The Australian Colonies

The Australian Colonies - Eleebana Public School - Stage 3 Term 2 2017

 

This inquiry unit provides students with a study of colonial Australia. Students use the web quest custom designed for students at EPS to become informed about the founding of British colonies, what life was like during this time and the significant events and people that shaped Australian colonies.

 

Inquiry questions:

•    What do we know about the lives of people in Australia’s colonial past and how do we know?

•    How did an Australian colony develop over time and why?

•    How did colonial settlement change the environment?

•    What were the significant events and who were the significant people that shaped Australian colonies?

 

Read and work through each of the four tasks included in this unit. The tasks are listed in the 'task' tab and the suggested websites for you to visit are listed in the 'process' tab. The appropriate websites links are provided for you to research your topics and build the knowledge required to complete each task. Time management is important so try to stick to the amount of time guide for each task. If you spend too much time on one task you may not get achieve a high quality of work in all tasks.

WEEKS 1-3

1. Conduct research about the establishment of British colonies in Australia after 1800 using a range of websites included in the web quest and a range of non-fiction texts. Create a timeline of significant events that led to the establishment of British colonies in Australia. You can choose to present your timeline either on paper or digitally using www.timetoast.com

 

WEEKS 4-5

2.    Conduct research using the web quest and a range of non-fiction books about the relationship of Aboriginal people and the land. Develop an understanding of the differences between how the British and the Aboriginal people lived and treated the land. Write two journal entries, one from the perspective of an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person and one from the perspective of a settler/convict, including possible events that may have occurred during this time of settlement and early colony building.

 

WEEKS 6-8

3.    Research the significant events/developments in Australia during the 19th Century. Then choose a character who may have lived through that time. Write a diary or journal entry from the perspective of that character, describing their life and the impact of the event/development. You will require details of life at the time, such as housing, transport, work, food, beliefs and clothing, through visual sources, artefacts and stories. Once you have some historical background, the following may help them to ‘pad out’ your character: 

• Who are you? An actual historical character or a fictional character? 

• Why do you have a story to tell? 

• Are you male/female, old/young? 

• Do you have a family?

 • Where and how do you live? 

• What is your daily routine?

• How does the event/development affect your life? 

Some possible characters could be a convict, wealthy landowner, poor gold-prospector, bushranger, squatter or Aboriginal drover.

 

WEEKS 9-10

4. Investigate the role of one significant individual or group in the shaping of a colony. Create a mind map/concept map of the significant role the individual or group had in shaping our colony listing significant events.

 

TASK 1:

To create your timeline visit www.timetoast.com/ and set up your account using your school email address.

 

Websites for research:

http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/learning/migration-australia-1800s

http://sydneylivingmuseums.com.au/stories/why-were-convicts-transported-australia

http://vcp.e2bn.org/justice/page11384-convict-life-in-australia.html

http://www.australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/convicts-and-the-british-colonies

http://sydneylivingmuseums.com.au/stories/day-life-convict

https://museumvictoria.com.au/discoverycentre/websites-mini/journeys-australia/1850s70s/

http://lrrpublic.cli.det.nsw.edu.au/lrrSecure/Sites/Web/13651/

http://greatnorthroad.com.au/about-the-trail/history-of-convict-trail

 

Videos for research:

http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s4076178.htm

 

TASK 2:

 

Websites for research:

http://panique.com.au/trishansoz/aborigine/aboriginal-indigenous-australian.html

http://www.aboriginalheritage.org/history/history/

http://www.jaconline.com.au/humanitiesalive/ha3/downloads/HA3_01.pdf

http://splash.abc.net.au/newsandarticles/blog/-/b/2198867/this-indigenous-language-map-helps-kids-understand-australia

http://www.skwirk.com/p-c_s-56_u-477_t-1302_c-5008/owning-the-land-of-australia-aboriginal-and-european-perspective-/qld/owning-the-land-of-australia-aboriginal-and-european-perspective-/colonisation-and-conflict-australia/the-arrival-of-the-british

Read "Contacts and Colonisation" and "Law and Land in NSW":

http://www.australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/european-discovery-and-colonisation

http://boundforsouthaustralia.com.au/journey-content/colonists’-perceptions-of-aboriginal-people.html

http://www.australianstogether.org.au/stories/detail/colonisation

https://australianmuseum.net.au/indigenous-australia-timeline-1500-to-1900

 

Videos to aid research:

http://iview.abc.net.au/programs/dust-echoes/WI0602V006S00

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-r0Nh_IEAn4

http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s2627618.htm

 

TASK 3:

 

Websites for research:

http://www.australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/women-in-colonial-times

http://www.wilmap.com.au/bushrangers.html

http://www.australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/austn-gold-rush

https://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/ahc/publications/linking-a-nation/chapter2

http://kids.britannica.com/comptons/article-258704/Australia

http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Penal_colony

http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/stories

http://virtaus4.tripod.com/volume8/history/british_settlement.htm

 

Videos to aid research:

http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s3363015.htm

http://splash.abc.net.au/home#!/digibook/618324/colonial-life

http://splash.abc.net.au/home#!/media/29448/?id=29448

http://splash.abc.net.au/home#!/media/154530/outback-house-life-for-the-station-workers

http://splash.abc.net.au/home#!/media/2428320/the-second-battle-of-vinegar-hill

 

TASK 4:

Please use websites listed for tasks 1-3 together with the websites below to investigate a significant individual or group in the shaping of a colony.

Websites for research:

http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/learning/significant-people-mary-reibey

http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/learning/significant-people-governor-macquarie

http://www.mq.edu.au/about/about-the-university/the-macquarie-story/history/macquaries-influence

http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/learning/significant-people-caroline-chisholm

http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/learning/migration-australia-1800s

http://gutenberg.net.au/explorers.html

http://sydneylivingmuseums.com.au/arthur-phillip-bicentenary

http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au/nswconstitution/html/3rd/bgr/gov/phillip.html

http://www.goldrushcolony.com.au/australian-gold-history-culture-info/immigrant-influences-australian-gold-fields

 

Videos to aid research:

http://splash.abc.net.au/home#!/media/1957515/chinese-migration