Australian Curriculum Year 4 History Sample Assessment
First contacts: A First Fleet story
© The State of Queensland (Queensland Studies Authority) and its licensors 2013. All web links correct at time of publication.
Assessment description
Category
Students use historical sources to research the
life of an individual explorer, settler, convict or
soldier before and after their arrival on the First
Fleet. They then develop a historical narrative
that explains how life has changed and/or stayed
the same in Australia.
Written
Technique
Research
Context for assessment
Alignment
Students pose questions and use historical
sources to investigate key people who arrived on
the First Fleet, the reasons for the journey and
experiences before and after their arrival. They
analyse and explain their findings in a text such
as a personal letter, diary, annotated photo
album or newspaper article.
Australian Curriculum v4.0,
www.australiancurriculum.edu.au,
ACARA — Australian Curriculum, Assessment
and Reporting Authority
Connections
This assessment can be used with the QSA
Australian Curriculum resource titled
Year 4 unit overview — History exemplar
(Investigating exploration and the movement
of peoples), available at:
www.qsa.qld.edu.au/downloads/aust_curric/
ac_yr4_history_year_plan.doc
Definitions
Within this assessment, a narrative about the past is
a retell of a sequence of real events that is related to
the passing of time.
In this assessment
Teacher guidelines
Student booklet
Task-specific standard: Continua
Task-specific standard: Matrix
Assessment resource: Historical inquiry process
Assessment resource: Question starter grid
Assessment resource: Questioning sources
Assessment resource: First Fleet story: Comparing life before and after the arrival in Australia
Assessment resource: Sample historical narrative

Teacher guidelines
Identify curriculum
Content descriptions to be taught
Historical Knowledge and Understanding
Historical Skills
First Contacts
Stories of the First Fleet, including reasons for the
journey, who travelled to Australia, and their
experiences following arrival ACHHK079
Chronology, terms and concepts
• Sequence historical people and events
ACHHS081
• Use historical terms ACHHS082
Historical questions and research
• Pose a range of questions about the past
ACHHS083
Analysis and use of sources
• Locate relevant information from sources
provided ACHHS084
Explanation and communication
• Develop texts, particularly narratives
ACHHS086
• Use a range of communication forms (oral,
graphic, written) and digital technologies
ACHHS087
General capabilities and cross-curriculum priorities
Literacy
Numeracy
Intercultural understanding
ICT capability
Critical and creative thinking
Intercultural understanding
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures
Achievement standard
By the end of Year 4, students explain how and why life changed in the past, and identify aspects of
the past that remained the same. They describe the experiences of an individual or group over time.
They recognise the significance of events in bringing about change.
Students sequence events and people (their lifetime) in chronological order to identify key dates.
They pose a range of questions about the past. They identify sources (written, physical, visual, oral),
and locate information to answer these questions. They recognise different points of view. Students
develop and present texts, including narratives, using historical terms.
Source: ACARA, The Australian Curriculum v 4.0, www.australiancurriculum.edu.au
Australian Curriculum
Year 4 History
First contacts: A First Fleet story
Teacher guidelines
Sequence learning
Suggested learning experiences
Refer to learning experiences in Year 4 unit overview — History exemplar (Investigating exploration
and the movement of peoples), available at:
• www.qsa.qld.edu.au/downloads/aust_curric/ac_yr4_history_year_plan.doc
Adjustments for needs of learners
Section 6 of the Disability Standards for Education (The Standards for Curriculum Development,
Accreditation and Delivery) states that education providers, including class teachers, must take
reasonable steps to ensure a course/program is designed to allow any child to participate and
experience success in learning.
The Disability Standards for Education 2005 (Cwlth) is available from www.ag.gov.au.
Resources
Websites
• First Fleet — resources from University of Wollongong, including a searchable database of the
First Fleet convicts: http://firstfleet.uow.edu.au
• Conviz — the British Convict Transportation Registry brought to life through visualisations
http://conviz.info/convicts/?departure_year=1787
• Convict records: www.convictrecords.com.au/convicts/year/1787
• The First Fleet, resources from the State Library of New South Wales, including first-hand
accounts of the experiences of some of those who travelled south to Botany Bay:
www.sl.nsw.gov.au/discover_collections/history_nation/terra_australis/firstfleet.html
• The First Fleeters: Biographical and historial resources from the State Library of New South
Wales: www.sl.nsw.gov.au/research_guides/convicts/information/first_fleet.html
• Prison hulks on the River Thames, from the collections of Royal Museums Greenwich:
www.portcities.org.uk/london/server/show/ConNarrative.56/chapterId/414/Prison-hulks-on-theRiver-Thames.html
• Convict women, Perth Dead Persons’ Society, Convicts to Australia project:
www.members.iinet.net.au/~perthdps/convicts/confem.html
• William Hubbard: First Fleet convict — a sample case study, collated by Hubbard First Fleet
Group: www.firstfleet.org.au
• National Library Archives: www.nla.gov.au/australiana/australian-history-selected-websites
• List of provisions, by the First Fleet Fellowship: http://home.vicnet.net.au/firstff/ships.htm
• Picture Australia, Trove, National Library of Australia: www.pictureaustralia.org
• Background sheets, Board of Studies NSW, K–6 Educational resources:
http://k6.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/go/hsie/background-sheets
• Bound for Botany Bay, TLF R1159, Scootle (subscription access only):
www.scootle.edu.au/ec/viewing/R11591/index.html
Print
• Hill, D 2008, 1788: The brutal truth of the First Fleet — the biggest single overseas migration the
world had ever seen, North Sydney, Heinemann.
• Alexander, G 2006, Surviving Sydney Cove: The diary of Elizabeth Harvey, Scholastic, NSW.
• French, J 2004, Tom Appleby, Convict Boy, HarperCollins, Sydney.
• Walker, K 1988, The Letters of Rosie O’Brien: A convict in the colony of New South Wales, 1804,
Martin Educational, NSW.
Other resources
• Donner, C (dir) 1982, Oliver Twist (film, rated PG), Claridge Productions, UK.
• Reed, C (dir) 1968, Oliver! (film, rated G), Romulus Films, UK.
• Gross, Y (dir) 1979, The Little Convict, (film, rated G), Yoram Gross Films, Australia.
Australian Curriculum
Year 4 History
First contacts: A First Fleet story
Teacher guidelines
Develop assessment
Implementing
Section 1. Planning and posing questions
Student role
• Examine historical sources about the First
Fleet, with particular focus on the experiences
of different groups of people such as settlers,
convicts, soldiers and explorers.
• Review key historical terms such as colony,
felon, transportation and navigator.
• Review the historical concepts of continuity
and change, causes and effects, significance,
perspectives, empathy and sources.
• Select an individual from the First Fleet to
investigate after ensuring that there is a range
of source material available.
• Pose a set of relevant questions that will help
answer the key inquiry questions:
– What was life like before they came to
Australia?
– Why did they come here?
– How was life different after they arrived
here and how was it similar?
Teacher role
• Identify the process of a historical inquiry
undertaken to understand the past. Refer to
Assessment resource: Historical inquiry
process to identify the steps in the inquiry
process including posing questions, locating
and analysing sources, and using evidence
from sources to develop an explanation
about the past.
• Support students to view a range of relevant
sources (see Resources), identifying sources
that will support their inquiry and provide
general information about the First Fleet, and
conditions in England before arrival and in
Australia after arrival.
• Support students to develop a set of relevant
questions using Assessment resource:
Question starter grid as a support for posing
questions.
• Examine the historical sources using the
questions in Assessment resource:
Questioning sources to review questions and
sign approval before each student proceeds
with their inquiry.
Section 2. Locating sources
Student role
• Locate a range of primary and secondary
sources about their chosen First Fleet person
and record the details about the sources in
the table. Check on the suitability of sources
with the teacher.
• Make changes to their questions if required.
Teacher role
• Discuss types of historical sources with
students, providing students with a selection
of relevant sources.
• Conference with students and provide
support with locating primary and secondary
sources and documenting relevant
information.
• Encourage students to make changes to
research questions as required.
Section 3. Answering questions
Student role
• Use sources to find information and record it
in note form in the table.
• Analyse sources to compare and contrast life
before and after arrival in Australia.
• Check there is sufficient evidence from
sources to answer the questions and make
revisions as required.
Australian Curriculum
Year 4 History
Teacher role
• Examine the sources using the questions in
Assessment resource: Questioning sources.
• Sign approval when they have compiled
sufficient relevant information to answer the
key inquiry questions.
First contacts: A First Fleet story
Teacher guidelines
Section 4. Developing a historical narrative
Student role
• Complete the Developing a historical
narrative checklist to follow the stages of the
inquiry process.
• Develop a historical narrative 200–400 words
in length.
Teacher role
• Set guidelines for the text type to be used.
This may be common for all students or open
to individual choice, and may include a letter,
diary, annotated photo album, or newspaper
article.
• Provide students with a Venn diagram to
organise ideas to compare and contrast as
required. See Assessment resource: First
Fleet story — Comparing life before and after
the arrival in Australia for a model of this.
• Compare different kinds of texts that provide
historical information, e.g. written narratives,
websites, museum labels, timelines,
annotated image sets. See Assessment
resource: Sample historical narrative for a
model of a historical narrative.
Make judgments
The following table identifies the valued features of this assessment. It makes explicit the
demonstrations of understandings and skills as identified in the Australian Curriculum Achievement
Standard and the Queensland Standards Elaborations for History.
A continua and matrix model of the Task-specific standards is provided for this assessment using the
same valued features. Each model of a task-specific standard uses task-specific descriptors to identify
the discernable differences in student work for A–E standards.
Dimensions
Valued features
Task-specific valued features
Understanding Historical Knowledge and
Understanding
First Contacts
Identifies the reasons for the journey of a
member of the First Fleet and the
experiences of life before and after the
arrival in Australia.
Skills
Questioning and
researching
Historical questions and research
Poses a range of questions about the past
and locates relevant information from
historical sources provided.
Analysing and
interpreting
Analysis and use of sources
Uses historical sources to respond to
inquiry questions.
Communicating
Explanation and communication
Develops a historical narrative using
historical terms and concepts.
Chronology, terms and concepts
Sequences historical people and events.
Historical
Skills
Australian Curriculum
Year 4 History
First contacts: A First Fleet story
Teacher guidelines
Use feedback
Feedback to
students
Evaluate the information gathered from the assessment to inform teaching and
learning strategies. Focus feedback on the student’s personal progress and the
next steps in the learning journey.
Offer feedback that:
• discusses the students’ success with the inquiry and narrative:
– Were the sources used helpful?
– How useful were your questions?
– How did students use questions in the investigation?
– How well did students develop a comparison?
– Were historical terms and concepts used appropriately?
– Were the key inquiry questions answered using evidence from
sources?
• focuses feedback on the student’s personal progress and the next
steps for improvement
• identifies steps in the inquiry process that need consolidation in
teaching and learning and make adjustments to future planning
• deconstructs a quality student response to identify the elements of a
successful historical inquiry and discuss these features with students.
Resources
For guidance on providing feedback, see the professional development packages
titled Seeking and providing feedback: www.qsa.qld.edu.au/18076.html.
Australian Curriculum
Year 4 History
First contacts: A First Fleet story
Teacher guidelines
Australian Curriculum History Year 4 Sample Assessment | Student booklet
First contacts: A First Fleet story
© The State of Queensland (Queensland Studies Authority) and its licensors 2013. All web links correct at time of publication.
Image: Bricks and Stone from old Water Police Court, 1789; Stone made by convicts , RR are the initials of Major Robert Ross, the first Lieutenant–
Governor who came out with the First Fleet; State Records NSW’s Flickrstream; Creative Commons Attribution 2.0, <www.flickr.com/photos/staterecords-nsw/4740534120>.
Research the life of an individual explorer, settler, convict or soldier on The First Fleet.
You will:
• pose questions about the past
• locate and identify historical sources to answer these questions
• analyse evidence and draw conclusions about historical sources
• develop a historical narrative (200–400 words) that explains how life has changed and/or stayed the
same.
Section 1.
Planning and posing questions
Setting the scene
The First Fleet brought about 1400 people to Australia from England including settlers, convicts,
ships’ crew, soldiers and their families.
The eleven ships left Portsmouth on 13 May 1787 carrying two years’ supply of food and the
equipment needed to build a new settlement. They arrived at Botany Bay in New South Wales eight
months later.
Your task
Use historical sources to investigate the individual life of an explorer, settler, convict or soldier of
the First Fleet.
The key inquiry questions are:
• What was life like before they came to Australia?
• Why did they come here?
How was life different after they arrived here and how was it similar?
Follow these steps:
1.
Select one of the following to investigate the life of: Convict, Explorer, Settler, Soldier.
2.
Research the experiences of an individual, using primary and secondary sources.
3.
Develop research questions to help you to answer the key inquiry questions about life before
and following their arrival in Australia on the First Fleet.
Write your research questions in the Historical concept and Research question table.
- Use the historical concepts to guide you in writing your questions.
- Use the question starters to pose different questions: What, When, Where, Who, How?
Australian Curriculum
Year 4 History
First contacts: A First Fleet story
Student booklet
Historical concept
Research question
Continuity and change
Causes and effects
Significance
Perspectives
Empathy
Sources
Check with your teacher that your questions are suitable before starting the inquiry:
Teacher’s approval: ...........................................................
Australian Curriculum
Year 4 History
First contacts: A First Fleet story
Student booklet
Section 2.
Locating sources
Locate sources of evidence that will help you to find answers to your questions. Record the sources in the table below.
Name of source
Australian Curriculum
Year 4 History
Type of source
(Primary or Secondary)
Whose perspective is presented in
this source?
First contacts: A First Fleet story
Which question/s will this source
help you to answer?
Student booklet
Section 3.
Answering questions
Use your sources to answer your questions. Record your notes in the table below.
Research question
Australian Curriculum
Year 4 History
Summary notes
Key terms, dates and
people
Evidence from the
sources to support the
answer
First contacts: A First Fleet story
Answer to the research question
Student booklet
Section 4.
Developing a historical narrative
Develop a historical narrative to explain how life changed after arriving in Australia on the First Fleet.
This may be a personal letter, annotated photo album, diary extract or newspaper article.
• Your teacher will help you select a text type.
• Your text should be 200–400 words in length.
Use this guide to get feedback on your draft and make a final copy.
Include:
• an introduction that explains why your person is on the First Fleet
• sequenced historical events in chronological order using dates
• comparison of life before and after the First Fleet arrival in Australia
• historical terms and concepts
• key people
• the significance of European settlement
• a conclusion about how life has changed/or stayed the same
Key:
Some more research might be needed.
Australian Curriculum
Year 4 History
It was clear to understand.
First contacts: A First Fleet story
Student booklet
Australian Curriculum Year 4 History Sample Assessment | Task-specific standards — continua
First Contacts: A First Fleet story
Name .................................................
© The State of Queensland (Queensland Studies Authority) and its licensors 2013. All web links correct at time of publication.
Purpose of assessment: To compare life before and after the arrival on the First Fleet and develop a text to explain how life has changed and/or stayed
the same.
Understanding and Skills
Historical Knowledge and Understanding
Identifies a story of the First Fleet, including reasons for
the journey and the experiences of life before and after
the arrival in Australia.
Sections 3 and 4
Uses evidence from sources to explain reasons
for the First Fleet and the significance of
Europeans settling in Australia.
Historical Skills
Poses a range of questions about the past, locates
relevant information from historical sources provided, and
uses historical sources to respond to inquiry questions.
Sections 1 and 2
Poses logical, interrelated questions; locates
and analyses relevant information from
different sources to answer key inquiry
questions.
Develops a historical narrative that sequences historical
people and events and uses historical terms and
concepts.
Section 4
Develops a well-reasoned historical narrative
with clear and purposeful communication and
accurate sequencing of events.
A
B
Explains how life changed in the past before
and after the First Fleet.
Develops questions about the past; locates
information to answer questions.
Develops a historical narrative to explain
inquiry findings with logical sequencing
C
D
Makes statements about life in the past.
Australian Curriculum
Year 4 History
Asks questions about the past.
First contacts: A First Fleet story
Presents a text denoting time.
Task-specific standards — continua
E
Australian Curriculum Year 4 History Sample Assessment | Task-specific standards — matrix
First Contacts: A First Fleet story
Name .................................................
© The State of Queensland (Queensland Studies Authority) and its licensors 2013. All web links correct at time of publication.
Purpose of assessment: To compare life before and after the arrival on the First Fleet and develop a text to explain how life has changed and/or stayed
the same.
Task-specific descriptors
Questioning and
researching
Analysing and
interpreting
Communicating
Historical Skills
Understanding and Skills
Historical Knowledge
and Understanding
A
B
C
D
E
First contacts
Identifies a story of the
First Fleet, including
reasons for the journey
and the experiences of
life before and after the
arrival in Australia.
Sections 3 and 4
Uses evidence from
sources to explain
reasons for the First
Fleet and the
significance of
Europeans settling in
Australia.
Compares and contrasts
how life has changed in
the past and/or stayed
the same.
Explains how life
changed in the past
before and after the
First Fleet.
Identifies some aspects
of the life before and
after the First Fleet.
Makes statements about
life in the past.
Poses a range of
questions about the past,
locates relevant
information from
historical sources
provided, and uses
sources to respond to
inquiry questions.
Sections 1 and 2
Poses logical,
interrelated questions;
locates and analyses
relevant information
from a range of sources
to answer key inquiry
questions.
Poses logical questions,
locates and analyses
information from sources
to answer key inquiry
questions.
Develops questions
about the past; locates
and uses information to
answer questions.
Uses obvious questions
about the past; locates
information from
supplied sources.
Asks questions about
the past.
Develops a historical
narrative that sequences
historical people and
events, using historical
terms and concepts.
Section 4
Develops a wellreasoned historical
narrative with clear and
purposeful
communication and
accurate sequencing of
events.
Develops an effective
historical narrative;
sequences events in
order and uses historical
terms.
Develops a historical
narrative to explain
inquiry findings with
logical sequencing.
Develops a text to
describe inquiry findings
denoting time.
Presents a text denoting
time.
Australian Curriculum
Year 4 History
First Contacts: A First Fleet story
Task-specific standards — matrix
Australian Curriculum Year 4 History Sample Assessment | Assessment resource
First contacts: A First Fleet story
© The State of Queensland (Queensland Studies Authority) and its licensors 2013. All web links correct at time of publication.
Historical inquiry process
New learning
based on the concepts of
historical understanding
Planning
• connect topic to own and others prior
knowledge and ideas
• identify key concepts, terms, people and
events
• sequence key events and developments
• research information on the key inquiry
question
Researching
• locate primary and
secondary sources (written,
spoken, multimodal)
• develop questions to frame
inquiry
• modify inquiry questions as
required
Using sources
Historical
inquiry
• gather and organise
information from
sources
• synthesise information
• evaluate the worth,
relevance and
reliability of evidence
Communicating
• organise and synthesise
ideas
• develop arguments
incorporating sources
• plan, edit and revise
texts (written, spoken,
multimodal)
• acknowledge evidence
from sources
Reflecting
• review hypothesis,
questions or research
• review sources and
evidence
• revisit appropriate inquiry
phase
Interpreting
• interpret and analyse
perspectives
• make decisions about the validity
and significance of perspectives
Australian Curriculum History Year 4 Sample Assessment | Assessment resource
First contacts: A First Fleet story
© The State of Queensland (Queensland Studies Authority) and its licensors 2013. All web links correct at time of publication.
Question starter grid
What is?
Where/when is?
Which is?
Who is?
Why is?
What did?
Where/When
did?
Which did?
Who did?
Why did?
What can?
Where/when
can?
Which can?
Who did?
Why can?
What would?
Where/when
would?
Which would?
Who did?
Why would?
What will?
Where/when will? Which will?
Who will?
Why will?
What might?
Where/when
might?
Who might?
Why might?
Which might?
Australian Curriculum History Year 4 Sample Assessment | Assessment resource
First contacts: A First Fleet story
© The State of Queensland (Queensland Studies Authority) and its licensors 2013. All web links correct at time of publication.
Questioning sources
• What is the source? Is it a photo?
• If so, is it in black and white or colour?
• Is it a letter? If so, is it typed, or
handwritten?
• Who wrote the letter, took the photo or
painted the painting?
• Can you be sure it was really that person
who made it?
• What event does it show or describe?
• When was the source created?
• How can you tell its age?
• Why was the source created?
• Can you tell where the source was
created?
• Does it tell a story?
• How accurate is the information from the
source?
• Is it giving facts or opinions?
• How did events happen?
• Does the source tell you why it was
created?
• How can you tell if something has
changed or stayed the same?
• Can you work out why it was created?
Australian Curriculum Year 4 History Sample Assessment |
Assessment resource
First contacts: A First Fleet story
© The State of Queensland (Queensland Studies Authority) and its licensors 2013. All web links correct at time of publication.
First Fleet story: Comparing life before and after the arrival in Australia
Origin
Different
Australia
Same
Different
Australian Curriculum Year 4 History Sample Assessment | Assessment resource
First contacts: A First Fleet story
© The State of Queensland (Queensland Studies Authority) and its licensors 2013. All web links correct at time of publication.
Sample historical narrative
I was transported from London to the new colony on 13 May in the year
1787 because the prisons were crowded and the government needed to
send us somewhere. My crime was stealing bread. When I went to court
the judge said that if I had stolen more I could have been sent to gallows.
I was sad to leave my family behind.
I had to leave home to help pay for the family’s rent. I went to London to
look for work like many others. It was there that I was caught stealing and
locked in a rotting old ship called a hulk because the jails were
overcrowded.
Historical events
Historical terms
My hardship prepared me for the long journey on the first of the 11 ships
of the Fleet, a ship called Sirius. I set sail, one of 700 convicts, for the
distant colony that King George had claimed for England. We landed
eight months later at Botany Bay. Many perished.
In the new colony we had to build our own shelter and share it with all the
other male prisoners. There, we had no freedom. It wasn’t as crowded as
the prison hulk in England where I had nothing to do. I was forced to work
clearing land for the officers’ new homes. It was hard work and so hot!
Instead of freezing to death on the streets of London I often fainted in the
midday sun.
There were people already living at the new colony but they were very
different to us. They looked different and they did not speak our
language. Some were friendly but others did not want us there at all.
If I wanted something to eat or drink in London I could go to the market
and my family home had a stove. I missed fresh mutton as we only had
salted beef rations from the ship. There I had to cook on an open fire and
we could only have the dried food from the ship’s store. Anything else we
needed had to be grown first. It was much harder to find food than on the
streets of London where the rich would often throw away good food. Here
everyone was the same and mostly poor.
My job here in this new land was to build homes for the officers. Once
cutting down trees, I would drag the branches to the pits where I was
trained to be a carpenter. I was one of only 12 convicts with these skills.
On King George’s birthday, in June 1789, nearly eighteen months after
the Fleet arrived, I was chosen to help build the house of Governor Arthur
Phillip. A pardon was promised for good work. I dreamed of freedom in
this wild new land.
Key people and
places of early
contact and history
Comparison of life
before and after
the First Fleet
Contribution to the
settlement of
Australia