HASS UNIT: History

TOPIC OR THEME: Australian Colonies YEAR LEVEL: Year 5

PART 1: Purpose
Big Ideas/ Concepts for the entire unit

Theme Overarching Big Idea of the (HASS) unit: Knowing about and understanding our individual and
collective histories, and the impact these have on our lives today.

Unit purpose
Students will learn about colonial life through a dual perspective of invader/native points of view and how
significant people, groups, developments and events shaped colonies and Australian history.

Concept Focus
Cause and effect – students will be encouraged to think and ask questions of ‘why?’. Ideas of motive,
privilege, related events and that history is not a series of random events.
Perspective – students will consider Australian history through dual perspectives (native/invader). How
these may differ to perspectives in today’s society in regards to various changes in social, cultural and
intellectual context. Students will also discuss the idea of bias perspectives.
Empathy – students will be asked to look at Australian history with an empathetic approach. Discussions
about ethical events and cause and effect issues will be discussed.
Content Descriptions

Knowledge and Understanding – History

- Reasons (economic, political and social) for the establishment of British colonies in Australia
after 1800 (ACHASSK106)
- The role that a significant individual or group played in shaping a colony (ACHASSK110)

Inquiry and Skills

Questioning
- Develop appropriate questions to guide an inquiry about people, events, developments,
places, systems and challenges (ACHASSI094
Researching
- Sequence information about people’s lives, events, developments and phenomena using a
variety of methods including timelines (ACHASSI097)
Analysing
- Examine different viewpoints on actions, events, issues and phenomena in the past and
present (ACHASSI099)
Evaluating and Reflecting:
- Evaluate evidence to draw conclusions (ACHASSI101)
Incorporating Cross Curriculum Incorperating General Capabilities
Priorities
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Critical-Creative Thinking
Islander Histories - Analysing, evaluating and explaining
Throughout the unit Aboriginal - Positioning a point of view based on factual evidence and
and Torres strait Islander histories ethical understanding
and perspectives will be - Reason, logic, comparing and generalising
considered. An emphasis to use ICT Capability
resources from Indigenous - Students will be using ICT to research colonial life and

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perspectives will be used in order
to facilitate the discussion about
‘white washed’ history.
Key Inquiry questions
- How have individuals and
groups in the past and
present contributed to
the development of
Australia?
- Why do you think Britain
sent people to Australia?
Australian history.
Intercultural Understanding
- Students will consider how and why groups of people from
various cultures migrated to Australia. They will consider how
this has shaped our national identity and influenced the nature
of Australian culture past and present.
Ethical understanding
- Frontier violence of Australian history
- Significant people of Australian history – Hero or Villain?
Potential HASS sub strands Potential other learning area
connections
Civics and Citizenships Literacy
Students could potentially focus Students will be focusing on
on the establishment of a informative texts in English. Hass
Democratic Australia. This could and Science will be tied into the
tie in with class parliament that lessons to provide them context
we run in class. and information behind the
topics.

PART 2: Assessment Evidence

History Achievement Standard
By the end of Year 5, students describe the significance of people and events/developments in
bringing about change. They identify the causes and effects of change on particular communities and
describe aspects of the past that have remained the same. They describe the experiences of
different people in the past.

Students sequence information about events and the lives of individuals in chronological order using
timelines. When researching, students develop questions for a historical inquiry. They identify a
range of sources and locate, collect and organise information related to this inquiry. They analyse
sources to determine their origin and purpose and to identify different viewpoints. Students
develop, organise and present their texts, particularly narrative recounts and descriptions, using
historical terms and concepts.

Assessment Tasks
Anecdotal and observational
Formative
- Lesson 1 Colonies Reasons sort
- Lesson 5 Migration comprehension sheet

Summative 1
- Lesson 8 – Hero or Villain debate

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PART 3: Learning and Teaching Plan
Learning Activities / Experiences ICT Resources available Learning Resources Available
Group Work Computers 1. http://www.abc.net.au/abc3/myplac
Research Smartboard e/
Discussion 2. http://www.virtualteacher.com.au/au
Problem solving stralia.html
3. https://convictrecords.com.au/crimes
Unit / Lesson Outline
Lesson 1
Students will consider Australia’s invasion through Indigenous perspectives
Read: The Rabbits By john Marsden
Discussion:
- Written as an allegory for the arrival of Europeans.
- Analyse the meaning and power behind the illustrations in the book
- Discussion of perspective
Activity:
- Choose 1 page to prompt a narrative write up. (Written from Indigenous perspective
of the arrival of the Europeans)
Lesson 2
Students will consider and critique the idea of ‘in the beginning was Cook an Australian
Week 1

history’.
Read: Meet Captain Cook – Rae Murdie
Discussion:
- Discussion of perspective/bias
- Discuss the sensationalism/icon that is Cook?
- Analyse the meaning and power behind the illustrations in the book
Activity:
- Chronologically map Cooks life/arrival
Watch: Terra Nullius
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHpUcwRSckQ&feature=youtu.be
- Why did cook declare Terra Nullius?
- How did this impact the natives?
Activity: students research and report back with a summary of the relation between Terra
Nullius and Eddie Mabo.

Lesson 3
Students list reasons for why Britain established a penal colony in Australia and locate those
colonies on a map.
Watch: First fleet video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnUNEkMsjfY
Activity:
Week 2

- Sort reasons for British colonies in Moreton Bay, Van Diemen’s Land, WA and Vic.
Social, economic or political.
- What clans were effected by the establishment of these colonies?
- Students research and map where the colonies were. 1 fact for each. And 3
questions they may have

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 Lesson 4
Students examine why specific locations for colonies were selected and what daily colonial
life my have been life.
Activity:
- Student’s to examine picture -google earth for possible sites for colonies and explain
the reasons why? Report back to group
- Students explore the 1800s on my place website. Highlight 10 interesting facts, 5
Indigenous with dates that they found. Label on class timeline.
http://www.abc.net.au/abc3/myplace/
Lesson 5
Students learn about the reasons people migrated to Australia. Focusing on where from,
why, experiences and contributions
Activity:
- Students read migration information report
- In groups complete and answer questions.
Week 3

- What were was the attitude towards the natives?

- Revise why each colony was established
Lesson 6
Students investigate the role of people and groups within Australian colonies.
Activity:
- Analyse text of an important role or group who helped shape Australian colonies.
- Students to go around to other groups in the class and introduce themselves in their
role and record information about the other groups.
- Display Information on posters
Lesson 7
Students discuss problems that colonial/natives may have faced and propose possible causes
and solutions
Activity:
- Group students, provide them with challenges that colonials face. Students to come
up with potential solutions only using what would have been available back in
colonial time.
- Share solutions with class.
Week 4

Lesson 8
Students analyse significant people in Australia’s colonial era and debate the ethical question
– hero or villain?
- Students are given an information text on Ned Kelly, Peter Lalor, John Macarthur and
Windrayne. 8 groups, 2 per text. Students will debate hero or villain while another
groups practice note taking.
- Class discussion about ethical choices.

 This lesson will lead into students writing their own short summary of an influential
person in Australian history – Mary Reibey, Mary MacKillop, Elizabeth Macarthur,
Truganini, Lawrence Hargrave, William Ferrer etc

PART 4: Background Knowledge for the Teacher

Topic Background Resources to support teaching/
learning for the unit
1. Australian History in 7 Questions – John Hurst
2. Australian curriculum – History: the Australian
colonies by R.I.C Publications
3. History Inquiry Topics – Heroes and Villains –
Pedagogical Resources to support the teaching
unit
1. Reynolds, R. (2014) Teaching humanities and
social sciences in the primary school. (3rd edn).
Victoria: Oxford University Press
2. https://rrr.edu.au/

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Samantha Frappell. 3. Cooper, H. (2009). ‘Historical thinking and
cognitive development’ in the teaching of
history in primary schools: implementing the
revised national curriculum. (3rd edn). London:
Fulton Publishers.

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