Caring for Country (Grade 4)
Free printable HASS worksheet for Grade 4 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 4 · 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.Why are cultural burns kept cool and slow?
- a) So animals and insects can move away and the soil and trees are not harmed
- b) To make as much smoke as possible
- c) Because matches burn slowly
- 2.Caring for Country is described as a custodial responsibility. That means it is:
- a) A duty of care that is passed down between generations
- b) A paid job advertised in the newspaper
- c) A hobby people do once and forget
- 3.Some First Nations communities share seasonal calendars of their Country. What do these calendars record?
- a) Television programme times
- b) The seasons of that Country and the natural signs that mark them
- c) The dates of public holidays
- 4.How many seasons does a First Nations seasonal calendar have?
- a) Always exactly two
- b) It depends on the Country; different calendars have different numbers of seasons
- c) Always exactly four, like the European calendar
- 5.Match: A seasonal calendar
- a) how caring for Country continues over time
- b) records a Country's seasons and their natural signs
- c) reading the natural signs of a season
- d) carries the responsibility to care for Country
- 6.Match: Knowledge passed between generations
- a) how caring for Country continues over time
- b) records a Country's seasons and their natural signs
- c) reading the natural signs of a season
- d) carries the responsibility to care for Country
- 7.Match: Watching plants flower and animals move
- a) how caring for Country continues over time
- b) records a Country's seasons and their natural signs
- c) reading the natural signs of a season
- d) carries the responsibility to care for Country
- 8.Match: A custodian
- a) how caring for Country continues over time
- b) records a Country's seasons and their natural signs
- c) reading the natural signs of a season
- d) carries the responsibility to care for Country
- 9.True or False: Different Countries have their own seasonal calendars with different numbers of seasons.
- 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: Caring for Country is a new idea invented in the last ten years.
- a) True
- b) False
- 12.True or False: Cultural burning is different from a fast, hot hazard-reduction burn.
- a) True
- b) False
Made with ChalkBee · chalkbee.com
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