Year Level:

Grade Five/Six

Lesson Duration:
Three lessons; each lesson will be 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the discussion that takes
place

Title of Lesson:
Literature Circles

Learning Outcomes and Specific Purpose:
Students will develop the ability to contribute to group discussions by listening to and
acknowledging the contributions of others.

Links to AusVELS:

History:
Students identify change and continuity and describe the causes and effects of change
on society.
Students compare the different experiences of people in the past.
Students explain the significance of an individual and a group.
Speaking and Listening:
Students listen to discussions, clarifying content and challenging others ideas.
Writing:
Students understand how language features and language patterns can be used for
emphasis.
Reading and Viewing:
Students understand how the use of text structures can achieve particular effects.
Students compare and analyse information in different texts, explaining literal and
implied meanings.

Equipment/Resources Required:
The Rabbits written by John Marsden and illustrated by Shaun Tan

Australia from the Beginning written by Eve Pownall and illustrated by Walter Cunningham
(brief passages and/or chapters to be photocopied and distributed among the children)

Aboriginal Australians: A History Since 1788 written by Richard Broome (brief passages and/or
chapters to be photocopied and distributed among the children)

The Biggest Estate on Earth: How Aborigines Made Australia written by Bill Gammage (brief
passages and/or chapters to be photocopied and distributed among the children)

The Fatal Shore written by Robert Hughes (brief passages and/or chapters to be photocopied
and distributed among the children)

Literature Circle handouts (see Appendix section) featuring a description of what each member
of the group will be required to accomplish throughout the course of the lesson

Writing materials




Learning Sequences


Lesson Structure:

Introduction:
Firstly the children will have The Rabbits read to them in order to get their minds thinking
about the different issues that Indigenous people of Australia were facing at the time of white
settlement.
However, as this is the first lesson in this unit of work, there will be very little discussion at this
point, as the hope is that through interacting with other texts (mentioned above), they will
begin to form their own opinions about this event in history, without becoming biased due to
teacher influence.

Main Component of Lesson:
The children will be divided into four groups of six and will be assigned different roles in
accordance with the Literature Circle handouts provided to them.
The roles are as follows; discussion director (leads discussion around the overall topic of white
settlement in relation to texts provided), vocabulary enricher (clarifies meaning of unfamiliar
words or phrases), literary luminary (examines parts of speech within a text that may carry a
double meaning, emotive language and/or vivid descriptions), analyst (identifies and evaluates
various literary elements within a text), summariser (creates a summary of events that occur
within a text) and an illustrator (creates visual representations of key events within a text).
Through this exploration of literary elements and key events within the texts provided, it is
hoped that the children will develop a more evaluative way of looking at the different incidents
that have occurred throughout Australian history in relation to white settlement and the effect
this had and continues to have on the Indigenous people of this land. There is never only one
side to history, and it is incredibly important that children begin to understand this concept.
Upon completion of the literature circles (that is, each student has fulfilled their role to the
satisfaction of themselves and their peers), each group will determine five to ten interesting
facts about the white settlement of Australia that they did not already know prior to the lesson
taking place.
Once each member is content with the facts selected, the discussion director will offer the
groups facts to the classroom teacher so he/she may compile them on the board in addition to
the three other groups offerings.

Conclusion:
At the conclusion of the lesson, the children will be brought to the floor of the classroom, and
the teacher will read out the interesting facts as put forth by the students. A brief discussion will
take place regarding the facts presented, with the spotlight on whether John Marsdens book
effectively illustrates the events that occurred during the white settlement of Australia. The
children will be encouraged to think in an evaluative and critical manner, which will assist them
in the lessons to come within the unit of work.

Year Level:
Grade Five/Six

Lesson Duration:
Two lessons; each lesson will be 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the length of the
explanation for the selected tasks

Title of Lesson:
Illustrative Diary Entries

Learning Outcomes and Specific Purpose:
Students will demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the written and visual
elements of the text.

Links to AusVELS:

History:
Students compare the different experiences of people in the past.
Writing:
Students understand how language features and language patterns can be used for
emphasis.
Students create detailed texts elaborating upon key ideas for a range of purposes and
audiences.
Reading and Viewing:
Students understand how the use of text structures can achieve particular effects.

Equipment/Resources Required:
The Rabbits written by John Marsden and illustrated by Shaun Tan

Diary/illustration Template (see Appendix section) featuring space for both their illustration as
well as their diary entry

Writing/Drawing materials

Lesson Structure:
Introduction:
To start, the children will have The Rabbits re-read to them, keeping in mind their thoughts
about the book from previous lessons and looking for any specific words or phrases that they
might have looked past or simply not seen at all. They will also look at the pictures throughout
the book and identify any aspects that may influence their choice of whose perspective they
would like to write their diary entry from.

Main Component of Lesson:
The children will return to their desks and work individually with the Diary/Illustration
template provided for them.
Students will draw their interpretation of The Rabbits with a focus on any aspects of the book
that stood out for them; this could be either a picture or a word or phrase. They will then write a
diary entry to accompany their illustration from the perspective of either an Indigenous
Australian or one of the white settlers. By doing this, we can grasp certain emotions that
children have toward the book and the events throughout the book that we may not have seen
through one-on-one conversations or class discussion.

Conclusion:
At the end of the two lessons, the children will return with their completed illustrations along
with their accompanied diary entry. We will then go around the group and discuss what they
have drawn and why, as well as the specific aspects of the book that influenced their choice of
which perspective to write about. This could be a particular image throughout the story or a
word/phrase that they felt stood out to them.
Year Level:
Grade Five/Six

Lesson Duration:
Approximately one lesson; lasting for 45 minutes to an hour

Title of Lesson:
"Different Perspectives"

Learning Outcomes and Specific Purpose:
Students will illustrate the ability to determine how the author uses various techniques that make
us think.

Links to AusVELS:
Speaking and Listening:
"Students listen to discussions, clarifying content and challenging other's ideas."
Writing:
"Students understand how language features and language patterns can be used for
emphasis."
Reading and Viewing:

"Students understand how the use of text structures can achieve particular effects."
"Students compare and analyse information in different texts, explaining literal and
implied meaning."
"Students analyse and explain how language features, image and vocabulary are used by
different authors to represent ideas, characters and events."

Equipment/Resources Required:
The Rabbits written by John Marsden and illustrated by Shaun Tan

Writing materials along with their exercise books

Lesson Structure:
Introduction:
Firstly, the children will have "The Rabbits" read to them for a third time. This time, they will focus
on different language techniques such as emotive language that they can see throughout the book.
They will also look for signs of which perspective the story is written in; whether it be from the
Indigenous point of view, or the white settlers.

Main Component of Lesson:
In small groups, the children will identify a number of literary techniques within "The Rabbits." In
addition, children will need to find particular words/phrases that show a distinctive perspective
throughout the storyline.

Conclusion:
When the task has been completed, children will return to the carpet with at least one technique or
perspective that they found within The Rabbits. We will then go around the room and discuss how
the children found the task; whether it was easy or difficult, and what they did to try and make the
task easier for them or how they may have challenged themselves.

Year Level:
Grade Five/Six

Lesson Duration:
Approximately one lesson; lasting for 45 minutes to an hour

Title of Lesson:
"Oral Presentation/Debate

Learning Outcomes and Specific Purpose:
Students will develop a balanced and well informed comprehension of the issues associated with
the White Settlement of Australia.

Links to AusVELS:
History:
"Students compare the different experiences of people in the past."
Speaking and Listening:
"Students listen to discussions, clarifying content and challenging others' ideas."
"Students make presentations and contribute actively to class and group discussions,
using a variety of strategies for effect."
Writing:
"Students create detailed texts elaborating upon key ideas for a range of purposes and
audiences."

Equipment/Resources Required:
The Rabbits written by John Marsden and illustrated by Shaun Tan

Writing materials along with their exercise books

Lesson Structure:
Introduction:
To begin the lesson, "The Rabbits" will be read to the children for a final time, where they will need
to think very hard about which perspective they agree with in terms of the White Settlement.

Main Component of Lesson:
Students will individually work on a three minute oral presentation draft that indicates whether
they believe the decisions made by the white settlers were the right choices. This draws on previous
lessons and the different tasks that they have completed throughout the unit of work.

Conclusion:
After completing the draft for their oral presentation, students will participate in a debate in front of
the class that identifies which perspective they connected with most and why. They can also refer
back to previous lessons and "The Rabbits" itself.
This final lesson will result in the culminating text which will involve the students making last
minute adjustments to the arguments used in their oral presentation in order to create a five to ten
minute speech on their beliefs in relation to this event in history.
Upon completing this final copy of their oral presentation, the children will once again talk in front of
their classmates before engaging in a concluding debate that will mark the end of the unit of work.


Appendix One: Literature Circle Handout
Role Description of Role What You Noticed During
the Reading of the Text/s
Discussion Director Leads discussion around the
overall topic of in relation to
texts provided




Vocabulary Enricher Clarifies meaning of
unfamiliar words or phrases




Literary Luminary Examines parts of speech
within a text that may carry a
double meaning, emotive
language and/or vivid
descriptions


Analyst Identifies and evaluates
various literary elements
within a text



Summariser Creates a summary of events
that occur within a text







Illustrator Creates visual representations
of key events within a text
















Appendix Two: Illustration and Diary Entry Template
Name: ________________________________











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