Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

20 minutes

Tune In: Contextualising the film

25 minutes

Find Out: Reading the film

10 minutes

Take Action: Broadening perspectives

5 minutes

Reflection

Learning intentions

Students will:

understand the film’s main story and its context
identify key messages communicated through the film’s narrative and story-telling techniques
make connections between the film’s story, key messages and real-world issues or their own life.

Success criteria

Students can:

explain the film’s main story and context
describe how the film’s narrative and story-telling techniques shape key messages
explain connections between the film’s key messages and other real-world issues or their own life.

We respectfully caution Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples that this resource may contain images, voices and names of deceased persons.

Please note that this lesson refers to Tiwi people and culture.

First Nations audiences may recognise or find connections with the stories and experiences told in this film. However, it is crucial to be considerate of the diversity of First Nations peoples, communities and their identities across the continent. Tiwi people distinguish themselves with unique language and culture. While the Tiwi distinguish themselves with unique customs and language, there is an interconnectedness through varied kinships and historical impacts that add to the diversity of the Tiwi Islands.

Given the content of this lesson, teachers should communicate with parents and guardians of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students before playing the film and/or engaging with the teaching and learning resources. Teachers are advised to use discretion when deciding whether to show this film. If teaching in a context with a high proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, it is important that guidance is sought from the Principal and Aboriginal Education Officer (or equivalent) before screening the film.

Tune In: Contextualising the film

Students should have watched Like My Brother before commencing this lesson.

Step 1

On the whiteboard, write Like My Brother in the centre, in large letters. Ask students to share a word or phrase that reflects their first impression of the film and mind map these on the board, making connections as appropriate. Students may initially supply superficial recollections, like “Tiwi”, “AFL/AFLW”, “footy”, “women in sport”, etc, but set the expectation that everyone in the class has to provide at least one unique word or phrase, to challenge thinking and recollection.

Step 2

Make sure every student has a copy of the N a rrative Mapping Activity. From the mind map on the whiteboard, set students the challenge of mapping out the main events of the narrative, using a plot diagram of the traditional story arc to assist them.

Students should attempt this task individually, recalling the events from memory and can then use the ‘Plus 1 Routine’ to expand their responses (if time allows).

Plus 1 Routine:

When students have exhausted their own memory individually, ask them to pass their Narrative Mapping Activ ity to the right or to a partner.
Upon receiving a classmate’s summary, students should add one new thing to the plot diagram. This could be an elaboration, filling in a gap or making a connection.
Repeat this process at least two times.
Return the papers to their original owner. Students should read and review all the additions made to their worksheets and add any worthwhile ideas they picked up from reading other students' worksheets.
Check in with the class at the end to ensure all students understand the narrative.

Step 3

Now, direct students to look at their Student Worksheet - specifically to the first point in the table under the heading ‘Contextual information’, which provides some background to the documentary. The first example has been completed as a guide and you may wish to workshop the second one as a class before assigning students one or more rows to complete in pairs or triads. Explain to students that they will be required to share their thinking with the class when they’ve completed their allocated row so that everyone can fill in every box on their worksheet.

Literacy support: If students are struggling to tell the difference between ‘tells us’ and ‘shows us’, explain that ‘tells us’ usually refers to providing an explanation about the information – the literal or concrete meaning. Whereas, ‘shows us’ is about identifying what is inferred or implied, i.e. ‘reading between the lines’. ‘Shows us’ demands more conceptual and abstract thinking and making links to the text.

The table below has been completed with predicted student responses, but these are by no means exhaustive - well-considered and insightful student reflections in the ‘This shows us…’ column should be used to exemplify this skill.

To show students the geographical context of the Tiwi Islands, show them this map (scroll to the bottom of the page) from the Tiwi Land Council (tiwilandcouncil.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=page&p=222&l=2&id=56&smid=137)

Contextual information	This tells us…	This shows us…
The Tiwi Islands are located approximately 80 kilometres north of Darwin in the Arafura Sea. The Tiwi Islands have three different airports. A flight between them and Darwin takes 15-20 minutes. There is one ferry terminal that connects the Islands to Darwin. The ferry takes 2.5 hours each way. Barges run weekly freighting food and supplies to the Tiwi Islands.	The Tiwi Islands are geographically very close to the Northern Territory and there are different modes of transport to access them.	Anyone wanting to play football in Darwin must invest time and money travelling there and back. The Tiwi Islands have quite a secluded community. Access to mainstream services is limited. Geographical isolation and distance create additional logistics and freight costs that impact everyday living costs for people and organisations operating in a remote area like the Tiwi Islands.
The Tiwi Islands are part of the Northern Territory. There has been an unbroken history of occupation and ownership of the Tiwi Islands by the Tiwi people. The governance of formal land rights is done through representatives from each clan group and facilitated by the Tiwi Land Council.	The Tiwi people were not colonised when other parts of Australia were, from 1788 onwards. The Tiwi people continue to live, own and work on the lands of the Tiwi Islands.	Geographical boundaries are perceived differently by the Western colonial viewpoint and the traditional Tiwi perspective. Tiwi traditional cultures and ways of life were not destroyed or as severely impacted by government policies in the same way as First Nations peoples from the mainland were, and they have, therefore, been able to preserve their distinct identities and connection to their land. Tiwi cultural systems continue to exist and determine key aspects of identity and collective land ownership.
Various historical relationships existed between the Tiwi and outsiders. Records show interactions with Chinese, Maccassan, Dutch and Japanese people. The British attempted to establish a settlement in 1824 which was abandoned in 1929. This was followed by the presence of missionaries, police, military and the entrepreneurial (buffalo shooting)/pastoral industry. While the Tiwi never ceded their lands, the Tiwi Land Council was formed under the Commonwealth Land Rights Act in 1978.	Various groups had influences and impacts on Tiwi lifestyle. The impacts and timelines of colonisation differed from those of the Australian mainland. The Tiwi have been self-determined in maintaining land ownership and the continuation of cultural customs and ceremony.	There were visitors and outsiders who had friendships and trade relationships with the Tiwi people prior to British-controlled settlements. Many influences came to the Tiwi, such as introducing AFL through Father Pye, a church missionary. Tiwi people continue to perform their cultural customs and ceremony.
Because of their high diversity of plant and animal species, the Tiwi Islands are considered a biodiversity haven and are quite unique compared to the rest of the world. Animals feature in traditional Tiwi stories and customs, such as dreaming dances/totems.	Many plants and animals are thriving on the Tiwi Islands. Tiwi peoples’ diets are enriched by traditional foods from the land and waters.	The Tiwi people care for their land and sea Country and successfully manage and protect biodiversity through traditional and modern knowledge and practices. Tiwi people have a continued connection with land and animals, both spiritually and practically. Fishing and hunting are a major part of the Tiwi lifestyle.
Tiwi people welcome visitors and have thriving tourism, art and football scenes. Visitors to the Tiwi Islands must use a permit system, as the land is privately owned, not Crown or public land. An exception to this is Grand Final Day when the islands are open for people to visit and usually attract up to 3000 tourists.	Mainland Australians do not automatically have the right to visit the Tiwi islands or outside Tiwi community boundaries. The Tiwi are passionate about their football, so they invite visitors to enjoy this calendar event each year.	The Tiwi people control and own their land and maintain this by mandating visitors have a permit to enter, symbolising the importance of the land and traditional custodianship. But the Tiwi are also passionate about their football, so they invite everyone one day a year to enjoy the islands. There is a balance between visiting and respecting land use through protocols.
More than 90 per cent of the population of 2,600 is Tiwi. The Tiwi Australian Football League has 900 participants, the highest football participation rate in Australia (35%). The Tiwi celebrate their great footy successes. Often footy is depicted through visual arts, in paintings, song and dance.	The population of Tiwi Islands is relatively small, but the percentage of those who play in the Tiwi AFL league is comparatively very high. There is a connection and celebration between sport and culture.	Football is a deeply embedded element of the Tiwi Islands' cultural psyche and an activity that everyone engages in somehow. The richness of culture adds depth to Australian sporting culture.
Tiwi Islanders who have played AFL include Maurice Rioli Senior, Michael Long, Ronnie Burns, Dean Rioli, Cyril Rioli, Austin Wonaeamirri, Allen Christensen, Sean Lemmens, Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti, Daniel Rioli, Jake Long, Ben Long, Maurice Rioli Junior and Willie Rioli Junior.	Many players from the relatively small population of Tiwi have played in the AFL. (You may recognise some of these names as famous football players!)	Football players from the Tiwi Islands have inordinately impacted the AFL in a positive way - given their population size, their contribution is significant.

Source: Based on content from Tiwi Land Council and contributed to by Mamanta Consulting.

Find Out: Reading the film

Step 1

Now that students have an understanding of the documentary’s narrative and the context ask them to recall the word or phrase they used to reflect their first impression of the film. Ask students to discuss with a partner why they chose that word or phrase, specifically identifying something that stood out to them. Encourage students to think about whether their word or phrase choice was influenced by the

narrative
characters
relationships
key events and how they were depicted
main topic
documentary style and perspectives the story was told from
sounds and music
or context.

You could list these on the whiteboard to prompt thinking. After discussing them in pairs, invite some students to share their responses.

Step 2

Highlight to the class that these features and components of story-telling and the documentary techniques that are used to communicate the narrative are deliberate choices that are made by the filmmaker (like the author of a text). Combined, this shapes both

the representations of people, their perspectives, places, themes and messages, experiences, events, etc, in the story,
and viewers’ interpretations and understanding.

Representation in the context of film and media refers to how something or someone is portrayed or constructed.

Pose these questions to the class: Why do you think different words and phrases were used for our first impressions? Why do we have different interpretations, or why aren’t our first impressions all the same?

Step 3

Outline to students that now we’re going to look more closely at representation in the documentary and how we can broaden our interpretations.

Remind students that, from their earlier activity on context, AFL is a passion of the people of the Tiwi Islands. Highlight that footy is viewed as a ticket into a bigger life for both men, and now also women, with the introduction of AFLW. Explain that we will now try to better understand football's status in the Tiwi community. To achieve this, students will complete the ‘Peel the Fruit’ thinking routine on their Student Worksheet.

Step 4

Recall the first six and half minutes of the film where we are introduced to the importance of AFL on the Tiwi Islands (scenes 0:44 - 3:35 mins and/or 5:20-6:36 mins). Students should try to respond to each stage of the ‘peel the fruit’ routine:

Outside skin: What do you see, observe, notice?
Under the skin: What questions or puzzles do you have?
Building explanations: What is this really about?
Making connections: How does this story fit with your life? Another text? The world?
Different viewpoints: How could we see this from another perspective?
Capturing the heart: What is the central idea or message?

Student answers to this task will vary. You may need to circulate and encourage their thinking.

Take Action: Broadening perspectives

Step 1

Using their ‘Peel the Fruit’ thinking routine, students should reflect on their responses and choose one of their answers to research further. This might be about the impact of AFLW, gender equity in sport, the Tiwi Islands, how Tiwi and First Nations women are represented in sport or the media, or anything else that sparks their interest.

Students should prepare a 1-2 minute oral presentation on their topic to share with small groups. They can use the ‘3 Whys’ to help structure their presentation:

Why does my chosen topic matter to me?
Why does it matter to people around me (my family, friends, city, state or nation)?
Why does it matter to the world?

You may want to run this activity within the classroom or set it as a homework activity, with the brief oral presentations functioning as an effective warm-up for the next lesson.

Reflection

Ask students: What was the most significant message you took away from the documentary? Why?

Understanding the Narrative and Key Messages in Like My Brother

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Summary

Lesson Guides and Printables

In this lesson

Understanding the Narrative and Key Messages in Like My Brother

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Summary

Lesson Guides and Printables

In this lesson