First Contact is a day program focusing on the initial contacts between Aboriginal and European people in the Moreton Bay area. Students are immersed in a moment in time in 1823, when circumstances brought the two different cultures together for the first time. Students are encouraged to become 'Champions for the Bay' by developing deeper understanding of local Indigenous Culture and reflecting on historical events and how they shaped the area.
The program begins with an introduction to the story of Pamphlett, Parsons and Finnegan, three ex-convicts lost in Moreton Bay. Students adopt the role of Pamphlett, Parsons and Finnegan and follow their story, learning some of the knowledge and skills the Indigenous people of the Moreton Bay area freely shared. To facilitate learning, students participate in an Indigenous Presentation focusing on Culture, Language, Country and Lifestyle. This includes a Yarning Circle, a Bush Foods Walk, learning Indigenous names for the local area and a Tools and Weapons Demonstration.
Students are invited to put their new knowledge into action and discover if they are able to survive alone, as the three men had to when they reached the mainland of Moreton Bay. Under the guidance of Moreton Bay Environmental Education Centre teachers, students attempt a range of hands-on activities that were essential for survival, such as fire building, shelter construction from natural local materials, using a spear and boomerang to "hunt" animals and storytelling.
The day provides students with the opportunity to reflect and analyse their learning and new understandings in relation to Indigenous Culture, Language, Country and Lifestyle. The program culminates with students discovering the last chapter of the Pamphlett, Parsons and Finnegan story and finding out whether they survived and what became of them!
Curriculum Intent
Humanities and Social Sciences
Inquiry and Skills
Questioning
- Pose questions to investigate people, events, places and issues (ACHASSI073)
Researching
- Sequence information about people's lives and events (ACHASSI076)
Analysing
- Examine information to identify different points of view and distinguish facts from opinions (ACHASSI077)
Evaluating and Reflecting
- Interact with others with respect to share points of view (ACHASSI080)
Knowledge and Understanding
History
The diversity of Australia's first peoples and the long and continuous connection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples to Country/Place (land, sea, waterways and skies) (ACHASSK083)
The journey(s) of AT LEAST ONE world navigator, explorer or trader up to the late eighteenth century, including their contacts with other societies and any impacts (ACHASSK084)
The nature of contact between aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and others, for example, the Macassans and the Europeans, and the effects of these interactions on, for example, people and environments (ACHASSK086)
Geography
The importance of environments, including natural vegetation, to animals and people (ACHASSK088)
The custodial responsibility Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have for Country/Place, and how this influences views about sustainability (ACHASSK089)
General Capabilities
Literacy
- Composing texts through speaking, writing and creating
Numeracy
Critical and creative thinking
Identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas
Generating ideas, possibilities and actions
Reflecting on thinking and processes
Ethical understanding
Understanding ethical concepts and issues
Reasoning in decision making and actions
Exploring values rights and responsibilities
Personal and social capability
Self-awareness
Self-management
Social management
Intercultural understanding
Recognising culture and developing respect
Interacting and empathising with others
Reflecting on intercultural experiences and taking responsibility
Cross-curriculum Priorities
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Culture
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples live in Australia as first peoples of Country or Place and demonstrate resilience in responding to historic and contemporary impacts of colonisation
The significant contributions of Aboriginal Peoples and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in the present and past are acknowledged locally, nationally and globally
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have holistic belief systems and are spiritually and intellectually connected to the land, sea, sky and waterways
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander societies have many language groups
C2C
HASS Unit 1 'Early Exploration and Settlement'