Getting Started
Learning for life
- All living things depend on the environment around them for survival.
- All living things are interconnected and interdependent, and the balance can be delicate.
- Humans are ultimately responsible for the state of the environment and its protection for the future.
- Environments change over time and these changes can be caused by nature or humans.
- We have a responsibility to care for and protect our environment for the future.
- Changes, whether natural or artificial, can affect whole systems and the environment both for better and for worse.
- There are international agencies which promote environmental protection.
- I can have both a positive and negative impact on the environment.
- Through knowledge and understanding, I can make responsible choices to meet my needs and still promote the protection of the environment.
- The beliefs I have and the actions I take can influence others.
- I may only be one child but I can make a difference.
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Overview
Purinina: A devil's tale, by Christina Booth, is the story of a Tasmanian Devil as she grows from being a baby to being a mother. Named after the traditional Tasmanian Aboriginal name for the Tasmanian Devil, Purinina offers a sensitive insight into the life cycle of what has been a feared yet fascinating creature.
Even though it is fictional, it is written in such a way that something can be learned from every page, and there is a section called 'Devilish Details' at the end, which provides the facts upon which the story is built.
In May 2008, the Tasmanian Devil was listed as 'endangered' under Tasmania's Threatened Species Protection Act 1995. This has thrust the Tasmanian Devil into the spotlight, so this book is an excellent resource to initiate an investigation into the past, present and future of the species.
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Author profile
Christina Booth lives in a 100-year-old house in Launceston with her husband, three children and a lot of pets.
Originally trained as an artist and a teacher, she has illustrated books for authors such as Jackie French, Christobel Mattingley, Colin Thiele and Bill Scott. Purinina: A devil's tale is the first she has both written and illustrated. Three titles that she has illustrated, including Purinina, are listed as CBCA Notable Australian Children's books for 2008.
Ms Booth wrote the story about Purinina because Tasmanian Devils are a part of her life in Tasmania and she thought other people should know that there was more to them than their bad reputation as mean and fierce.
You can learn more about the author at www.christinabooth.com/index.html
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Useful websites 
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Focus questions
Before reading the book
- What do you know about Tasmanian Devils?
- How does the cover help you work out what the book is about?
- Why do you think that it only shows the footprints and the tail?
- Why did the author call the book 'Purinina'?
- How does the illustration on the title page compare to your existing concept of a Tasmanian Devil?
- Is 'cute' a word you would have used about Tasmanian Devils before you saw this?
During reading the book
- Why does the author start the story, 'At the bottom of the world, on the edge of an island...' instead of just saying, 'In a warm, dry cave in Tasmania...'?
- How does this introduction contribute to the story?
- How does the illustration contribute to the introduction?
- What does the mouth of the cave remind you of?
- Why do you think Ms Booth drew it this way?
- What do we call a creature that raises its young in a pouch?
- What other marsupials do you know about?
- What would be the benefits of being a marsupial mother?
- What might be the problems?
- Are you a marsupial? Why?/Why not?
- How was your development different to Purinina's?
- How long was Purinina dependent on her mother?
- What is the key link between all the sorts of food that Purinina eats?
- What do we call creatures that eat only meat?
- If Tasmanian Devils are so fierce, why were Purinina and her brothers so reluctant to leave the cave?
- What happened to Purinina's mother?
- What is the new sound in the valley that frightens Purinina and her brothers so much?
- What does that tell you about Purinina's senses and instincts?
- Who are the men who come looking for Purinina's mother?
- Why do you think they are looking for her?
- Where do you think they took her? Why?
- If Purinina had thoughts and feelings like a human, how do you think she thought and felt when this happened?
- Why does Purinina now fight with her brothers, rather than playing with them?
- Why would the moon feel frightened?
- Why are the crows not scared?
- What has happened to Purinina's brothers?
- How does life continue for Purinina?
- What do you think the future for her babies will be?
After reading the book
- What did you learn about Tasmanian Devils by reading this book?
- Should this book be shelved in the fiction or non-fiction collection? Why?
- Did the story leave you with a sense of hope or sadness? Why?
- If the trees or the cave could tell this story, what would they say?
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Activities
Responding to text
The bottom of the world
Individuals 
Small groups 
Class
The Tasmanian wilderness is the only place in the world that the Tasmanian Devil is found. Find Tasmania on a map and suggest reasons why they are confined to that small area.
Devilish details
Individuals Small groups
There is much to learn about Tasmanian Devils on every page of this book, as well as in the 'Devilish Details' section at the end.
Imagine you are the author doing the research for this book. Compile your notes using the note-taking template and following the steps (1–6) below. Remember to use:
- subject-specific vocabulary
- paragraphs
- present tense
- third person stance
1. Write your topic in the Topic box
2. Decide upon the five most important headings for your topic.
3. Locate the information you need from:
- Purinina: A devil's tale
- one other print source
- one website
4. Cross-check the information to ensure it is accurate and up-to-date.
5. On the back of the sheet, write the names and authors of the resources you have used.
6. Identify the keywords for each heading and write these in the appropriate boxes.
Use the notes you have made to write a report about the Tasmanian Devil. Your report should have:
- a title
- an introduction
- accurate and detailed information closely related to your topic
- enough information for the reader to be able to visualise a Tasmanian Devil and learn something about it
- a conclusion which summarises your report and includes a personal observation
- a bibliography with the names of the resources you used and their authors.
What's in a name?
Individuals Small groups Class
The Tasmanian Aboriginals call this creature 'Purinina'; other Australians know it as the Tasmanian Devil; and scientists call it Sarcophilus harrisii.
- Why does it have three names?
- What is the origin of each name?
- Why do scientists give species of flora and fauna such strange names?
Your mother has been cleaning under your bed and is convinced she has discovered a new species of plant or animal. Draw what she has discovered, then describe and name it.
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Themes for Education for Sustainability
An endangered species
Small groups Class
The Tasmanian Devil is now officially listed as 'endangered' because of Devil Facial Tumour Disease.
- What does 'endangered' mean?
Read about DFTD here
www.dpiw.tas.gov.au/ and click on 'Devils under Threat'.
Share your learning with your group and, together, write an explanation of what the disease is, what causes it, how it spreads and its consequences.
Chain reaction
Individuals Small groups
In just over a decade, sightings of the Tasmanian Devil have decreased by about 64 per cent, which suggest a significant proportion of the adult population has died.
- How does the Tasmanian Devil contribute to the balance of nature?
- What will the impact of its absence be?
Create a diagram of a food chain using the chain reaction diagram. Include the Tasmanian Devil and then another without it. Write an explanation to accompany your diagrams describing the impact of both scenarios.
- Is the environment better off with or without the Tasmanian Devil? Why?
- What would you do to save the Tasmanian Devil?
Map your solution using the mapping your solution template. Use your work to develop a presentation that explains it clearly. Your explanation should:
- describe the situation
- use subject-specific vocabulary
- be in a logical sequence
- explain the links between sectors
- identify the overall cause and effect.
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Research themes
The change table
Individuals Small groups
In the story, there is a lot of information about how Purinina grew and changed over time, as do all living creatures.
Create a table that shows Purinina's growth and compares it with yours, using the growing and changing template. Identify the key elements for each heading – baby, toddler, child, and adult. (The first one is done for you.) Fill in the data for each heading. (You will have to make predictions about yourself as an adult.)
Use the data and one of these Web 2.0 tools to create a presentation that tells either your story or Purinina's: Comiqs, Photo Story; scrapblog
If you cannot access these applications, use PowerPoint (Windows) or Keynote (Mac).
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Assessment
Assessment tasks are dependent on the teacher's identified outcomes of the unit, the tasks selected and the evidence that teachers determine to be acceptable for the age group.
Changes in values and attitudes evolve over time as our expertise and experience grows and so cannot be measured. However, by exposing students to activities such as these we start them on their journey of awareness of the wider world, particularly if we give them the opportunity and time to reflect on their learning.
Reflections
- How has this story impacted on you?
- What will you remember about it when you are older?
- Have the words or the pictures had the most impact? Why?
Use this reflections sheet to reflect on what you have learned and how it might have changed your thinking and understanding.
Tigers and devils
When she was asked why she hadn't included the issue of Devil Facial Tumour Disease in the story, the author said:
When I wrote the story the facial tumours were only just being made aware to the public and very little was known. By the time the story was accepted for publication more information was available and by the time the book was published some information had been changed and more discovered. If I had included information about the facial tumours it would have been out-of-date before the book went on sale.
The current management plan for saving the Tasmanian Devils and combating Devil Facial Tumour Disease includes putting some healthy Tasmanian Devils in wildlife parks and zoos in other parts of Australia and the world. These can then be used in captive breeding programs to ensure the species does not die out, and when the disease has been defeated, healthy Tasmanian Devils can be returned to Tasmania.
Read the story I Saw Nothing: The extinction of the thylacine by Gary Crew and watch the video clip of the last remaining thylacine in Hobart Zoo in 1933 at www.youtube.com/
Compare the situations of the Tasmanian Devil and the Tasmanian Tiger.
- How might the plight of the Tasmanian Tiger have been different if environmental protection had been a priority in the 1930s?
- Why have attitudes changed?
- How has the role of zoos changed over time?
Imagine you are a television journalist, and twenty years from now you are reporting on the eradication of DFTD and the successful introduction of Tasmanian Devils into the wild. Write your script explaining the problem of DFTD, its impact and its solution.
What can I do?
Read about what school students Ceilidh Bishop and Nic Bonnitcha have done to raise awareness of the Tasmanian Devils at http://www.tassiedevil.com.au/schools.html and then visit their individual websites.
- What could your class do to support either of these causes or another endangered species?
In pairs, select an endangered species from the Australian Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation List of Threatened Fauna at
www.environment.gov.au.
Prepare a fact sheet about the creature including the answers to questions such as:
- What does the creature look like?
- What colour is it?
- How big does it grow?
- Where does it live?
- What is its natural habitat?
- What does it eat?
- How does it move?
- How does it communicate?
- Who are its enemies?
- How does it protect itself?
- Does it have special survival skills?
- Is it clever?
- Who does it live with?
- How long does it live?
- When does it mate?
- What is its family like?
- How does it look after its babies?
- Why is it endangered?
- What is its greatest threat?
Use this information to argue the case for your creature to be the focus of the class campaign.
When the class has agreed, discuss the most effective way to raise awareness of the creature's plight. Then create an action plan to bring your ideas to reality.
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