Australian Gold Rush Unit Plan

 Overview

Objectives

• To revisit prior knowledge about the initial phase of British colonisation in Australia.
• To learn about gold as a mineral, why it is sought after, and how it became a valuable currency that is still popular today.
• To use mapping skills to track the discovery of gold across Australia and learn how those discoveries formed and changed Australia's cities and landscapes.
• To learn what it was like to live as a miner on the goldfields. Lessons will focus on daily routines, challenges, living conditions and conflict between groups.
• To learn how events during the gold rush influenced Australian laws, taxes, equality and voting rights, and how they shaped our current democracy.
• To learn about the lives and roles of Australian Aboriginal peoples during the gold rush and to examine different perspectives and cultural complications.
• To learn about the influence different cultures had on Australia, the challenges newcomers faced, and how they made Australia what it is today.
• To learn about the Eureka Stockade and how it affected life for miners and changed Australia’s political outlook.

This HASS unit provides excellent opportunities for cross-curricular integration. Look for ways to meaningfully integrate the content of the unit with other learning areas, e.g. Literacy and Geography.

Prior to commencing the unit, use relevant posters to develop a classroom display that focuses on the Australian Gold Rush. Display word wall vocabulary and learning goals that the students will engage with throughout the unit to stimulate their learning. For examples of additional teaching resources to display in your classroom, browse the Australian Gold Rush collection on the Teach Starter website.

Many of the resources that accompany this unit plan will need to be prepared prior to teaching. For this reason, it is advised that teachers browse through all lessons before commencing the unit.

Some of the activities suggested in lessons within this unit require particular materials. Additional adult supervision at some of these stations would be beneficial.

Throughout this unit, you can add a higher inquiry level by brainstorming with your class for ideas around gold, the Australian Gold Rush, and what the students would like to find out about.