Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

15 minutes

Part A: Defining A Nation

25 minutes

Part B: The Journey To Recognition

40 minutes

Part C: Continuing The Journey

10 minutes

Reflection

Part A: Defining a nation

Step 1

Explain to students that this lesson is going to be a journey. They will begin by exploring the Australian Constitution and then delve into the perspectives and experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Invite students to share any knowledge they may already have about what the Constitution is. Record their contributions onto a mind map. This may be drawn onto a whiteboard or poster for the class to see.

Step 2

Show this video:

The Australian Constitution - PEO (https://youtu.be/wR5S2bCDSwM)

Step 3

Invite students to discuss what the Constitution is and the role it plays in the running of Australia.

Focus in on this comment made in the video:

“Before 1901, Australia was not a nation, but rather 6 British Colonies. These colonies were under the law-making power of the British parliament.”

Ask students:

Is this the full truth?
According to whose perspective has this truth been told and whose perspectives/which truths are unaccounted for?
Does this comment account for all people living in Australia at the time?

Step 4

Show the photo of the representatives at one of the Constitutional conventions. This can be done by returning to the video at point 0:48, or by displaying the photo from this web source: https://primeministers.naa.gov.au/image.aspx?id=tcm:13-20965

Ask students:

Which Australians are missing? Why do you think that is?
Possible answers: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, women, children, people from backgrounds other than Anglo-Saxon - such as Chinese people, who were already living in Australia at this point in time.

Step 5

Show the map of ‘Australie’ from the David Rumsey Collection. Explain that this shows the six colonies that were referred to in the video.

Then show the Gambay - First Languages Map from First Languages Australia and the AIATSIS Map of Indigenous Australia. Invite students to share what they observe about the maps and what they think they represent.

How does this map differ from the one which showed the 6 colonies?
Why are the maps different?
What does this show us about who was and was not acknowledged at the time the Constitution was formed?

Step 6

Hand out the Student Worksheet and provide time for students to reflect on and consolidate their learning by recording key information they have learned in this part of the lesson. Students do not have to record their thinking in any specific manner, the objective of this step being to allow time for them to ‘process’ the new information they have obtained before proceeding to the next stage of the lesson.

Part B: The journey to recognition

Step 1

Explain to students that this session will focus on further exploring the fact that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were not acknowledged when Australia’s Constitution was first created. They will look at some actions that have been taken in recent history to work towards a change, and then explore what is currently happening within the Australian community.

Show the Adam Goodes Profile and explain that in 2014 Adam Goodes was named 'Australian of the Year'. He subsequently became involved in the Recognise campaign to promote changes to the Constitution to recognise the sovereignty of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Note: It is strongly recommended that students have participated in The Final Quarter - Safely Viewing The Film - Years 5 & 6 lesson beforehand, in which case, they will already be familiar with Adam Goodes and the film.

Step 2

Show this clip from The Final Quarter:

Utopia (https://vimeo.com/348324116/ae2f7a0ad5)

At the conclusion of the clip, support students to build their understanding of what was shown by discussing the content.

Did you know? Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were finally granted the right to vote in 1962, 60 years after women won the same right. (Source)

Confirm the following points:

In the same year that Adam was named Australian of the Year, the film Utopia was released. This film focused on the ways in which First Nations peoples had been mistreated in the past.
Adam publicly expressed frustration that such an important film, which showed truths from our country’s past was being ignored by most Australians.
Adam was able to act on this frustration by engaging with the Recognise campaign which was specifically fighting for acknowledgement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and cultures in the Constitution.

Step 3

Direct students to the information and questions about the Recognise campaign on their Stud e nt Worksheets and provide time for them to respond to questions independently.

What was the goal of the Recognise campaign?
From where did Reconciliation Australia receive funding for the Recognise Campaign?
Why did some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people say they would vote 'no' to the changes in a referendum?
What changes to the constitution were suggested?
What is your opinion on the changes that were suggested?
Would you vote 'yes'? Why/why not? (If you do not wish to write down your answer to this question, just think about it to yourself!)

Once students have had adequate time to complete the activity, reconvene as a class to discuss key points of the Recognise campaign, including:

The goal of the campaign was to convince Australians to vote 'yes' in a referendum to change the Constitution.
The changes to the Constitution the campaign promoted were:
- Removing Section 25 – which says the States can ban people from voting based on their race;
- Removing section 51 (xxvi) – which can be used to pass laws that discriminate against people based on their race;
- Inserting a new section 51A – to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and to preserve the Australian Government’s ability to pass laws for the benefit of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples;
- Inserting a new section 116A, banning racial discrimination by the government; and
- Inserting a new section 127A, recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages were this country’s first tongues while confirming that English is Australia’s national language.
- Some members of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities were not in favour of this change. They felt like it would appear to be progress, but not deal with the real issues that their people were facing.
- Learning Support: If students find this task challenging, you may wish to form a group with the teacher to support selected students. You could also consider allowing students to work in pairs in which they can support each other to extend and develop their ideas.

Part C: Continuing the journey

Step 1

Explain that since this time, the Recognise campaign has ended, but there has been continued action on the issue of constitutional recognition.

Show the video on this website:

The history of NAIDOC Week and what 'voice, treaty, truth' means to Indigenous people (https://www.sbs.com.au/news/the-history-of-naidoc-week-and-what-voice-treaty-truth-means-to-indigenous-people)

Note: You may also like to explore the primary sources for the Uluru Statement from the Heart (https://www.ulurustatement.org) with your class.

At the conclusion of the video, invite students to share questions and comments. Use this time to confirm the following information from the video:

The Uluru Statement From The Heart is a document, a letter to the Australian public calling for support for Constitutional change.
The Uluru Statement From the Heart focuses on three key elements: voice, treaty and truth.
- Voice: A first nations voice to parliament, enshrined in the Constitution.
- Treaty: A Makarrata Commission, which provides a process of agreement making with the government.
- Truth: A national acknowledgement of our nations’ true history and of the treatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the past.
The process that led to the creating of the Uluru Statement From the Heart was as follows:
.

2015	Following 6 months	May 2017
Referendum council developed.	Conversations held in 12 regional dialogues to gather views on the issue from across the country.	Uluru Convention was held with representatives from each dialogue group. Uluru Statement from the Heart was developed and voted on.

Step 2

Explain to students that you will now be exploring the document itself, the Uluru Statement From the Heart. Provide students with a copy of the Uluru Statement From The Heart that they can view and then play the reading of it from the Uluru Statement website (https://www.ulurustatement.org).

As a class, read back through the Uluru Statement From the Heart and discuss the meaning of each paragraph. Invite students to record the meaning/sentiment in their own words after each paragraph is discussed (using the table on the Student Worksheet).

Once finished, reinforce the three main focuses of the Uluru Statement From the Heart: voice, treaty and truth, confirming again the objective of each.

Voice: A First Nations voice to parliament, enshrined in the Constitution.
This would ensure that the perspectives, needs and interests of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are represented when laws and policies are being developed.
Treaty: A process of agreement making with the government.
This would see an agreement formed in writing about the rights and inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in decision making about issues that affect them.
Truth: A national acknowledgement of our nations’ true history, and the treatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the past.
This would involve exploring and uncovering all of the events of our nation’s past, having them publicly acknowledged by our nation and becoming part of the way we share and learn about our country’s history.

Note that both ‘Treaty’ and ‘Truth’ could be achieved within a Makarrata Commission. 'Makarrata' is a Yolgnu word meaning ‘a coming together after a struggle’.

Step 3

Allow time for students to respond to the following questions on their Student Worksheets:

Who developed the Uluru Statement from the Heart?
What is the purpose of the Uluru Statement from the Heart?
Who is the Uluru Statement from the Heart written to?
What are the goals of each of the three main components of the Uluru Statement from the Heart?

Allow time for students to share their responses and extend upon what they initially wrote.

Reflection

Explain to students that Dean Parkin is from the Quandamooka People of Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island). He was a facilitator for the 12 regional dialogues that occurred in the lead-up to the Uluru Statement from the Heart being developed. He was directly involved in the process and feels a strong connection to the Uluru Statement from the Heart. He presented a talk explaining the Uluru Statement from the Heart, how it came to be, its meaning and its purpose, and he ends his talk with a strong message.

Show the end of his talk (from 17:46 - End):

The Uluru Statement From The Heart - an idea whose time has come | Dean Parkin | TEDxCanberra (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xB-31jD4XcA)

Invite students to share the message that he gave.

Emphasise that some of the things Dean Parkin encouraged us all to do are:

Share this story with others
Start a conversation
Express your support at the Uluru Statement website (updated - the link mentioned in the video is no longer active)
Write to your Members of Parliament.

Invite students to discuss the following questions with a partner:

What actions could you take?
With whom might you share this story or start a conversation?
Do you know anyone who might express their support or write to a Member of Parliament? Could you start a conversation with them about it?

Differentiated Learning

Extension - Students could draft an open letter to friends, family members, communities (i.e. school) or federal politicians explaining the context of the Uluru Statement from the Heart, encouraging them to access resources to learn more and/or lobbying them to show support.

Provisions for Learning Support - For independent tasks, If individuals find them challenging you may wish to form a group with the teacher to support selected students. You could also consider allowing students to work in pairs in which they can support each other to extend and develop their ideas.

Teacher Reflection

Take this opportunity to reflect on your own teaching:

What did you learn about your teaching today?
What worked well?
What didn't work so well?
What would you share?
Where to next?
How are you going to get there?

The Final Quarter - An Inclusive Constitution

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