Dreaming Stories Uncovered

Year 2 | Duration: 60 minutes | 30 Students

Unit: Exploring Aboriginal Cultures
Lesson 4 of 6

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NSW Curriculum Links

History Stage 1 Content Descriptions:

• HS1-ACH-01: Describes interactions between Aboriginal Peoples and Country.
• HS1-HIS-01: Describes the ancient past and changes in communication over time, using stories, images, objects and sites as evidence.
• Skills: Sequencing ideas in written texts supports understanding of the past. Use past and present tense to describe change over time. Use time connectives to sequence information and events.

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Lesson Focus

Lesson Title: Dreaming Stories and Their Meanings

Essential Question: How do Dreaming Stories connect to Aboriginal culture and land?

Learning Intentions (WALT - We Are Learning To):

• Understand the purpose of Dreaming Stories in Aboriginal culture.
• Recognise how Dreaming Stories explain the world and connect to significant land sites.

Success Criteria:

• Students can retell a Dreaming Story in their own words.
• Students can explain how a Dreaming Story connects to a specific place or site in Aboriginal culture.

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Resources Needed

• A selected Dreaming Story written or illustrated for Year 2 (e.g., Tiddalik the Frog or The Rainbow Serpent, adapted for young learners).
• Images/maps of significant Aboriginal sites connected to the story.
• Printed or digital worksheets (editable Google Doc format).
• Editable Google Slides presentation with key points, images, and sequencing activities.
• Craft materials for optional storytelling extension (paper, colouring pencils, etc.).

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Lesson Breakdown

1. Introduction (10 mins)

• WALT: We are learning to understand why Dreaming Stories are important to Aboriginal culture.
• Begin with a class discussion: What stories do you know that explain how the world works or why things happen? (Examples from students’ experiences).
• Introduce the term “Dreaming Stories” and explain: these are special stories told over many generations by Aboriginal Peoples that explain how the land, animals, plants, and people came to be.
• Show a map/image of an Aboriginal country/place and explain that Dreaming Stories link culture to specific places (Country).
• Briefly describe the purpose of the Dreaming Stories in connecting people to Country and law.

2. Story Reading and Retelling (15 mins)

• Read or show the Dreaming Story chosen, using engaging voices and visuals in Google Slides. Pause to discuss the main characters and important events.
• Use a sequencing activity on the slides or worksheet where students put pictures or sentences of the story in the correct order (supports sequencing skills and use of time connectives).
• Ask students to retell the story in their own words, either as a class group or in pairs.

3. Exploring Connection to Land (15 mins)

• Show images or a map of the specific site referenced in the story (simplified for Year 2).
• Brief explanation: The story is not just a story—it explains why this place is important. Aboriginal Peoples care for these sites because they connect to the stories of their ancestors.
• Question prompts: How does the story help you understand this place? Why do you think it is special?
• Students discuss in pairs or small groups and share their ideas with the class.

4. Creative Response Activity (15 mins)

• Students choose from one of the following activities (differentiated for learner needs):
  • Draw or paint a picture of a scene from the Dreaming Story and the special place.
  • Complete a writing worksheet: write 2-3 sentences retelling the story and describing the site’s importance, with sentence starters provided for emerging writers.
• Support is provided for diverse learners through oral storytelling options or sentence frames. Extension learners may write additional sentences explaining the significance of Dreaming Stories in Aboriginal culture.

5. Plenary and Reflection (5 mins)

• Recap the learning intentions and success criteria using student responses.
• Ask a few students to share their retelling of the story and their connection to the land site.
• Reinforce the importance of Dreaming Stories in preserving culture and explaining the world.

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Differentiation Strategies

• For diverse learners: Use visual sequencing cards and story maps to support understanding. Offer oral story retelling instead of writing.
• For advanced learners: Encourage researching another Dreaming Story or comparing different stories from various Aboriginal groups.
• Provide sentence starters and vocabulary banks for writing tasks.

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Assessment

• Formative observation of students' verbal retellings and contributions during discussions.
• Students’ sequencing activity accuracy.
• Completed worksheets demonstrating understanding of story content and its connection to land.

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Extension Activities

• Create a class “Dreaming Stories book” compiling student drawings and sentences.
• Visit a local Aboriginal site or explore virtual tours related to local Dreaming Stories.
• Invite an Aboriginal elder (via video or guest visit) to share a Dreaming Story.

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Editable Resources

• Google Doc Worksheet:
  • Includes story sequencing pictures, writing prompts with sentence starters, vocab glossary, and reflection questions.
• Google Slides:
  • Interactive story reading slides, map visuals, sequencing drag-and-drop activity, and discussion prompt slides.

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Final Notes for Teachers

This lesson ties directly into Stage 1 History outcomes, focusing on understanding Aboriginal Peoples’ connection to Country through Dreaming Stories, supporting both content knowledge and historical skills such as sequencing and using language to describe changes and continuities over time. This approach encourages empathy, cultural respect, and supports NZ English achievement standards for Year 2 narrative comprehension and retelling.

The lesson plan is designed to engage young learners through storytelling, multimodal texts, and creative arts, making history tangible and meaningful while embedding Aboriginal perspectives in accordance with the NSW syllabus goals .