Yulunga – Traditional Indigenous Games

The HPE Australian Curriculum requires students to participate in, examine and investigate games and activities from their own and other cultures (see content descriptors below). A great resource to support the teaching of these is the Yulunga – Traditional Indigenous Games PDF. The document is 262 pages and provides a wide variety of Indigenous games. Use the link above to take you to the SPORTAUS/AIS website which allows you to download the whole document or search by bands of learning for example K-3.

Each game description provides information about the traditional version of the game and suggestions for using modern sporting equipment in place of traditional equipment. Game variations, safety and teaching points are also provided.

This document is also useful to support teaching and learning related to the Cross Curriculum Priority Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures.

HPE Content Descriptors – games, physical activity and cultures

Reception – Participate in games with and without equipment (ACPMP009)

Year 1/2 – Create and participate in games with and without equipment (ACPMP027

Year 3/4 – Participate in physical activities from their own and other cultures (ACPMP108)

Year 5/6 – Participate in physical activities from their own and others’ cultures, and examine how involvement creates community connections and intercultural understanding (ACPMP066)

Year 7/8 – Participate in and investigate cultural and historical significance of a range of physical activities (ACPMP085)

Year 9/10 – Examine the role physical activity, outdoor recreation and sport play in the lives of Australians and investigate how this has changed over time (ACPMP104)

Programming with drones

In 2018 Paul spent considerable time developing his knowledge and understanding of how block coding worked and used this with his 5/6 class to program Sphero robots. In 2019 he has continued to extend and develop his knowledge of programming, using the Parrot Mambo drones with his class.

This Digital Technologies unit involved students extending their knowledge of block coding, learning about drone safety, how to manually fly the drones, understanding and using the Tynker app, and programming the drones through an obstacle course. Students also had to use a variety of interpersonal skills to successfully work with a partner during the program.

As with most technologies being used for the first time the drones required a significant amount of persistence and problem solving. In preparation Paul did taught himself how to use the drones ensuring he knew some of the issues students would face when working with the drones. The students demonstrated considerable problem solving skills and a good understanding of block coding to achieve the end goal of moving their drones through a series of obstacles.

Comments made by the students included:

  • “We had to make sure we put in the correct information to make the drones work, things like height, distance and time”.
  • “I really liked making the drones flip and do 360 degree turns, being able to program the drone was fun”.
  • “It was fun working with a partner to program the drones. I enjoyed interacting with the drone rather than just sitting at a computer”.
  • “We had some problems connecting to the drones sometimes but most of the time they worked well”.
  • “It was fun flying the drones but it was a challenge to program them correctly”.

Links to the 5/6 Digital Technologies Australian Curriculum

Achievement Standard: Students plan, design, test, modify and create digital solutions that meet intended purposes including user interfaces and a visual program.

Content Descriptor: Implement digital solutions as simple visual programs involving branching, iteration (repetition), and user input (ACTDIP020).

Elaboration: Programming a robot to operate independently through an obstacle course.

Students program drones to move through an obstacle course