Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes

Tune In: Moore allyship

20 minutes

Find Out: Stepping up

25 minutes

Take Action: Action in art form

5 minutes

Reflection

Learning intentions

Students will:

explore how allyship involves both words and actions.

Success criteria

Students can:

explain what it means to be an ally
create a short text showing allyship in action
reflect on how they can be allies in daily life.

Tune In: Moore allyship

Step 1

In pairs, direct to students read the National Indigenous Times article (https://nit.com.au/08-09-2023/7583/there-is-moore-than-meets-the-eye-about-collingwoods-fighter-against-racism) about Collingwood Football Club AFL captain, Darcy Moore, who often uses his platform to demonstrate his allyship. In this article, Moore recounts his experiences learning about former player and proud Ballardong Whadjuk Yuat Yamatji man, Leon Davis, and his experiences with racism at the club.

Step 2

Ask students to discuss the article as they read, and to highlight any language or vocabulary that can be identified as allyship in their pairs.

Step 3

Once completed, initiate a class discussion about the words the students chose to highlight. Discuss how Moore’s comments demonstrate allyship.

For example, ‘Seeing the young ones here today just really inspires me to keep working towards a shared future where we can all walk together in strength and solidarity.’

Learning support: If you would like to give students a modified version of the article, please give them a copy of the factsheet.

Find Out: Stepping up

Step 1

Guide students through the Visual Explainer, which introduces them to the 3-step process of allyship (recognising the situation, choosing words that support inclusion, and taking action). As you proceed through the presentation, discuss each slide and allow students to ask questions.

Step 2

Set up 3 areas of the classroom and label them:

Recognise it (spot the problem)
Say it (use supportive and inclusive words)
Do it (take positive action)

Step 3

Read out each scenario. Each of these scenarios links naturally into the 3 steps of allyship. Your students’ task is to move to the sign that shows what they think the first step should be:

Should they first recognise the problem?
Should they first say something supportive?
Should they do something straight away?

Scenario	Teacher sample response
At recess, you notice a new student sitting alone while everyone else is playing with their friends. They look a bit sad but aren’t asking anyone to play.	• Recognise: Notice that someone is sitting alone and might feel left out. • Say: ‘Hi, would you like to join us?’ • Do: Invite them into a game or introduce them to others.
At lunchtime, a student laughs at another person’s food, saying, ‘That’s gross!’ Some students join in while the person with the food looks embarrassed.	• Recognise: Understand that laughing at someone’s food is disrespectful and unkind. • Say: ‘That food is part of who they are. We should respect everyone’s lunches.’ • Do: Sit with the student who was laughed at or change the subject to something positive.
During sport, a student who wears a hearing aid is left out of the team huddle. No one asks if they can hear the instructions.	• Recognise: Notice that the student might not be able to hear and might feel left out. • Say: ‘Hey, let’s make sure everyone can hear. Should we repeat the instructions?’ • Do: Help the student understand what is being said by scribing or standing closer so they can be included.

Step 4

Ask 1-2 volunteers from each group why they chose their spot. Highlight that a good ally usually starts by recognising the situation first, then moves to choosing words and taking action.

Learning opportunity: Invite students to draw connections between allyship, racism, and discrimination by discussing how language plays a key role in shaping attitude and actions.

Take Action: Action in art form

Step 1

Ask the class: ‘How can we use inclusive and supportive language to demonstrate allyship?’ List student responses on the whiteboard. Students will refer to this list in the next part of the activity.

Step 2

Your students’ task is to create a comic strip demonstrating an example of allyship in an everyday situation. Their comic strip must include short dialogue in which a character acts as an ally in an everyday situation.

For example:

A student speaks up when they hear someone say something unkind or unfair.
A child invites someone sitting alone to join their game or group.
A friend listens and learns about a different culture to better understand and support others.
A classmate stands beside someone being teased to show they’re not alone.
A student uses their voice to help others by raising awareness about an issue at school.

Learning opportunity: Outline to students that the scenarios they responded to in the Find Out activity could be used as examples for their comic strips.

Learning extension: Invite students to consider how allyship is not just about supporting others but actively challenging negative language and behaviours that fuel racism and discrimination.

Learning support: Select 1 of the examples above that demonstrates the importance of allyship in an everyday situation to model the process for creating a comic strip for students. Display the activity sheet to students, and use the left-hand column to write initial ideas or prompts that may help create the comic strip. Ask for student feedback to guide the drawing and writing of dialogue into the comic strip.

Step 3

Instruct students to complete the task, using an elbow partner to discuss their initial thoughts column before they begin writing and drawing their comic strip.

Learning extension: In groups, students can act out their dialogue from their comic strip. The students observing should provide feedback to those who are acting out their dialogue.

Reflection

Step 1

It’s time to display the comic strips! Create a visual display in your classroom. Invite students to select 1 comic to provide feedback on the ally characters' responses within the cartoons.

Step 2

Once students have provided feedback, ask them to reflect on what kind of ally they would like to be.

Learning opportunity: Take it a step further! Students could share what they have learned about being an ally at an assembly and lead a whole-school visual display with personal pledges on what it means to be an ally.

Learning extension: Encourage students to reflect on real-life example where allyship has been used to challenge racism and discrimination, focusing on the power of language in either reinforcing or dismantling harmful behaviour.

Taking Action with Words and Stories

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Summary

Lesson Guides and Printables

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Taking Action with Words and Stories

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Lesson Guides and Printables

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