Windmill Theatre Company Amphibian Study Guide

About this guide

This education resource has been developed for Windmill Theatre Co’s production of Amphibian, within the framework of the Australian Curriculum in the following learning areas: English (years 8 and 9), Health and Physical Education (years 8 and 9) and The Arts: Drama (years 5 to 9). The activities and lesson plans in this guide are aimed at the achievement standards and content descriptions within each learning area as well as the general capabilities.

The general capabilities are embedded within specific learning activities and can be identified with the following icons:

Synopsis
Chloe and Hassan are under suspicion for stealing money while feeding the class axolotl. Sent outside to work out who’s responsible, the unlikely pair find they have something in common. Each of them has been forced by their parents to leave their respective homes and face life as the new kid at school. As their personal histories are revealed, Chloe hears the incredible first-hand account of an Afghan boy who’s travelled alone, thousands of kilometres across land and sea, for a better life. Is the discovery of Hassan’s back story enough to save him from Chloe’s desire to protect her position in her new-found friendship group? Amphibian is an epic story of displacement, loss, and adapting to different worlds.

Writer's statement Duncan Graham

Normally it’s hard to say exactly what a show is about, or where the idea comes from. It’s like asking: why did you dream about this or that when you were asleep? You don’t have total control, so it’s impossible to answer. But you know somehow it’s related to what you think and feel at the deepest level.

Our creative minds operate a little bit like dreams. It’s not always reasonable, or political. You follow instincts and intuitions and see where they take you. This is what happened up to a certain point with Amphibian, but there’s another part to the story about this story.

Initially, I was interested in hide and seek as a concept for the show. And there is a bit of that left over. Literally there’s a game of it played; and metaphorically speaking too: the two characters play a game of hide and seek with their emotions, personalities and histories. But before all of that, Director, Sasha and I went out to a primary school and gave some 9-11 year old kids a questionnaire. We asked: What’s your worst nightmare? What matters most to you? What’s your favourite song? (an extremely hard one to answer I find). A whole range of things.

What came back was that most people were afraid of losing their family, or being eaten by sharks. The kids were also very aware of what was going on in the world, and they knew a lot more about the political reality of our time than we had thought they might. We also found they had a keen eye for justice and truth. We stumbled across a thought: isn’t what’s happening to child-refugees all over the world exactly the worst nightmare of children living comfortably in our societies?

Sasha and I then went out into the community and spoke to people who had come to Australia as refugees from Afghanistan. We came across Muzafar Ali and his family, and Elyas Alavi. They are both fine artists and people. In Amphibian, you see reflected parts of their personal journeys.

Their stories are so epic, they are beyond imagination. I could not make it up. They are like your worst nightmare. It’s hard to place these tales of survival, compassion and cruelty into a register of reality. Yet tell these stories we must, with their oversight and permission, and parts of it in their language too (Farsi). Thank you for allowing us to do so. It’s an honour to collaborate.

Did you know The recorded voices speaking Farsi in Amphibian are members of Adelaide's Afghani community.
They recorded the voiceovers at Windmill Studios especially for the play.

Director's statement Sasha Zahra

The first seeds of Amphibian were planted when Windmill’s Artistic Director Rosemary Myers invited writer Duncan Graham and me to undertake an initial development to explore the potential of creating a new touring work. With endless possibilities, we began thinking about the work we wanted to create together. As we looked inwardly and outwardly, locally and globally and questioned widely, we began landing on common thoughts, worries and hopes. Looking more specifically at children’s experiences within all these situations, we became aware of the massive numbers of unaccompanied minors in existence across the world, making extraordinary journeys across thousands of miles in search of safety.

With this as our starting point Duncan and I began our shared journey. We undertook research, interviews with school students, multiple developments, community consultation (most notably with Muzafar Ali and Elyas Alavi – two refugees from Afghanistan now settled in Australia) and almost two years on, Amphibian the play was born.

It has been both a challenge and an immense pleasure bringing Amphibian to life.

As the story unfolds, through the eyes of two young people, it travels back and forward in time, to different countries and locations, traversing memory of imagined and dream worlds.

The process has been a collaborative one that everyone in the creative team has contributed to, particularly our cast – Antony Makhlouf and Maiah Stewardson – whose infectious energy, keen instinct and passion for the work was apparent from day one.

As I write this I am reminded of Tim Etchells’ view of cultural practice and his challenge to make performances that matter, that attempt to change things:

“Investment forces us to know that performative actions have real consequences beyond the performance arena. That when we do these unreal things in theatre spaces the real world will change. To me that’s the greatest ambition and the truth of cultural practice…”

With this final thought, it is our hope that sharing Amphibian will stimulate ideas, conversations and action towards a more compassionate future.

According to UNICEF, in 2017 more than 30,000 unaccompanied minor refugees made the dangerous journey from the Middle East to Europe.
Specific estimates on the number of unaccompanied minor refugees who have reached Australia in the same time period are difficult to ascertain for many reasons, including the difficulty of reaching Australia by sea.

Cast and creatives

Duncan Graham

Writer

Duncan is a multi award winning writer and director for theatre, TV and film. His plays have been produced by companies including Sydney Theatre Company, Melbourne Theatre Company, State Theatre Company of South Australia, Melbourne Festival, Belvoir, Malthouse Theatre and Windmill Theatre Co.

Sasha Zahra

Director

Sasha has worked in numerous areas across the performing arts industry in Australia and overseas in the past 20 years with roles including director, creative producer, programmer, festival producer and theatre maker.

Antony Makhlouf

Performer

Antony Makhlouf is a multidisciplinary creative working as a visual artist, television presenter and actor. He is best known for his role on Get Arty teaching art techniques airing on Channel 7 in Australia and on Discovery Kids in New Zealand and South East Asia.

Maiah Stewardson

Performer

At 20 years old, Maiah resides between Adelaide and Melbourne, working broadly across professional and personal creative projects. Her professional screen debut was in Windmill’s widely acclaimed feature Girl Asleep from director Rosemary Myers.

Meg Wilson

Designer

Meg Wilson is an Adelaide-based interdisciplinary artist who works predominantly with large-scale and often site-specific installation and performance. She aims to provoke imposed perplexity, uneasiness and a sense of drama in the everyday.

Mark Pennington

Lighting Designer

Mark is one of Australia’s leading lighting designers and has worked extensively around Australia with many of the countries leading companies.

Ian Moorhead

Composer

Ian is an artist specialising in music composition and sound design for theatre, dance, film and radio. He has performed around Australia and internationally, including New York, London, Edinburgh, Dublin, Wellington, Calgary and Vancouver.

Muzafar Ali

Cultural Consultant

Muzafar Ali is a former refugee from Afghanistan currently living in Adelaide. Muzafar’s incredible journey to Australia is documented in Windmill’s newly produced interactive platform, Muzafar’s Story: Across Land and Sea, which is accessible via the link below.

Elyas Alavi

Cultural Consultant

Elyas Alavi is an award winning visual artist and poet based in Adelaide, South Australia. He primarily works in the forms of painting, installation, video art and performance art.

Did you know Duncan and Sasha began making Amphibian in late 2016 and the work slowly evolved to what you see on stage over several developments, including some with actors, across 2017 and 2018.
The development of new Australian theatre works can sometimes take many years of research and refinement before a show is ready for the stage.

Characters

Chloe

Chloe is 15 and has recently moved to Adelaide from Sydney because of her father’s work. She is incredibly angry about the move and is deeply unhappy in Adelaide.

Hassan

Hassan is 15 and a refugee from Afghanistan. He lives with his uncle in Adelaide and has no idea what has happened to the family he has left behind.

Delara

Delara is Hassan’s loyal and brave childhood friend with knobbly knees. Her efforts to protect Hassan prove in vain.

Janet

Janet is a Case Officer for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Indonesia. She sticks to the rules and shows little empathy for Hassan’s plight to reach Australia.

Mrs Damascus

Mrs Damascus is Chloe and Hassan’s no-nonsense teacher who wants the truth, and her wallet back.

Katy Perry

Katy Perry, the American songstress, encourages her fans and the world to unite via the internet against world atrocities.

Shagofa

Shagofa is Hassan’s selfless and courageous mother who puts her son first regardless of the consequences she may face.

Old Woman/Brazilian Tree Hopper

Old Woman/Brazilian Tree Hopper serves as Hassan’s saviour and philosophical dream creature.

The Man from the Taliban

The Man from the Taliban is revengeful, brutal and at the centre of Hassan’s family’s disintegration and destruction.

Themes

Displacement

Both Hassan and Chloe experience displacement when they are forced to leave their homes by forces beyond their control. This disruption, which for both characters is a profound experience, demands that each of them adjust to their new environments and survive as best they can.

Loss

Due to displacement Hassan and Chloe both experience a sense of loss. This includes losing their homes, parts of their identity, and for Hassan, even losing precious loved ones. Both characters feel the impact of leaving their past behind and facing a new life ahead.

Adapting to different worlds

The play explores the characters’ abilities to adapt and change as they attempt to secure a place in new environments. Chloe’s struggle to adapt to her new life is revealed through her friendship choices and pursuit of popularity. Hassan has been forced to come to terms with catastrophic change and has had no choice but to adapt and survive. As their worlds collide, the characters realise they have more in common than they first thought.

Truth

A constant theme throughout the play is truth. Chloe’s actions are driven by the possible consequences she will face if she is accused of stealing. She is more than happy to blame Hassan regardless of his possible innocence. Hassan must repeatedly speak his truth to authorities as he makes his journey to Australia. Circumstances beyond his control stand in the way of having his truth heard and believed.

Choice

Both characters reveal a past where they have not always had the freedom to make their own choices. While there is no clear-cut ending to the play, the choices the two characters will inevitably make, when they step back into the classroom at the end of the play, have the potential to reinforce the current status quo or provide them with a different path moving forward.

Relationships

Relationships are a recurring theme throughout Amphibian and as the play is performed by only two actors, these most often appear in pairs. The relationship between Hassan and Chloe is especially significant as it undergoes dramatic change throughout the course of the play. Some relationships are spoken about and never seen, whereas other relationships unfold and develop in view of the audience. They range from new relationships (new school), friendship (both good and bad), family relationships (especially the loss of) to destructive relationships (the Taliban and authorities).

Empathy

At the beginning of the play, Chloe is wholly focused on her own unhappiness. She hates being in Adelaide and is terrified of the consequences she will face if her parents find out she’s been accused of stealing. However, as the play progresses and Hassan’s story unfolds, Chloe experiences something of a metamorphosis, developing empathy for Hassan and a willingness to see some things from a new perspective.

Set and costume design

Meg Wilson’s design is intended to provide at least three distinct locations which can also be read all as one location, therefore reducing the need to move walls or furniture to change the setting.

Colours and materials have been selected that are common between the settings in the play, for example: the bricks and pebbles could be found in a school in Adelaide or somewhere in Afghanistan; the bricks are also a common feature in an interview room. The set is abstract rather than realistic, taking influence from hexagonal tile formations and the feeling of an aquarium. This allows the actors, the lighting and sound design as well as our imaginations, to fully realise the settings and transformations between them. Because the actors are required to switch very quickly between other characters and locations, school uniforms are the base costumes for Amphibian. To change character (or location/age for Hassan), the actors simply take off or put on a jacket or something similar to represent the change.

Therefore, Meg’s costume design is necessarily simple, and easily translates between the schoolyard and other locations in the play.

Costumes

Composition and sound design

Ian Moorhead’s rich sound design transports the performers and audience into the various places along Hassan’s journey: From the streets of Kunduz in Afghanistan with the echoes of the call to prayer; to an interview room in Indonesia with the constant circling of a ceiling fan; to a stadium concert in Los Angeles with cheering fans; to a sinking boat off the coast of Malaysia; to a hallucinogenic dreamscape featuring digital glitches and recordings of treehoppers; to the silence of Hassan and Chloe’s school in Adelaide. The sound in Amphibian carries the audience between locations giving weight, adding pathos, invoking memory and imbuing a sense of danger to certain moments in the work.

As a composer Ian is responsible for writing the musical elements of the work and as a sound designer he is responsible for presenting all of the remaining recorded sound elements. Ian has worked to integrate these two worlds by finding the musicality in non-musical things.

Listen to the background music for Hassan’s journey below. Listen for the sounds of the different locations, Afghanistan, Malaysia, Indonesia and consider how Ian has used sound to heighten the drama of this sequence in the play.

Across Land and Sea: Muzafar's True Story

Muzafar Ali is a former refugee from Afghanistan currently living in Adelaide. Muzafar’s incredible journey to Australia is documented in Windmill’s newly produced interactive platform, Muzafar's Story: Across Land and Sea, which is accessible via the link below.

Explore now

Performance literacy

Students viewing live theatre can experience feelings of joy, sadness, anger, wonder and empathy. It can engage their imaginations and invite them to make meaning of their world and their place within it. They can consider new possibilities as they immerse themselves in familiar and not so familiar stories.

Watching theatre also helps students understand the language of the theatre. It is part of the holistic approach to developing student literacy. They learn to ‘read’ the work interpreting the gesture and movement of a performer; deconstructing the designers’ deliberate manipulation of colour, symbol and sound; and reflecting on the director’s and playwright’s intended meaning.

While viewing the show, students’ responses can be immediate as they laugh, cry, question and applaud. After the performance, it is also extremely valuable to provide opportunities for discussion, encouraging students to analyse and comprehend how these responses were evoked by the creatives through the manipulation of production elements and expressive skills.

Having a strong knowledge and understanding of theatre terminology will assist students with this process. Therefore, before coming to see Amphibian with your students, explore the different roles involved in making a performance happen, from writing, directing and performing, to lighting, projection, set and costume design and construction.

Theatre Etiquette

Visiting the theatre is very exciting. There are some guidelines that students can follow regarding appropriate behaviour in the theatre and during the performance that will allow their visit to be even more memorable. Prior to visiting the theatre prepare students for what they will experience as an audience member using the following questions:

Where can you sit?

An usher (front of house – FOH) will help you find your seat so you need to follow their directions.

How do you know when the performance begins?

The lights will dim and/or you might hear a voice-over or sound. That’s your cue that it has begun and it is time to settle and be quiet.

How is going to the theatre different to going to the movies or watching television in your loungeroom?

Something unique to theatre is that it is ‘live’ and the actors are real. You can hear and see the actors, and they can hear and see you.

What is the relationship between the audience and the performers?

As the actors can see and hear you, your responses to the performance show your appreciation to the actors. So, show your enjoyment!

Final points to remember:

turn off your mobile phone (even the vibration of a phone or lit screen is distracting);
avoid eating in the theatre and rustling paper;
cover coughs and sneezes;
don’t film or photograph the performance due to intellectual ownership.

Curriculum links and activities

Year 8 Health and Physical Education

Prepare

Year 8 Health and Physical Education Achievement Standard Addressed

The Year 8 curriculum expands students’ knowledge, understanding and skills to help them achieve successful outcomes in classroom, leisure, social, movement and online situations. Students learn how to take positive action to enhance their own and others’ health, safety and well-being. They do this as they examine the nature of their relationships and other factors that influence people’s beliefs, attitudes, opportunities, decisions, behaviours and actions. Students demonstrate a range of help-seeking strategies that support them to access and evaluate health and physical activity information and services.

The curriculum for Year 8 supports students to refine a range of specialised knowledge, understanding and skills in relation to their health, safety, well-being, and movement competence and confidence. Students develop specialised movement skills and understanding in a range of physical activity settings. They analyse how body control and coordination influence movement composition and learn to transfer movement skills and concepts to a variety of physical activities. Students explore the role that games and sports, outdoor recreation, lifelong physical activities, and rhythmic and expressive movement activities play in shaping cultures and identities. They reflect on and refine personal and social skills as they participate in a range of physical activities.

Year 8 Health and Physical Education Content Descriptors Addressed

Investigate the impact of transition and change on identities (ACPPS070)

Investigate and select strategies to promote health, safety and well-being (ACPPS073)

Investigate the benefits of relationships and examine their impact on their own and others’ health and well-being (ACPPS074)

Analyse factors that influence emotions, and develop strategies to demonstrate empathy and sensitivity (ACPPS075)

Investigate the benefits to individuals and communities of valuing diversity and promoting inclusivity (ACPPS079)

Before the Play

ACTIVITY

This unit includes activities and assessment linked to the Health and Physical Education Australian Curriculum across Year 8. Teachers can choose to use individual activities to complement existing plays or complete the entire unit of work with their students.

The learning activities can provide a structure to view and explore Amphibian with your students. They will provide opportunity for students to explore the play resources independently as well as generate class discussion and sharing of interpretations of the play.

Tune-in

Individually, students research and define:

Refugee
Migrant
Relationship
Truth
Displacement
Asylum Seeker
Empathy
Loss
Change
Choice

In pairs, students access the resource below (Puzzle Maker) and develop a Criss Cross and Find-a-word using the above terms. Students also need to select and define 5 other terms that relate to the topics listed above and include them in their Criss Cross and Find-a-word. Follow the instructions within the website and print out each student’s work. Students are to share their Criss Cross and Find-a-word with their peers. Allow other students to complete the activities. Once the work is completed and the students have finished the activities of their peers, open the floor for discussion about the terms and how they are evident in Australian society.

Develop 3 strategies or ideas that you could implement to assist refugee/migrant or asylum seekers to integrate into your community.

Puzzle Maker

Explore and Apply

Using the Across Land and Sea: Muzafar’s True Story interactive platform, introduce students to the story of Afghan refugee, Muzafar Ali.

As a class, students read the themes evident in Amphibian (see themes section of this resource) and identify which themes are also present in Muzafar’s story. Students develop a Mind Map through a class discussion that explores the connection between the themes of the play Amphibian and Muzafar Ali’s plight. Some suggested questions could include:

List some emotions you feel after learning of Muzafar Ali’s story – evidence of empathy
What emotions are evident when you think about the adversity Muzafar Ali overcame to survive and thrive
List some of the key relationships in Muzafar’s story
List some of your key relationships in your life

In pairs, students discuss and write down times in their life when they have demonstrated empathy, truth, adapted to change and have relied on relationships to see them succeed. Once complete, students discuss their examples with the class and discuss the similarities and differences between their journey and Muzafar’s journey.

Create

Once the Explore and Apply activity has been completed, students are to develop their own life journey presentation. The presentation needs to reflect some of the themes expressed in the story of Muzafar Ali and the themes section in this resource. The presentation needs to fit the following conditions:

Presentation needs to be developed in PowerPoint
Maximum of 10 slides
Select a song to overlap the presentation e.g. ROAR – Katy Perry
Milestones in life, such as: schooling milestones, key relationships, major life experiences such as birthdays, sporting/cultural experiences, moments of having to adapting to change, times of loss such as death
Include images will help to support the presentation
Detailed explanation of each milestone discussed in chronological order on each slide
Last slide is saved for a comparison and evaluation between their own journey and the journey of Muzafar Ali. Key points to cover include:
- How does your story compare to Muzafar Ali’s story?
- Is it fair to say that you have empathy for Muzafar Ali’s journey?
- How would you react/cope with having to live in the shoes of Muzafar Ali throughout his journey?
- How would you treat people who have had stories similar to Muzafar Ali?

Critique

Students undertake the 3,2,1 activity. Students answer individually: What are 3 things I learned, 2 things I found interesting and 1 question I have. These are based on their recall from Muzafar’s story and the themes and character section from this resource.

Students share their 3, 2, 1, with a partner for 2 minutes. Then share their 3, 2, 1 in groups of 4 and finally as a class. Students are to have a discussion with their family that night about their 3, 2, 1 activity and what else they discussed as a class and feedback to the class in the next lesson.

Learning Outcomes

Investigate the impact of transition and change on identities (ACPPS070)

Investigate and select strategies to promote health, safety and well-being (ACPPS073)

Investigate the benefits of relationships and examine their impact on their own and others’ health and well-being (ACPPS074)

Analyse factors that influence emotions, and develop strategies to demonstrate empathy and sensitivity (ACPPS075)

Investigate the benefits to individuals and communities of valuing diversity and promoting inclusivity (ACPPS079)

After the Play

ACTIVITY

Tune-in

Before reviewing any of the resources, have the students individually brainstorm the key lessons, ideas, themes and issues raised in the play, Amphibian.

Students are to develop at least 10 terms or phrases.
After a given time, allow the students to contribute to a Mind Map on the board by writing their strongest ideas up themselves.
Develop discussions based around the ideas presented.
Have the students review the themes section within this resource.
Students then align the themes with the ideas identified in the mind map.
Students create a table to collate this information with the themes as the headings and ideas in related columns.
Students discuss which themes are more evident in Amphibian and which themes they connected with during the play.

Explore and Apply

Students conduct a practical application of the characters in the play in order to illustrate the confidence and self-image elements. Students recall the characters in Amphibian (also see character section of this resource) and identify the general attitude of Hassan, Chloe and Eleni. In groups of 3, students are to derive 3 characteristics that would identify how each of these characters would carry themselves if walking down the street. Each character should have altered physical mannerisms, for example: Walking with confidence – head up, chest out, swinging arms, strong stance, walks with purpose, smiling. Walking without confidence – head down, low shoulders, drags feet, sad face, walks slowly, no eye contact. Walks with over confidence – similar to walking with confidence, but over the top.

Students need to link this understanding with the characters from the play.
As a class, clear the classroom to enable space for movement. Students to mimic the characters and walk around the room acting out each character.
Students are asked the following questions:
1. How did you feel to portray each character (often the students will feel the same way as the character they are acting out – see if this is the case)
2. Have you seen students in your school exhibit these characteristics? What should you do if you see students at your school display poor confidence while walking around the school?
Have 1 student leave the room. Ask the remaining students to walk around the room as Eleni and select 2 other students to walk as Hassan just after his mother has left him at the bus stop. The student that was removed from the room re-enters and identifies which students are portraying Hassan having been left by his mother at the bus stop. This illustrates how easy it is to identify students with a low level of confidence. Repeat this process by altering the student who leaves and the characters that are performed
Finally, have the entire class walk around as Chloe. Have 1 student act as Eleni and another as Hassan. Then once the Eleni’s character finds Hassan, she starts to bully/pick on Hassan. (teacher could freeze the action of all the other students so students can just focus on one role play at a time to ensure things stay appropriate) First instance, the Chloe characters say nothing, which enables Eleni to successfully bully Hassan. Second instance, Chloe’s role is to stand up for Hassan. The Chloe characters help each other to stop the bullying and assure Hassan that he has friends and has support. Repeat with other students in different roles. Discuss the following:
- How did the Hassan character feel when he didn’t have peers to support him?
- How did the Hassan character feel when he had peers to support him?
- How did Eleni feel when she was not supported and told to leave him alone?
- What are the benefits of relationships?
- How did the Chloe characters feel when they worked together to stop the bullying from occurring?
Students should reflect now on their own life and playground experiences and set goals to reduce bullying in their school. As a class develop strategies they could use to help others in their school to reduce bullying and build confidence.

Create

After completing the Explore and Apply activity, students are to create their own ending to the play, Amphibian. Students review the themes and character sections of this resource for character reference. In groups of 3 or 4 students are to develop how the play could have ended. Students develop 2 alternate endings. There must be reference to 2 of the themes outlined in this resource.

Students are to perform the endings in front of the class and then discuss with their peers the endings they developed and how each one represented a particular theme. There needs to be reference to how the play and selected theme connected with them.

Critique

Students are to review the characters from the play Amphibian (review the character section in this resource). Students recall the characters in the play and select the 4 main characters. Students are to undertake the ‘Corners’ activity. Each corner of the room is allocated a main character from the play, for example Chloe, Hassan, Hassan’s mother and Eleni. Students are asked to go to the corner they feel they connected with the most. Once they have moved to the corner of the character they connect with, they are to discuss and take notes as to why they selected that character. Refer to specific parts of the play that supports their points. Each corner is to select a spokesperson to outline their notes to the group.

Students are to review the themes from the play Amphibian (review the themes section in this resource). Students recall the themes in the play and select (as a class) 4 themes. Students are to undertake the ‘Corners’ activity. Each corner of the room is allocated a theme from the play, for example Change, Loss, Empathy, Truth. Students are asked to go to the corner they feel they connected with the most. Once they have moved to the corner, they are to discuss and take notes as to why they selected that theme. Refer to explicit parts of the play that supports their points. Each corner is to select a spokesperson to outline their notes to the group.

Once all corners have spoken about the themes and characters the class reflect on the overall impact the play has had. They discuss how the play has changed and/or impacted their perception towards their own life and the life or others. Discussions need to align with the themes and personality types of the characters within the play.

Learning Outcomes

Investigate the impact of transition and change on identities (ACPPS070)

Investigate and select strategies to promote health, safety and well-being (ACPPS073)

Investigate the benefits of relationships and examine their impact on their own and others’ health and well-being (ACPPS074)

Analyse factors that influence emotions, and develop strategies to demonstrate empathy and sensitivity (ACPPS075)

Investigate the benefits to individuals and communities of valuing diversity and promoting inclusivity (ACPPS079)

Year 9 Health and Physical Education

Prepare

Year 9 Health and Physical Education Achievement Standard Addressed

By the end of Year 10, students critically analyse contextual factors that influence identities, relationships, decisions and behaviours. They analyse the impact attitudes and beliefs about diversity have on community connection and well-being. They evaluate the outcomes of emotional responses to different situations. Students access, synthesise and apply health information from credible sources to propose and justify responses to health situations. Students propose and evaluate interventions to improve fitness and physical activity levels in their communities. They examine the role physical activity has played historically in defining cultures and cultural identities.

Students demonstrate leadership, fair play and cooperation across a range of movement and health contexts. They apply decision-making and problem-solving skills when taking action to enhance their own and others’ health, safety and well-being. They apply and transfer movement concepts and strategies to new and challenging movement situations. They apply criteria to make judgements about and refine their own and others’ specialised movement skills and movement performances. They work collaboratively to design and apply solutions to movement challenges.

Year 9 Health and Physical Education Content Descriptors Addressed

Evaluate factors that shape identities and critically analyse how individuals impact the identities of others (ACPPS089)

Investigate how empathy and ethical decision making contribute to respectful relationships (ACPPS093)

Plan, implement and critique strategies to enhance health, safety and well-being of their communities (ACPPS096)

Critique behaviours and contextual factors that influence health and well-being of diverse communities (ACPPS098)

Before the Play

ACTIVITY

This unit includes activities and assessment linked to the Health and Physical Education Australian Curriculum across Year 9. Teachers can choose to use individual activities to complement existing plays or complete the entire unit of work with their students.

Tune-in

Brainstorm the concept of ‘relationships.’ Students develop a Mind Map to illustrate their prior knowledge.

Pose leading questions such as:

What makes a good friend?
What qualities do you admire about your closest peers?
How do you know your peers are true friends?
What are the different types of relationships that exist in your everyday life?
Are there different levels of influence in each of these types of relationships?

Students read the themes from Amphibian (see the themes section of this resource), especially ‘relationships’. Students also read the article ’13 Essential Traits of Good Friends’ (see resource link). Using a ‘seesaw activity’, students with a partner take turns giving answers to the following questions. Answers should connect between the relationships theme, the article ’13 Essential Traits of Good Friends’ and their own personal experience.

Look at each of the traits discussed in the article and discuss the importance of each trait on establishing and maintaining a positive and success relationship.
Do your friendships mimic the traits of a positive relationship?
What traits evident in the article are evident in your peer group/friendship?
Which traits do you hold as your top 3? Why? Are these evident in your peers?
Have you experienced a destructive relationship?
What were the qualities betrayed that were listed in the article of a positive relationship?
What are the qualities of a destructive relationship?
Do your peers influence the person you are? If so, how?

13 Essential Traits of Good Friends

Explore and Apply

Using Across Land and Sea: Muzafar’s True Story interactive platform, introduce students to the story of Afghan refugee, Muzafar Ali.

As a class, students revisit the themes evident in Amphibian (see themes section of this resource) and identify which themes are also present in Muzafar’s story. In small groups, discuss:

After reviewing the theme ‘empathy’ and exploring the resource link below, what kind of well-being issues could arise from Muzafar’s experience?
After reviewing the theme ‘adapting to change,’ how do you think you would have survived in Muzafar’s experience? What kind of change would occur in you?
After reviewing the theme ‘truth,’ outline your stance on the importance of truth in your relationships? Why is truth so important to sustaining a positive relationship?
After reviewing the theme ‘relationships,’ what were the key relationships for Muzafar? What type of relationships were they? How did they help him?
Outline keys stats and facts about refugees and asylum seekers coming to Australia.

Refugee Council

Create

As a class, students review the themes evident in Amphibian (see themes section of this resource) and create a profile of 3 relationships in their own life. The profiles will include one family member, one peer and a role model. Some of the themes will be evident in each of the profiles completed. Complete the following for each profile:

Name and photo of individual.
Length of time the relationship has lasted.
List of key experiences you have shared.
What lessons/key messages have you learnt from this relationship? (Hassan’s Mother “Remember, always be kind!”)
Qualities that you admire about that person? At least 8. (refer to article “13 traits for a good relationship”)
What emotions would you experience if this relationship was removed from your life? (death – similar feeling to Hassan, who assumes the worse has occurred to his family)
What coping strategies could be implemented to overcome the loss? (support networks, new relationships – similar to Hassan and Chloe who have to develop new relationships and find support in each of their new environments)

Critique

Using Across Land and Sea: Muzafar’s True Story interactive platform, show students the story of Afghan refugee, Muzafar Ali. Complete the following:

Students are to research and take notes on the current Australian Refugee laws, stories and motivations behind why people like Muzafar Ali are seeking asylum.
Students are to collect data via a survey on their school community’s knowledge on the topic of refugees in Australia. Some key topics to be critiqued are:
- What is a refugee?
- Why do people become refugees?
- What’s the difference between a refugee and asylum seeker?
- How are refugees processed and how long does it take?
- Where do most of our refugee’s come from?
- How would you feel if you need to seek refuge in another country?
Develop a brochure to present your findings. Include some definitions, factual information of refugees in Australia and images of successfully integrated refugees into Australian society.

Learning Outcomes

Evaluate factors that shape identities and critically analyse how individuals impact the identities of others (ACPPS089)

Investigate how empathy and ethical decision making contribute to respectful relationships (ACPPS093)

Plan, implement and critique strategies to enhance health, safety and well-being of their communities (ACPPS096)

Critique behaviours and contextual factors that influence health and well-being of diverse communities (ACPPS098)

After the Play

ACTIVITY

Explore and Apply

Students review the characters in Amphibian (see character section of this resource). Complete the following:

Students draw a mud map on a large piece of paper or butchers paper, of all the characters in the play and the connections and influences between them. The heavier or thicker the line that connects the characters, the heavier the influence/impact between them.
For each of the lines drawn on the mud map, outline what the influence is and the direction of the influence via arrows. This will enable students to see what the influence is between all characters and who is the dominant character in each relationship.
Make a table which outlines the following types of relationships:
- New relationships
- Destructive relationships
- Positive relationships
Students are to self-reflect and develop their own mud map of their own life. Follow the same process and discuss with a partner your end product. What changes would you make to ensure you have more positive relationships that encourage and motivate you to achieve your potential? Are you happy with your map of influence? Are there changes that need to occur?

Create

After completion of the Explore and Apply activity, students are to create a playlist of 5 songs each for Hassan, Chloe and Eleni. Write these in a table format with song title and artist for each character. Complete the following questions once the playlists are complete:

Identify, using the lyrics, what connects these songs to this character?

By recalling the characters in the play Amphibian and their behaviours, actions and language of these characters, what parts of the play link to the songs you have chosen?

Review your top 5 favourite songs.
What do the lyrics in your favourite songs tell you about yourself?
In reflection, do these songs and their lyrics influence you in your behaviour and language?
Are they songs that enhance your confidence, self-image and body image? Why, Why not?

Tune-in

Students read about the themes from the play (see the themes section of this resource). As a class, students complete the activity, “5 Whys” (use link below to see an example) in relation to the questions below. The “5 Whys” is a technique to explore cause and effect of an underlying problem in a relationship. Firstly students define the problem and develop an understanding as a class. Students then write a statement about the problem and ask “Why?” recording their answers to the right of the statement. Students continue to ask “Why?” 4 more times allowing for multiple lines of inquiry.

Why does Chloe not trust Hassan? Is she justified in her lack of trust?
How does technology and social media effect Hassan and his journey?
How does Hassan deal with loss and displacement?

Complete using the ‘5 Whys:’

The ‘5 Whys’ is a technique to explore cause and effect relationships underlying a particular problem.

Define the problem and develop an understanding with the class
Write a statement about the problem and ask why?
Record the answers to the rights of the statement.
Ask why 4 more times. This allows for multiple lines of inquiry.
Example with statement and 2 whys
- Example

In groups of 4, students then develop 2 other key questions from the play and compile their thoughts using the activity “5 Whys” for each of the questions. Share findings with the class.

Critique

Students are to read from the themes section of this resource and review “displacement.” Review the lyrics of the song ROAR by Katy Perry. Students listen to the song in pairs and attempt to write down what they think the lyrics are. Then discuss the following:

How does the lyrics of the song ROAR by Katy Perry illustrate the story of Hassan and Chloe and their journey to Adelaide?
Identify lines in the lyrics that connect with their struggle. Link the lines in the lyrics to themes outlines in this resource.
Identify 2 other songs that illustrate their journey. Breakdown the lyrics in the same process as ROAR.

Learning Outcomes

Evaluate factors that shape identities and critically analyse how individuals impact the identities of others (ACPPS089)
Investigate how empathy and ethical decision making contribute to respectful relationships (ACPPS093)
Plan, implement and critique strategies to enhance health, safety and well-being of their communities (ACPPS096)
Critique behaviours and contextual factors that influence health and well-being of diverse communities (ACPPS098)

Year 8 English

Prepare

Year 8 English Achievement Standard Addressed

Receptive modes (listening, reading and viewing)

By the end of Year 8, students understand how the selection of text structures is influenced by the selection of language mode and how this varies for different purposes and audiences. Students explain how language features, images and vocabulary are used to represent different ideas and issues in texts. Students interpret texts, questioning the reliability of sources of ideas and information. They select evidence from the text to show how events, situations and people can be represented from different viewpoints. They listen for and identify different emphases in texts, using that understanding to elaborate on discussions.

Productive modes (speaking, writing and creating)

Students understand how the selection of language features can be used for particular purposes and effects. They explain the effectiveness of language choices they make to influence the audience. Through combining ideas, images and language features from other texts, students show how ideas can be expressed in new ways. Students create texts for different purposes, selecting language to influence audience response. They make presentations and contribute actively to class and group discussions, using language patterns for effect. When creating and editing texts to create specific effects, they take into account intended purposes and the needs and interests of audiences. They demonstrate understanding of grammar, select vocabulary for effect and use accurate spelling and punctuation.

Year 7 and 8 English content descriptions addressed – LANGUAGE, LITERATURE and LITERACY

Understand how rhetorical devices are used to persuade and how different layers of meaning are developed through the use of metaphor, irony and parody (ACELA1542)

Understand how cohesion in texts is improved by strengthening the internal structure of paragraphs through the use of examples, quotations and substantiation of claims (ACELA1766)

Understand how coherence is created in complex texts through devices like lexical cohesion, ellipsis, grammatical theme and text connectives (ACELA1809)

Understand the use of punctuation conventions, including colons, semicolons, dashes and brackets in formal and informal texts (ACELA1544)

Recognise that vocabulary choices contribute to the specificity, abstraction and style of texts (ACELA1547)

Understand how to apply learned knowledge consistently in order to spell accurately and to learn new words including nominalisations (ACELA1549)

Explore the ways that ideas and viewpoints in literary texts drawn from different historical, social and cultural contexts may reflect or challenge the values of individuals and groups (ACELT1626)

Share, reflect on, clarify and evaluate opinions and arguments about aspects of literary texts (ACELT1627)

Understand and explain how combinations of words and images in texts are used to represent particular groups in society, and how texts position readers in relation to those groups (ACELT1628)

Recognise and explain differing viewpoints about the world, cultures, individual people and concerns represented in texts (ACELT1807)

Create literary texts that draw upon text structures and language features of other texts for particular purposes and effects (ACELT1632)

Experiment with particular language features drawn from different types of texts, including combinations of language and visual choices to create new texts (ACELT1768)

Interpret the stated and implied meanings in spoken texts, and use evidence to support or challenge different perspectives (ACELY1730)

Apply increasing knowledge of vocabulary, text structures and language features to understand the content of texts (ACELY1733)

Create imaginative, informative and persuasive texts that raise issues, report events and advance opinions, using deliberate language and textual choices, and including digital elements as appropriate (ACELY1736)

Experiment with text structures and language features to refine and clarify ideas to improve the effectiveness of students’ own texts (ACELY1810)

Before the Play

ACTIVITY

This unit includes activities and assessment linked to English, Australian Curriculum for Year 8. Teachers can choose to use individual activities to complement existing English units or complete the entire unit of work with their students.

The learning activities can provide a structure to view and explore Amphibian with your students. They will provide opportunity for students to explore the play resources independently as well as generate class discussion and sharing of interpretations of the play.

Tune-in

Individually or in pairs, students look up and define the following words. Students should aim to correctly use the word in a sentence.

Amphibian
Axolotl
Salamander
Chameleon
Metamorphose
Change
Taliban
Fundamental State
Infidel
Preconceived
Prejudice
Ignorance
Empathy
Sympathy
Adrift
Afloat
Awash
Astray
Agog

Students to discuss with their elbow buddy or table group: What connections they think the words have to each other? Considering their responses, students answer what do they think Amphibian will be about?

Explore and Apply

Using a Graphic organiser such as a Venn Diagram, students compare the words “empathy” and “sympathy” exploring their similarities and differences. Ask students to site examples when they might feel empathetic or sympathetic towards someone.

Create

Hand out five square shaped pieces of paper to the students. On each of the pieces of paper, students draw a visual picture of the words: adrift; afloat, awash, astray and agog. (Alternatively, students could use an online creating system to create this visual representation). Ask the students:

What do these words look like?
What might someone who is “adrift” (or afloat, awash etc.) be doing?
Consider metaphorically what these words may represent.

Ask students to keep this work as they will develop it further in the After Viewing the Play Create activity of this resource.

Critique

Students read the themes in Amphibian (see themes section of this resource). Divide students into groups and give each group theme to investigate further. Ask students to consider:

How is the theme relevant in contemporary society?
What examples of the theme are evident at school? In the world?
What experiences of this theme have you personally experienced?

Students to record their ideas in a mind map on butcher’s paper that can be placed around the room. Alternatively, Padlet may be used to submit responses to be projected in the classroom in real time.

Each group shares their responses with the class. The class reflects upon and discusses the presentations and add any comments from the class discussion to their Mind Map.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Recognise that vocabulary choices contribute to the specificity, abstraction and style of texts (ACELA1547)

Understand how to apply learned knowledge consistently in order to spell accurately and to learn new words including nominalisations (ACELA1549)

Apply increasing knowledge of vocabulary, text structures and language features to understand the content of texts (ACELY1733)

After the Play

ACTIVITY

Tune-in

Students review the themes evident in Amphibian (see the themes section of this resource). Explore the idea of gaps within a text. The gaps (or unanswered questions) in the text by the end of the play are mostly filled in by Hassan as he tells his story to Chloe. Discuss what themes are present during Hassan’s flashback in the retelling of his story? What gaps are still present within the text?

One gap within the text is Chloe and Eleni’s conversation in the morning, as this is not a scene that is present within the performance. The audience (and Hassan) make assumptions and inferences about what occurs in this conversation. The impact of this conversation could have huge ramifications on discovering who stole the wallet. Students discuss what might have been said between the two girls that morning. Students use Padlet to submit their responses to be projected in the classroom in real time. Ask students to connect a theme or themes to this gap in the text.

Using correct dialogue punctuation and story-writing skills, students individually write the conversation and story they believe occurred between Chloe and Eleni. Students use their imagination to make judgments about how this conversation could impact the ‘truth’ behind the stolen wallet.

Ask students to then pair up with their elbow buddy and imagine that Mrs Damascus has called in Chloe and Hassan one by one. Students write the conversation between Mrs Damascus and either Hassan or Chloe – each student in the pair must take a different character relationship. That is: one student writes the conversation and story between Hassan and Mrs Damascus and the other student writes the conversation between Chloe and Mrs Damascus. Encourage students to consider what is said and thought by the characters and how Mrs Damascus might respond. Also have students refer to information shared between Chloe and Hassan outside the classroom and consider the themes of ‘truth’, ‘choice’, ‘relationship’ and ‘empathy’.

Students to compare stories with their elbow buddy and discuss. Share with the class.

Now imagine that Chloe is retelling the story to her Mum after school. Ask students to write from Chloe’s perspective:

What does she say?
What was important to her?
How might she word the retelling to her mum?
Does Chloe share her ‘empathy’ for Hassan with her mum?
Does she tell her the ‘truth’? Consider how this might affect her ‘relationship’ with her mum.

Students might also consider the mother’s preconceived ideas and prejudices of Hassan.

This activity could form a larger part of an assessable task by completing an Imaginative Response to Literature using an Online Journal (Sample Task 1) or alternatively a Response to Literature Task. (Sample Task 2).

Example of similar task

Explore and Apply

Students view and interact with Across Land and Sea: Muzafar’s True Story interactive platform which introduces students to the story of Afghan refugee, Muzafar Ali. Reviewing their definitions and Venn Diagram comparison of ‘sympathy’ and ’empathy’ from the Before the Play section of this resource, students share with the class who they empathised with and felt sympathy for in Muzafar’s story.

Ask students to discuss with their elbow partner:

What are some circumstances in which you feel sympathy for someone?
What are some circumstances in which you feel empathy someone?
Do you think that Chloe feels sympathy or empathy for Hassan?
Is there a possibility that she could feel both? How so?

Students write 3 reasons each why Chloe has sympathy for and feels empathy with Hassan. Encourage students to provide some examples from the play and include their knowledge of the characters (see the character description section of this resource). Students discuss their findings.

In-line debate: Students will be debating with class members about Chloe’s Sympathy vs Empathy. They should decide which feeling they think she feels more strongly and write a short argument for the debate. Remember to include persuasive techniques and devices.

Split the class into two sides: sympathy and empathy. Students should move to the side they most strongly agree. One student presents their argument to the class. The teacher decides if the student has provided specific justification to their argument. If so, the student receives a point for their team. The other side then has a team member to present their argument and so on. At the end of the debate, the team with the most points wins.

After listening to all the arguments, students write a written reflection to the following questions:

How could you have improved your own argument?
Could you have you explained your justification more clearly and succinctly? How?
Could you have included more persuasive devices? Provide examples.
Could you improve your vocabulary? Where specifically?

This activity could form a larger part of an assessable task by completing an oral presentation in response to a social concept (Sample Task 7).

Example of similar tasks

Create

Adrift, afloat, awash, astray, agog.

These words are spoken by the Old Woman in Hassan’s philosophical dream. They are not just said randomly but metaphorically as they represent Hassan’s journey. Students review the meaning of the words from the Tune-in activity before they viewed the play and discuss how the words represent Hassan’s journey at that point of the play.

Alliteration is the repetition of a consonant sound throughout a phrase, sentence or line. Although these words are alliterative, they are also metaphoric in representing Hassan’s journey. Discuss with students the significance of these words within the play. What theme in the play connects most strongly with the words?

Students are to write their own alliteration poem that links with one of the themes particularly, ‘displacement’, ‘loss’ and ‘truth’. Students may be provided with a letter they are to use, or alternatively students may choose their own letter. Invite students to find as many words as possible that start with the letter and also connect with the chosen theme.

Students write another alliteration poem using the word Metamorphose, Change, Amphibian or Axolotl.

Alliteration poems

Critique

Review the Mind Maps that students created on the themes in the Before Viewing the Play section in these activities. Students reform their groups, answer the following questions adding their findings to their original butcher’s paper or Padlet.

Where is the theme evident in the play?
How is the theme reflected in the characters?
How does the theme develop or change from the beginning of the play until the end?

Using this information, students write an analytical essay deconstructing the themes in the play. Discuss with students the definition of the cognitive verb, ‘analysis’. Revise with students, analytical paragraph writing structure such as PEAL, TEEPEE etc. Also review vocabulary and signpost words used in analytical writing. Students may practice writing sentence starters, topic sentences and linking sentences to further guide their writing.

Students may respond to the following questions in an analytical paragraph:

What themes have been explored within the play and how do they change and develop?
Analyse whether the characters in the play feel sympathy or empathy towards each other?
How do the characters demonstrate their own change or metamorphosis in the play?
Analyse why the play is titled Amphibian? Refer to the themes of displacement, adapting to different worlds and loss.

Padlet