Artists in our Community 3-4
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples please be aware that these resources may contain images, voices and references to deceased people.
Kaya! (Hello!)
Before commencing this course, we respectfully ask you to refer to the "Getting Started" section below. Here you will find information that pertains to our Deadly Arts courses, including statements from the First Nations artists and individuals featured in the videos as well as teaching tips to help you use the resources appropriately in your classroom.
Be inspired by the multidisciplinary artist Tyrown Waigana as he discusses his art, his influences and shares his insights into a recent school mural project he worked on in Perth, based on the Noongar six seasons. Rickeeta Walley shares valuable information about Noongar culture and provides insightful information to teachers and students who are planning to connect and engage with their First Nations communities.
Throughout the 6 x 60-minute Visual Arts lessons, students are encouraged to "think like artists" and carefully observe the natural world around them. Drawing skills and techniques are explored, environmental sculptures constructed and a collaborative drawing inspired by the natural world will get these artists creating!
We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and pay our respects to Elders both past and present. We acknowledge the rich heritage of ceremony, singing, dancing and storytelling that powerfully embodies one of the oldest living cultures in human history. We recognise the valuable contribution Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists have made to the cultural expression of life on this land and deeply respect their creativity, knowledge and resilience.
Listen. Respect. Connect. Reflect.
1. Listen
These resources recognise First Nations peoples as true educators, passing wisdom and knowledge onto generations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and wider Australians. Every effort has been made in the design of videos, lesson plans and accompanying materials to amplify First Nations voices in the classroom.
Please read the relevant statements from the artists and individuals involved with this course before teaching the associated content. These statements provide information about each individual's identity and provide context to the people in the videos. The First Nations Teaching Artists share insights into their connections to Country/place and explain what Noongar culture means to them. These reflections provide students with direct insight into the diverse range of First Nations peoples across Australia.
Listen to the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait students and families in your community.
Consult with local Elders and listen to their advice and knowledge. Take the time to ask questions and learn from and with First Nations peoples.
2. Respect
As you read the resources you may notice we have used different spellings of Noongar as wehave tried, wherever possible, to use the preferred spellings of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people involved with the resources.
Noongar are made up of fourteen different language groups. There are many variations in the spelling of Noongar, e.g. Nyoongar, Nyungar, Noongah, Nyoongah or Nyungah, as it was traditionally an oral language.
We have respectfully chosen to use the spelling Noongar throughout the Deadly Arts collection as this is the spelling used by the WA Department of Education and the spelling used in the official native title claim.
The learning experiences developed from the videos are designed to cater for a wide range of school settings. We appreciate that every school is different and that the resources may need to be adapted to suit your context. Please take the time to read the local Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander educational protocols, associated with your State or Territory's education setting.
We encourage teachers and students to read and respect the advice included in the artists' statements and appreciate that their advice is related to the content discussed in the videos.
Respect the advice given by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples within your community and maintain relationships through ongoing consultation.
3. Connect
We encourage learning communities to connect with the First Nations people in their area and learn from the First Nations people within your community.
Communicate your intentions to families and invite them to share their cultural knowledge with your class. Building these relationships develops stronger communities, deepens cultural awareness and understandings.
If you are considering working with Aboriginal or Torres strait islander artists on a community school project please consult with the local Elders and Traditional Custodians in your community, to deepen relationships and to ensure your project is culturally appropriate for your context. We advise that you consult with your local educational authority and read the relevant cultural protocols related to your community.
The courses and the accompanying learning experiences could be revisited from different perspectives. We have provided ideas in each course to take the students' learning further so that the videos can be revisited and connect and embed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures to other areas of the curriculum.
4. Reflect
We hope our courses encourage rich dialogue and spark curiosity within your class to learn more from First Nations peoples. As you embark on a journey of open and continuous dialogue with your community and learn together, we all make a positive step towards reconciliation.
The Song Room and ARTS:LIVE are always keen to improve and hear feedback from teachers who use our resources. Please share your experiences with us via this link or contact us directly here.
"Our First Nations cultures are so rich and we have so much to share, and it's fantastic when people want to learn... Lift up aboriginal voices, listen to Aboriginal people so we can all benefit from this old, cultural knowledge"
(Rickeeta Walley, Noongar Teaching Artist)
Teacher Packs
The Teacher Packs below contains all the lesson plans associated with this course.
All other activity sheets and course materials can be downloaded through the Lessons Tab.
The Curriculum Alignment document below maps this course against the Australian Curriculum.
This is a valuable resource for the Visual Arts curriculum for students in Years 3-4. The Cross Curriculum priority, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures is embedded throughout the course. The learning experiences include authentic opportunities for students to develop the General Capabilities - Critical and Creative Thinking, Personal and Social Capability, Intercultural Understanding and Ethical Understanding.
First Nation multidisciplinary artist, Tyown Waigana, shares his story and explains aspects of his art practice and cultural influences. Students are provided opportunities to be both artist and audience. They are encouraged to respond to their world through a range of drawing and mark making experiences and observe and respond to the natural world and their environment.
Information presented by Rickeeta Walley about the Noongar six seasons provides opportunities for students to discuss how artists represent their ideas symbolically and enable students to appreciate and discuss the cultural significance of using cultural knowledge appropriately.
Students are provided individual and collaborative experiences and may choose to present a collaborative drawing to their community at the end of the course.
Teachers may wish to take their students' learning further and connect the learning experiences to other areas of the curriculum and explore the ideas provided throughout the course.
It is highly recommended that educators invite local Elders and Traditional Owners to speak to students and staff about the histories and cultures of the area on which their school is situated to enhance the learning outcomes and their school's relationships with their Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander community.
The Deadly Arts Collection was produced in partnership with The Song Room Teaching Artists:
Olman Walley, Rickeeta Walley, Yolande Yarran-Ward, Marcelle Riley, Charley Caruso, Tyrown Waigana, Della Rae Morrison and Olivia Samec.
Filming took place in the south-west of WA on Noongar boodja (Country).
Thank you to all the wonderful principals, teachers and school communities who collaborated with us throughout the project, including:
Brookman Primary School, Medina Primary School, Neerigen Brook Primary and Coolbellup Community School.
With special thanks to Rachel Riggs, Colin Watego for sharing his School Acknowledgement Song, Duncan Imberger from Deeper Richer, Merindah Hansen, Community Arts Network (CAN) WA, Madjitil Moorna and Irma Woods our Community Liaison Officer in WA.
Produced by The Song Room with the generous support of Lotterywest.
Have feedback to share about this resource? Take our quick survey to tell us about your experience or contact us directly here.
Learning Intention:
To develop an appreciation of a contemporary artist and their artwork and to consider how artists express their ideas in different ways.
Learning Intention:
To develop drawing skills through careful observation and from sharing ideas.
Learning Intention:
To analyse an artwork and identify how art can convey meaning and affect a community.
Learning Intention:
To create and share an artwork that reflects the place it was made.
Learning Intention:
To observe my environment and record my observations through drawing and mark making.
Learning Intention:
To create and display an artwork that reflects the environment it was created in and explore why artists display their artwork.