Understanding The Dreaming for Primary School Students

Lesson Guide for Primary aged Students

Students will gain an understanding of The Dreaming/Dreamtime, its central role in Aboriginal culture, and how it is expressed through stories and art.

Download The Dreaming Lesson Guide

Teacher Notes:

• The Dreaming: Explain that The Dreaming, also known as The Dreamtime, is the foundation of Aboriginal culture. It encompasses the time when the world was created, the origins of life, the land, and all living things. The Dreaming is not just a time in the past but a continuous spiritual reality that influences all aspects of life for Aboriginal peoples.
• Dreamtime Stories: Share with students that Dreamtime stories are a way to pass on important cultural knowledge, morals, and laws. These stories explain the creation of the world, the relationship between people and the environment, and the responsibilities that Aboriginal people have to care for the land and each other.
• Connection to Art: Discuss how Aboriginal art often depicts elements of The Dreaming, with each piece of art holding deep spiritual meaning. The symbols, patterns, and images used in Aboriginal art are often connected to these stories, helping to keep them alive and relevant for future generations.

Resources: 

• Reading: Please see out texts on The Dreaming and Dreamtime Stories to grasp a good understanding of the subject.
• Class Reading: If possible buy some story books. The Pamela Lofts series ''AN ABORIGINAL STORY" are recommended for Primary schools and Pre-schools. They do seem hard to find new though they are always at the op shop. Listed below.

Activity:

• Story Sharing: Choose a Dreamtime story that is appropriate for the age group. Read the story aloud to the class, ensuring you convey the significance of the story in Aboriginal culture.
• Reflection: After sharing the story, have a class discussion about its meaning. Ask students to think about what the story teaches about the natural world, human behaviour, or the relationship between people and their environment.
• Creative Writing: Encourage students to write their own short story inspired by what they learned from the Dreamtime story. This could be a story about how a natural feature in their local environment came to be, reflecting the style and purpose of Dreamtime stories without directly replicating Aboriginal content (which is not ok).

Class Discussion:

• Explore how The Dreaming influences daily life, laws, and art in Aboriginal communities. Look at a number of example paintings and see what story they might tell and then reveal the story they do tell. Discuss how these stories are passed down from generation to generation and why it’s important to preserve them.

Respectful Considerations:

• Emphasise the importance of not recreating or copying Aboriginal symbols or artworks, but rather focusing on understanding and respecting the cultural significance of these elements.
• Encourage students to think about their own cultural stories or myths and how they might compare or contrast with Aboriginal Dreamtime stories.
  
  

Books to consider for the classroom:

1. Yarrtji: Six Women's Stories from the Great Sandy Desert
   • Anthology, Oral History, Prose, Poetry, Dreaming Story
   • Authors/Contributors: Tjama Napanangka, Bai Bai Napangarti, Sonja Peter (Editor), Pamela Lofts (Editor), Tjama Napanangka (Translator), Patricia Lee Napangarti (Translator)
   • Publication: Canberra: Aboriginal Studies Press, 1997.

2. How the Kangaroos Got Their Tails: An Aboriginal Story
   • Children's Picture Book, Indigenous Story
   • Authors/Illustrators: George Lirrmiyarri Mung Mung, illustrated by Pamela Lofts
   • Publication: Sydney: Ashton Scholastic, 1987.

3. The Bat and the Crocodile
   • Children's Picture Book, Indigenous Story
   • Authors/Illustrators: Jacko Dolumyu, Hector Sandaloo, illustrated by Pamela Lofts
   • Publication: Gosford: Ashton Scholastic, 1987.

4. The Kangaroo and the Porpoise: An Aboriginal Story
   • Children's Picture Book, Prose, Dreaming Story
   • Authors/Illustrators: Alunga Agnes Lippo, illustrated by Pamela Lofts
   • Publication: Sydney: Ashton Scholastic, 1987.

5. Warnayarra: The Rainbow Snake
   • Children's Picture Book, Indigenous Story
   • Authors/Illustrators: Lajamanu School, illustrated by Pamela Lofts
   • Publication: Sydney: Ashton Scholastic, 1987.

6. The Echidna and the Shade Tree
   • Children's Picture Book, Indigenous Story
   • Authors/Illustrators: Mona Green, illustrated by Pamela Lofts
   • Publication: Sydney: Ashton Scholastic, 1984.

7. When the Snake Bites the Sun
   • Children's Fiction, Dreaming Story
   • Authors/Illustrators: David Mowaljarlai, illustrated by Pamela Lofts
   • Publication: Sydney: Scholastic Australia, 1984.

8. An Aboriginal Story
   • Children's Picture Book, Indigenous Story
   • Author: Pamela Lofts
   • Publication: Series published by Scholastic Press, 1983.

9. Dunbi the Owl
   • Children's Picture Book, Indigenous Story
   • Authors/Illustrators: Daisy Utemorrah, illustrated by Pamela Lofts
   • Publication: Sydney: Ashton Scholastic, 1983.

10. How the Birds Got Their Colours
    • Children's Picture Book, Indigenous Story
    • Authors/Illustrators: Mary Albert, illustrated by Pamela Lofts
    • Publication: Sydney: Ashton Scholastic, 1983.

11. When the Snake Bites the Sun
    • Children's Picture Book, Dreaming Story, Indigenous Story
    • Authors/Illustrators: David Mowaljarlai, illustrated by Pamela Lofts
    • Appears in: Visions of Mowanjum: Aboriginal Writings from the Kimberley (1980), pp. 102-103.