Activity 2 - Rabbit proof fence
Watch the movie ' Rabbit proof fence' by Doris Pilkington Garimara. Ask students to take note of the events that particularly strike them in terms of the removal of children from families as well as it's impact - mix of kinship structures, language etc.
Students can then take a poll as to how effective the movie was in conveying the message and history about the stolen generations. They may state their opinion by clicking yes or no or by clicking other and stating their answer there. The results of the poll will be discussed in class and why students had their opinion as they did.
Then ask students to make a timeline of events that occurred in the movie. Use this timeline to create their own play or movie- where students must consider the traditional Aboriginal families and how these removal laws had impacted them. They choose to reenact a play that considers aboriginal families of various stages ie: pre-contact families that lived their lives before Australian colonisation, as well as mid-nineteenth century descendants who were extremely affected by the removal laws.They may choose to record themselves on their ipads and play it on the smart-board or they can perform to the live audience. They have to particularly take into consideration of how it affected Indigenous Australians as families with strong kinship connections and values.
Cultural sensitivity
You as teachers must be culturally competent and alert at all times. Be culturally aware that some of these topics and activities may be an emotional experience for some students. Therefore, be mindful of the language used and address the events and people with respect when explaining. Also be aware that some students may have a negative approach to the film or may lack the ability to be culturally sensitive. In order to overcome those issues, explain at the beginning of each lesson of what is expected and how to respectfully voice their opinions at all times. In addition, remember that your knowledge might be limited sometimes particularly if your not from an indigenous background, so be prepared to be open-minded and learn from the students as well- who are from an indigenous background or students the bring quality information from government websites.