Grade 3-6: 

This term we've been learning about the Journey of the First Fleet and their impact upon arrival to the land and Aboriginal people. We discussed and researched some of the people who were transported to Australia and the reasons why some of them were transported to Australia. The students found it really interesting that many of them were children and their crimes were simple things like stealing a loaf of bread or clothes, which considering many were homeless, seemed essential. One of our final tasks was for students to write a short description placing themselves as a convict in Australia and to think about what crime they might have been convicted of and the punishment handed out. The students then placed their own head on a 'magpie outfit' which was given to the worst of the convict criminals. 

Year 5/6 Inquisitive Minds - From Colonisation to Federation

In the 5/6 classroom, our Inquisitive Minds unit on Australian history focused on the time period in Australia from Colonisation to Federation.

During the unit we have identified some of the problems in the colonies leading up to Federation, formed a perspective on the benefits of Australian Federation, identified influential people who contributed to Australian Federation and examined significant events that led to Australian Federation. We have also explored the impact of the Australian Constitution on Australian society and investigated the impact of Australian Federation on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

The students chose a significant event and presented a detailed report on its contribution to Federation. We explored events including the Battle of Vinegar Hill, the Ribbon Gang outbreak, the Rum Rebellion and the Eureka Stockade.

Next term we look forward to exploring the Australian system of government, the Constitution and laws in Australia.