film – Years 5 to 12
Watching the Film is an important unit.
It is recommended that students have seen the film in its entirety before commencing specialist lessons. Our Watching the Film lessons are designed to support you in facilitating this process.
Teacher Preparation
It is essential that teachers watch The Final Quarter documentary in full before showing it to students. There are many themes, concepts and events in the film that teachers need to be aware of and reflect upon so that they can provide sufficient safety and support for students.
Available free with ClickVIew subscription at the film website www.thefinalquarterfilm.com.au
Follow Up Lessons: Working across the curriculum & forward planning
In these 52 lessons students will learn about taking responsibility for their words, actions and attitudes towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the importance of rejecting racism in all its forms. They will develop skills in active, conscious and reflective listening and communication, along with gaining an understanding of the Five Dimensions of Reconciliation. We strongly recommend each unit is delivered in the recommended sequence to achieve maximum impact and understanding of the concepts.
Specialist lessons will achieve the best results when THE FINAL QUARTER documentary is introduced as a topic across the curriculum.
This requires planning among multiple teachers and across specialist streams. To help make planning easier you can access all the specialist units on this page. For ease of use we have organised this information in Primary and Secondary sections. To view more detail on relevant specialist units scroll down.
Primary Schools:
Years 5 & 6 curriculum
Watching the Film
– Years 5 to 12
Exposing Truth. Embracing Diversity – Years 5 & 6
Building Respect
– Years 5 to 12
Secondary Schools:
Years 7 to 12 specialist units
Racism And Responsibility
– HPE – Years 7 & 8
Racism In Sport
– HPE – Years 9 & 10
Building Respect
Social Action – Years 5 to 12
Australian Values
– Civ & Cit – Year 7
Being Australian
– Civ & Cit – Year 8
Media And Influence
– Civ & Cit – Year 9
Racism, Rights And Reconciliation
– Civ & Cit – Year 10
Assembling Archival Footage – Media Arts – Years 9 & 10
Media Constructions
– English – Year 7
Mechanisms Of Power
– English – Year 9
Purposeful Language
– English – Year 8
White Privilege
– English – Year 10
Composing For Film
– Music – Years 7 to 10
Our expert team supporting content development
In developing the lessons it was critical that we had the input of a psychologist and expert groups to ensure these lessons promote emotional safety and cultural awareness.
Our expert team included:
Tracy Bentin, Psychologist, MAPS; Grad Dip Applied Child Psych; BBSc (Hons).
Tracy Bentin is a Child and Adolescent Psychologist who has worked in the education sector since 1997. Tracy is passionate about the mental health and wellbeing of young people and her training and approach incorporates cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), mindfulness skills, and interventions drawn from positive psychology research. Tracy enjoys supporting the educational, social, emotional, and mental health needs of young people and their families. Tracy works closely with parents and teachers to support young people with issues such as anxiety, learning needs, depression, confidence, and behavioural challenges. Tracy has a particular interest in emotional intelligence and supporting young people to develop skills and strategies that can assist them in being their best selves.
Narragunnawali: Reconciliation in Education (Reconciliation Australia)
Reconciliation in Education is a program for Reconciliation Australia that supports all schools and early learning services in Australia to develop environments that foster a higher level of knowledge and pride in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and contributions. Narragunnawali (pronounced narra-gunna-wally) is a word from the language of the Ngunnawal people, Traditional Owners of the land on which Reconciliation Australia’s Canberra office is located, meaning alive, wellbeing, coming together and peace.
Narragunnawali’s online platform is free to access and provides practical ways to introduce meaningful reconciliation initiatives in the classroom, around the school and with the community. Through the Narragunnawali platform, schools and early learning services can develop a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), and teachers and educators can access professional learning and curriculum resources to support the implementation of reconciliation initiatives.
Australian Human Rights Commission
The Australian Human Rights Commission is an independent statutory organisation, established by an act of Federal Parliament. They protect and promote human rights in Australia and internationally.
With Thanks to Our Partners
© 2022 Shark Island Productions and Cool Australia.