History
Concepts for developing understanding
The content in the history sub-strand provides opportunities for students to develop historical understanding through key concepts including sources, continuity and change, cause and effect, perspectives, empathy and significance. The curriculum in this year provides a study of colonial Australia in the 1800s. Students learn about the reasons for the founding of British colonies in Australia and the impact of a development or event on one Australian colony (continuity and change, cause and effect). They examine what life was like for different groups of people in the colonial period (sources), and explore the reasons for their actions (cause and effect, perspectives, empathy). They examine early migration, settlement patterns, people and their contributions, significant events, and political and economic developments (sources, continuity and change, significance, empathy). Students are also introduced to the concept of sources as they analyse sources to compare information and points of view in the past and present (sources, perspectives).
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?
(source: www.australiancurriculum.edu.au)
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Impacts of Colonisation on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples Posters
Posters highlighting the main impacts of colonisation on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
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I Am Sorry – Poem and Discussion Questions
A poem to promote thoughtful discussion around issues of reconciliation on National Sorry Day.
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The Establishment of Australia's Colonies PowerPoint
A 32 slide editable PowerPoint to use in the classroom when learning about the establishment of British colonies in Australia.
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Australian Gold Rush: Gold Fever – Teaching Presentation
A teaching presentation that explores the origins of the Australian Gold Rush.
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Gold Rush Writing Prompt – A Letter From the Goldfields
Download this Gold Rush writing prompt where students explain life on the Australian goldfields during 1852.
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Australian Gold Rush: A Digger's Life – Teaching Presentation
A 17-slide teaching presentation that explores the challenges, hardships and glory of a life spent digging on the Australian goldfields.
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Kelly Gang Wanted Posters
Wanted posters providing information about each member of the infamous Kelly Gang.
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British Colonies in Australia - History Word Wall Vocabulary
45 British Colonisation in Australia related vocabulary cards.
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Australian Gold Rush: Map Where It's At - Worksheet
A fun mapping activity for students to pinpoint gold finds and gold rush locations between 1851 to 1893 on a map of Australia.
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Australian Gold Rush: Race to Eureka – Game
An interactive gold-panning game in which students explore scenarios of reward, penalisation and inequality.
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Impacts of Colonisation Word Wall
A Word Wall of the Impacts of Colonisation on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
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Problems in the Australian Colonies PowerPoint
A 19 slide editable PowerPoint to use in the classroom when learning about the problems that took place in the colonies of Australia.
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Why Teach an Aboriginal Perspective About Cook's Landing in Australia? Poster
An educational poster providing a rationale for teaching an Aboriginal perspective of Cook's landing in Australia.
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Australian Gold Rush: That's Gold! – Teaching Presentation
A 13-slide teaching presentation that includes interesting facts about gold, why it is such a prized metal, and how its use shaped modern currency and trade.
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Australian Gold Rush – Word Wall 2
Thirty-one content-specific vocabulary cards for a word wall based on the Australian Gold Rush.
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Passport To My Heritage Project Template
Celebrate your students’ diverse cultural heritages with a printable Heritage Project Poster Template.
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Australian Gold Mines: Y-Chart – Template
A Y-chart template students can use to reflect on what working on the goldfields looked like, sounded like and felt like.
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Australian Gold Rush: Melting Pot – Teaching Presentation
A 10-slide teaching presentation that explores immigration and diversity during the Australian Gold Rush and how it shaped the multicultural Australia we know today.
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Significant First Nations Australians - Inquiry Task
An inquiry research task to use in the classroom during NAIDOC Week.
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Australian Gold Rush: Eureka Stockade – Teaching Presentation
A 16-slide teaching presentation about the events leading up to and including the Eureka Stockade and the positive and negative impacts it had on Australian politics and people.
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Australian Gold Rush Display Banner
A classroom display banner to use on your 'Australian Gold Rush' display board.
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Significant Women of Australia's Colonisation Fact Sheets
4 profile posters to display and use in the classroom when learning about significant women in Australia.
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Life on the Goldfields Poster
A poster highlighting information about what life was like on the goldfields.
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Australian Gold Rush - Word Wall
An Australian Gold Rush themed word wall to use in the classroom.
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Gold Mining Methods
5 posters outlining gold mining techniques used during the Australian Gold Rush.
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Colonial Australia - History Word Wall Vocabulary
36 vocabulary cards to use in the classroom when learning about Colonial Australia.
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Famous Inventors Poster Project - Biography Pennant Banners
Demonstrate learning about the most influential inventors and innovators in history with a fun pennant banner template.
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Gold Miners' Bulletin Project
A creative writing newspaper project in which students design and write the front page of an imagined newspaper from the Australian Gold Rush era.
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Australian Gold Rush: First Nations – Teaching Presentation
An 11-slide teaching presentation discussing the impact the Australian Gold Rush had on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
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Australian Gold Rush: A Golden Democracy – Teaching Presentation
A 13-slide teaching presentation about the political struggles gold miners faced in their efforts to obtain wealth.
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From Trade to Currency Comic – Template
A comic strip activity that explores how people progressed from trade to currency.
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Australian Gold Rush: Advent Calendar
An advent calendar style poster for students to identify, inquire about and collect information that relates to the Australian Gold Rush.