Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

5 minutes

Tune In: Kai

30 minutes

Find Out: Digital presentation

20 minutes

Take Action: Play a game

5 minutes

Reflection

Learning intentions

Students will:

explore and play sports from the First Nations of the Commonwealth.

Success criteria

Students can:

describe how to play various sports from the First Nations of the Commonwealth
describe the core skills used in these sports and how they can be related to familiar scenarios
outline the community benefits of promoting diversity.

Tune In: Kai

Step 1

Invite students to stand in a circle in an open space of your classroom. Explain to students that their task is to keep the ball in the air in the centre of the group by tapping it with their hands, preventing it from touching the ground. Each time the ball hits the ground, students must restart.

Set a stopwatch and ask students to count each touch aloud until the ball hits the ground and resets the game. Challenge students to get to the highest number of touches possible in 2 minutes. After 3 minutes, invite students to return to their seats.

Step 2

Explain to students that they played a traditional Indigenous game called ‘kai’ from the Torres Strait Islands. In this game, players would stand in a circle and sing the kai wed (ball song) as they hit a ball up in the air with the palms of their hands. The game was played using the thick, oval, deep-red fruit of the kai tree, which is quite light when dry.

Lead a class discussion using the following prompts:

Did you know the history of this game?
Have you played a similar game? What did you call it?

Explain to your students that all sports started with people getting together to play a game. If we wanted to include kai as a sport at the Commonwealth Games, what would need to happen? Students might suggest:

agreeing on a set of international rules
forming teams and leagues to practise
standardisation of uniforms, courts and equipment
building awareness and engagement of the sport to attract athletes and fans.

Outline to students that they will explore a variety of First Nations games played by Indigenous peoples from across the Commonwealth and dive deeper into the history and cultural significance of these games.

Find Out: Digital presentation

Step 1

Divide students into 4 groups. Your students’ task is to create a digital presentation on the cultural background of 1 of the following First Nations sports from a Commonwealth Country:

Kabaddi (India)
Sepak Takraw (Malaysia)
Baggataway (Canada)
Ayo (Nigeria)

For more information on these different First Nations sports, check out this factsheet which outlines the objectives, rules and regulations of each game.

Students can create their presentation using a digital platform (for example, Canva, Google Slides, PowerPoint or Prezi). They will need a laptop or similar device to research their chosen sport. The presentation should include:

the cultural background of the sport
core skills required for the sport
rules of the sport
in what modern sport/s these skills or rules can be seen in
equipment and environment requirements (include images if possible)
community benefits of the game.

Step 2

Allocate 10 minutes for students to share their presentations with the rest of the class. Conduct a discussion with your group after the presentations, focusing on the main points of their findings, including the necessary core skills and how these skills can be translated into modern sports, and the community benefits of the game.

Step 3

Explain to your students that sports and games provide people and communities with positive benefits such as improved physical health, mental well-being, and social connections, as well as the opportunity to be a part of a team, increasing the sense of community people experience.

Knowing this, ask your students: What is the importance of learning about the sports played in different cultures?

Suggested response: Learning about sports from different cultures helps us understand and appreciate how people around the world have fun and stay healthy. It teaches us to respect different traditions and also helps us feel connected to others and be part of a bigger, global team. When we learn about and try different sports, we improve our own abilities and become more adaptable. It also shows us that, no matter where people are from, there are similarities in the ways we play and interact with each other and shows us that we share common values like hard work and cooperation. This helps us build friendships and understand each other better, creating a stronger, more connected community.

Then ask your students: What is the importance of international sporting events like the Commonwealth Games?

Suggested response: This event gives athletes an opportunity to meet their peers from other cultures and build respect and friendship on a level playing field. It provides an opportunity for cultural sharing and celebration of cultural differences. It gives fans and supporters an opportunity to learn about athletes from other countries, and share their own cultures and traditions with each other, building respect, connectivity and understanding.

Step 4

Survey the class on which games they learned about that they would like to try in the second half of the lesson. Students cannot vote for the game they researched. The game that receives the most votes will be played by the whole class and led by the group that researched it.

If your students can’t decide, you could set up your very own Commonwealth First Nations Games! Set aside 20 minutes each day for a week, where the students can share the game they explored. You could conclude this week with a medal presentation ceremony at assembly, where students share their presentations with the school community.

Take Action: Play a game

Step 1

In an outdoor space, invite the group to facilitate the selected game. Students will need to explain the rules, the playing field, the teams and the equipment. Outline that modifications to the game may be needed to ensure students can play within the time frame.

To assist you with supervising the games, use the games' International First Nations Games Factsheets.

Reflection

Invite students to reflect on their understanding of International First Nations sports. Ask students to write down:

3 things they learned
2 fun facts
1 question they still have.

International First Nations Games

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Summary

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