D+Introduction

Since its discovery, the nation of Australia has seen many social, industrial and political changes. There are many formative events that collectively represent the history of Australia, such as indigenous settlement, European settlement, colonisation, the development of wool and farming industries, gold rushes, federation, war and immigration. The study of Australian history is vital for students to gain a comprehensive and meaningful understanding of the how the foundations of many of the social, political and industrial structures seen in contempory Australia, were formed. The ability for students to make connections between past and present is particularly important when studying history and is one of the requirements of the Victorian Essential Learning Standards (VELS) level four, the level this unit of work is directed at. At level four, students are required to demonstrate historical understandings of significant events in Australian history, awareness of primary and secondary sources, and present historical explanations using appropriate language. ([]) The objectives for this unit of work are centred around the areas of knowledge, skills, values, and social action. Within the context of knowledge, our objectives are for students to develop understandings about historical concepts and factual information and gain an awareness of generalisations. Within the context of skills, our objectives are to facilitate the development of inquiry skills, academic practices such as the completion and presentation of work, and the enhancement of social skills through group participation and contributions. Positive values will be discussed and promoted in the classroom. Values represent the aspirations and beliefs of the Australian community as a whole, including promoting a caring, civil and just society. Positive attitude in the classroom is vitally important but teachers also have to recognise individual differences in students. By observing the rights of yourself and those of the students, this will create a positive attitude in the classroom. Keeping activities stimulating and varied to cater to all learning styles within the classroom will help to keep students interested in further learning. Being sensitive to culturally different students and discussing these differences straight away in a non-threatening situation will help to promote a happier, healthier classroom. By discussing these differences and promoting a positive classroom environment, you are also creating positive social action amongst students. Teachers often focus on being good teachers but they also need to focus on teaching students to become good citizens, both inside and outside the classroom.

Focus Questions for each lesson: Lesson 1: “What do students know about Australian History?”  Lesson 2: “When do students think events occurred in a historical sense?”  Lesson 3: "What part of Australian History would students like to know more about?" Lesson 4: "What are the key features of particular events in Australian History?" Lesson 5: “Looking at a significant event in Australian history, what was happening in an Asian country at the same time? (Eg. China)” Lesson 6: “What new information have you found out from researching your topic?”  Lesson 7: “How can you promote cultural diversity in our classroom?”  Lesson 8: “What do you know now that you didn’t know at the start of the unit?”