Understanding Connection to CountryActivities & Teaching Strategies
Active learning helps students move beyond abstract ideas to tangible understanding. By mapping personal connections, role-playing responsibilities, and listening to stories, students transform the concept of ‘Connection to Country’ from a classroom idea into a lived experience that shapes identity and care.
Learning Objectives
- 1Identify specific cultural practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples that demonstrate their connection to Country.
- 2Explain how the concept of Country influences the responsibilities First Nations peoples have towards the land and waterways.
- 3Compare the perspectives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on Country with a mainstream Australian view of land as property.
- 4Describe the spiritual significance of Country for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
- 5Illustrate through drawing or writing how the relationship with Country guides the daily lives of First Nations peoples.
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Circle Time: Elders' Stories
Gather students in a circle to listen to a recorded story or guest Elder sharing Connection to Country. Prompt reflections with questions like 'What makes this place special?' Have each student share one word or drawing about their special place. Close with a group commitment to care for places.
Prepare & details
What does 'Connection to Country' mean for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples?
Facilitation Tip: For Circle Time: Elders' Stories, sit in a circle with no desks to encourage eye contact and shared focus on the speaker.
Setup: Wall space or tables arranged around room perimeter
Materials: Large paper/poster boards, Markers, Sticky notes for feedback
Pairs: My Special Place Map
Provide paper and art supplies for pairs to draw maps of a meaningful place in their lives, labeling sights, sounds, and feelings. Partners share maps and discuss similarities to First Nations Country. Display maps for a class gallery walk.
Prepare & details
How does the connection to Country influence the way First Nations peoples live and care for the land?
Facilitation Tip: For Pairs: My Special Place Map, provide colored pencils and large paper to support spatial reasoning and creative expression.
Setup: Wall space or tables arranged around room perimeter
Materials: Large paper/poster boards, Markers, Sticky notes for feedback
Small Groups: Caring Role-Play
Assign roles like custodian, storyteller, or gatherer in groups of four. Groups act out caring for Country through sustainable actions, such as cleaning a waterway model. Debrief with what they learned about responsibilities.
Prepare & details
In what ways is the relationship Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have with Country different from how most Australians think about land?
Facilitation Tip: For Small Groups: Caring Role-Play, assign clear roles with scripts or prompts to ensure all students participate meaningfully.
Setup: Wall space or tables arranged around room perimeter
Materials: Large paper/poster boards, Markers, Sticky notes for feedback
Individual: Connection Promise
Students reflect individually on one way to care for their school grounds as 'Country.' Write or draw a promise card. Collect and share select ones in a class promise tree display.
Prepare & details
What does 'Connection to Country' mean for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples?
Facilitation Tip: For Individual: Connection Promise, model a personal promise first so students see how to articulate a commitment in their own words.
Setup: Wall space or tables arranged around room perimeter
Materials: Large paper/poster boards, Markers, Sticky notes for feedback
Teaching This Topic
Teach this topic by centering First Nations voices and perspectives. Avoid framing Country as a backdrop to other lessons. Instead, position it as the foundation of identity, law, and daily care. Research shows that when students engage with Indigenous knowledge holders and authentic materials, their understanding deepens and becomes more respectful and accurate.
What to Expect
Students will show they understand Connection to Country when they describe it as a living relationship with responsibilities, not ownership. They will identify specific places meaningful to themselves or others and explain how people care for Country through seasonal practices and ceremonies.
These activities are a starting point. A full mission is the experience.
- Complete facilitation script with teacher dialogue
- Printable student materials, ready for class
- Differentiation strategies for every learner
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Common MisconceptionDuring Circle Time: Elders' Stories, watch for students who describe Country as a place you can buy or sell like a house. Redirect by asking, 'How did the Elder say people care for Country? What responsibilities did they mention?'
What to Teach Instead
During Pairs: My Special Place Map, students often say 'I own this park.' Ask them to add labels for plants, animals, or memories tied to the place, shifting focus from ownership to relationships.
Common MisconceptionDuring Pairs: My Special Place Map, watch for students who describe Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander connections to Country as only from the past. Ask, 'What examples of caring for Country did you include in your map?' to highlight ongoing practices.
What to Teach Instead
During Small Groups: Caring Role-Play, if students say 'We protect sacred sites like a park ranger,' ask, 'What stories or laws guide how they protect these places?' to uncover spiritual and cultural dimensions.
Common MisconceptionDuring Small Groups: Caring Role-Play, listen for students who say 'All Aboriginal people live in the desert.' Ask each group to share the name of the Country they are representing to emphasize diversity.
What to Teach Instead
During Individual: Connection Promise, if students write only about a physical location, prompt them to include a memory, a responsibility, or a story connected to that place.
Assessment Ideas
After Individual: Connection Promise, provide students with a card asking, 'Name one way Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples show their connection to Country.' Ask them to draw a symbol and write one sentence explaining it.
After Circle Time: Elders' Stories, facilitate a class discussion using the prompt, 'How is the idea of Country for First Nations peoples different from how someone might think about their backyard or a park?' Encourage students to use examples from the stories shared.
During Small Groups: Caring Role-Play, present two short scenarios. Ask students to identify which scenario better reflects 'Connection to Country' and explain why, focusing on the depth of relationship described in their role-play.
Extensions & Scaffolding
- Challenge: Ask students to research and present a seasonal harvesting practice from a local First Nations community and compare it to a seasonal activity they do at home.
- Scaffolding: Provide sentence starters for the Connection Promise, such as 'I promise to... because...' to help students articulate their commitments.
- Deeper exploration: Invite a local Indigenous ranger or cultural practitioner to share how they care for Country today, connecting classroom learning to real-world roles.
Key Vocabulary
| Country | For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, Country is a living entity that includes land, waters, skies, plants, animals, and ancestral beings. It is a source of identity, law, and spirituality. |
| Connection to Country | The deep spiritual, cultural, and physical bond that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have with their ancestral lands and waters. This connection shapes their identity, responsibilities, and way of life. |
| Kinship | A complex system of relationships that defines an individual's place within their family, community, and Country. It guides social obligations and responsibilities towards people and the environment. |
| Dreaming/Dreamtime | The foundational spiritual beliefs and stories of Aboriginal peoples that explain the creation of the world and establish laws, customs, and connections to Country. |
Suggested Methodologies
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Caring for Country: First Nations Practices
Students will explore traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander practices for caring for Country, such as sustainable resource management and cultural burning.
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