Lesson Plan

Week: 4

Time: 45 min

Unit: Humanities and Social Sciences

Lesson # 8

Level: 5

Curriculum
The Australian Colonies
The Year 5 curriculum provides a study of colonial Australia in the 1800s. Students look at the founding of
British colonies and the development of a colony. They learn about what life was like for different groups of
people in the colonial period. They examine significant events and people, political and economic
developments, social structures, and settlement patterns.
The content provides opportunities to develop historical understanding through key concepts
including sources, continuity and change, cause and effect, perspectives, empathy and significance.
These concepts may be investigated within a particular historical context to facilitate an understanding of the
past and to provide a focus for historical inquiries.
The history content at this year level involves two strands: Historical Knowledge and Understanding and
Historical Skills. These strands are interrelated and should be taught in an integrated way; they may be
integrated across learning areas and in ways that are appropriate to specific local contexts. The order and
detail in which they are taught are programming decisions.

Content Descriptors:
HISTORICAL KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
The Australian colonies

The reasons people migrated to Australia from Europe and Asia, and the experiences and
contributions of a particular migrant group within a colony. (ACHHK096)
Elaboration:
Identifying the reasons why people migrated to Australia in the 1800s (for example as convicts; assisted
passengers; indentured labourers; people seeking a better life such as gold miners; and those dislocated by
events such as the Industrial Revolution, the Irish Potato Famine and the Highland Clearances)

The role that a significant individual or group played in shaping a colony; for example, explorers,
farmers, entrepreneurs, artists, writers, humanitarians, religious and political leaders, and Aboriginal
and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples. (ACHHK097)
Elaboration:
- investigating the contribution or significance of an individual or group to the shaping of a colony in the
1800s (for example groups such as explorers or pastoralists; or individuals such as Blaxland, Lawson and
Wentworth, J. G. Macdonald, Elizabeth and John Macarthur, Caroline Chisholm, Saint Mary Mackillop,
Peter Lalor, James Unaipon)
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures
- exploring the motivations and actions of an individual or group that shaped a colony

HISTORICAL SKILLS
Explanation and communication

Use a range of communication forms (oral, graphic, written) and digital technologies (ACHHS106)
Analysis and use of sources

Compare information from a range of sources (ACHHS103)

Lesson Inquiry Question:

How are you going to compile your research into a creative and unique presentation?
What other information do you think may be essential to include about your chosen person?

Students Prior Knowledge:

Colonial Australia 1800s, original land owners were the Indigenous People and that they were
overtaken by the British. Along with the English convicts, soldiers, etc., immigrants came from Asia
for gold mining, etc.

Lesson Objectives:

Research and compile information from a variety of sources (online and text) on their chosen
person or group from Colonial Australia
Plan and create individual presentation on chosen person

LESSON STRUCTURE:
Time

Introduction & Motivation:

5 min

Following on from previous lesson where Summative

assessment task was introduced to students and explained.

Time

Teaching Approaches &

Resources
Telstar model of inquiry
Test (Plan and Create)

Students are to participate in this lesson in the computer

lab in order for them to begin their research.
- Students are to come in, sit down and immediately
log in to computers and await instruction from the
teacher

Log on to computers

While computers are logging in a brief YouTube clip is

shown to students to remind them of the variety of choices
they have for this assignment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHhPeeIDGGA

Show clip to give students

inspiration of who they can
chose for their assessment

Advise once the clip has finished students have 2 minutes

to inform teacher of who they are basing their assessment
on (that way the teacher can ensure that no one is doubling
up on a particular person, minority group, etc.) Students
choices are to be recorded in a word document table so the
teacher can refer to students choice easily.

Ensure all students have

advised who they are basing
their assessment on upload
via word table

Main Content:

Teaching Approaches &

Resources
Computer access

25 min Students are to begin research to create his/her character

profile

Remind students on what information they need to research Example of character profile
for in relation to his/her chosen individual or group to base
graphic organiser (please see
his/her assessment on.
attached example)
For example: - Who (name/ position)
- Birth date and Death date
- Early life (where they were from, home life, family,
education, etc.)
- What he/she is famous for (if anything)/ major
accomplishments
- Interesting facts
- Reason why he/she migrated to Australia for?
Advise students to ensure they are collating their information
from a variety of sources (online, text, newspaper articles, etc.)
and to make note of what sources they have used

Variety of sources available

also via student and teacher
resource section accessible via
Weebly website class
collaborative effort

Support and/or Extension

Activities
If students require support the teacher can provide student
with suggestions of how to approach their research and
where to gather his/her information from however
ultimately students need to collate this information
themselves.

Support

If students have finished their research, students can move

on to deciding how they are going to present this
information (create a letter, perform an interview, etc.).

Extension

Time

Conclusion:

15 min

As previously discussed students are to decide how they

are going to present the information they have gathered
about his/her chosen person.

Teaching Approaches &

Resources
Ensure students are moving on
to creating their presentations

For example a letter to mother, fianc, etc.

- An interview
- Speech
- Etc.

Examples given to aid

students in their decisions

Ultimately the choice is their own however it must include

the content that they have researched.
Remind students that not only are they being assessed on
their presentations but also their research including their
sources

Assessment of Learning
Working towards students summative assessment research a particular person or group from
colonial Australia time and once research has been complete student are to creatively decide how to
present the information.

Evaluation
How did your lesson go?
Was the YouTube clip worthwhile for students?
Was your lesson plan appropriate?
Would students require more computer time to complete research for assessment?
What changes if any did you make to the lesson plan as the lesson progressed and what were
the reasons for the changes?
How did the students perform? Consider achievement of outcomes, on task working, planning
and preparation to his/her assessment?

Safety Considerations
Appropriate and safe use of computers in the computer lab.