1848: Johanna

A young girl with long red hair stands wearing a traditional, long brown dress with vertical stripes and a pocket. She is also wearing a lace-trimmed blouse and dark shoes, with a dark scarf tied around her head and a necktie. The backdrop is plain, emphasizing her vintage attire.

Johanna lives with her grandmother, Sarah. Johanna doesn't go to school. She has a job - every day she pushes a barrowload of potatoes around the town, delivering them to her grandmother's customers.

The 1840s were a decade of invader expansion, settlement consolidation, and growing social change across Australia.

1840s: Pastoralism and small towns expanded, with increased contact between invaders and First Nations communities.
1843: Early moves took place toward representative government in some colonies.
1846–48: Markets adjusted to invader growth, resulting in economic fluctuations and localised unrest.
1848: Migration from Britain continued; families sought new opportunities but faced hardship and adaptation.

First Nations Focus: Students can explore how invader settlement affected Country, food systems, and movement. Discuss how First Nations people maintained cultural practices, cared for Country, and responded to new neighbours and changing landscapes.

Provocation Question

What helps someone feel like they belong, and who decides who belongs?

Clip 1: Torment

Johanna performs chores around town, overhears gossip about her father, and is teased and attacked by local boys because of her bright red hair.

Tuning In

Being different can attract attention and sometimes cruelty. As you watch, notice:

How Johanna responds to teasing and exclusion
What the boys say and why they target her
How gossip affects people’s reputations and feelings

As a class, discuss:

Why do people tease or exclude others?
How does gossip spread and who benefits?
What would make Johanna feel safer or more supported?

Finding Out & Sorting Out

Work together to investigate the effects of gossip and bullying. In small groups, brainstorm:

Examples of gossip and how it starts
Short‑term and long‑term effects on individuals and communities
Who has power in these situations and why

Create a Gossip and Impact (Cause and Consequence) T-chart showing:

The source of the gossip in the clip
How it spreads through the town
Consequences for Johanna and others

Share group charts and suggest one practical classroom strategy to reduce gossip and support someone who is targeted.

Making Connections

Think about a time you saw or experienced unkind talk. Write a short journal entry:

What happened and how did it make people feel?
What could someone have done differently?
What advice would you give Johanna about responding to gossip?

Clip 2: Loves me, loves me not

Johanna reads a letter from her uncle to her grandmother. She plays a practical joke on one of the Owen boys by putting a frog in his chamber-pot. Johanna and her grandmother visit the grave of her mother. Johanna asks about who her father was.

Tuning In

Curiosity and longing shape Johanna’s actions.

As you watch, notice:

How the letter and the grave visit affect Johanna’s emotions
Why she plays the prank and what it reveals about her needs
The questions she asks about family and identity

As a class, discuss:

How do letters and places (like graves) help people remember and connect?
Why might Johanna act out when she feels uncertain?
How do we balance curiosity with respect for others?

Finding Out & Sorting Out

Explore how people use objects and places to hold memory and identity. In small groups, brainstorm:

Items or places that help families remember absent members (letters, photos, graves)
Reasons people play pranks or seek attention when they feel vulnerable
Respectful ways to ask difficult questions about family history

Create a Memory and Identity Card for Johanna that includes:

One object or place from the clip (the letter or the grave)
What it reveals about her family story
Questions Johanna still needs answered

Share cards and discuss how communities can support children seeking family information.

Making Connections

Write a short reflection or poem:

What object or place helps you remember someone important?
How does it make you feel?
What would you say to Johanna about asking questions of adults in her life?

Clip 3: My Father's House

Johanna asks a number of locals about her father but is concerned by the inconsistencies in the information she receives. When she confronts her grandmother about her father, she is given just one enigmatic fact. Johanna's aunt dresses her down for her pranks.

Tuning In

Searching for truth can be difficult and unsettling. As you watch, notice:

How Johanna pursues answers and how adults respond
Moments of tension between honesty and protection
What the “enigmatic fact” suggests about family secrets

As a class, discuss:

Why might adults hide or soften truths for children?
When is it important to tell the whole truth, and when might people protect others?
How do secrets shape family relationships?

Finding Out & Sorting Out

Investigate how communities handle sensitive information and the ethics of truth‑telling. In small groups, brainstorm:

Reasons adults might withhold information about family history
The effects of secrets on trust and belonging
Strategies for asking sensitive questions respectfully

Create a Truth and Trust Chart that shows:

The questions Johanna asks and who she asks them of
The responses she receives and their likely motivations
Possible next steps Johanna could take to learn more safely

Share charts and role‑play one respectful conversation Johanna could have with an adult to seek more information.

Making Connections

Write a short response:

Have you ever discovered something surprising about your family?
How did you find out and how did it change your view of that person?
What would you advise Johanna to do next to build trust and find answers?

Australian Curriculum Links

Year Level	Content Description	Inquiry Sprint + Clip link	CCP Integration
Year 3	Causes, effects and contributions of people to change; significance of events and symbols; similarities/differences in community life	Clip 1 – Torment • Tuning In: teasing, gossip and exclusion • Finding Out: Gossip & Impact T-chart • Making Connections: journal on unkind talk; Clip 3 – My Father’s House • Tuning In: searching for truth • Finding Out: Truth & Trust Chart • Making Connections: reflection on family secrets	First Nations Peoples’ deep connections to Country/Place; diversity of cultures; continuity of cultural practices. Asia: early migrant and settler diversity; community responses to newcomers.
Year 4	Diversity of experiences before/after 1788; effects of colonisation; cultural and social identity	Clip 2 – Loves Me, Loves Me Not • Tuning In: memory, objects and identity • Finding Out: Memory & Identity Card • Making Connections: respectful questioning; Clip 1 – Torment • Tuning In: power and gossip • Finding Out: investigating sources of gossip • Making Connections: fairness and support	Effects of colonisation on First Nations Peoples; resilience and continuity of cultures; shared histories. Asia: diverse settler backgrounds and family networks in colonial towns.
Year 5	Causes of colonial expansion; roles of significant individuals; influence of people on places	Clip 2 – Loves Me, Loves Me Not • Tuning In: objects and memory • Finding Out: research on family records and memorials • Making Connections: Country Knowledge Card style inquiry; Clip 3 – My Father’s House • Tuning In: community roles in sharing information • Finding Out: Truth & Trust Chart • Making Connections: reflection on influence of adults	First Nations Peoples’ knowledge systems, innovation and sustainable practices; contributions to local places. Asia: migration and cultural exchange shaping community life.
Year 6	Significant people/events leading to democracy, migration, and interconnections with other countries	Clip 3 – My Father’s House • Tuning In: truth, protection and ethics • Finding Out: Truth & Trust Chart • Making Connections: children’s rights and ethical questioning; Clip 1 – Torment • Tuning In: social power and reputation • Finding Out: analysing gossip networks • Making Connections: identity and belonging	First Nations Peoples’ ongoing contributions to contemporary Australia; recognition of shared futures. Asia: early contact, migration stories and interconnections across regions.

Year Level	Strand	Content Description	Inquiry Sprint + Clip link	CCP Integration
Years 3–4	Literature	Describe how characters, settings and events develop; how texts reflect contexts	Clip 1 – Torment • Tuning In: character responses to teasing • Finding Out: Gossip & Impact T-chart • Making Connections: journal on feelings; Clip 2 – Loves Me, Loves Me Not • Tuning In: emotional triggers • Finding Out: Memory & Identity Card • Making Connections: short narrative about a remembered place	Understanding diverse cultural identities; recognising First Nations stories as part of Australia’s narrative. Asia: migrant and settler family stories in historical texts.
Years 3–4	Literacy	Interact, discuss and present ideas; interpret multimodal texts	Clip 2 – Loves Me, Loves Me Not • Tuning In: interpreting letters and places • Finding Out: creating Memory & Identity Cards • Making Connections: oral storytelling and presentations; Clip 3 – My Father’s House • Tuning In: questioning and listening • Finding Out: Truth & Trust Chart • Making Connections: role play respectful conversations	Recognising diverse ways of communicating and sharing knowledge. Asia: cross‑cultural communication and respectful questioning.
Years 5–6	Literature	Explain how ideas are developed through characters, settings and events; how texts reflect context	Clip 3 – My Father’s House • Tuning In: motives and protection • Finding Out: Truth & Trust Chart • Making Connections: extended analytical response; Clip 1 – Torment • Tuning In: social dynamics • Finding Out: analysing gossip effects • Making Connections: comparative essay on reputation	Exploring First Nations perspectives alongside colonial narratives. Asia: representation of migrant experiences and community memory in historical texts.
Years 5–6	Literacy / Language	Use vocabulary, sentence structures and multimodal features to create and interpret texts	Clip 2 – Loves Me, Loves Me Not • Tuning In: descriptive and emotive language • Finding Out: composing Memory & Identity Cards • Making Connections: personal narrative using descriptive language; Clip 1 – Torment • Tuning In: language of gossip and exclusion • Finding Out: identifying harmful language • Making Connections: rewriting dialogue to model respectful language	Using respectful language when referring to First Nations cultures and histories. Asia: building vocabulary related to migration, memory and cultural exchange.

Organising Idea	Curriculum Link	Episode 17 Connection
Country/Place	First Nations Peoples have deep spiritual, cultural, social and economic connections to Country/Place	Compare Johanna’s developing sense of place with First Nations perspectives on caring for Country and belonging; link classroom Country Knowledge Cards to local Country.
Culture	First Nations cultures are diverse, dynamic and continuous	Explore how First Nations cultural practices continued and adapted during early settlement and how memory objects and places hold cultural meaning.
People	First Nations identities are shaped by Country/Place, culture and community	Discuss how identity is formed differently for First Nations children and settler children like Johanna, using Memory & Identity Cards to surface different knowledge systems.
Shared Histories	Colonisation has had significant effects on First Nations Peoples; resilience and continuity	Situate Johanna’s story within broader colonial histories and acknowledge First Nations resilience and continuity in the face of settlement pressures.
Knowledge Systems	First Nations Peoples’ knowledge systems continue to influence Australian society	Connect classroom inquiries about plants, places and memory to First Nations knowledge systems and respectful learning practices.
Shared Futures	Australia has shared histories and shared futures	Reflect on how listening to multiple stories (First Nations and settler) contributes to shared futures and stronger community relationships.

Organising Idea	Curriculum Link	Episode 17 Connection
Asia’s diversity	Students explore the diversity of Asian cultures	Consider early Asian contacts and the diversity of settler and visitor backgrounds in regional towns; compare memory practices across cultures.
Asia–Australia connections	Historical and contemporary connections between Asia and Australia	Discuss early trade, visits and the later growth of Asian communities that shaped regional towns.
Asia’s contributions	Asian peoples’ contributions to Australian society	Explore how diverse cultural knowledge and skills contributed to local economies and community life.