When B-Boy comes to stay overnight, Little J becomes envious of the attention he is getting from everyone. Out walking on Country, Nanna, Little J, Big Cuz and B-Boy find an injured joey. Uncle Mick, a Search and Rescue officer, tells them how to care for the joey that they name ‘Hopalong’. The children feed and look after Hopalong until Mick finds him a place in a wildlife shelter.

Engage - Recognise similarities and differences in individuals and groups, and explore how these are celebrated and respected

Theme - BELONGING

After viewing Little J & Big Cuz, Episode 7 ‘Hopalong’, engage students with how the characters believed the Hopalong would be missing his ‘mob’.

Ask students to define the meaning of the word ‘mob’, as applied to this episode. Students should suggest terms like family, culture, social/friendship group, team, skin groups, brotherhood/sisterhood, nationality, etc.

Ask students to identify how we are grouped into a ‘mob’. What physical, spiritual, behavioural characteristics are recognised that identify us?

View/read the short story:

• Albert, M. & Lofts, P. (2004). How the birds got their colours.

Discuss the story with the class and use prompting questions, such as:

• In the end of the story, how was friendship illustrated by the characters?
• Which characters belonged to a ‘mob’ and which didn’t?
• What was the one physical characteristic that grouped those who belonged?
• How was kindness, and being an individual, portrayed as a strength?

Have the class list the different physical characteristics of humans. Survey the class to see which of the physical characteristic are in the majority and which the minority: eye colour, hair colour, skin colour, size of hands, feet, ears, nose, height, hair length, type, etc.

Have students suggest different grouping or ‘mobs’ depending on the majority within each characteristic. Ask student to hypothesise whether an individual can belong to more than one type grouping or mob.

As a class, view the animation and discuss the meaning and messages of the story:

• I Think, Beneath the Skin (Scootle: TLF-IDR6318):

Have students organise themselves into four teams where each team member has a physical characteristic that is same. Have each team devise a name for their team.

Access the website:

• Yulunga: Traditional Indigenous Games

Invite each team to select one game to practice and play. Host a round robin tournament to see which team comes out on top.