Caring for CountryRiverside Girls HighGladesville NSW

Yr 9 Science: Ecology Enrichment ActivitiesTracey Warzecha VC 15.8.12

Enthusiastic 9T love PBLs!

Orientation: Students were shown a presentation of photos & fun facts/sad facts about the Muogamarra Rock Engraving sites & the Guringai of Hawkesbury/Sydney Basin (From 7.5.12 Caring for Country In-service Day) .

Student Activities:• Open-end essay/research task “Did the

Guringai care for our Earth?”• Bush Tucker Information Name plates. • “Peck & Groove” Rock engraving of

feature rocks for the Bush tucker garden.

Did the Guringai care for our Earth?• You will need to address the following questions in your justification.• Who were the Guringai people? Hint Broken Bay & Hawkesbury River• Include a map to locate their country (Relate this to modern suburbs or locations)• Select one of the following categories to construct your response to the driving question.• Land/waterway use• Food/food gathering/diet• Sustainability• Housing/shelter• Spiritual/ belief system related to land• Social structures• Other?• Justify your response by describing Guringai practices for your chosen category & explain how

this showed caring for our Earth. (Justify by making a judgement). • If you would prefer to examine our original local indigenous people: Gadigal or Cadigal, that’s

fine too!

• Answer: YES…far better than we are doing at the moment!!! 9T

Lemon Scented Myrtle Backhousia citriodora Useful part/s : Leaf & Essential oilTraditional use: Crushed leaves where soaked in water & used as a respiratory tonic. Flavouring food.Warning : Do not eat leaves raw!!!! Oil is very strong anti-microbial & central nervous system relaxant. Not to be taken internally. Dilute before use.

Modern use: essential oil (citral) is A strong anti-microbial & used in oil burners & herbal infusions.Culinary: Now popular as Dried, milled lemon myrtle leaves used to enhance lemon /lime flavours.

Example of Bush Tucker tag for Bush Tucker garden plants

Rock Engraving Riverside style!

Finding a Hammer stone

Finding suitable sandstone without damaging ‘ecology’

‘Peck’ using a nail punch

‘Grooving”

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The students said: “Society is not just about us. We got to experience Aboriginal culture in a new and more natural way.” Penny

“Practical is so much better. We got to source our own materials and create a peck and groove carving like the Guringai”. Alex

“The significance of the damage done to the Muogumarra carving site by the Old Northern Road going straight through it was really sad. I really liked that we could try to use the rock carving methods in the Bush Tucker garden.” Georgina

“Learning about this unique culture that is so significant to where we are now living, gave me a new way to think. All core subjects should follow suite with indigenous perspectives.” Zuhaira

Implementation & Outcomes of “Caring for Country”• An Adobe photographic & information presentation has been

made for PL at RGHS.• A presentation of this course & how ideas were implemented

were made to RGHS Science Dept.• Resources, Bush Tucker templates, Rock engraving tools &

instructions are available to any class wishing to have a go!• An Aboriginal Perspective folder has been set up in Science

faculty intranet. • An assessment of where further ideas can be incorporated

into all our Science programs has begun.• An article has been sent for the Nth Syd Aboriginal Education

newsletter featuring 9T Science.• Students are keen to enter Nth Syd AHO poster competition.

Many thanks, Tracey Warzecha