About the Windcatcher Resource

In Windcatcher, ten-year-old Percy Boy Collins and his eclectic crew of friends outsmart a gang of bullies to triumph at their school's athletics carnival, emerging as heroes of their own epic adventure.

Developed for Years 5 to 8, this resource provides sequenced learning tasks suitable for a whole-class film study. Alternatively, teachers can select individual tasks to complement and extend a class or cohort film screening. These English tasks build students’ knowledge of viewing processes, including planning, monitoring, reflecting and reviewing. Behind-the-scenes materials and promotional materials are incorporated for student engagement and understanding.

An additional learning task and worksheet for Windcatcher can be found on the 2024 NAIDOC Resource Page, Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, oud and Proud.

Child Safety

Teachers should be aware that Windcatcher depicts childhood experiences of grief, with the loss of immediate family members and subsequent sorry business. First Nations protagonist Percy Boy Collins (aka ‘Windcatcher’) is represented living under the kinship of his loving family.

The story references catastrophic bushfires, including an escape scene and dangerous bushfire emergency sequence.

The antagonists in the story are a group of bullies called ‘The Wolf Pack’. These boys intimidate and ridicule others, including a derogatory comment about a student’s body.

Windcatcher may stir up memories and trigger emotions for some students. Teachers are encouraged to watch the film and explore the resource before sharing it with their class.

If aspects of the Windcatcher film or resource raise issues for your students, Kids Helpline’s qualified counsellors are available via WebChat, phone, or email. Kids Helpline is Australia’s only free (even from a mobile phone), confidential 24/7 online and phone counselling service for young people aged 5 to 25. Visit kidshelpline.com.au or call 1800 55 1800.

Watch

Windcatcher is currently streaming exclusively on STAN. The film can also be purchased as a digital download for education use from the ACTF Shop.

Feedback

The ACTF would like to understand how teachers use our classroom resources. We welcome feedback from teachers who have delivered and adapted our resources. Please reach out to education@actf.com.au with questions, comments and suggestions.

Before Viewing

After Viewing

Australian Curriculum Links

	Year 5	Year 6	Year 7	Year 8
ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER HISTORIES AND CULTURES
Country/Place	A_TSICP1 First Nations communities of Australia maintain a deep connection to, and responsibility for, Country/Place and have holistic values and belief systems that are connected to the land, sea, sky and waterways.
Culture	A_TSIC1 First Nations Australian societies are diverse and have distinct cultural expressions such as language, customs and beliefs. As First Nations Peoples of Australia, they have the right to maintain, control, protect and develop their cultural expressions, while also maintaining the right to control, protect and develop culture as Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property. A_TSIC2 First Nations Australians’ ways of life reflect unique ways of being, knowing, thinking and doing. A_TSIC3 The First Peoples of Australia (Aboriginal Peoples) belong to the world’s oldest continuous cultures. First Nations Australians demonstrate resilience in the maintenance, practice and revitalisation of culture despite the many historic and enduring impacts of colonisation, and continue to celebrate and share the past, present and future manifestations of their cultures.
People	A_TSIP2 First Nations Australians have sophisticated political, economic and social organisation systems, which include family and kinship structures, laws, traditions, customs, land tenure systems, and protocols for strong governance and authority. A_TSIP3 The significant and ongoing contributions of First Nations Australians and their histories and cultures are acknowledged locally, nationally and globally.
ENGLISH
Language	AC9E5LA03 AC9E5LA07	AC9E6LA03 AC9E6LA07	AC9E7LA02 AC9E7LA03	AC9E8LA03
Literature	AC9E5LE01 AC9E5LE02 AC9E5LE03	AC9E6LE01 AC9E6LE02	AC9E7LE01 AC9E7LE02 AC9E7LE03	AC9E8LE01 AC9E8LE03
Literacy	AC9E5LY02 AC9E5LY03 AC9E5LY05	AC9E6LY01 AC9E6LY02 AC9E6LY03 AC9E6LY05	AC9E7LY02 AC9E7LY03 AC9E7LY05 AC9E7LY06	AC9E8LY02 AC9E8LY03 AC9E8LY05 AC9E8LY06
CRITICAL AND CREATIVE THINKING
Inquiring	Questions developed focus on improving understanding about a topic and clarifying information about processes or procedures. Identify and examine relevant information and opinion from a range of sources, including visual information and digital sources.		Questions developed assist in forming an understanding of why phenomena or issues arise. Identify and clarify significant information and opinion from a range of sources, including visual information and digital sources.
Generating	Create possibilities by changing, combining, or elaborating on new and known ideas in a variety of creative ways. Put ideas into action by predicting potential or future outcomes and systematically testing a range of options.		Create possibilities by adapting, combining or elaborating on new and known ideas, and proposing a range of different or creative combinations. Put ideas into action by making predictions, testing and evaluating options, and reconsidering approaches in complex or unfamiliar situations.
Analysing	Draw conclusions and make choices when completing tasks, using discipline knowledge to provide reasons and evaluate arguments for choices made. Evaluate the effectiveness of a course of action or the outcome of a task, including using a given or co-developed set of criteria to support decisions.		Draw conclusions and make choices when completing tasks by connecting evidence from within and across discipline areas to provide reasons and evaluate arguments for choices made. Evaluate the effectiveness of a course of action or the outcome of a task and account for expected and unexpected results, including using a given or co-developed set of criteria to support decisions.
Reflecting	Identify and reflect on thinking and assumptions when completing activities or drawing conclusions. Apply aspects of knowledge and skills gained in one context to a new or unrelated context to achieve a specific purpose.		Reflect on the thinking and processes used when completing activities or drawing conclusions. Transfer knowledge and skills gained in previous experiences to both similar and different contexts, and explain reasons for decisions and choices made.
MEDIA ARTS
Exploring and responding	AC9AMA6E01 AC9AMA6E02		AC9AMA8E01 AC9AMA8E02

About this Resource

Child Safety

Watch

Feedback

Before Viewing

Task 1: Film Key Art

Task 2: Film Synopsis

Task 3: Film Trailer

Task 4: Viewing Purpose

After Viewing

Task 6: Story Structure

Task 7: Underdog Stories

Task 8: Narrative Perspective

Task 9: Character Description

Task 10: Film Review

Australian Curriculum Links

Year 5

Year 6

Year 7

Year 8

ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER HISTORIES AND CULTURES

Country/Place

A_TSICP1

First Nations communities of Australia maintain a deep connection to, and responsibility for, Country/Place and have holistic values and belief systems that are connected to the land, sea, sky and waterways.

Culture

A_TSIC1

A_TSIC2

First Nations Australians’ ways of life reflect unique ways of being, knowing, thinking and doing.

A_TSIC3

People

A_TSIP2

First Nations Australians have sophisticated political, economic and social organisation systems, which include family and kinship structures, laws, traditions, customs, land tenure systems, and protocols for strong governance and authority.

A_TSIP3

The significant and ongoing contributions of First Nations Australians and their histories and cultures are acknowledged locally, nationally and globally.

ENGLISH

Language

Literature

Literacy

CRITICAL AND CREATIVE THINKING

Inquiring

Questions developed focus on improving understanding about a topic and clarifying information about processes or procedures.

Identify and examine relevant information and opinion from a range of sources, including visual information and digital sources.

Questions developed assist in forming an understanding of why phenomena or issues arise.

Identify and clarify significant information and opinion from a range of sources, including visual information and digital sources.

Generating

Create possibilities by changing, combining, or elaborating on new and known ideas in a variety of creative ways.

Put ideas into action by predicting potential or future outcomes and systematically testing a range of options.

Create possibilities by adapting, combining or elaborating on new and known ideas, and proposing a range of different or creative combinations.

Put ideas into action by making predictions, testing and evaluating options, and reconsidering approaches in complex or unfamiliar situations.

Analysing

Draw conclusions and make choices when completing tasks, using discipline knowledge to provide reasons and evaluate arguments for choices made.

Evaluate the effectiveness of a course of action or the outcome of a task, including using a given or co-developed set of criteria to support decisions.

Draw conclusions and make choices when completing tasks by connecting evidence from within and across discipline areas to provide reasons and evaluate arguments for choices made.

Evaluate the effectiveness of a course of action or the outcome of a task and account for expected and unexpected results, including using a given or co-developed set of criteria to support decisions.

Reflecting

Identify and reflect on thinking and assumptions when completing activities or drawing conclusions.

Apply aspects of knowledge and skills gained in one context to a new or unrelated context to achieve a specific purpose.

Reflect on the thinking and processes used when completing activities or drawing conclusions.

Transfer knowledge and skills gained in previous experiences to both similar and different contexts, and explain reasons for decisions and choices made.

MEDIA ARTS

Exploring and responding

Evaluate the effectiveness of a course of action or the outcome of a task and account for expected and unexpected results, including using a given or co-developed set of criteria to support decisions.

Transfer knowledge and skills gained in previous experiences to both similar and different contexts, and explain reasons for decisions and choices made.