Unit
Focus Question
Lines of Inquiry
Australia Then & Now
Year Level
How has Australia changed over time?
3/4
 Who lived here first and how do we know?
 Why did the Europeans settle in Australia?
 What was the impact of the gold rush in Australia
 How has life changed in Victoria since early settlement
Links to Framework (AUSVELS)
Historical Knowledge & Understanding
Historical Skills


The diversity and longevity of Australia’s first peoples

Sequence historical people and events (ACHHS081)
and the ways Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander

Use historical terms (ACHHS082)
peoples are connected to Country and Place (land,

Pose a range of questions about the past (ACHHS083)
sea, waterways and skies) and the implications for

Identify sources (ACHHS216)
their daily lives (ACHHK007)

Locate relevant information for sources provided (ACHHS084)
Stories if the First Fleet, including reasons for the

Identify different points of view (ACHHS085)
journey, who travelled to Australia, and their

Use a range of communication forms (oral, graphic, written) and digital
experiences following arrival (ACHHK079)

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 (ACHHK078)

ONE important example of change and ONE important
example of continuity over time in the local community,
region, or state/territory; for example, in relation to the
areas of transport, work, education, natural and built
environments, entertainment, daily life (ACHHK061)
Reference:
AusVELS 2013
technologies (ACHHS087)
Understandings
The content provides opportunities to develop historical understanding through key concepts including
sources, continuity and change, cause and effect, perspectives, empathy and significance.
Summative Assessment
Formative Assessment

Pre-assessment – jumbled timeline

Construct 2 powerpoint slides

KWL Chart

Create timeline

Concept map

Present findings in chosen activity

Forum discussion

Write a recount of a navigator, explorer or trader

Think, Pair, Share

Venn Diagram

Rocket Writing

Project on Goldfields

Reflection in reflection journals

Create poster on what they have learned

Discussion on ‘My Place’ blog
Phases
Tuning In:
Learning Experiences
Resources
Pose focus question:
View Images & Documentaries
How has Australia changed over time?
*Let’s find out what we
already know about
this inquiry
Engagement,
gathering prior
knowledge, preassessment, early
immersion/front
loading, questions for
the inquiry, goal setting
Ask students:
 What theories
do we have?


How do we
understand
this?
How could we
find out more
about this?
Learning Intention
We are learning about the many cultural groups that
make up Australia and how they have contributed to
our way of life.
Success Criteria









Explain how life has changed in the past
Identify aspects of the past that remained the
same
Describe the experiences of an individual or
group
Recognise the significance of events in
bringing change
Sequence events and people in chronological
order to identify key dates
Identify sources and locate information to
answer these questions
Recognise different points of view
Develop and present texts
Use historical terms
Learning Activities
 Pre-assessment – Jumbled timeline
 KWL chart
 Brainstorm – Whole class
 Mindmapping






The first Aboriginal People
Australia before European Settlement
The First Fleet & European Settlement
Aboriginal life after European settlement
Life in Early Australia
Australia now
Brainstorming – De Bono’s 6 thinking hats for questioning
White
How many ships came on the voyage to Australia?
Red
How do you think Aboriginal’s felt when the European’s
came and took over their land?
Black
Why didn’t the Aboriginal’s like it when the European’s
came to Australia?
Green
What events happened in Australia’s history?
Yellow
Why did the European settlers like the land in Australia?
Blue
What was so good about Australia’s Gold Rush?
(Brennan 2007)
Finding Out:
Who lived here first and how do we know?
*Let’s find out about
our inquiry.
Learning Activities
 Excursion to Sovereign Hill, Ballarat
Gathering data first
hand, in a arrange of
ways, that adds to the
collective knowledge
base. Students
experience the work of
a researcher. Grow
student thinking about
the inquiry, build their
capacity to inquire.
 Think, Pair, Share – Interviewer & Interviewee
on perspectives on life on the Goldfields,
based off excursion at Ballarat – record each
other on ipads.

Students pair up to construct 2 slides using
Prezi or powerpoint on an aspect of an
Australian history of interest. (Use Australian
Stories to research information)
Ask students:
 What can we do
to find out more
about this?


How can we
record our
findings and
data?
What questions
will help us dig
deeper?
 Australian Indigenous cultural heritage
 The Dreaming
 European discovery and the
colonization of Australia
 The Australian Gold Rush
 Early Explorers
 The changing face of early Australia
 Choose a story on ‘My Place’ and discuss on
Weebly forum what you found interesting,
questions and what you have learned.
http://education.sovereignhill.com.au/students/
http://www.abc.net.au/abc3/myplace/
http://www.australia.gov.au/about-australia/australianstories
Sovereign Hill, Ballerat 3350
Phone: 053 311 944 Fax: 053 311 528
www.sovereignhill.com.au/education
Sorting Out:
Learning Activities
*Let’s sort out what we
have discovered about
our inquiry.
Organising, analyzing,
synthesizing gathered
information, making
meaning, making
connections, making
sense, reviewing
questions and original
thinking, revising,
communicating
learning, refining
thinking.
Ask Students:
 What meaning
can we make
from this data?

What are we
learning?

How is our
thinking
changing?
 Create a timeline or other visual
representation of key stages in Australia’s
history
 Venn Diagram comparing life on the
Goldfields
 Present your findings – children choose one
way they would like to present their findings
(Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences)
 Watch “The Rabbits” clip, accessed from
Weebly and do a Rocket Writing piece on the
perspectives of Aboriginal people.
 Investigate a world navigator, explorer or
trader – create a recount




Venn Diagram
KWL chart
Computers/iPads
(Lunenburg & Lunenburg 2014) – Multiple
Intelligences
Going Further:
* Let’s find out more
about this part of our
inquiry

Questions and wonderings – conduct further
research on topic of interest (independent or
small group)
Independent inquiry,
small group work,
pursue own interests,
student choice,
differentiation,
revisiting questions,
raising questions,
independent research,
extending experiences,
challenging
assumptions.
(Dependent on
students skills and
readiness to work with
content independently)
Ask students:
 What do we still
need to find out
about?

What new
questions do we
have?

What would we
like to know
more about?

Brainstorm as a class for further investigation
Sovereign Hill website:
http://education.sovereignhill.com.au/
National Museum Australia
http://www.nma.gov.au/engage-learn/schools/classroomresources/by_subject/indigenous_culture_and_history
Making
Conclusions:
*Let’s share what we
have learned
Synthesis thinking,
evaluate information,
make judgements,
communicate and
clarify understandings,
explicit connections,
make generalisations,
make comparisions,
see the ‘big picture’.
Ask students:
 What do we
think and know
now?

What
statements can
we make about
our inquiry now?

How do we
feel?

Create a project about life on the Goldfields
eg. school, housing, work etc

Create a Concept map about one aspect of
their research eg. Early Aboriginals, The First
Fleet, The Gold Rush, one explorer etc

KWL chart – What have we learned
Reflection/Action:

*Let’s think about how
our inquiry went.
What can we do with
what we have learned?
Shared or individual
action, reflecting on the
unit, make links with
students world, future
planning.
Ask Students:
 Now what?

What can we do
with this
knowledge?

What can I do
now?

How can I use
this?

Is there an
action that
seems
important to
undertake?
Exhibition of students work – invite families
and/or members of the school

Reflect about unit in reflective journals

Do the poll on Weebly identifying what you
enjoyed the most of this unit

Create a poster about your learning
References:
ABC 2015, ‘My Place’, accessed 10 April 2015, http://www.abc.net.au/abc3/myplace
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority 2013, ‘Australian Curriculum’, Australia, viewed 9 April 2015,
http://www.acara.edu.au
Australian Government, ‘Australian Stories’, accessed 13 April 2015, http://www.australia.gov.au
Bernard Kotze 2009, ‘The Rabbits, Part 1’, video file, viewed 10 April 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTvXe84UqIQ&feature=youtu.be
Brennan, B 2007, ‘You get what you give, no. 179, p. 34-35
Cheynus7 2012, ‘Australian History Timeline’, video file, viewed 10 April 2015,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7y6pDwmoD0E&feature=youtu.be
Churchill, R, Ferguson, P, Godinho, S, Johnson, N, Keddie, A, Letts, W, Mackay, J,
McGill, M, Moss, J, Nagel, MC, Nicholson, P, Vick, M 2011, Teaching: Making A Difference, 1st edn, John Wiley & Sons, Milton, Qld.
Commonwealth of Australia 2015, ‘Cyber Smart’, Australia, viewed 11 April 2015, http://www.cybersmart.gov.au
Garhart Mooney, C 2013, Theories of childhood: Introduction to Dewey, Montessori, Erikson, Piaget and Vygotsky, 2nd edn, Redleaf Press, USA
Lunenburg, FC & Lunenburg MR 2014, ‘Applying multiple intelligences in the classroom: A fresh look at teaching writing’, International Journal of
Scholarly Academic Intellectual Diversity, vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 1-14
Mooroolbark East PS 2014, ‘The Australian Gold Rush for Australian Primary School Students’, video file, viewed 12 April 2015,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8suJWjxRmg&feature=youtu.be
National Museum Australia, accessed 10 April 2015, http://www.nma.gov.au
Skwirkonline 2013, ‘Australia day animations – The first colony’, video file, viewed 12 April,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2xFJ4QkJMs&feature=youtu.be&list=PLQ6y3qf062ehxw9T9QlotwYBUjjtkYwIe
Skwirkonline 2015, ‘Dreaming Stories’, video file, 13 April 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8Lj35RLN1s&feature=youtu.be
Sovereign Hill 2011, ‘Sovereign Hill promotional video’, video file, viewed 12 April 2015,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkK4P_3LSUY&feature=youtu.be
Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority 2012, ‘Historical skills scope and sequence: Foundation to level 6’, Australia, viewed 9 April
2015, http://vcaa.vic.edu.au
Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority 2013, ‘Level 4 Humanities History’, F-10 AusVELS Curriculum, Australia, viewed 9 April 2015
http://ausvels.vcaa.vic.edu.au