Historical Inquiry and Literacy

Primary Conference

Brush Up Your Australian History

May 2014

Marion Littlejohn

Year 3 Level DescriptionCommunity and Remembrance

Moving from the heritage of their local area, students explore the historical features and diversity of their community as represented in symbols and emblems of significance, and celebrations and commemorations, both locally and in other places around the world.

Key inquiry questions• Who lived here first and how do we know?• How has our community changed? What features have been lost and what

features have been retained?• What is the nature of the contribution made by different groups and

individuals in the community?• How and why do people choose to remember significant events of the

past?

My Place traces the history of one small part of Australia and the people who have lived there, from the Dreaming until the present day. As time passes children describe their homes, their families, their pets, and their special celebrations.

The constant sources of renewal in the landscape are the big tree and the creek (or canal).

http://www.abc.net.au/abc3/myplace/

http://www.anzacwebsites.com/publications/books.htmBooks that deal with the Gallipoli campaign and the Anzac legend: lists and links to suppliers

Local statues

Year 4 Level DescriptionFirst Contacts

Beginning with the history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, students examine European exploration and colonisation in Australia and throughout the world up to the early 1800s. Students examine the impact of exploration on other societies, how these societies interacted with newcomers, and how these experiences contributed to their cultural diversity.

Key inquiry questions• Why did the great journeys of exploration occur?• What was life like for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Peoples before the

arrival of the Europeans?• Why did the Europeans settle in Australia?• What was the nature and consequence of contact between Aboriginal and/or

Torres Strait Islander Peoples and early traders, explorers and settlers?

This is the story of a goat and a young boy on board The Endeavour, experiencing the voyage of a lifetime as they sail around the world.

Based on information from the journals kept on board The Endeavour, The Goat Who Sailed The World provides an amazing insight into the tough reality of the life of the early explorers.

The Goat Who Sailed the World Pharaoh

They Came On Viking Ships Valley of Gold

Hitler's Daughter A War for Gentlemen

Tom Appleby Convict Boy Macbeth and Son

Walking the Boundaries Somewhere Around the Corner

The Dog Who Loved A Queen A Rose for the Anzac Boys

The Camel Who Crossed Australia Queen Victoria's Underpants

Oracle A Waltz for Matilda

Nanberry: Black Brother White A Day to Remember

Pennies for Hitler

Queen Victoria's Christmas The Girl From Snowy River

Other Historical stories by Jackie French

Year 5 Level DescriptionThe Australian Colonies

The Year 5 curriculum provides a study of colonial Australia in the 1800s. Students look at the founding of British colonies and the development of a colony. They learn about what life was like for different groups of people in the colonial period. They examine significant events and people, political and economic developments, social structures, and settlement patterns.

Key inquiry questions• What do we know about the lives of people in Australia’s colonial past and how

do we know?• How did an Australian colony develop over time and why?• How did colonial settlement change the environment?• What were the significant events and who were the significant people that

shaped Australian colonies?

Download Teaching kits fromhttp://www.sovereignhill.com.au/education/

The Settlement of VictoriaA Year 5 AusVELS: History Unit

S.T. Gill, Surveyors, in The Australian Sketchbook, Hamel & Ferguson (1864), Gold Museum Collection

Sovereign Hill Education 2012

Classroom Activities

http://education.sovereignhill.com.au/teachers/teaching-kits/

WHO? WHAT? WHEN? WHERE? WHY? HOW?

Deeper Inquiry Questions

•What do you see?•What do you think about that?•What does it make you wonder?

Key Inquiry Questions begin with

How reliable is this as a piece of historical evidence?

Where is this scene?

When was this drawn?

Why do you think Gill drew this sketch?

Is this a primary or secondary source?

]

John Alloo's Chinese restaurant, main road, Ballarat. 1855-56Image courtesy of The Gold Museum Ballarat

What is happening in the scene?Who can you see?

Using these images, in any order, create a story that tells the adventure of a character

from the Victorian goldfields.

Using these images, in any order, create a story that tells the adventure of a character from the Victorian goldfields.

Select 4 – 6 contemporary images from the 1850s.

Use them to illustrate the adventure of a fictitious character on the Victorian gold fields.

Year 6Level DescriptionAustralia as a nation

The Year 6 curriculum moves from colonial Australia to the development of Australia as a nation, particularly after 1900. Students explore the factors that led to Federation and experiences of democracy and citizenship over time. Students understand the significance of Australia’s British heritage, the Westminster system, and other models that influenced the development of Australia’s system of government. Students learn about the way of life of people who migrated to Australia and their contributions to Australia’s economic and social development.

Key inquiry questions• Why and how did Australia become a nation?• How did Australian society change throughout the twentieth century?• Who were the people who came to Australia? Why did they come?• What contribution have significant individuals and groups made to the

development of Australian society?

The night the Prime Minister announced on the radio that Australia was at war Lola was nine years old. Her mum cried. Although the fighting was far away our lives were changed forever. We had air raid drills at school and knitted socks to send to the soldiers. American soldiers arrived and the first hamburger shop opened. We held concerts for the War Effort and rolled bandages for the Red Cross. Lola's brother George went off to fight and nothing was the same for those of us who stayed at home.

“In Flanders Fields’ is the amazing story of a young soldier at war. Peering through a periscope, he sees a small robin caught helplessly in the wire. Cautiously he steps out of the trench, on to ‘No Man’s Land’, and heads towards the trapped bird……Based on a true story from World War 1.

Picture story books are useful for reluctant readers.

More challenging books of Historical fiction are useful to engage confident readers.

$ 30 00 eachOrder online athttp://www.teachersuperstore.com.au/product/australian-curriculum/all-you-need-to-teach-history/

These stimulating books provide a comprehensive toolkit for teaching Australian Curriculum: History. - See more at: http://www.teachersuperstore.com.au/product/australian-curriculum/all-you-need-to-teach-history/#sthash.vhHiSTld.dpuf