Learning and Teaching

Junior Grades

The Junior Grades have been learning all about Families. This includes who the people in their family are, where they were born and raised and how they are related to each other. This has all been through stories communicated and shared in small group work tasks and whole class activities.

The students have also been learning about the structure of First Nations People. They have listened to stories that feature different family structures and how these can differ. 

They have explored the concept of Kinship within our First Nations families and compared this to their own family structure. 

Middle Grades

The students have been working hard this term discovering the history of Australia, including the different perspectives of groups and individuals. They have now learnt the story of Bennelong, the first indigenous Australian person to travel to England who worked as a translator. 

The students discussed and read about Federation and how separate colonies came to form our modern states and territories. 

They have made connections with their Integrated concept and writing tasks in English. The students are writing letters from the perspective of others, such as the indigenous people being confronted by colonists. This has included lots of discussion around the many ethical issues involved with the treatment of Australia's indigenous people through history.  

Senior Grades 

The Senior grades have been busy discovering how the Australian colonies developed after the 1800’s. They have learnt about colonial settlements, how British and Irish immigrants moved to Australia and left their homeland and how this affected the Australian Colonies.

They learnt all about the Gold Rush and the impact this has had on the growth of Australia and the Australian economy. They have investigated what life was like on the gold fields and the unfair rules and laws set for the different groups of people looking to make their fortune. This led to learning about the Eureka Stockade and how this rebellion changed life for those in the gold fields. 

They have just been lucky enough to return from camp at Sovereign Hill and been part of what life was like in the olden days. 

It has been a fabulous term’s worth of work for these students and they have thrived learning all about the History of Australia. 

Belinda Hesse

Learning Diversity Leader

bhesse@santglen.catholic.edu.au