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Dreamtime:
A Ninth Grade English Language WebQuest
Beginning
Welcome
to a magical world—a world very different from the one you and I are used
to—welcome to
Task
To
better understand the Aborigine culture and its people, you will be absorbing
yourself in some of their ideas and stories.
Keep a Dreamtime Journal in Microsoft Word to respond to the questions
and prompts below (label each response to keep them organized). At the end of this journey, you will have the
resources to create your own magical story in the style of the ones you are
about to experience.
Journey
o
The best way to start is to understand
what you’ll be experiencing. Read this
brief introduction to Aborigine story telling:
Stories of the
Dreaming - Introduction
o
Now you might be wondering what
“Dreamtime” is. Read a description of
this intriguing concept here: Dreamtime
o
It’s time to be captured by the
Aborigine’s Creation Story. Using
headphones, you have the opportunity to hear Aunty Beryl Carmichael, an Australian
Aboriginal, tell this story by clicking “Audio Version.” (A text version is also available.) Click on the “Glossary” to look up words from
a language you might have never heard before: Creation Story
Ø
In your journal… Discuss your thoughts
on this story. What is your reaction to
this story? Why was it written? After reading the story, how would you
describe the Aborigine people? Refer
back to the Creation Story throughout your entry.
o
Here
are a few short stories about the animals, the people, and the land. They will give you more insight into the art
of story telling: Aboriginal
Dreaming
Ø
In your journal… Discuss the stories
in your life. When you were a child how did
your parents describe the indescribable to you?
Consider superstitions, traditions, major events such as births and
deaths, etc…
o
Below
are links to seven different story beginnings.
They are short, so read all seven:
Ø
In
your journal… Choose three of the story beginnings above and write a possible
ending for each (one page minimum for each).
o
Now hand in your Dreamtime
Journal. During the next week you will
be using it to write your own short story.
Further instructions on this will be discussed in class.
Guides
The following guides (resources) were used to make this WebQuest:
Indigenous Australia explores “Indigenous Australia through storytelling, cultures and histories.
It includes Stories of the Dreaming, teachers' resources and content for kids.
You can also use this site to find out about the Indigenous Australia
exhibition at the
Oz
Bird is a site all about the birds of
Outback Stories offers images of Aboriginal art, stories, and a dictionary to
define words and phrases unique to the Aborigine. Books about the
Decree
Your grade on the Dreamtime Journal
will be determined by the following criteria:
- Completion of the journal entries
- Obvious effort and thought put into the
entries
- Creative endings to the story beginnings
- Organization and neatness of the journal
Ending
Now you have some
insight into the rich culture of the Aborigine.
Obviously there is much more to discover and learn, but this WebQuest was designed to give you the basic information you
will need in order to create your own story.
In preparation for the writing assignment, continue thinking about what
events you would describe through stories.
If you are curious about the history of the Aboriginal and their lives
today, click on the links below to learn more:
Introduction
to Indigenous Australia
Last revised:
E-mail: cup_of_rhythm@yahoo.com