Caring for Country (Grade 3)
Free printable HASS worksheet for Grade 3 on caring for Country as a custodial responsibility: cultural burning at a factual level (per the Australian Museum), seasonal calendars, and knowledge passed between generations.
Grade 3 · Social Studies worksheet
Name
Date
Social Studies
Caring for Country
Circle the best answer, match each term to its meaning, then circle True or False. Extension (not marked): find out whether cultural burning or ranger programs happen in your region.
- 1.Caring for Country is described as a custodial responsibility. That means it is:
- a) A hobby people do once and forget
- b) A duty of care that is passed down between generations
- c) A paid job advertised in the newspaper
- 2.The Australian Museum describes cultural burning as:
- a) Small spot fires in a mosaic pattern, cool and slow moving
- b) One huge, fast, hot fire across the whole forest
- c) Fires lit only by accident
- 3.Some First Nations communities share seasonal calendars of their Country. What do these calendars record?
- a) The seasons of that Country and the natural signs that mark them
- b) The dates of public holidays
- c) Television programme times
- 4.How many seasons does a First Nations seasonal calendar have?
- a) Always exactly two
- b) Always exactly four, like the European calendar
- c) It depends on the Country; different calendars have different numbers of seasons
- 5.Match: A seasonal calendar
- a) carries the responsibility to care for Country
- b) records a Country's seasons and their natural signs
- c) reading the natural signs of a season
- d) how caring for Country continues over time
- 6.Match: Knowledge passed between generations
- a) carries the responsibility to care for Country
- b) records a Country's seasons and their natural signs
- c) reading the natural signs of a season
- d) how caring for Country continues over time
- 7.Match: A custodian
- a) carries the responsibility to care for Country
- b) records a Country's seasons and their natural signs
- c) reading the natural signs of a season
- d) how caring for Country continues over time
- 8.Match: Watching plants flower and animals move
- a) carries the responsibility to care for Country
- b) records a Country's seasons and their natural signs
- c) reading the natural signs of a season
- d) how caring for Country continues over time
- 9.True or False: Cultural burning and hazard-reduction burning are exactly the same thing.
- a) True
- b) False
- 10.True or False: Cultural burns are designed to trap animals inside the fire.
- a) True
- b) False
- 11.True or False: The goal of a cultural burn is to burn every tree to the ground.
- a) True
- b) False
- 12.True or False: Different Countries have their own seasonal calendars with different numbers of seasons.
- a) True
- b) False
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Accuracy and sources
These references support the historical wording and answer key on this worksheet.
- Australian Museum - Cultural Fire practices — describes cultural burning as small spot fires placed in a mosaic style, cool and slow moving so animals and insects can move away and the soil and trees are not harmed, in contrast to fast, hot hazard-reduction burns
- AIATSIS - Welcome to Country — defines Country as the lands, waterways and seas peoples are connected to, carrying law, language, family and identity, and states that only Traditional Owners can welcome visitors to Country or authorise others to do so, while anyone can acknowledge Country
- Bureau of Meteorology - Indigenous Weather Knowledge: D'harawal calendar — the published seasonal calendar the table reproduces (season names, months, weather and indicators), hosted by the Bureau with permission granted by the D'harawal Traditional Knowledge holders and Descendants Circle
- ACARA - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures cross-curriculum priority — the curriculum priority these worksheets serve; the paired term Country/Place and the phrase First Nations Australians follow ACARA's own usage