Connecting to prior knowledge

Developing students’ background knowledge beginning with the story setting

Introduce students to the area and people of North East Arnhem Land by:

  • highlighting it on a map of Australia
  • showing pictures that depict aspects of the natural environment, people and lifestyle
  • viewing aspects of the video clip, Arnhem Insight (Behind the news)
  • reading Our Birds by Siena Stubbs (published by Magabala Books)
  • viewing the pictures in Welcome to my Country (Burarrwanga, Wright, Suchet-Pearson & Lloyd, 2013)

Students may have some prior knowledge to bring to the discussion if they have read Ernie Dances to the Didgeridoo by Alison Lester.

Some points to be emphasised and developed include:

  • North-East Arnhem land is located in the Northern Territory
  • Landscape features red earth, corkscrew palms, stringy barks, speargrass
  • North East Arnhem land is home to the Yolngu people
  • The Yolngu people have lived in the area for at least 50,000 years
  • Clans are the basis of Yolngu social organisation; moieties – the Dhuwaha
  • The Yolngu live a unique lifestyle with a strong cultural focus; they have many different ceremonies
  • The role of ceremony in Aboriginal culture
  • The importance of the sea turtle and sea turtle egg for many coastal communities
  • The Yolngu’s relationship to land and water                                                                    

(ACELA1487)   (EN2-6B)

Useful online references are:

 

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

Developing students’ background knowledge: The Djambarrpuyngu language

Clever Crow is presented in two languages – English and Djambarrpuyngu. 

  • Ask students about the language/s they speak and those of parents, grandparents and friends or people in the community they know. Create a list.
  • Have students work in pairs to research and find three important facts about Indigenous Australian languages. Share and discuss findings in larger groups.
  • Read aloud the introduction of the book Clever Crow, ‘The Language of this Story’.
  • Create a board display that comprises pictures and words for some key elements of Clever Crow. Write the word labels written in both English and Djambarrpuyngu.
crow

wak

grass

mulmu

turtle

miyapunu

ceremony

bunjgul

tree

dharpa

water

gapu

kookaburra

garrukal

dancing

giritjin

fish

guya

canoe

lipalipa

egg

mapu

Note:

  • The book, Clever Crow, provides a glossary of words and phrases in English and Djambarrpuyngu.
  • At the end of the book there is information about the pronunciation of the sounds in Djambarrpuyngu language.
  • The website, Yolngu Sea Country, provides demonstrations of the pronunciation for many of these words.

(ACELA1487)   (EN2-6B)

Developing students’ background knowledge

Discuss: Are crows really clever?

Display a range of children’s picture books (or pictures of their front covers) that depict crows as being clever; examples include:

  • Clive the Clever Crow by Sandra Novello (published by XLIBRIS)
  • Clever Crow by Pam Holden and Samer Hatam (published by Flying Start Books)
  • Laghu the Clever Crow by Bhavit Mehta (published by Saadhak books)
  • Clever Crow by Cynthia DeFelice (published by Atheneum)

Read the Aesop’s fable, The Crow and the Pitcher, which is about a thirsty and innovative crow. Alternatively use an animated version available online. This story provides a good lead in to considering  the question, ‘Are crows clever?’

Have students work in groups of three to discuss and agree on an answer to the question, ‘Are crows really clever?’ You might first provide the children with some time to research crows and gather evidence that will help them to better consider the question.

  • Have each group present their answer to the question, ‘Are crows clever?’ and their reasons or facts supporting their answer.
  • If available, read extracts from, Birds Brains: The Intelligence of Crows, Ravens, Magpies and Jays by Candace Savage (published by Graystone Books). Alternatively this YouTube clip could be viewed.

(ACELA1488)   (EN2-1A)

Preparing to read: Using the front cover to consider story possibilities

 Show the students the front cover of the book, Clever Crow. 

  • Identify the scene and the different items that comprise the scene (crow, kangaroos, land, egg).
  • Students share what they observe about the visual features on the cover illustration in relation to colour, shape, distance and angle of shot, animals or items foregrounded and those in the background.
  • Use observations of the illustration and the title to determine the story’s setting, likely main character, other characters including those not shown in the cover illustration, items and possible story events.
  • Discuss in pairs and then share to class in regards to the possible role of the egg in the story.
  • Answer the question: Why is the text entitled, Clever Crow?

 

Rich assessment task

Have the students work in groups of three to create a poster or a glogster featuring information about some or all of the following topics.

  • the location and language of the story
  • the story’s author and illustrator
  • the Yolngu people
  • the role of ceremony in Aboriginal culture
  • the significance of the turtle and turtle egg to Indigenous Australian people of North East Arnhem land.
  • the intelligence of crows
  • the story’s title and the front cover illustrations with links to their predictions about the story.

The students should present their posters / glogsters using a combination of written prose, pictures or photographs, key phrases or quotes, tables, maps and charts. Before beginning discuss audience and purpose.
(ACELY1697)   (EN2-3A)