However, for students at East Orange Public School, when they were learning to act like a goanna, that is exactly what they were able to do.

Every two years the school runs a special day called Aboriginal for a day, where students are immersed in Aboriginal culture. 

This year the school raised funds to bring the internationally acclaimed group Western Creation from Western Australia.

“In previous years we’ve concentrated on Wiradjuri culture because that is our local aboriginal people,” said Orange East Public School principal Glen Bourke.

 “But this year we received their approval to introduce another aspect of aboriginal culture.”

Dreamtime storytelling, aboriginal art and dance are all being covered during the day.

During the story telling, the lights in the classroom were turned off and the students were entertained with four kinds of aboriginal stories, historical, creation, cultural and fun.

Alison Carrigan, a teacher at the school and coordinator of Aboriginal for a Day, said that students were learning how drawings were used to develop stories.

“They’re using the symbols for goanna, emu, kangaroo and a river to write a story without the use of words.”

In the school hall students and teachers alike were introduced to aboriginal dance.

Emus, kangaroos, goannas and eagles filled the hall as they learnt to stride, bound, crawl and fly.