Afloat

Connecting to prior knowledge

These first activities are designed to help students build connections between their own experiences and feelings using the imagery on the front cover of Afloat, written by Kirli Saunders and illustrated by Freya Blackwood. The aim is to support young readers to make sense of the themes of connecting to Country, cultures, and climate change in an age-appropriate way.

Predicting from the cover

Gather students for a whole class discussion. Show them the front cover of Afloat and point out the water. Remind them that there are clues in the picture and title that tell us what the story might be about. Ask:

What do you notice about the illustration?

Responses may include:

Record students’ responses on an anchor chart to start creating a word list.

Now draw their attention to the people in the picture. Ask:

• Who do you think they could be?
• What do you think they are doing?
• What do you think the story could be about?

Record students’ predictions on the anchor chart. Leave space to revisit the predictions after reading.

You could extend this experience by looking at other books students have read in class, and recalling any hints the illustrations on the cover provided about the story.

There is also an opportunity to explore the word ‘afloat’ and expose students to other words that follow this structure, with the ‘a-’ prefix that refers to a state of being (e.g. ‘adrift’, ‘afar’, ‘asleep’, ‘alive’). ‘Afloat’ is a two-syllable word with a ‘fl’ blend and a long /o/ sound created by the digraph ‘oa’. It describes something floating freely on the water without sinking or touching the bottom, i.e. the state of being supported by water. You could link this to waterways and to various Indigenous peoples around the world who are supported, uplifted, and sustained by their cultural practices.

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Weaving and vocabulary

NOTE: For the purpose of tracking page numbers, the first double-page spread will be considered pp. 1–2.

Before reading, ask students what they already know about weaving. Record or take note of their responses. Then watch this video from UNE’s Oorala Aboriginal Centre. This will support students to understand some of the references in the book.

From 01:44, we see Ngarrabul/Gamilaraay/Yuwaalaraay/Kooma woman Avril Chapman soaking and then splitting grasses to prepare them for weaving. We also see how the grasses are twisted to make cordage. From 04:42 there is a discussion about yarning as part of the weaving process; this is also referenced on pp. 11–12 of Afloat.

Now read Afloat to the class. Unpack some of the vocabulary and discuss the meaning of any unfamiliar terms. These may include:

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Exploring the text in context of our community, school, and ‘me’

Further building of background knowledge

Introduce the author, Kirli Saunders, and use the AIATSIS or Gambay First Languages Map to locate the Country to which she has connections (Gunai, also known as Gunaikurnai). Saunders is a multidisciplinary artist, which means that she works with different forms of art. This includes:

• Writing (fiction, poetry, children’s books, graphic novels, essays, plays)
• Visual art (painting, printmaking, fibre, sculpture, installation, digital)
• Music
• Theatre and performance

Explain that Saunders creates art as a way of bringing about change. Her work often explores the environment and the importance of caring for and connecting to Country. In her author’s note at the back of Afloat, Saunders discusses the impact of the climate crisis on First Nations peoples. She also highlights the importance of respecting and preserving cultural knowledge, including the gathering and weaving practices described in the book.

Share images and/or videos from reputable sources that depict various weaving techniques from across the globe (e.g. from Laos, Colombia and Venezuela, Peru). Ask:

• Why do people weave?
• How do you think people learn to weave?

It is important not to homogenise weaving techniques, particularly in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, as people from different areas will use different materials and have their own techniques that have been handed down for tens of thousands of years.

Water in our lives

Invite students to orally share or draw their own experiences with water and waterways. Ask prompting questions such as:

• When have you felt happy near the water?
• Have you seen a river, a pool, or the ocean?
• What about a flood, heavy rain, or big waves?
• How might each of these make you feel?

Share and discuss the responses as a whole class.

If appropriate, play this Behind the News video on how climate change is affecting children in the Pacific. You should watch this ahead of time and select appropriate sections to share with your class (if any of your students have close connections with this experience, or find it troubling, you can modify or skip as needed). Before watching, ask students to look for how the children’s lives change or how the place where they live changes. You can then link this back to students’ own stories or drawings about their experiences with water and waterways.

Point out that water can make us feel happy, but sometimes too much water can be a problem. Connect this to Afloat by saying that, in the story, the people weave a whale raft that can rise above water. This shows us that, by working together and trusting the old ways, we can face problems like floods or climate change.

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Rich assessment task

Students will create a page titled ‘My Weaving and Water Story’ for their reading portfolio. They will need to:

1. Draw and label a picture of water that is relevant to their own life (e.g. a swimming pool, the beach, a river, a rainy day at home).
2. Add a weaving symbol to show how people are connected and can work together (you might like to revisit some images that show different weaving techniques, or choose some new ones).
3. Orally explain or write:
   1. What their water place is and how it makes them feel.
   2. How water can sometimes cause problems.
   3. Why working together (like the people in Afloat) can be important when looking after Country.

Assess students’ work by looking for:

• The ability to connect their own experiences with water to the ideas from the text
• Vocabulary discussed and brainstormed
• An emerging understanding of climate change and rising sea levels
• Ideas about how communities can work together

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Responding to the text

Pausing for prediction and critical thinking

Reread Afloat, drawing attention to the rhythm of Saunders’ poetic language. Encourage students to echo key words to help them feel the flow and repetition of the text (e.g. ‘We are here … Here to … To …’). Ask:

Why does Kirli Saunders use repetition?

As you read, pause at several points to ask predicting questions:

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Text-to-self connections

Reread Afloat with a focus on text-to-self connections. Afterwards, guide students to connect aspects of the book to their own lives. Use prompts such as:

• Which part of the story reminds you of something you have felt/seen/heard before?
• Have you ever worked with others to solve a problem? How did it feel?

Students can share their responses orally or through drawings, linking their experiences to the events depicted in Afloat. Help them connect their thoughts and feelings to some of the messaging in the text.

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Exploring plot, character, setting, and theme

Tuning in to characters’ feelings

Using the think-aloud process, model how your body can look when you are feeling excited. Point out the different things your body might be doing: smiling widely, standing up tall, maybe clapping your hands. Ask students to demonstrate what their bodies do when they experience other types of feelings and see if the class can guess them.

Now discuss the emotions of the characters in Freya Blackwood’s illustrations. Ask students how the colours, shapes, and body language help the reader to understand what the characters are feeling. Look at the people on each page and brainstorm a list of possible emotions from beginning to end. Talk about the difference between the close-up illustrations and those that are far away. Which ones make it easier to see how the characters are feeling?

Pay close attention to the final page (p. 29) and discuss how the characters might be feeling here. Remind students what the word ‘thrive’ means and see if that matches the emotions or feelings shown in the picture.

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Yarn web

For this activity you will need a ball of yarn.

Have students sit in a circle. Begin by picking up the yarn and sharing something about water, nature, or a place that feels safe to you (e.g. ‘I feel calm when I hear rain’). Hang onto the loose end of the yarn and gently toss the ball across the circle to another student. That student will share their own thought or memory (e.g. ‘I love swimming in the pool’), take hold of the loose piece of yarn, and toss the ball to someone else. As each child participates, a woven web will gradually form in the middle of the circle.

When everyone has had a turn, pause to look at the web together. Invite students to reflect on the following:

• What does our web look like?
• How are we all connected?
• What would happen if we worked together like this web? Is our web strong?

Link this discussion to the themes in Afloat:

• Why did Kirli Saunders use weaving to connect people?
• What is the message?

Photograph the web and add it to a class display as a visual reminder of Afloat’s themes.

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Rich assessment task

Prompt students to reflect on how they have thrived in their own lives by asking:

Can you think of a moment when you felt very strong or proud, or when you felt happy because you tried something new or worked with others to solve a problem?

Allow time for students to think and discuss their ideas. Then have them draw a picture of their chosen moment on a square piece of paper. They can share their thinking underneath using the sentence starter:

I thrived when …

Collect and/or display the squares. These will be used again for the next Rich Assessment Task (in the Examining section).

This assessment focuses on oral reflection, emotional connection and empathy, and the ability to link personal experiences to the themes of Afloat.

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Examining text structure and organisation

Timeline of events and visual literacy

Examining Afloat helps Year 1 students to notice how stories are built; how words and illustrations work together; and how authors and illustrators use techniques to communicate big ideas like culture, unity, and climate change.

After reading Afloat together, introduce the idea that stories have a beginning, middle, and end. Explain that a timeline helps us see the order of events clearly. Access an online resource (e.g. from Read Write Think) or place a long strip of butcher’s paper across a wall or the floor. Then construct a timeline for Afloat to show how the story is organised. Work together to recall the main events of the story. For example:

• An Elder leads a child along the waterways.
• Communities gather.
• People weave their cultures and stories together.
• They create a whale raft.
• They rise above, safe on the whale, and thrive together.

Model drawing or writing one event on the timeline. Then invite students to add others using drawings, simple words, or symbols. Encourage them to work collaboratively – some may write labels while others draw pictures.

Have students sit in a circle so that everyone can see the book. Focus on the illustrations and select a few key pages to analyse. Students can discuss some or all the following questions with a partner, then share their ideas with the rest of the class.

Create a visual literacy chart with three columns (see below) and fill it with student input based on their discussions.

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Examining grammar and vocabulary

Vocabulary list

Revisit the word list from the beginning of the unit (see Literature > Connecting to Prior Knowledge > Predicting from the Cover). This is an opportunity to do some word inquiry around syllables and word families.

Write the word ‘thrive’ on the board. Guide students to identify the base word ‘thrive’ (meaning to grow, succeed, or flourish) and any related words, such as ‘thriving’, ‘thrived’, and ‘thrives’. Show how adding the suffixes ‘-ing’, ‘-ed’, and ‘-s’ changes when and how the action of thriving happens.

Now build a visual word map. Write ‘thrive’ in the centre, with branches to its related forms. Colour-code the base word and the suffixes to highlight meaning. You might like use a tool like Morpheme Mapper, Building Bases Board, or Mini Matrix-Maker to assist with this.

Return to Afloat and ask:

• How do the characters thrive when they weave their cultures together?
• How do we thrive when we work together in our classroom?

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Rich assessment task

Students will work together to create a symbolic ‘class quilt’ that shows how members of a community can weave their stories together.

Provide each student with a square piece of paper. This should be the same size as the squares from the previous Rich Assessment Task (from the Responding section). Ask students to identify one key moment from Afloat that they would like to share. They should illustrate this moment on their square and write a short caption to describe it on a separate strip of paper. Using their sequencing knowledge, they will place the caption at the beginning, middle, or end of the class timeline (see Timeline of Events and Visual Literacy above).

Once everyone has illustrated a square, join them together (along with the squares from the previous Rich Assessment Task) and display them as part of a ‘class quilt’ that weaves the story of Afloat with the students’ personal stories.

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Practise retelling

NOTE: For these next activities it is recommended that students do not assume the voice of the Elder, as this is a special and highly respected role in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. See Deadly Story or First People Recruitment Solutions for more information about Elders.

Readers’ theatre

In this readers’ theatre, students will take on the roles of different characters from Afloat, including the narrator. If you have a large class you could do this in groups.

Provide simple lines that match the key events in Afloat, keeping language short and repetitive to support confidence and reading. Begin by modelling one line, reading with expression, and show students how to use tone, pacing, and gesture to convey emotion and feeling. It may help to create cue cards for additional support and scaffolding.

Puppets (or props)

Construct simple popsicle stick puppets using felt or paper cut-outs of the whale, water, and human characters. Have students act out the events of Afloat as they narrate the story. Model how to use the puppets to show action or movement. Encourage students to narrate what their puppet is feeling or doing using vocabulary from the book. One student could move the puppet while another narrates. A storyboard could be a useful scaffold, and the class timeline from the Examining section (see Examining Text Structure and Organisation > Timeline of Events and Visual Literacy) may help with sequencing.

Movement retell

Working in small groups, students will use body movements to represent key events from Afloat. Model using exaggerated movements to show emotions like worry or happiness, and pair the movements with oral narration. Use the class timeline to help students remember the sequence. Afterwards, ask reflective questions like:

How did moving like the characters help you understand how they might have felt?

Practising retelling the story in other ways that support students to engage with the narrative, demonstrate sequencing knowledge and exploration of character emotions.

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Rich assessment task

Students are to produce a guided oral retell of Afloat using the class timeline, class quilt, and other work they have completed as a scaffold.

Begin with a shared practise retell, pointing to key events and pausing for students to supply words, phrases, or actions. Encourage them to use vocabulary that they have explored throughout the unit (e.g. ‘weave’, ‘rise’, ‘thrive’).

Record the retells using an easily accessible device or platform. This provides evidence of sequencing, oral fluency, and comprehension for student portfolios.

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