Little J & Big Cuz Resources

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Transformation: YEAR 2 - HASS - Explain

Little J finds a Hawk Moth caterpillar on the Tar vine in the backyard that he names ‘Sausage’. He wants to take it to school but the caterpillar has other ideas and disappears underground. Nanna teaches Little J the story about the Yeperenye caterpillar of the Arrente people from central Australia. Sausage finally returns to give Little J a further lesson on life cycles. Sissy wants to perform a dance for the school with Big Cuz, but Big Cuz feels ‘shame’.

Explain - Collect data and information from observations and identify information and data from sources provided

Theme - PEOPLE

After viewing Little J & Big Cuz, Episode 10 ‘Transformation’, ask students to identify parts of the story focused on significance, continuity and change, place and space and interconnections, in the individual stories about each character.

Ask the class to find the answer to the following question about significant European people who have a lasting legacy on Arrernte Country.

Question: Who were the first Europeans to explore (and name) the ‘MacDonnell Ranges’, and other landmarks and towns in Arrernte Country?

(Answer: The MacDonnell Ranges were named by the explorer John McDouall Stuart after Sir Richard MacDonnell, the then Governor of South Australia)

Create a WebQuest for students to work in pairs and investigate European exploration of Arrernte country. Make a list of questions and answers about explorers and other significant people. Have students research the information posed by the question and find the matching answer. The first group to have three correct matched questions and answers are the winners.

Sample questions and answers could include:

1. Who were the first Europeans to locate and explore Arrernte Country?

In 1862, John McDouall Stuart succeeded in traversing Central Australia from south to north.

2. Why did Europeans come to Arrernte Country?

Uluru and Kata Tjuta were first mapped by Europeans in 1872 during the construction of the Australian Overland Telegraph Line.
Ernest Giles and William Gosse were the first European explorers to this area and named Mount Olga for Queen Olga of Württemberg, while in 1873, Gosse observed Uluru and named it Ayers Rock, in honour of the Premier of South Australia Sir Henry Ayers. The desert in Central Australia disappointed the Europeans as it was not suitable for pastoral expansion.

3. Other than explorer, Ernest Giles and William Gosse, name any other significant Europeans who explored, lived, and/or worked on Arrernte Country? Create a timeline of arrivals and their contribution

4, How did the Europeans travel to Arrernte Country?

They travelled overland by horse and cart, bullocky, camel, and later automobile, train and plane.

5. Where did the Europeans first settle in Arrernte Country?

The construction of the Overland Telegraph led to more exploration of the interior of the Northern Territory and the discovery of gold at Pine Creek in the 1880s further boosted the young colony's development. In the late 19th century the Northern Territory was known as Alexandria Land by European settlers.

On a map of the Larapinta trail, have students identify the names of the sites named after Europeans, e.g., Simpson’s Gap, Simpson’s Desert, Finke’s Gorge, Depot Glen, etc. Ask students to sort and match the names with the landmarks. Have students explain why the Europeans settled in this area.

Alternatively, use the above WebQuest as a model to have students develop a research project about European settlement in their own local area.

A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented lesson format in which most or all the information that learners work with comes from the web. These can be created using various programs, including a simple word processing document that includes links to websites. (http://webquest.org/)

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