Australia’s Stolen Generation Unit 8, Lesson 3

DO NOW Imagine you have been kidnapped and will be raised by foster parents who are from another culture. With time, you will lose many of the customs, traditions, language, and beliefs learned from your family and will take on new customs, traditions, language, and beliefs. ON YOUR GUIDED NOTES and IN COMPLETE SENTENCES, describe how you would feel about this?

OBJECTIVE & LEARNER PROFILE OBJECTIVE SWBAT explain the ‘Stolen Generation.’ LEARNER PROFILE CARING As we explore the “stolen generation” of Aboriginal children - what happened and why it happened, - we want to be respectful and caring for those affected by these event.

NOTES The ‘Stolen Generation’ refers to the mixed children of the Aborigines who were forcibly taken from their families to be assimilated into white culture. ASSIMILATION - to cause (a person or group) to become part of a different society, country, etc.; to adopt the ways of another culture; to fully become part of a different society, country, etc. The Stolen Generation was a product of racism towards black people. RACISM - poor treatment of or violence against people because of their race; the belief that some races of people are better than others DISCRIMINAITON – the practice of unfairly treating a person or group of people differently from other people or groups of people.

NOTES PREJUDICE – to “pre-judge”; an unfair feeling of dislike for a person or group because of race, sex, religion, etc. Families were torn apart, and many children didn’t see their parents for years, and many lost their families completely. The children have little to no knowledge of their own cultural background and history. STOLEN GENERATION - the children of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent who were removed from their families by the Australian Federal and State government agencies and church missions. Motivations evident include child protection, beliefs that given their catastrophic population decline after white contact that Aboriginal people would die out, and a fear of marrying/having children with full-blooded Aboriginal people and thereby continuing the “problems” of this culture

GROUP PRACTICE (20 min) View the movie trailer: After viewing the movie trailer, table groups should come up with THREE (3) reasons DEFENDING (approving) the reasons for taking the children of Aboriginal people and THREE (3) reasons CONDEMING (disapproving) the reasons for taking the children. Then come up with ONE (1) idea/solution for RECITIFYING (changes to make it better) the problems of the Stolen Generation. Write your reasons DEFENDING and CONDEMNING the kidnapping of children from the Aboriginal People, as well as a solution to this situation, on your Guided Notes. Prepare to debate!

INDEPENDENT PRACTICE (20 min) DEBATE: Were the reasons for taking the children of the Aboriginal People justified, or not? What, if anything, should be done for them now? Move the table groups back to allow for a small circle of chairs in the middle of the room. Pick one person from your table group to speak for the group; they will sit in the circle. Three (3) people in the circle will DEFEND the actions of the government and church leaders and three (3) people in the circle will CONDEMN their actions. Other table group members should be listening to the debate and giving their spokesperson notes to help their argument. Each spokesperson will follow-up with what should be done at this point. Can we agree on an action plan?

Scholars will write a letter to Australia’s Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, explaining the harm done to the Aboriginal culture and what suggestions you have for rectifying (making better) this tragedy. Letters should be: A minimum of three (3) paragraphs long, using complete sentences Give the reason for why you are writing Give two (2) suggestions for helping those that were stolen from their parents