Lesson plan includes...
Lesson Plan
Lesson 4: James Cook and His Voyage to Australia
A 60 minute lesson in which students will investigate the significance of James Cook’s voyage to Australia.
This lesson plan includes the following resources:
Lesson Plan
Tuning In
- As a class, brainstorm what the students already know about James Cook. Record the students’ ideas on the board.
- Display and discuss slide 5 of The Explorations of Captain James Cook PowerPoint. Emphasise the following historical details to the students:
- James Cook was a British Navy officer from the eighteenth century.
- James Cook was a talented surveyor, navigator and astronomer.
- James Cook was given command of the HMS Endeavour for a voyage to Tahiti and Terra Australis.
Teacher Instruction
- Students watch and listen to The First Voyage of James Cook video on YouTube. At the end of the video, ask the students:
- What were James Cook’s secret orders?
- What was James Cook’s amazing discovery?
- What did James Cook call the east coast of Australia?
- Display and discuss slide 6. Encourage the students to identify significant dates in James Cook’s voyage on the Timeline of James Cook’s Voyage to Australia.
- Display and discuss slide 7. Encourage the students to suggest reasons why the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people did not want to trade with James Cook.
Guided/Independent Learning
- Display and discuss slide 8. In small groups, allow the students to role play what may have happened when James Cook and his men first made contact with the Aboriginal people of Australia.
- Display slide 9 and discuss the independent task. Provide students with a copy of The Journal of James Cook – Writing Task. Read through the instructions as a class and answer any questions the students may have.
- Monitor and support the students as they independently write a diary entry as James Cook, sharing their thoughts, feelings and experiences about the voyage to Australia. Once the students have finished, encourage them to share their journal entries with the class.
Wrapping Up
- Display slide 10. As a class, complete the James Cook quiz. Discuss the answers on slide 11.
Differentiation
Extending Students
- Encourage more capable students to do further research about James Cook independently.
Supporting Students
- Allow students with lower literacy levels to verbalise their ideas with a teacher or teacher aide before commencing the writing task.
Assessment Strategies
Suggested Assessment Strategies
- used strategic whole class or individual questioning
- observed student participation during learning activities
- recorded student progress on a checklist
- annotated student work samples
- collected and reviewed student work samples
- facilitated whole class or peer feedback sessions
- encouraged student self-reflection
- administered formal assessment tasks.
NSW Curriculum alignment
- HT2-3
Describes people, events and actions related to world exploration and its effects
Australian Curriculum alignment
- ACHASSI082
Present ideas, findings and conclusions in texts and modes that incorporate digital and non-digital representations and discipline-specific terms
- ACHASSI073
Pose questions to investigate people, events, places and issues
- ACHASSI080
Interact with others with respect to share points of view
- ACHASSK084
The journey(s) of AT LEAST ONE world navigator, explorer or trader up to the late eighteenth century, including their contacts with other societies and any impacts
- ACHASSI074
Locate and collect information and data from different sources, including observations
Find more resources for these topics
HistoryAustralian HistoryJames CookEarly ExplorersBritish Colonisation
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thank so much for this work sheet we are working on james cook
Linda Hapke · May 30th, 2019
Hey Linda, thank you for your lovely comment. I am glad you are finding resources that are suiting your needs on Teach Starter.
Royce (Teach Starter) · May 31st, 2019