Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

30 minutes

Part A: More Similar Than We Are Different

90 minutes

Part B: Watching The Final Quarter

20 minutes

Part C: Seed Prompt Discussion

10 minutes

Reflection

Learning intentions and success criteria

Students will...

be familiar with the context and continued significance of The Final Quarter film, as well as with the context of race relations and reconciliation in Australia
understand the key themes and purpose of the film
be aware of other people’s reactions to the film
know how to respond constructively to the themes in the film and be sensitive towards the emotional responses of themselves and others
understand that they may have strong reactions to the film and know where to go to find support.

Students can...

recognise the significance of The Final Quarter film within the context of Australia today
identify and describe key characteristics of Adam Goodes
respond constructively and sensitively to the themes in the film
identify and find supports to help understand any information and emotions experienced during or after watching the film.

Part A: More similar than we are different

Step 1

Introduce the lesson by asking students if they have heard of Adam Goodes and, if they have, what they know about him. This is a good opportunity to see what they already know about his sporting achievements and support for social change as well as their understanding of the pride he has in his Aboriginal identity.

If students have little to no knowledge of who Adam Goodes is or any of his achievements, read through the Adam Goodes Profile as a class.

Step 2

Explain to students that they will now learn more about Adam Goodes and his achievements both on and off the football field through a ‘Who Am I?’ investigation task. Explain to students that the statements in this activity could be about a number of different people, and are not unique to Adam Goodes.

Read through each of the following true statements about Adam Goodes and discuss their significance - why might this be an important piece of information to know? For example, the statement “I have won the Australian of the Year Award” suggests that he has contributed to creating a better Australia, that he is respected and that he's a role model.

The statement “I was born in 1980” suggests his age and that he has had time to experience different situations. Perhaps students could compare his age with their parents or other adults they know, to gain some perspective on his life experience.

Suggested Statements:

I have won the Australian of the Year Award.
I grew up playing soccer.
I am a well known Aboriginal person.
I was born in 1980.
I grew up in Victoria and South Australia.
I am a founder of the GO Foundation to create opportunities for Indigenous youth through education.
I am a Brownlow Medal winner.
I am a retired footballer who played over 300 AFL games.
I stood up against racism in the AFL.
I have appeared on Anh’s Brush with Fame.

Step 3

Divide students into small groups and provide them with the Student Worksheet that includes the list of true statements about Adam Goodes.

In groups, invite students to investigate the statements, using the internet and their own general knowledge, to find other people that share similar achievements and experiences as Adam Goodes. Encourage each group to fill in the 'Who Am I?' table with as many people they can think of.

Adam Goodes	Other People
I grew up playing soccer.	Kids at this school, local soccer coach, Mile Jedinak (Socceroo) etc.

Step 4

Once groups have found people who have had similar experiences and achievements, facilitate a class discussion around their findings. The following questions could be used to help guide the discussion:

Which statements did you find easy to apply to other people? Why do you think this might be?
Are there any statements that you could put your name next to, or the name of someone that you know? Which ones?
How did you feel while investigating these shared experiences and achievements?
What does this investigation tell us about Adam Goodes? What does it tell us about his experiences and achievements when compared to other people?
Did you find someone who has shared a similar experience to Adam Goodes in regard to the last statement - “I stood up against racism in the AFL"? If not, why do you think it is not common?

Extension - Students can further explore their understanding of racism in Australia through a Stand On The Line activity. Invite students to identify where on the line they believe they stand from Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree, in response to each statement.

Explain to students that not everyone is going to agree on all of the statements and that it is an opportunity to listen to and learn from others. It is important that everyone has an opportunity to express their views on each statement but it is just as important to listen to other people's views and experiences.

Suggested statements could include:

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures are important to Australia’s national identity
Racial prejudice in the workplace, shops, and interactions with police is on the increase in Australia
School-aged children are being taught enough about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and histories
Generally speaking, Australia is a racist country

Step 5

Explain to students that a film has recently been made using only archival footage and media material from the final years of Adam Goodes’ career. It's called The Final Quarter. Ensure all students can see the screen and show the film trailer to the class.

The Final Quarter Trailer (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8KJ0_bdUDU)

Step 6

After watching the trailer, facilitate a brief class discussion using the following questions as a guide:

What do you think the film is about?
How does this film trailer make you feel, and how/why?
What key events are highlighted in the trailer?
What do you think the key themes or messages in the film might be?

Themes that students might suggest: AFL, sport, racism, standing up against racism, respect, the media, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander issues and voices.

Part B: Watching The Final Quarter

NOTE: It is important to acknowledge that the topics and themes of the film identified in the previous activities are complex and require an understanding of the truth of Australian history and the impact of this history on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous peoples. Depending on your group of students, you may need to spend time investigating these themes and ideas further to ensure students are prepared and ready to watch the full film.

To help ensure all students are supported in watching and discussing the film, particularly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, it is important to provide a safe and secure environment where all people feel safe to share and communicate personal experiences. Refer to the teacher information on Cultural Safety and Respect for more information.

You may choose to have a discussion with your students to form a mutually agreed list of sharing guidelines or principles to encourage safe and accepting conversations. These guidelines could include:

Own your ideas by using “I think” rather than “you should”
Respect each other by remembering that each person has their own beliefs and values and their own world views, experiences and opinions
Each person has a right to contribute their ideas, so listen politely
Be brave in sharing your ideas, experiences and opinions
Consider the privacy of your classmates and appreciate that everyone has the right to uphold their privacy. This might mean they don’t want to share their ideas or experiences on an issue
Share feedback in a way that is considerate and positive. Remember to be kind, helpful and specific when providing feedback.

For further information about creating a safe and secure environment, refer to this factsheet: Handling Sensitive Topics and Issues.

Step 1

Explain to students that they will soon be watching The Final Quarter documentary, which explores the events during Adam Goodes’ final three years playing AFL football for the Sydney Swans.

Invite students to arrange themselves so that they are seated where they can see the screen, and remind students that it is not just a football film but a film more about how one person was treated by Australian society and the media for standing up against racism.

Step 2

Watch the film - click here.

NOTE: You may choose to stop the film at intervals to ensure students are understanding the significance of events, people and reactions during the film. You might like to use these Film Timings and Questions as a guide.

Step 3

At the conclusion of the film, allow students a couple of minutes to openly talk in small groups about the film. This unstructured talk may help students feel more comfortable with the content of the film and the emotions they may be feeling.

Part C: Seed prompt discussion

Step 1

Attach these Seed Discussion Posters to the classroom walls and read them aloud to the class. Explain to students that these discussion seeds will be used as prompts to help facilitate a class discussion about the film, including the events, emotions and messages within it.

Step 2

Invite students to take a pen and rotate through each of the prompts, encouraging students to respond to each prompt with a ‘seed’ for the class discussion about the film.

Possible Seed Discussion Posters

Thoughts and feelings I have after watching the film
Things that stood out to me
Things that surprised me
How the film was compared to what I expected
Themes and messages I noticed in the film
Things I want to learn more about.

As students rotate through to each of the Seed Discussion Posters, listen into the conversations that students are having to get an understanding of how they are feeling and the messages or themes that are resonating with them.

Step 3

Once students have had an opportunity to write on all of the Seed Discussion Posters, ask the class to arrange themselves so that they are sitting in a large circle with the tables pushed to the sides of the classroom.

NOTE: Even though individual students' discussion seeds will not be identified, it is still important to explain to students that this classroom is a safe space, and there is no right or wrong emotion when responding to the film. This may also be a good opportunity to refer back to the agreed list of sharing guidelines or principles to encourage safe and accepting conversations.

Step 4

Detach the posters from the wall and lay them on the floor in the centre of the circle, then work through each of the discussion seeds, encouraging students to think about their own experience of watching the film and the impact that this film has had on them. It is important to allow students to share their responses when they are ready, which for some may not be in this group setting.

Depending on your group, you may choose to divide the class into two or three smaller groups and rotate the discussion seed posters for students to be more comfortable sharing their experience and impact.

Step 5

Once students have had an opportunity to respond to the Seed Discussion Poster prompts, facilitate a Think-Pair-Share discussion using the following ‘What Now?’ questions - questions that promote action or future decision making.

Think Pair Share

Think pair share is a collaborative learning strategy in which students work together to solve a problem or answer a question.

Think - students independently think about an issue or question and record their thoughts.

Pair - students work in pairs to discuss their ideas and record new thoughts.

Share - students share their thoughts with the whole group or with other pairs to reach consensus.

What can you positively (and practically) do with the information and feelings you have as a result of viewing the film? How could you carry out these practical actions?
Where might you find out the answers to any remaining questions you have after viewing the film?
Why is it important to critically engage with diverse perspectives – including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives – in seeking answers/responses to these questions?

Reflection

Reflection Pyramid

Provide each student with a copy of the Student Worksheet and draw their attention to the Reflection Pyramid. Invite students to think about and reflect on the film and the class discussion using the guiding questions within the pyramid.

4 Ideas that you have learned or that changed your thinking as a result of viewing the film and discussing it as a class. How/why did this occur?
3 Images, quotes or events of the film that you remember or that stuck out to you. How/why did these grab your attention?
2 Feelings that you experienced during this lesson. Try to link them to specific parts of the film or discussion and consider how/why these parts evoked these feelings.
1 Question you have after viewing the film or one thing you don’t understand and want to learn more about.

Differentiated Learning

Extension

Provisions for Learning Support

In Part A - Step 2, groups could be given one statement to investigate and then present back to the class. This allows each group to investigate deeply and then learn from other groups.
In the Reflection, students may choose to discuss their responses with a friend to help clarify their understandings.

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?

The Final Quarter - Responding To The Film

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Summary

Lesson guides and printables

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