Reading a Seasonal Calendar (Grade 6)
Free printable HASS worksheet for Grade 6. Students read the published D'harawal six-season calendar (Bureau of Meteorology, Indigenous Weather Knowledge) and answer questions computed from the printed table.
Grade 6 · Social Studies worksheet
Name
Date
Social Studies
Reading a Seasonal Calendar: the D'harawal Year
The table shows the D'harawal seasonal calendar as published by the Bureau of Meteorology's Indigenous Weather Knowledge project, shared with the permission of the D'harawal Traditional Knowledge holders and Descendants Circle. Use the table to answer each question. Extension (not marked): what natural signs mark the change of seasons where you live?
| Season | Months | Weather | One published sign |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burran | January to March | Hot and dry | Male kangaroos become aggressive |
| Marrai'gang | April to June | Wet, becoming cooler | Quolls seek their mates and lilly pillies ripen |
| Burrugin | June to late July | Cold, frosty, short days | Echidnas seek their mates and the Forest Red Gum flowers |
| Wiritjiribin | August | Cold and windy | Lyrebirds build their dancing mounds |
| Ngoonungi | September to October | Cool, getting warmer | Flying foxes gather in the evening sky |
| Parra'dowee | November to December | Warm and wet | Eels travel down the rivers to the ocean |
- 1.How many seasons does the D'harawal calendar in the table have?
- 2.According to the table, which season includes the month of May?
- a) Burran
- b) Marrai'gang
- c) Burrugin
- d) Wiritjiribin
- e) Ngoonungi
- f) Parra'dowee
- 3.According to the table, which season includes the month of November?
- a) Burran
- b) Marrai'gang
- c) Burrugin
- d) Wiritjiribin
- e) Ngoonungi
- f) Parra'dowee
- 4.According to the table, which season includes the month of March?
- a) Burran
- b) Marrai'gang
- c) Burrugin
- d) Wiritjiribin
- e) Ngoonungi
- f) Parra'dowee
- 5.The calendar repeats each year. According to the table, which season comes directly after Marrai'gang?
- a) Burran
- b) Marrai'gang
- c) Burrugin
- d) Wiritjiribin
- e) Ngoonungi
- f) Parra'dowee
- 6.The calendar repeats each year. According to the table, which season comes directly after Wiritjiribin?
- a) Burran
- b) Marrai'gang
- c) Burrugin
- d) Wiritjiribin
- e) Ngoonungi
- f) Parra'dowee
- 7.In which season does the table list this sign: "Flying foxes gather in the evening sky"?
- a) Burran
- b) Marrai'gang
- c) Burrugin
- d) Wiritjiribin
- e) Ngoonungi
- f) Parra'dowee
- 8.In which season does the table list this sign: "Lyrebirds build their dancing mounds"?
- a) Burran
- b) Marrai'gang
- c) Burrugin
- d) Wiritjiribin
- e) Ngoonungi
- f) Parra'dowee
- 9.Which season does the table describe as "Cool, getting warmer"?
- a) Burran
- b) Marrai'gang
- c) Burrugin
- d) Wiritjiribin
- e) Ngoonungi
- f) Parra'dowee
- 10.The widely used European-style calendar has four seasons. How many MORE seasons does the D'harawal calendar in the table have?
- 11.The D'harawal seasons are marked by natural signs such as flowering plants and animal behaviour. What does this show about the calendar?
- a) It was copied from the European calendar
- b) It is based on close, long-term observation of Country
- c) It ignores plants and animals
- 12.Who granted permission for the D'harawal calendar to be shared on the Bureau of Meteorology website?
- a) The D'harawal Traditional Knowledge holders and Descendants Circle
- b) No permission was needed
- c) A European almanac publisher
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Accuracy and sources
These references support the historical wording and answer key on this worksheet.
- 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