RIC-0667 Aboriginal Cult 5-6

Aboriginal Families
Teachers Notes
• Write the word ‘family’ on the board. Ask the class what it says and what it
means.
• Ask, ‘Who are some of the people in your family?’ List the answers.
• Present the information to the students using a puppet, firstly reading the
background information then using the puppet to relay it to the class. Focus
on the Aboriginal family unit.
• Discuss an Aboriginal family. Ask the students if they know any Aboriginal
families. Who lives with this family? Ask ‘How is an Aboriginal family different
from your family?’ ‘How is it the same?’ (Students should recognise that
there may be more than the immediate family living in an Aboriginal
household and that this is normal.)
• Students complete the worksheet by colouring it with paint.
• Obtain pictures of families from the library. Display these to the class. Ask
students to state who the different members of the families are.
• Focus on grandparents. Ask, ‘Who are the people we call Nanna, Pop,
Granny?’ Explain to the class that our grandparents are the parents of our
parents.
• Illustrate a simple family tree on the board to help students understand who
grandparents are.
• Inform the class that Aboriginal children are lucky because some of them
may have their grandparents living with them. Relate the background
information to the students in the form of a story.
• Focus on the role of Aboriginal grandparents. (They tell many stories to
their grandchildren about the old ways.)
• Students complete the worksheet.
• Read aloud the background information on Aboriginal families. Discuss.
• Encourage students to name some of the people in an Aboriginal family who
may live in the same house. Record answers on the board.
• Ask, ‘Where do your aunts and uncles live?’ List answers.
• Explain to students that while not all Aboriginal families are extended, many
are, and this is a part of their culture.
• Discuss and complete the worksheet with the students.
Aboriginal Families
are Special
(page 27)
Grandparents
(page 28)
Big Families
(page 29)
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Cultural Identity
• Gather students on the mat or in the reading corner.
• Inform the students you are going to read them a story about an Aboriginal
boy and his family. (You may wish to photocopy the story on page 26 for
students to follow.)
• Read ‘Doogon’s Story’. When you have finished, discuss the students’ thoughts
about the story.
• Ask, ‘Why did Doogon have his granny and aunt living with him?’
• Complete the worksheet.
Doogon’s Family
(page 30)
www.ricgroup.com.au R.I.C. Publications 25Australian Aboriginal Culture 25
ISBN 978-1-86311-807-1