Land and Stories

Overview

In this lesson (Lesson 6 of 10), students explore Indigenous Australian knowledge systems by focusing on how stories, art, and careful observation of land help people understand the world. Year 1 creates an art piece inspired by an Indigenous story and their observations of “their place,” while Year 5 compares knowledge systems and explains similarities and differences across ancient cultures with respect.

Learning intentions

• Students will be able to describe how people use land and stories to learn and share important knowledge.
• Students will be able to create an artwork that communicates a message or story, using drawing skills appropriate to their grade.
• Students will be able to ask and answer questions about culture, technology, and knowledge (Year 5), and retell key details (Year 1).
• Students will be able to communicate ideas clearly through speaking and writing/drawing.

Success criteria

• I can explain (or show) how land helps people in an Indigenous community understand the world.
• I can share my learning respectfully and use evidence from our class discussion/art notes.
• Year 1: I can tell the main idea of my story-art and label it with a few words.
• Year 5: I can compare knowledge systems using a clear claim, evidence, and a brief conclusion.

Curriculum links

• Listening and speaking for comprehension and collaboration
• Writing informative/explanatory texts from facts and observations
• Using narrative elements to recount events or ideas
• Research and presenting information with credible details
• Media and visual literacy: interpreting images/art and expressing understanding

Lesson structure (240 minutes)

1. 0–15 min | Opening circle + respect norms Teacher and students review respectful learning behaviors: listening, taking turns, and using kind language about cultures. Students name one place they can see or imagine (yard, street, park) and share one thing it offers (shade, animals, plants, stones).

2. 15–55 min | Land, stories, and knowledge (shared unit theme) Teacher presents age-appropriate prompts and visual examples (photos of landscapes, simple story imagery, and discussion about how stories can teach).

• Year 1 focuses on: “What do we notice? What does the story help people remember?”
• Year 5 focuses on: “How might knowledge be stored in stories and in practices? What questions do we have about land-based learning?”

3. 55–120 min | Creative making: Indigenous story-art (scaled tasks) Students create their own art.

• Year 1: Draw a simple scene connected to a “story about land” concept (animals/plants/weather/paths). Add 3–5 labels or word cards.
• Year 5: Create a more detailed poster or artwork that includes symbols representing observations (for example: water, seasons, trails) and a short written caption explaining the knowledge it communicates. Teacher supports both with modeled steps: sketch → add features → choose colors/shapes → label/caption.

4. 120–150 min | Gallery walk + academic talk In a friendly “museum,” students view each other’s work and practice sentence starters.

• Year 1: “I notice…”, “This part shows…”, “My story is about…”
• Year 5: “My evidence is…”, “This connects to…”, “A similarity/difference I see is…”

5. 150–190 min | Comprehension check: retell vs. compare

• Year 1: Students complete an oral retell using pictures from their own art: “First… Next… Then…” and teacher records key words.
• Year 5: Students write a short compare paragraph: one claim about how knowledge is communicated (e.g., through land practices and stories), two pieces of evidence from the lesson discussion, and one concluding sentence. Teacher prompts for respectful comparison without ranking cultures.

6. 190–225 min | Quick research mini-task (grade-scaled)

• Year 1: Choose one observed feature (tree/rock/water) and do a guided drawing plus 1–2 factual sentences dictated by the student (teacher writes).
• Year 5: Choose one “knowledge system component” (story, observation, community practice) and answer: “What does it help people do?” using classroom notes and teacher-provided prompts.

7. 225–240 min | Reflection + exit ticket Students respond to one prompt each (short and clear).

• Year 1 exit ticket: “My land story shows…”
• Year 5 exit ticket: “One respectful comparison is…” Teacher collects artwork captions/retells and notes readiness for Lesson 7.

Resources

• Printouts or cards with simple story prompts and “land observation” icons (tree, water, animal, sky)
• Drawing paper, colored pencils/crayons, markers, glue (as available)
• Example images of landscapes and culturally respectful art samples (teacher-selected, age-appropriate)
• Sentence stems for Year 1 and Year 5
• Recording sheets:
• Year 1: picture + 3–5 label boxes
• Year 5: comparison paragraph frame (Claim / Evidence / Conclusion)
• Timer for timed making and gallery walk
• Optional: sensory objects (leaf, stone) for observation

Assessment

• Formative observation during gallery walk using the sentence starters (comprehension and respectful communication).
• Artifact check: Year 1 labels and oral retell; Year 5 artwork caption and compare paragraph.
• Exit ticket responses to verify understanding of land-based learning and respectful comparison.

Differentiation

• Support for both students: provide visual choice boards, repeated sentence starters, and step-by-step art checklists.
• Year 1 support: fewer labels (3–5), teacher scribing for dictated sentences, and short oral prompts with picture cues.
• Year 5 support: paragraph frame with sentence starters and evidence prompts (e.g., “In our discussion we said… because…”).
• Extension: if a student finishes early, add a “symbol key” (Year 1: icon key; Year 5: symbol + meaning) and an extra question to research for Lesson 7.

Extension (optional)

• Advanced Year 5: add a second compare paragraph answering “How might knowledge systems protect the environment or guide decisions?” using one additional evidence point from notes.
• Advanced Year 1: create a two-panel “First/Then” version of the story-art with 1 extra label.