History - Community and Remembrance, First Contacts
Terms 2 and 3 are ideal for this excursion - the weather is cooler and the position of the sun provides better visibility of the engravings.
Students walk across Jibbon Beach to Jibbon Headland, where they explore historical evidence such as the magnificent rock engravings, shell middens and oral stories.
Program feedback
"The learning on the excursion tied in so well with the learning taking place in class and gave the students a practical and hands on way to experience the same content."
"Teachers were very relaxed and easy going which allowed students to discover the local environment and ask questions."
Key syllabus outcomes
- Students describe and explain how significant individuals, groups and events contributed to changes in the local community over time (HT2-2)
- Students describe and explain effects of British colonisation in Australia (HT2-4)
- Students apply skills of historical inquiry and communication (HT2-5)
Key inquiry questions
- Who lived here first and how do we know?
- What was life like for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples before the arrival of the Europeans?
Content
History – community and remembrance
Students:
- identify the original Aboriginal languages spoken in the local or regional area
- identify the special relationship that Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples have to Country and Place
- respond to Aboriginal stories told about Country presented in texts or by a guest speaker
History – first contacts
Students:
- identify the original inhabitants of Australia and create a timeline indicating their longevity in Australia of more than 50,000 years
- investigate, drawing on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community representatives (where possible) and other sources, the traditional Aboriginal way of life, focusing on people, their beliefs, food, shelter, tools and weapons, customs and ceremonies, art works, dance, music, and relationship to Country
Learning activities
Students may:
- examine Aboriginal artefacts and infer their uses
- walk through a timeline of Aboriginal occupation of 65,000+ years
- visit the Aboriginal engravings at Jibbon Headland and consider their significance and the evidence they provide of Dharawal occupation
- observe shell middens and learn about what they tell us about the past
- explore food sources on the rock platform (tide dependant)
- listen to a Dharawal Dreaming Story and discuss how stories are a type of historical evidence
- paint using ochres to tell a story
Recommended excursion site
