YEARS K–6 IDEAS FOR THE CLASSROOM
Incorporating Indigenous Culture into a Science Lesson (continued)
Body:
These resources may answer some of their questions. Students
can discuss in groups how they might go about seeking the
answers to any other questions they may still have.
Students are read the story of “Emu in the Sky” and shared
historical cultural knowledge of how Emu in the Sky is used for
determining the time to collect emu eggs and hunt grown emus.
They can also watch the YouTube clip, suggested above. Local
stories can also be shared, where possible. You might choose
to show students this short clip: https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=LzFYFutiwoA
Activity:
Students use pins to poke small holes into the outline of the pre-
drawn Emu in the Sky. Then they place more holes randomly
throughout the small take-away mug. They may then use a skewer
to increase the size of some of the holes, which will represent the
stars in their Milky Way. Students then use gel pens to add a
good variety of colours to their Emu outline and to the inside of
the Emu, similar to the colours that they have already observed
throughout the Milky Way.
During the Dreaming, a blind man lived with his wife in the bush.
Every day he told his wife to go out and hunt for emu eggs for him
to eat. Even though his wife tried hard to please her husband, he
was always angry with her, telling her that the eggs were too small.
Students then sit their LED mini candle on the inside lid of their
take-away mug and sit the mug over the top. The lamp is then
complete. Older students may be able to connect up the lamp for
themselves, incorporating a lesson on circuits at the same time.
They would just need wire, an LED and a battery (battery holders
from Jay Car or ebay can be helpful). See image 4
One day while she was out hunting, she came across some very
large emu tracks. She thought of her husband and how angry
he always became, so she followed the tracks all the way to
the nest. She found a huge emu there and threw stones at it to
get at the eggs, but it stood up, ran towards her and killed her.
Conclusion:
The blind man became hungry and worried about his wife. He
felt around the camp until he came across a bush with some
berries on it and ate some of them. Suddenly he could see. He
made some spears and a woomera and set off to find his wife. He
followed her tracks and finally saw the huge emu and the body of
his wife. He speared the emu and banished its spirit to the Milky
Way, where it can still be seen today.
Students use Socrative to reflect on the lesson and their new
knowledge. Socrative is free and easy to use. The login students
use is their own name plus the room name, (which you invent
yourself). Using the “Exit Ticket” option allows teachers to
determine how confident students feel about the content of your
lesson. Teachers can then make the third question open, allowing
students to demonstrate a greater depth of understanding, and
perhaps the opportunity to apply the knowledge they have just
acquired.
— a story from Papunya in the Northern Territory as told by
Maryke Steffens
73
SCIENCE EDUCATIONAL NEWS VOL 68 NO 4