Counting bracelets CONTENTS CURRICULUM INFORMATION TOPIC INFORMATION PHASE OF DEVELOPMENT Purpose....................................................................................2 ✓ Early childhood Student outcomes...................................................................2 Middle childhood Key background points...........................................................2 Cultural and protocol considerations.....................................2 Early adolescence Resources................................................................................2 Late adolescence TEACHING AND LEARNING STRATEGIES Lesson outline ........................................................................3 MAJOR LEARNING AREAS The Arts English Health & Physical Education ✓ Languages ✓ Mathematics Science Society & Environment Technology & Enterprise VALUES Pursuit of knowledge … achievement of potential ✓ Self acceptance and respect of self Respect and concern for others and their rights ✓ Social and civic responsibility ✓ Environmental responsibility Produced by DUIT Multimedia for the Aboriginal Perspectives across the Curriculum program. APAC252 | Counting bracelets © Department of Education WA 2010 Revised September 2011 1 Licensed for NEALS TOPIC INFORMATION PURPOSE • To introduce principles of counting – one to one correspondence for numbers. • To introduce language related to counting in both English and the local Aboriginal language. Students can also explore variations to this counting as well, for example 10 could be 3 + 3 + 3 + 1. Students may explore counting principles of 10. It is best to take this lesson in spring when gum nuts, and other nuts and seeds, are readily available. Please note there are many different spellings of Aboriginal names, due to the oral nature of their languages. The one used in this lesson is ‘Wangkatha’. STUDENT OUTCOMES • Working Mathematically Level 1: CULTURAL & PROTOCOL CONSIDERATIONS 1. Counting objects Refer to AIEOs regarding breaking down terms, and using and pronouncing the terminology of the local language group. (eg Instead of ‘more/less’, use ‘big mob/nini bit’.) 2. Numbers in order • Number – Comparison of groups of objects and use of appropriate terminology to describe them. • (Curriculum Framework, Mathematics learning area outcomes: Number, 6.) KEY BACKGROUND POINTS When introducing principles of counting – one to one correspondence for numbers 1–10, both in the western system and for Wangkatha people, draw attention to similarities and differences. For instance Wangkatha people’s system for counting is: 1, 2, 3, 2 x 2, 2 + 3, 2 x 3, 2 x 3 + 1, 2 x 3 + 2, 3 x 3, 3 x 3 + 1 as there are no words for four to ten in Wangkatha, so, for 4 the number 2 is repeated 2 times: 2 x 2; and for 5: 2 + 3 and so on … is how you count in Wangkatha to 10. We suggest that you introduce language related to counting in both English and the local Aboriginal language. Wangkatha words are: 1. kutju 2. kutjarra 3. marnkurrpa 4. kutjarra, kutjarra (2 + 2) 5. kutjarra, marnkurrpa (2 + 3) 6. marnkurrpa, marnkurrpa (2 x 3) 7. marnkurrpa, marnkurrpa, kutju (2 x 3 + 1) 8. marnkurrpa, marnkurrpa, kutjarra (2 x 3 + 2) 9. marnkurrpa, marnkurrpa, marnkurrpa (3 x 3) 10. kutjarra, marnkurrpa, kutjarra, marnkurrpa (3 x 3 + 1) RESOURCES Medium book CD-ROM Author, producer, developer etc Title Wangkanyi Ngurra Tjurta Aboriginal corporation 1,2,3, … many: DUIT Multimedia, The University of Western Australia Moorditj APAC252 | Counting bracelets © Department of Education WA 2010 Revised September 2011 Source Language centre library a Wangkatha counting book distributed to all schools; http://moorditj.net.au 2 Licensed for NEALS TEACHING AND LEARNING STRATEGIES TEACHING RESOURCES • seed collecting licence • local seeds and nuts • fishing line or fine elastic to make bracelet • traditional Aboriginal jewellery (pictures will do if no jewellery is available) • pre-made jewellery made from different materials • Direct students to continue threading and to collect their own materials from the surroundings. • Reinforce counting words/principles as teacher, AIEO, and/or community members move around groups. • Assist students to tie their fishing line/elastic as they finish their bracelets (Some may make them big enough to be a necklace!). • Ask children to count seeds and nuts on their bracelets and to compare with others. Who has the most seeds? Least? Same number? Who has used different seeds? How many of each seed have you used? If you add the amounts of different seeds together, is it the same as when you counted all the seeds? AIEO and/or community members introduce and use Indigenous terms/principles. Preparation • Contact DEC to purchase a seed collecting licence at a low cost. • Collect seeds and nuts from local area and prepare materials. • Ask AEIO to borrow traditional jewellery from people in the community, and if none is available pictures and photos will do. Extension activities • Making patterns using different nuts. • Cut lengths of fishing line to make bracelets. • Counting collage charts using nuts. • Decide whether you will make holes in the seeds and nuts prior to the lesson, or whether you have enough assistants to make them for the children during the lesson. • Graph to show number of nuts on children’s bracelets. • Combining and separating – eg how many more does John need to make his as many as Gina? • Make or collect contemporary jewellery made from a range of materials. ASSESSMENT • Invite AEIO and members of the local community to join in the lesson. They are wonderful sources of words and pronunciation of the local language. Implementation This lesson is planned for outside in the local/school environment. • Use First Steps diagnostic tasks for counting principles. • Draw up a checklist to identify those children who can/cannot count with one-to-one correspondence, touching each object once as they count? • Use your checklist to also show if children understand the principle of addition. Whole class • Ask AIEO, and/or community members, to talk about seasons, trees to get nuts from, and background information about how these were used in traditional Aboriginal communities. • Discuss traditional jewellery making and its uses (eg ceremonial) and show and discuss any jewellery collected and/or pictures of it, see Moorditj CD ROM). • Show and discuss examples of contemporary jewellery from different materials. • Explain that students are going to make jewellery out of local nuts and seeds – like traditional Aboriginal people. • Give students a handful of nuts to start threading. Teacher models counting 1 to 1 correspondance as they thread their own bracelets. • Ask AIEO, and/or community members, to introduce Wangkatha words for counting. APAC252 | Counting bracelets © Department of Education WA 2010 Revised September 2011 3 Licensed for NEALS