When the power goes off, Big Cuz, Nanna, Little J and Old Dog go to the beach. They use bread to catch hermit crabs, which in turn are used to catch a ‘bluebone’ fish. Big Cuz learns how to fish, Nanna makes a fire to cook the fish, and Little J finds a large clam shell to take to school the next day.

Explore - Participate in guided investigations to explore and answer questions

Theme - ENERGY

Revisit Little J & Big Cuz, Episode 4 ‘Right Under Your Nose’, and ask students to recall how Nanna cooked the fish for dinner. Remind students that, without electricity, heat for cooking and for light was produced through fire. Information on traditional uses of fires can be found here:

• Aboriginal fire starting 
• Traditional Aboriginal Burning
• Traditional Fire Stories
• Fire (Traditional Aboriginal Burning)
• Indigenous fire methods protect land before and after the Tathra bushfire

Involve students in an -

Incursion: Invite an Aboriginal Elder or acknowledged representative and/or Torres Strait Islander Elder or acknowledged representative (as advised by the local Elders) to demonstrate and speak to students about fire-making techniques and technologies, and traditional fire management in the area. Have students learn selected words of the local language related to the focus of their learning.

 Access Cooking food in the past and present

As a class, discuss the different forms of energy used for cooking, from the past to the present. Have students pose and respond to questions about the different forms of energy needed to heat food, and the technologies invented over time, particularly pre and post-colonial Australia.

Access My Place, ABCME, and use the interactive timeline (Before time–2008), to explore the types of energy used to power the lights and the stove in the ‘kitchen’ interface. The energy used is typical of its time – fire using coal, wood, paper, kerosene; gas, electricity, and microwaves.

Divide the class into groups and have students choose a date in Australia’s past to explore how energy was used to heat, cook, and light homes and industries. Invite groups to share their findings with the class and enter new words for the class Word Wall.

As a class, discuss the challenges and the benefits to the environment of using coal and electricity for energy. Have students nominate alternative energy sources that the world might use in the future, such as solar, wind, wave, and nuclear power. Have students suggest one new source of energy, and draw a picture of how the world will look when this energy source is used.

• Australian Energy 
• Renewable Energy
• Renewable Energy
• Renewable Energy Sources – Types of Energy for Kids
• 7 outrageous energy sources of the future

Introduce information about the sources of energy Aboriginal peoples and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples used energy to cook, keep warm, and protect the environment. Suggested resources include

• How Aboriginal burning changed Australia’s climate
• Aboriginal Fire Management
• Aboriginal Use of Fire
• Crawford, Joanne. & Fielding, Grace.  (2007). Bilby and the bushfire.  Broome, WA :  Magabala Books

Have each student enter an Energy question sheet and suggestions for future energy sources into their Science Journal along with their drawing of a future world and other found images of types of energy.

A Science Journal is a record of a students’ observations, experiences and reflections. Each entry is dated and annotated by the student. Annotations may include written labels, drawings, diagrams, charts, small specimens, photographs, and graphs. Student engagement and learning is evident in the science journal.