Project: Turtle Dreaming

The Murray River's future is of concern to many Australians. The plight of the snake-necked turtle is representative of the issues. This project explores peace-building ways in which individuals and communities can work together to resolve the problems. Read the story and discuss the different endings and then create your own to share with others.

	*Peace-building involves building:* *peace with ourselves - peace with each other - peace with the environment* For thousands of years the Indigenous people of Australia, who lived on the shores of Lake Alexandrina in South Australia, were stewards of the lake, its creatures and the lake’s water remained fresh and clean. At times the lake was saline when the ocean waters pushed their way into the lake yet at other times the water in the lake was fresh. Melting snows feed the river that empties into the lake. But as irrigation along the length of the Murray River continues to expand very little of this fresh water now manages to reach the lake. Drought has also contributed to this decline. Now as the lake continues to dry, the creatures which once thrived, struggle to survive in the putrid and hypersaline waters and the healthy shoreline has been transformed into burning acidic mud. Introducing the Teaching and Learning for Peace Foundation Forum News Forum Information for Teachers Resource Information about peace-building stories file

1	Read the story- Turtle Dreaming iwb Turtle Dreaming Resource

2	Read alternative story endings iwb What you do think happened next? Ending 1 Resource Ending 2 Resource Ending 3 Resource Guiding discussion questions Resource

3	Choosing a story ending iwb Which ending do you think is most likely to occur? Feedback Create your own story ending Feedback

4	More activities to do iwb To discover more about snake-necked turtles information about the snake-necked turtle Resource To discover more about the Murray River website information about the Murray River Resource

5	What to do next???? iwb Follow up activities Resource What did you think of the story Turtle Dreaming? Feedback What did you think of this project? Feedback