WELCOME BACK ADVENTURERS!

LET’S FIND OUT IF KINOIA WILL BECOME A MAGIC SPINNER!

SPIN BLOW THROW…ROW!

Theme: All together now
As you have been venturing with Nei Kinoia, you have been flying on a magical canoe. But do you know what you use to paddle a canoe? You might remember seeing one of the young people using one in the video of the canoe. Yep, it’s an oar!
Has anyone used an oar to paddle a canoe or kayak or boat? What does it look like?
Just like dancing, singing and living in Kiribati is a community experience, so is paddling a canoe. Try paddling a canoe together as a class!
- Sit together in a circle as a class and imagine you are sitting in one big canoe
- Choose one person to start miming using an oar to row the lagoon through the water. As they row, using clear and strong movements and a clear voice, they can repeat ‘Row, buena, row!’. Buena means ‘row’ in iKiribati.
- The person next to that person starts rowing and chants in time with the first person.
- Then the next person joins in and so on until everyone in the circle is chanting and rowing the canoe together. Enjoy rowing the canoe together!
- For a challenge, to stop rowing, you could reverse the process, having a person at a time stop chanting and rowing the canoe and sitting quietly, and then the next and so on, until the last person is left chanting and paddling who then eventually stops. Then you can all enjoy the stillness together of sitting gently in a canoe that is floating on the lagoon.
CURRICULUM LINKS:
The Arts / Drama
AC9ADR2D01 Use the elements of drama and imagination in drama play and/or process drama

Themes: Kiribati singing is the best sound in the world; All together now
Can anyone remember how Nei Kinoia described Kiribati singing in Episode 2? She described it as “The happiest sound in the world”.
Song and music are important to Kiribati people. They use songs to pass stories down through generations.
There are some new songs created in Kiribati culture, but there are songs that have been around for a really long time. This means that iKiribati people’s grandparents, grandparents, grandparents knew exactly the same song.
Singing and creating music is done together, like in the video below.
WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW and observe how everyone sings together and the movements the singers do as the dancers dance – even the audience joins in!
Notice how you feel when you hear everyone singing together. As a class, brainstorm songs from your own culture, that are passed down through generations to tell stories. Identify if these songs are sung in special buildings or locations. Western culture examples include:
Nursery rhymes such as ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb’, bush ballads like ‘Once a Jolly Swagman’ or the Australian national anthem
If possible, play or sing a selection of the songs you have identified, explaining:
- what stories the songs tell
- why the songs are important to your culture
- who taught you the song
- where the song is sung and why this place is important to your culture
CURRICULUM LINKS:
The Arts / Music
AC9AMU2E01 Explore where, why and how people across cultures, communities and/or other contexts experience music
AC9AMU2D01 Develop listening skills and skills for singing and playing instruments
AC9AMU2P01 Sing and play music in informal settings

Te mwaneaba is one of the most important buildings in Kiribati. It translates to be mean the ‘community house’.

Te mwaneaba is where the community leaders meet to make decisions for everyone. Significant events, celebrations and formal occasions are all held at te mwaneaba. Everyone in the community has a place that is reserved for their family and there are even places reserved for visitors.

You can learn more about te mwaneaba in the interview with Rikitiana Katimango below.

IT’S TIME TO JUMP INTO YOUR CANOES!

EPISODE CHECKLIST:

Set up your canoe
Check everyone is in their place in the canoe
Check your navigation points (North, South, Ocean side, Lagoon side)
Place the speakers on the North side if possible
Make sure you have Kinoia carefully concealed
Be sure you have your gifts for the Spirit

EPISODE FIVE:

SPIN BLOW THROW…ROW!

In their ‘The Flying Canoe’ adventure journal, students draw and/or write an immediate response to the episode.
Share responses with teacher, elbow buddy, table group, and class.
CURRICULUM LINKS:
English:
AC9EFLE02 Respond to stories and share feelings and thoughts about their events and characters
Elaborations: using drawing and beginning forms of writing to express personal response to stories, poems or films
Health and Physical Education
AC9HPFP03 Express and describe emotions they experience
The Arts / Drama:
AC9ADRFE01 Explore how and why the arts are important for people and communities
Themes: Kiribati singing is the best sound in the world; All together now
Do you remember the song the Spirit of the North sang about the moon in this episode?
- Use the link to the video to sing the “Moon Song” together.
- You could sing the song in rounds and/or add simple movement to the song. Like you’ve observed in the videos so far, people in Kiribati often sing and dance together.
- You might like to sing the song in assembly or to visitors to the class.
<CLICK HERE> to download the lyrics to the Moon Song.
CURRICULUM LINKS:
The Arts / Dance
AC9ADA2E01 Explore where, why and how people across cultures, communities and/or other contexts experience dance
AC9ADA2D01 Experiment with ways to move safely and expressively using fundamental movement skills and the elements of dance
AC9ADA2C01 Use the elements of dance to choreograph dance sequences
AC9ADA2P01 Share dance sequences in informal settings
Music
AC9AMU2E01 Explore where, why and how people across cultures, communities and/or other contexts experience music
AC9AMU2D01 Develop listening skills and skills for singing and playing instruments
AC9AMU2C01 Select and combine the elements of music when composing and practising music for performance
AC9AMU2P01 Sing and play music in informal settings

WHY IS STORYTELLING IMPORTANT TO KIRIBATI CULTURE?

Themes: All together now
While Marita was in Kiribati, she spoke with a man called Maio Buratio who was from the Curriculum Development Resource Centre.
Maio knew of another story about a Flying Canoe - an old story that originated from the northern atolls of Kiribati.
With permission and guidance from the story holders, Maio shared this story of The Flying Canoe.
The Flying Canoe in Kiribati translates to 'te wa ni kiba' - which is what Kiribati people call 'the airplane'!
In Kiribati it is important to share stories but it is just as important to respect where the story originated. Stories must be shared correctly and with purpose. This is how Kiribati culture has been carefully looked after and stayed so strong for over 1000 years.
<CLICK HERE > to watch the video of Maio Buratio telling a different version of The Flying Canoe.
Discuss in small groups and then as a class consider:
- Which story you preferred and why?
- What were the similarities and differences in the story? Consider, plot, character and setting.
- Why is it important to be respectful of cultural protocols when telling and retelling stories?
Respectfully explore and share stories from your own and other cultures, including First Nations Australians:
- Choose a story to bring to life through Drama.
- Identify up to five key parts of the story.
- In small groups take on the role of directors and actors to create one or multiple freeze frames to dramatically convey each of the identified parts of the story.
  - Think about your use of the Elements of Drama, movement, place, role and situation as you create the freeze frames.
  - Perform the freeze frames to the class:
  - Choose someone (could be the teacher!) to call “eyes closed” between each of the group’s freeze frames to allow the actors to take up their position without the audience watching.
  - Once in position, call, “eyes open” to enable the audience to see the freeze frame.
  - Continue to call “eyes closed/eyes open” as the group performs their freeze frames to the class.
After each performance, audience members share the parts of the story they could identify and how the group’s use of the Elements of Drama (movement, place, role and situation) helped them with this process.
CURRICULUM LINKS:
English
1 AC9E1LE01 Discuss how language and images are used to create character, setting and events in literature by First Nations Australian, and wide-ranging Australian and world authors and illustrators
AC9E1LE02 Discuss literary texts and share responses by making connections with students’ own experiences
AC9E1LE03 Discuss plot, character and setting, which are features of stories
2 AC9E2LE01 Discuss how characters and setting are connected in literature created by First Nations Australian and wide-ranging Australian and world authors and illustrators
AC9E2LE02 Identify features of literary texts, such as characters and settings, and give reasons for personal preferences
AC9E2LE03 Discuss the characters and settings of a range of texts and identify how language is used to present these features in different ways
The Arts / Drama
AC9ADR2E01 Explore where, why and how people across cultures, communities and/or other contexts experience drama
AC9ADR2D01 Use the elements of drama and imagination in dramatic play and/or process drama
AC9ADR2C01 Create and co-create fictional situations based on imagination and/or experience
AC9ADR2P01 Share their drama in informal settings