Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

5 minutes

Tune In: What are flags for?

15 minutes

Find Out: Comparing flags

35 minutes

Take Action: Creating a replica

5 minutes

Reflection

Learning intentions

Students will:

understand that flags can be used for decorative, symbolic or signalling purposes
recognise the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags.

Success criteria

Students can:

explain what the colours and patterns on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags symbolise
describe why displaying Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags is important
use materials to create a replica of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags.

Tune In: What are flags for?

Step 1

Begin by engaging students in a discussion around the following:

I wonder why we have flags.
I wonder if the colours and symbols on flags represent anything.

Invite students to suggest their answers, drawing on examples if they have any. Through your discussion, lead students to the idea that flags are used in 3 main ways:

To symbolise something about the individual, group or country they belong to
As a signalling device: for example, boats use flags as a way to signal things like ‘this boat is in distress’ or ‘there is a diver underwater around this boat’ (see here anbg.gov.au/flags/signal-meaning.html for more examples)
As decoration: sometimes flags are just used as decoration because they look nice blowing in the breeze!

Step 2

Pose the following:

Can you think of any other flags? What do you think they might represent?

Invite students to describe any flags they can think of. You could also invite them to draw them on the board or show them how to do a Google Image search for the flags they suggest.

Find Out: Comparing flags

Step 1

Now display the following flags (also available here):

Invite students to share what they already know about these flags using the following prompts:

I wonder what these flags are.
I wonder where they are from.
I wonder if you have seen them before.
I wonder why we have them. I wonder why they are important.

Explain to students that these flags represent two different groups of First Nations peoples in Australia.

Step 2

Read the following information to students:

The Aboriginal flag consists of black, yellow, and red. The black symbolises Aboriginal peoples, the yellow represents the sun, and the red represents the earth and peoples connection to the land.
The Torres Strait Islands (also commonly referred to as Zenadth Kes) comprise at least 274 small islands between the northern tip of Cape York in Queensland and the southwest coast of Papua New Guinea. Today, many Torres Strait Islanders peoples live on the Australian mainland. The green, blue, white and black flag belongs to Torres Strait Islander peoples. "The green panels at the top and bottom of the flag represent the land, and the central blue panel represents the sea. The black lines dividing the panels represent the Torres Strait Islander peoples. The centre of the flag shows a white dhari (dancer’s headdress), which represents Torres Strait Islander peoples culture. Underneath the dhari is a white five-pointed star. The star is an important symbol for navigating the sea. The points of the star represent the five island groups in the Torres Strait, and the white symbolises peace" (Source: aiatsis.gov.au/explore/torres-strait-islander-flag).

Step 3

Now explain to students that both flags are the flags of the First Nations peoples of Australia. They differ from the red, white, and blue flags representing Australia.

Display the following flag:

Pose the following:

I wonder what the different parts of this flag mean.

Invite students to have a guess. Once they have shared their responses, explain to students that:

The red and white crosses represent Australia’s early colonists. The ‘Union Jack’ is made up of three different flags. It is the national flag of the United Kingdom and represents the British who colonised Australia.
The Commonwealth star is the star with 7 points. 6 of the 7 points of this star represent the 6 states, and the 7th point represents all the territories of Australia (refer to a map and count the states and territories of Australia).
The 5 stars on the flag's right make up the Southern Cross, a constellation or group of stars that can only be seen in the southern hemisphere.

Ask your students: “If this flag represents ‘Australia’, why do you think we fly all three flags together?”.

You might prompt them to consider:

some First Nations people don’t feel that the Australian flag represents them
sovereignty was never ceded: these First Nations peoples have never agreed to give up their heritage and connection to Country
for many people, the Australian flag is a reminder of colonisation and the history and legacy of colonisation
displaying them all together is another way to show respect to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in your community and country
displaying them all together is a way to create cultural safety and inclusivity.

Take Action: Creating a replica

Step 1

You could now work with students to create some flags for your room. You could do this by:

using the Aboriginal flag and Torres Strait Islander flag templates to colour in, paint or make a montage with coloured paper
use natural materials such as pebbles, sticks, bark and leaves in different colours to replicate the flags, then photograph and display
create a replica of the flags using another technique that aligns with what students are already working on in the classroom (for example, art techniques).

Step 2

Invite students to share their flags with an audience. This could be at an assembly, or they could present their flags to another class at your school. Students should discuss what they want to say about their flags before they present them (i.e. what do the colours and symbols on the flags represent?).

Learning extension: Where students have completed this lesson (link to lesson 2 - Exploring Who We Are), invite students to create a flag that represents themselves and elements of their identity they’d be willing to share. Look at some other flags from around the world - which ones do you like the most and why? Can you find the countries to which these flags belong on a map?

Reflection

Engage students in a class discussion around the following:

I wonder where you have seen the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags displayed.
I wonder why it is important to display the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flags

Go to

Summary

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