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Get kids writing as early as possible, as much as possible. Past HSC qns are great.

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Get kids writing as early as possible, as much as possible. Past HSC qns are great.

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Young men and the far right’s influence on them

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My first three children were born in the first years of my 20s. As a young father, the lessons, both good and bad, both intentionally taught to me and subliminally absorbed, shaped how I raised them and how I treated their mother.

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Great site, including relevant articles + videos

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The Dreaming is First Nations peoples' understanding of the world and its creation.

Passed from generation to generation through storytelling, the Dreaming shares beliefs that are connected to Country and the natural world. These stories incorporate creation, rules for living, social regulations, ethics and morality. They often feature characters who demonstrate undesirable behaviours, and face consequences because of it.

The challenges of translation

The Dreaming is an English translation of a First Nations concept, which has different names in different language groups. In the Warlpiri language of Central Australia it is called Jukurrpa (also spelt Tjukurrpa). In Martu Wangka - a language spoken by the Martu people of Western Desert and Pilbara regions - it is called Manguny. 'The Dreaming' is considered a vastly inadequate translation of a concept which is difficult for non-Indigenous people to understand due to its complexity, non-linear and non-finite nature.

In his 1956 essay 'The Dreaming', the Australian anthropologist W.E.H. Stanner says:

A concept so impalpable and subtle naturally suffers badly by translation into our dry and abstract language.

- W.E.H. Stanner

Moreover, labelling it 'the Dreaming' may evoke fantastical or sleep-related imagery, distorting and even disrespecting the complexities and the importance of the concept: "These tales are neither simply illustrative nor simply explanatory, they are fanciful and poetic in content because they are based on visionary and intuitive insights into mysteries; and, if we are ever to understand them, we must always take them in their complex content."

Everywhen

The Dreaming did not take place at the beginning of time - this is a common misconception. It encompasses the past, present, and future; it is non-linear. As a holistic philosophy grounded in the very earth itself, it cannot be assigned to a past people. It is an integrated way of life that many First Nations people believe in and live by today.

Stanner coined the term 'everywhen' to describe this idea:

One cannot 'fix' The Dreaming in time: it was, and is, everywhen.

- W.E.H. Stanner

Narratives

The Dreaming is shared through stories, told verbally. They are often told to children by older people in the community. Just like many other forms of education. These stories have been passed down through generations for over 80,000 years.

The stories may differ from place to place and between Nations, but they have common features. For example, many are creation stories that feature Ancestral Beings who created everything - animals, plants, rocks, and land formations - as they moved through the land in human form. They also created a system of relationships between the individual, the land, animals, and other people. The Ancestral Beings are models for human and non-human activity, behaviour, ethics and morality.

Dreaming stories often follow a genesis narrative, and you may see similarities to Greek Mythology or other genesis stories.

Stanner explains that there is a: "Constant recitation of what was done rightly and wrongly in the Dreaming, the ways in which good men should, and bad men will act."

Stanner describes the Dreaming as "a 'key' or guide to the norms of conduct, and a prediction of how men will err."

The stories display a deep knowledge of Country. They contain important information about flora, fauna, and laws to obey in order to survive in particular environments. Before colonisation, these stories were an integral way of passing knowledge from one generation to the next, to ensure survival. Dreaming stories continue to be shared and strengthened from one generation to the next, and share deep knowledge systems that have existed since the beginning of human life.

The Ancestral Beings are often compared to the Greek gods, as they are flawed characters used as negative examples. However, while the stories are structurally similar, the Dreaming is not a religion and the Ancestral Beings are not gods.

By displaying less favourable qualities such as greed, violence, and lust, these Ancestral Beings are models of appropriate and inappropriate behaviour. In practice, the stories outline forbidden behaviours or activities condemned by the First Nations community.

As well as Ancestral Beings, Dreaming stories may also feature animals, insects, places, and flora. For example, food is a common theme in many Dreamings, as shown in artworks featuring 'bush tucker' like yams, bush bananas, witchetty grubs, and sugar bags. These Dreamings often give context and information about the natural world through stories of water, stars and specific landmarks.

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The 'Dreaming' or the 'Dreamtime' is a First Nations oral history of the world and its creation.

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Prepare for your HSC exams with these multiple choice questions.

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NSW DoE Stage 6 Aboriginal Studies Revision 

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NSW DoE Stage 6 Aboriginal Studies Revision 

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Reconciliation Australia Narragunnawali Curriculum Audit Template 

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Reconciliation Australia Narragunnawali Curriculum Audit Template 

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Staff carry out a tailored curriculum audit exercise to strengthen their appreciation of the importance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and contributions to English.

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Identify the common themes and ideas and teach those together

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get students to lie on the floor, eyes closed and listen. After write down initial thoughts. Listen again for links to Country and culture

https://www.commonground.org.au/dreamy/stories/living-echoes

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Wadbilliga, gugenyella, gadu mioroong. Lay down, breathe, for now, let me take you on a journey. Lay down, breathe, for now you rest on a bed of leaves in a sandstone cave on Saltwater Country. Echoes may drum through the usual night. Though especially when the moon swells to this unusual size. Subtle breeze sings through gum leaf canopies and kisses your skin. Lay down, breathe. This dream is about to begin. Rustling above, bark fingers tap to cicadas' symphony. Tonight, moonlight shimmers across the sandstone ceiling, dancing across cave walls in a ceremonial pattern. Blueness glimmers from the ripples of a water well, perfectly circular, made from the hands of ancients. Or perhaps eroded by the simple yet patient pattern of each water drop. A miniscule deeper, each generation. A monotonous lullaby, now your meditation. On a sandy floor, green wattle leaves cradle your body. The warm kiss of wind, a worthy blanket, the smell of incoming rain, a bedside friend. Before long, the echoes come again. During the rain, dreams often speak louder, as if to contest with the clouds and thunder. Drift into this dream now. You're safe to fall ever more heavier, as rain dumps atop your shelter. Underneath the rain, you feel the temperature change. The echoes soon and while transforming a new morning. You sit planted under rock shelter's edge. Your ears gather the affection of songbirds yearning beyond a blanket of mist. Your eyes find a waterfall replacing the usual drops. Across your face, a smile now swells as you ponder the waterfall in all of its power. Plunging into your fresh new well, a blessing from above, a cleansing shower. Contentment grows as your smile arises to the signs of sunrise in the call of I, gugenyella. Fresh water trickles from your forehead, finding the corner of your lips. You can taste the rainforest and all its living things this morning. And as if greeting an old friend, a happy song we choose to sing. Our way of shaking hands with sun rays, as they struggle through the grey haze of rain, mist and living echoes. More of your kin join the ceremony. Content with the bush orchestra, you lean down and take another sip of the water that now surrounds you. Though you pause for a moment, noticing that rain and ripples are only temporary, and you're the only person here. The heaviest of drops now been and gone, you decide it's time to walk. You walk back into your sandstone room until you reach a now dampened, mysterious crevice. Just above your head and half an arm's length deep, you pull from it an assortment of personal keeps. Two uneven sized stems from grasstree and woven bag made from the fibers of stringy bark, which sometimes caused itchiness when worn on days like this. Fastening the bag around your neck, you kneel down beside where sunlight now bounces from puddles onto stone wall. You trace a white stencil of a much smaller hand, sandstone still damp from the morningness under your fingers, but paint feels far from fresh. You fix your eyes on a larger neighbouring stencil and drift for a second into the softer edges than of your own hand, now pressed on top of theirs. Then I, timekeeper, gugenyella, let you know it's time to go. You step gingerly from your cave over a layer of white, silver, and black. Bimbalas, pipis, abalone shells all scattered across the shelter's doorstep. You farewell a tall spotted gum as it stands strong just meters beyond sandstone and shellfish. Acknowledging its guardianship by brushing with both hands the sweat from your armpit, Caressing each nearest fleshy grey blemish, noticing how the tree is like you. Together, we leave behind the sounds of the bush, and two old hands wave us goodbye. You continue on your journey. More budjarns of time pass by, signaling open skies. The sun now shining high as you slow toward mountain's plateau. Following this ridge line helps you admire my voice, my windsong. Dry rib grass here too high, feel its touch against your thighs. Time to heal this Country. You reach into stringy bag, removing a loose handful of dried palm bark. Taking a seat on the grassy path, you align each grasstree arm, according to the coordinates of the journey of the sun. You pause for a moment here, bringing your attention to the wind and your own breath. Rubbing the sweat from your palms onto the dry grassy bed. Clearing your head and staying present. You aim the thin stem vertically above, and perpendicular to its quiet partner. You rub your palms together, spinning one stem into another. Partnering with the tempo of your breath. Slow and easy, in, and out. In, and out. Far from effortless, though seeming too easy, an ember emerges from the grounded stem. A miniature version of the sun itself. You cradle your newborn life in its bed of palm, blowing it with your spirit, giving rise to the right fire. Laying it down, you let me nurture the rest, while manufacturing a torch from a burning grass nest. Gugenyella reminds us to walk. Heat brushes across your face, each time lowering that fire, each time, burning a different side of your path. Each time, we blow our spirit into it again, with love and the affection of the wind. As we go on, your mouth feels drier. Without even thinking, you pull on the stem of lomandra and chew on its fleshy white end. The same taste of life from this morning, mixed with plant this time. You pay mind to the gentle fire as it trickles across the ridge line's spine. Rippling in circles. Smoke rises soft and white. You trace the newborn clouds with your free hand, and acknowledge in delight, the shapes dancing back at you. You find in this moment of peace and smoke, your attention drawn to a flying shadow. An observant white bellied sea eagle. You're drawn away again, now to the smell of salt water, as the sea cliff barrels closer. You take another moment to breathe, and admire Country. As she spills from mountains into the sea. And like white belly, you descend towards this moment of peace. Living echoes closely follow. Your feet reach the beachfront, exfoliating with each sandy step. Dancing in the shallows, you feel a shell bed. Breaching from your feet are pipis, you collect them with one hand, as your other hand rotates a fresh lomandra stem in your mouth. Taking only what you need. Knowing the itch from your stringy bag will grow in intensity, as will its heaviness increase. Your mind wanders the clear skies, dreaming of what the stars may look like tonight. Collecting the universe with just your fingertips and toes, filling your stringy bag with stars of black, white, and silver. They rattle and scrape against one another. As a rocky point slowly draws closer, your excitement grows in the shape of an oyster. You trace with your feet, one ancient sea stone to another. Rock pools swirl and greet you like no stranger. Before reaching into a perfectly circular portal, your eyes catch another. And before long the echoes come again, and you realise you are no longer alone. But with me, my friend. I am their living echoes. I am your Country.

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Explore the 'Living Echoes' from storyteller Dakota Feirer from Bundjalung and Gumbaynggirr country. Dreamy was first launched in 2021 as part of a collaboration between Common Ground and Snapchat, supported by Registered Psychologist Greta Bradman. While the stories are contemporary, they bring an age-old practice of oral storytelling into the digital space.

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Once a week I have students do lighting writing at the start of the lesson (10-15 minutes). So for this, I just pull up questions - can be HSC question and have students just continuously write under timed conditions.

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We use the Wiradjuri Dreaming story (linked already on the Padlet- Common Ground) about the Three Brothers in our L&L unit and focus on the creation of landforms before comparing it with the creation stories of other volcanoes.

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Dramatic visuals from New Zealand Parliament as MP performs ‘Haka’

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Writing style

Because it concerns your thoughts, reflective writing is mostly subjective. Therefore, in addition to being reflective and logical, you can be personal, hypothetical, critical and creative. You can comment about your experiences, rather than solely drawing on academic evidence.

Reflective writing is an activity that includes description (what, when, who) and analysis (how, why, what if). It is an explorative tool often resulting in more questions than answers.

A reflective task may allow you to use different modes of writing and language:

Use full sentences and complete paragraphs for your reflections. Reflective writing is often less formal-you can usually use personal pronouns like 'I', 'my' or 'we' - but keep colloquial language to a minimum, e.g. terms like kid, bloke, stuff.

What can I discuss?

Your perceptions of the course and the content.

Any questions you have.

Experiences, ideas and observations you have had, and how they relate to the course or topic.

What you found confusing, inspiring, difficult, interesting and why.

Possibilities, speculations, hypotheses or solutions.

Alternative interpretations or different perspectives on what you have read or done in your course.

How new ideas challenge what you already know.

What you need to explore next in terms of thoughts and actions.

You can also discuss how you:

It's also helpful to make comparisons and connections between what you are learning and your prior knowledge and experience and your prior assumptions.

Getting started
Be clear about your task
Reflective writing assignments can take many forms, so check the guidelines in your course outline before you begin. Clarify any questions or uncertainties with your lecturer or tutor.
Clarify the practical aspects
Find out what form your task should take. You may need to submit a book or folder or complete an online component. In addition to writing, you may be able to include pictures, diagrams, media clippings etc.
Gather your ideas
Before you write, you need to think and reflect. Start by drawing a mind map.

Mind mapping is a technique that can help you expand your thinking, structure your ideas, and make connections. You can use a mind map to plan your assignment and arrange items to create the structure of your writing.

1. Write your topic in the centre of a blank page.

2. Draw related ideas on 'branches' that radiate from the central topic. When you get a new idea, start a new branch from the centre. Include any ideas, topics, authors, theories, experiences associated with your topic.

3. Map quickly, without pausing, to maintain a flow of ideas. Associate freely and do not self-edit; at this stage anything and everything is OK.

4. Circle the key points or ideas. Look at each item and consider how it relates to others, and to the topic as a whole.

5. Map the relationships between the ideas or key points using lines, arrows, colours. Use words or phrases to link them.

Resources on Mind Mapping

Tips to help you in your reflective writing process

Think of an interaction, event or episode you experienced that can be connected to the topic.

Describe what happened.

What was your role?

What feelings and perceptions surrounded the experience?

How would you explain the situation to someone else?

What might this experience mean in the context of your course?

What other perspectives, theories or concepts could be applied to the situation?

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Because it concerns your thoughts, reflective writing is mostly subjective. Therefore, in addition to being reflective and logical, you can be personal, hypothetical, critical and creative. You can comment about your experiences, rather than solely drawing on academic evidence. Reflective writing is an activity that includes description (what, when, who) and analysis (how, why, what if).

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Social

Political

Economic + Environment

Religious

Military

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Human rights

Access

Participation

Equity

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Always Was, Always Will Be by Thomas Mayo | Hardie Grant Publishing

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Essential reading for those who want to know ‘what’s next?’ after the October 2023 Voice to Parliament referendum, from one of the most respected Indigenous voices in the country.

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1. Sentence, phrase, word activity

2. Applying concepts to contemporary articles and justifying application

3. Looking for the relationship between concepts, how they interact and influence the other

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I get the students to analyse the HSC questions. So I set up a google doc and divide it up into questions/ sections. Then each student/or in pairs they copy and paste their question from the HSC paper since 2012 into the documents.

They then have to identify the content from the syllabus and the HSC directive verb.

From this we can identify trends in the questions and what sort of things that NESA always ask.

This seems to help the kids stress less, as they know what’s coming.

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‘Definition of insanity’: Close the gap failures laid bare

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The Productivity Commission says governments are shirking “meaningful action” to close the gap, as new data shows only four of the national targets are on track.

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Homework for my students each week is to post a link to a news article they have found in our OneNote about something that’s happened in Aboriginal spaces in the past week- each student speaks about their article for about 5 minutes and we have a discussion- great way to discuss current issues and things that you might see and want to save for later!

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prompt that can be used to promote discussions relating to dispossession / intergenerational trauma

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Collate a series of quotes by Aboriginal People which talk about the bigger key concepts

This starts a conversation, shows perspective and provides a road map for building content knowledge

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Language

Got sick if the kids use of appropriate terminology.

Word of the week. Each student had to construct a quick sentence with the word in it and casually drop it into a lesson where they think it is relevant. Prize for the cheekiest, funniest, etc.

Judy McCue

if the week