Connecting with Timor-Leste

Timor-Leste Curriculum Unit

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School Banner from Chatham Primary School, VictoriaPhotographer: Lee Norris

Friendship School Project The Friendship School Project (FSP) seeks to build generations of international friendship with a sustainable network of schools and communities in Australia and Timor-Leste. Australian schools join FSP seeking to learn about, understand and interact with the educational community in Timor-Leste. Schools usually opt to maintain a specific partner relationship with another school in Timor-Leste.

Purpose of units The development of a specific curriculum about Timor-Leste was identified by FSP as crucial for effective student learning and participation, within the goals and vision of FSP. The units provide a structure whereby teachers can offer children at upper primary and lower secondary levels integrated learning about Timor-Leste within their school curriculum. Exposure to these units will help Australian students to develop a solid understanding of the culture, history and geography of Timor-Leste. From this basis, students can develop relationships with their Timorese friends based on understanding and appreciation of cultural difference. The units are consistent with the Victorian Essential Learning Standards requirements.

Development Key teachers from the FSP school membership in Victoria have taken the initiative to create curriculum materials which have now been developed into four units. FSP gratefully acknowledges the, skills, efforts and knowledge put into the development of this unit by Judy Hasty and Heather Ridge from Eaglehawk Primary School. Special thanks go to the Principal of the school for supporting this work. FSP would also like to acknowledge Rod Yule from World Vision for his preparation of the units for a national audience. Availability of Curriculum Units Unit 1 and 2 (Upper Primary) and Units 3 and 4 (Lower Secondary) can be downloaded at the following websites http://www.asiaeducation.edu.au/public_html/lesson_plans.htmhttp://www.alolafoundation.org/fsi.php

Contact details To learn more about FSP or to join the membership: Australia FSP Coordinator Rachel Clark Phone: (03) 9418 4807 Address 112 Trenerry Crescent, Abbotsford, Victoria, 3067. Email: fsp@aeuvic.asn.auWeb: http://www.alolafoundation.org/fsi.php

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Victorian Essential Learning Standards (VELS) This unit connects with the following domains of VELS Civics & Citizenship:

• Knowing their rights and responsibilities as citizens • Appreciating Australia’s role in the global community • Having the knowledge, skills and behaviours to participate in society and take

responsible action in relation to other citizens and the environment at a local and broader level

Interpersonal development:

• Building positive and social relationships • Working and learning in teams • Managing and resolving conflicts

Personal learning:

• Recognize and enact appropriate values within and beyond the school context English

• Reading – viewing CDs videos and DVD. • Writing – planning, composing, editing and publishing • Speaking and listening – story telling, formal presentations, group discussions,

listening strategies, co-operative learning, jigsaws, sharing circles LOTE

• Communicating in a language other than English • Intercultural knowledge and language awareness

Humanities

• Humanities skills – exploring the geography and recent history of Timor Leste The Arts

• Creating and making Arts works – experiences, ideas, feelings and interpreting • Exploring and responding - visual and performing (creating, dance, drama music)

Information and Communications Technology

• Create information products that demonstrate their understanding of concepts, issues, relationships and processes.

• Express themselves in contemporary and socially relevant ways • Communicate locally and globally to solve problems and to share knowledge

Thinking

• Reasoning, processing and inquiry – inquire into the world around them • Creativity – problem solve and innovation • Reflection, evaluation and metacognition – question, plan and evaluate

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UNIT 1. Connecting with Timor-Leste

Stage of schooling Upper Primary

Learning focus This unit explores Timor-Leste (formerly known as East Timor), or Timor Lorosa’e (the country’s name in Tetum)– the geography, history, the way of life of its people, the language and history of the country, celebrations, food and traditional art forms. It aims to have students connect with, appreciate, make comparisons with and explore the differences between educational experiences for students in schools in Timor-Leste and in their own school. The activities also seek to incorporate a range of Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences and Edward de Bono’s Thinking Hats. This unit invites schools to participate in the Australia East Timor Friendship School Project. For more information and resources, contact the FSP Australia office, 112 Trenerry Crescent, Abbotsford, Victoria, 3067 or email: fsp@aeuvic.asn.au Schools choosing not to participate in the Friendship School Project can also engage meaningfully in this unit of work.

Texts / resources • FSP Information Sheets, Resource CD and DVD “Ita Nia Eskola, Ita Nia Belun”

(Our School, Our Friend), available with Membership Kit. • Asia our Neighbour: East Timor – Video (42 minutes) and booklet.

www.caritas.org.au • ‘The Crocodile that became Timor’, http://www.uc.pt/timor/croc2.htm • ‘The voice of the Liurai of Ossu’, http://www.uc.pt/timor/ossu.htm • Turismo de Timor-Leste. Discover the world’s newest nation, [CD-ROM]. See

also http://www.turismotimorleste.com/en/.

Resources are available from the Australia East Timor Friendship School Project. For more information, contact the FSP Australia Office: 112 Trenerry Crescent, Abbotsford, Victoria, 3067, phone: 9418 4807 or email: fsp@aeuvic.asn.au

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Overview The goal of this unit is to make a connection and to build sustainable cultural bridges and understandings. It aims to establish a commitment to ensuring successive generations of students and members of the school community are informed about and actively engaged with the culture, language and circumstances of the people of Timor-Leste.

Duration This unit is flexible and can be adapted to the needs of an individual school. Activities can be incorporated according to the interests of the students and staff. However, the whole unit, including participation in the Friendship School Project, would typically be the focus for a term and may develop into an ongoing school-to-school relationship.

Activity 1: Inquiry planning 1. Explain to the students that they are going to learn about a school and life in Timor-Leste (for schools choosing to be part of the Friendship Schools Project, refer to the relationship to be built with a school). They will then be able to compare their lives and schooling in Australia with the lives and schooling of children in Timor-Leste. 2. Invite students to use the inquiry planner proforma (Appendix 1) to organise their research and thinking. You may choose to do this as a whole class joint construction or invite students to do this with a partner and then share their suggestions with the whole class. The planner invites them to consider the following:

• what I know about Timor-Leste • what I want to find out • where I can find the information I need • headings I will use to organise my information.

3. After this initial planning, show the FSP DVD Ita Nia Eskola, Ita Nia Belun. 4. Ask the class to add questions or information to their planner in relation to information gained from watching the video.

Activity 2: Mapping – mathematical 1. Ask students to use an atlas to locate Timor-Leste and Australia in the world and within the South East Asia region and to answer the following questions:

• Where is Timor-Leste in relation to Australia? • Who are Timor-Leste’s neighbouring countries? • What is Timor-Leste’s location? Use coordinates to identify latitude and

longitude. • What is Timor-Leste’s capital city? • What is the relative size of the land mass area of Timor-Leste and Australia?

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• What is the distance from Darwin to Dilli? What is the distance from Sydney or Melbourne to Darwin?

2. Ask students to draw maps of both Australia and Timor-Leste using grids and coordinates. Ask them to show some geographical features, capital cities and surrounding seas or oceans.

Activity 3: Initial research – visual 1. View a selection of images and music on the CD-ROM Turismo de Timor-Leste. Discover the World’s Newest Nation or visit www.turismotimorleste.com/en/. 2. After viewing a series of images and music, ask students to complete a Y chart, giving the following information in each sector:

• looks like • feels like • sounds like.

Activity 4: Further research 1. In pairs, ask students to use their inquiry planner (Appendix 1) to prepare presentations on various aspects of life in Timor-Leste. These may include information about: schooling, food, housing, farming, flora / fauna, customs, traditions, festivals, religion, music, clothing, landscape, games. 2. Invite students to use the following resources to gather their data:

• Turismo de Timor-Leste. Discover the World’s Newest Nation [CD-ROM] or http://www.turismotimorleste.com/en/

3. Encourage students to choose how they will present their research (for example, PowerPoint presentation, written report, poster with captions, newspaper or magazine article). Use sharing circles.

Activity 5: Venn diagram – verbal 1. Invite students to brainstorm ideas for beginning a new nation. Divide the class into six groups and assign two of the following questions to each group:

• How would decisions be made in this new nation? (Government) • What kind of money would be used? (Currency / Trade) • What language would be taught in schools? (Language) • What kinds of schools would be built? What type of education system would

be used? What subjects would be compulsory? (Education) • How would people be kept healthy? (Health) • How would food be provided for the people? (Agriculture)

As a whole class, have groups report their ideas and give reasons. 2. Compare and contrast the Australian system of government with that of Timor-Leste. Record the similarities and differences between the two countries on a Venn diagram.

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Activity 6: Interview and discussion 1. Invite someone who has worked or lived in Timor-Leste to visit the school and answer a series of questions. This may include an aid and development worker, a politician, defence personnel, a parent or a Friendship Schools representative. 2. Before the guest arrives, have the class formulate a series of interview questions. It would also be a good idea to send the questions through to the guest prior to their arrival. Seek to explore issues of citizenship, human rights, social justice and community involvement.

Activity 7: Research – verbal, visual, musical 1. Discuss the significance of symbols for different nations. What are some of Australia’s symbols? (For example, kangaroo, emu, coat of arms, national anthem, wattle, Australian flag, green and gold, lamingtons, Uluru etc.) 2. Identify symbols of significance for Timor-Leste. Compare the flags, coat of arms, national anthems and floral emblems of Timor-Leste and Australia. Present these in a classroom display. 3. Ask students to work in pairs or groups to design a flag, emblem or coat of arms for their own school. 4. In pairs or small groups, have students create their own anthem.

Activity 8: Reflection and assessment – intrapersonal Discuss Edward de Bono’s Thinking Hats (See http://www.bssc.edu.au/public/learning_teaching/pd/toc/DeBono.shtml for information about De Bono’s Hats and a worksheet)) and ask the students to reflect on their learning and complete the worksheet. This includes the following:

• interesting facts learned thus far • good things about this topic • how this topic has made the student feel and why • some things the student could investigate further • difficulties being experienced by people living in Timor-Leste • ideas about how these difficulties might be overcome or how an Australian

school might respond.

Activity 9: Travel Brochure – verbal, visual 1. Collect and distribute a range of travel brochures collected from local travel agencies. Ask students to identify common features. 2. Invite students from a local TAFE College to work with students to explore important elements of design and advertising in brochures.

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3. Ask students to design a travel brochure that would encourage travellers to visit Timor-Leste. Other students could design a travel brochure that would encourage travellers to visit Australia. 4. Ask students not involved in this activity to respond to the brochure and indicate the best features.

Activity 10: Letter writing – verbal 1. Examine a model letter and identify the structure and language features. Discuss the purpose of letter writing and identify different ways letters are transmitted (land, sea, air, email).

2. Ask students to write a letter to students from their FSP School Partner in Timor-Leste (if there is one). Have students include the following:

• information on topics such as school life, family, games/sport played • a personal outline including photographs • disposable cameras in posting to enable a response from the FSP School

Partner.

Activity 11: Debate – verbal 1. In small groups, inform the students they are to take part in a role play. Have two members of the group play the role of parents and imagine they are members of a family who are about to move to live in Timor-Leste for a year. Have the group role play a family discussion about the move. 2. Ask students to respond to the following statement: ‘It would be fantastic to live in Timor-Leste for a year’.

• Invite students to take a position along an imaginary U-shape, where one end indicates ‘Strongly agree’ and the other end indicates ‘Strongly disagree’ – the bottom of the U indicating ‘Unsure’ or ‘Neither agree nor disagree’.

• Invite students to give reasons for their position and allow them to move along the U in response to feedback.

• Ask students to complete a PMI (Plus / Minus / Interesting) chart expressing the positives, negatives and interesting aspects of living in Timor-Leste for a year.

Activity 12: Storytelling 1. Read traditional tales from Timor-Leste to the class. These may include:

• ‘The Crocodile that became Timor’, see FSP Information Sheet 9 or http://www.uc.pt/timor/croc2.htm

• ‘The Voice of the Liurai of Ossu’, http://www.uc.pt/timor/ossu.htm. 2. Invite the students to place the main events in the correct sequence (see Appendix 3 for sequencing activity for ‘The Crocodile that became Timor’).

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3. Read traditional Aboriginal stories and ask students to identify similarities and differences.

Activity 13: Mosaic mural – visual Invite students to design and create a sketch for a school mural or mosaic. Brainstorm a theme or topic (for example, reflecting the history of Timor-Leste, symbols of Timor-Leste, the relationship of Australia and Timor-Leste, schools in Timor-Leste and Australia). This activity allows the opportunity for students to work with an artist in residence and to be involved in the decision making and purchasing of materials.

Activity 14: Cooking – kinaesthetic 1. In small groups, have students brainstorm current knowledge of eating traditions, foods, ingredients, utensils and meal times. 2. After research, make a list of foods available in Timor-Leste. Ask students to answer the question:

• How is the diet different from Australia and why?

3. Students cook a simple meal from Timor-Leste. (Appendix 3).

Activity 15: Weaving – kinaesthetic If possible, invite a member of the East Timorese community in Australia to demonstrate traditional weaving. Then have students design and make woven mats using fabrics, thread, cloth or paper strips in traditional East Timorese colours. See www.turismotimorleste.com/en/.

Activity 16: Painting – visual 1. Critically explore the art of traditional rock painting in Timor-Leste. See the CD-ROM Turismo de Timor-Leste. Discover the World’s Newest Nation. 2. Critically explore and compare the art of Timor-Leste with traditional Aboriginal rock painting.

Activity 17: Music – musical 1. Collect and listen to music from Timor-Leste, including traditional Angklung. 2. Learn traditional songs from Timor-Leste. See FSP Sheet 10 and FSP Resources CD. 3. Have students compose musical pieces with traditional East Timorese instruments.

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Assessment Assessment is ongoing throughout the unit through close observation of student contribution in whole class and small group discussion. The travel brochures (Activity 9), letter writing (Activity 10) and debate (Activity 11) can be assessed and will demonstrate student learning.

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Appendix 1: Inquiry planner

Inquiry planner

Name: ………………………………………… Date: ……………………….. Topic: Connecting with Timor-Leste This is what I know about the topic: ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… This is what I want to find out: ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… This is where I can find the information I need:

These are the headings I will use to organise my information:

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Appendix 2: The Crocodile that became Timor Place the following events in the correct order.

The young boy lifts up the crocodile and returns him to the edge of the swamp. The boy shares his dream to travel across the sea.

The crocodile takes the boy on a journey across the sea, always following the sun. Eventually the crocodile grows tired and cannot continue the adventure.

The crocodile climbs out of the swamp but becomes weaker and weaker. The crocodile begins to roast alive in the hot sun.

The crocodile is very hungry and is tempted to eat the young boy.

A young boy stops to talk to the crocodile and offers to help.

A small crocodile lives in a small swamp and dreams of growing to a large size.

The crocodile grows and grows until he turns into an island covered with hills, woods and rivers. That is why Timor is the shape of a crocodile.

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Appendix 3: Recipe – Tau Koi Rana

Ingredients • 1 pumpkin • Can of ‘lite’ coconut milk • Ground corn (polenta) • Salt

Method 1. Peel and cube the pumpkin and place in a saucepan. 2. Cover with coconut milk. 3. Put lid on and cook gently until the pumpkin is very soft. 4. Mash with potato masher. 5. Add enough ground corn (polenta) to thicken the mixture to the texture of mashed potato. 6. Cook slightly, stirring so it does not stick. 7. Add salt to taste.

Serving suggestion Though the people of Com, near Los Palos, may eat this on its own as a staple food, it makes a good accompaniment to fish or meat with rice, vegetables or salad.

Mache! (This means Eat! in the Fataluku language of Timor-Leste’s Lautem District.)

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