Josephine Wants to Dance

Description: Students create a picture book based on the Dreamtime story: Beautiful Dancing Bird

Resources: Paper/workbooks, pens/pencils

Beautiful Dancing Bird:

Long ago back in the Dreamtime, there was a very beautiful girl called Brolga. She was the best dancer in the whole land, as her dancing was so graceful. Now Brolga hadn’t always been such a good dancer. When she was a very little girl she used to get up very early in the morning and creep out of the gunyah (shelter) and onto the plains around her camp. Once she was there she would practice swooshing her arms like the Pelican, parading like the Emu and whirling like the wind. But Brolga didn’t just do the old dances. She liked to make up new ones about the trees and the wind and dances about the Spirits and the animals. Soon Brolga’s dance became so good that other tribes would come from far away just to watch Brolga dance her beautiful dance.

One day, Brolga went off by herself to dance out onto the dry red plain near her favourite tree, a big old Coolibah tree. Brolga began to dance in its shade, moving with the shadow of the old tree branches. As little puffs of dust rose from her feet, an evil Spirit named Waiwera looked down from his home in the Milky Way and saw Brolga. She was the most graceful and beautiful girl he had ever seen. Waiwera decided Brolga must be his, so he quickly spun himself into a whirlwind, and flew down onto the plain. As the wind came closer to Brolga it made a sudden great roaring sound and enclosed her. Brolga was swept off her feet and taken away.

When Brolga’s tribe discovered she was missing, they went looking for her, but the wind had covered her tracks. They found the old Coolibah tree and a path where the whirlwind had been and decided to follow it. For several days they followed the path of the whirlwind until they came to a hill overlooking a small plain. There below they saw Waiwera and his captive, Brolga. The whole tribe rushed down hurling their spears and boomerangs. Realizing that he couldn’t escape with Brolga, he decided that no one would have her. Waiwera swirled around her and just as the tribe reached her, she vanished. Brolga’s tribe watched as the whirlwind wound its way slowly up into the sky. On the spot where it had been there now stood a big old Coolibah tree... but there was no sign of Brolga.

As they stood near the tree that Waiwera had left, a beautiful tall grey bird appeared from behind the tree. The bird began to stretch its wings and instead of flying away, it began to dance, making the same graceful moves that Brolga used to make. The bird danced taking long, hopping steps and floating on its graceful wings. It pranced slowly towards them and with one last graceful bound, flew up into the air and away! From then on they all knew that the evil spirit had changed Brolga into a bird.

By Michael J Connolly
Dreamtime Kullilla-Art © Dreamtime Kullilla-Art
kullillaart.com.au

How it works: Students discuss the plot points of How the Sun Was Made, breaking the story up into four sections. Students then use 5 pages to create a picture book that tells the story of ‘How the Sun Was Made’ through pictures instead of words.

Pages:

• Title page with written title: How the Sun Was Made

• Paragraph 1 shown in pictures

• Paragraph 2 shown in pictures

• Paragraph 3 shown in pictures

• Paragraph 4 shown in pictures

Students share their picture books with their classmates.

Description: Students mime giving each other gifts

Resources: A large space

How it works: Standing in a circle, students one at a time mime holding an object in their hands that they then pass to the student next to them. In the hands of the next student, the object then transforms into something else and is passed to the next student. As a student passes their object they name it, for example: “This is a balloon.” The receiver of the object says, “Thank you” and passes their transformed object on to the next student.

Example:

• Player 1 mimes blowing up a balloon, tying it with string and passing it to Player 2 while saying “This is a balloon”

• Player 2 mimes receiving the balloon and says “Thank you”

• Player 2 transforms the balloon into a puppy dog and passes it to Player 3 while saying “This is a puppy dog”

• Player 3 mimes receiving the puppy dog and says “Thank you”

Description: Students take turns to mime an action suggested by other students

Resources: A large space

How it works: Standing in a circle, Player 1 enters the space and mimes an action, for example, mowing the lawn, brushing teeth, riding a horse.

Player 2 then enters the space and asks, “What are you doing?” to which Player 1 responds with a new action that is different to what they are currently doing.

Player 2 mimes the given action until a new student enters the space and asks, “What are you doing?” and this is repeated until all students have had a turn.

Example:

• Player 1 mimes walking a dog

• Player 2 enters and asks, “What are you doing?”

• Player 1 “I am painting a picture”

• Player 2 mimes painting a picture

Description: Students form shapes with their bodies

Resources: A large space

How it works: Begin working with the whole group. The group combines to make simple geometric shapes and alphabetical letters, for example, circle, square, triangle, P for Peter, T for Tasmania, and so on. The teacher calls out the shape and students are given 10 seconds to create it and then freeze in position. Repeat until students understand how the game works.

Break the group into pairs or smaller groups. The students now make shapes of objects (see list below) that involve closer physical contact, require more imagination, and allow for individual interpretation. The teacher calls out the shape and students are given 10 seconds to create it and then freeze in position.

Shapes to call:

• Pair of chopsticks

• Knife and fork

• Rose in a vase

• Cup and saucer

• Egg on toast

• Pair of shoes

• Bowl of fruit

• Telephone

• Photo in a frame

• Pair of glasses

Be prepared for laughter and let the students have fun. Encourage the students to combine humour and hard work and associate both with concentration.

Description: Students name objects as they are and as they are not

Resources: A large space

How it works: Working individually, students move around the space and use simple language to name everything they see. They point as they look at and name things, for example, wall, floor, brick, carpet, window, etc. Encourage students to be simple and name ordinary things that are tangible rather than trying to be clever.

Next, students move around the space and name and describe each object in detail – colours, shapes, textures, etc. Encourage students to take the description as far as possible while keeping the information factual.

Then, students move around the space and name objects as they are not, for example, the wall is a shoe, or the floor is a rabbit. Students then describe the object as they are not, for example, a student points to the wall and says, “This is a shoe that once belonged to a king, it is over 1000 years old and falling apart, it is green with gold tassels and faded jewels.”

This is repeated until all students have described three or four objects. Students are invited to share their favourite objects and descriptions with their classmates.

Description: With a situation or title given, students tell a story one word at a time

Resources: A large space

How it works: Sitting in a circle, students create a story, speaking one word at a time.

The story must have a beginning, middle and end, and each word must follow from the one before it.

Example:

“Once” | “upon” | “a” | “time” | “there” | “lived” | “a” | “kangaroo” | “named” | “Josephine.”

Help students form the story by offering suggestions and moving the story from one event to the next. Encourage students to listen to each other and focus not only on the word before theirs but the story.