SOCIAL STUDIES YEAR 7 UNIT 1 BEING AUSTRALIAN

 
 

NOTE TO TEACHERS:  This unit of work addresses the Social Studies, Year 7 curriculum in Queensland, Unit 1:  Being Australian.  Activity numbers correspond to Sourcebook.  The WebQuest 'What Does it Mean to be Australian?' (written by the same author) also addresses this unit.

 

Join us for an online collaborative project to coincide with The Year of the Outback (2002)

 

Activity 2:  The First Australians  Objective:  Children realise that being Australian means different things to different people.

The First Australians  Discuss each section in turn.  Have students write a piece of prose, a poem, or a journal article, from an Aboriginal perspective about life in one of the time periods depicted on the web site.

Activity 3:  I'm an Australian too   Objective:  Children realise that being Australian means different things to different people.

Australian Indigenous Population  First Impressions of Australia  From Singapore to Oz  My First Day in Australia  Impressions of Australia  Multicultural Poetry  Students read from the above web sites which explore impressions of Aborigines, refugees and/or migrants of life in Australia.  Have children discuss feelings about being Australian, ask: What do you enjoy about being Australian? Can you identify difficulties ........................ might experience? What do people in other countries seem to think about Australia before they come here? What sorts of things do you think people miss from their old country? Ask children to complete the sentence: 'Being Australian means ...'

Activity 4:  Notable Australians  Objective:  Children realise that our society comprises people of many different cultural and social backgrounds.

Daisy Bates  Edouard Borovansky  Caroline Chisholm  Dawn Fraser  Victor Chang  Jenny Kee  Paul Jennings  Neville Bonner  Olivia Newton-John  Sister Elizabeth Kenny  Francis Greenway  Lachlan Macquarie  John Macarthur  John Konrads  Henry Lawson  Fred Hollows  Students research each person's country of origin and briefly state the major contribution(s) to Australia's development made by each of these people.  Complete table (headings 'Name', 'Country of Origin', 'Contribution'). Discuss the variety of countries from which these Australians have come.

Activity 5:  Cultural Diversity in Australia  Objective:  Children realise that our society comprises people of many different cultural and social backgrounds.

Australian Social Trends  Students interpret table to compare birthplace groups and discuss diversity. The History of Immigration to Australia  Students break into groups, each group depicting a different period in the history of migration to Australia in pictorial form, OR each group presenting an oral explanation of a different period in the history of migration to Australia. Encourage students to use a search engine to expand on information given in the above site.

Activity 6:  Our Heritage  Objective:  Children become aware that our society comprises people of many different cultural and social backgrounds.

Clancy of the Overflow  Geebung Polo Club  Bush Christening  Advice to an Immigrant   from 'Understand Old One'  We Come Sit Down  Selected Poems from the Komninos Collection  Students access first three poems and discuss how social pressures and attitudes of the time may have shaped the author's work (What sort of characters have been written about?  What sort of life did they lead?  Do you think the image presented reflects 'Australians' of the time?  Why/why not?) Students access the last four links, comparing these poems with poems in the first three links.  Lead children to the generalisation that the image of the Australian has changed because our society now comprises people of many different cultural and social backgrounds. Students could take on the role of a potential immigrant researching 'Australians' on the Internet.  Use a search engine to find out what sort of people Australian society comprises.

Activity 7:  Aussie English  Objective: By identifying and discussing Australian idioms, children realise that the Australian image has been shaped by the way others view us and the way we view ourselves.

Strine Decoded  The Write Way  Aussie Words and Phrases  Ask children to suggest problems which people from other countries might experience when first arriving in Australia. Discuss - Are Australians inventive where language is concerned? Brainstorm for words or phrases which are uniquely Australian. Define 'idiom'. Examine idioms on sites above. Discuss - how does our use of language contribute to our image?

Activity 8, Activity 9:  Our Image Overseas, Stereotypes  Objective: Children become aware that the Australian image has been shaped by the way others view us and the way we view ourselves.

Image Aussie Icons  Picture Australia  Images Australia  Australia Through the National Geographic Lens  Icons of Australia  Australian Icons  Old Aussie Icons  Follow the Sun  Using the above sites, have children identify pictures designed to promote various images of Australia.  Probing questions - Do these images faithfully represent all that is Australian?  Why/why not?  In seeing only material of this kind, how might people overseas perceive Australia and Australians?  What could be added to these slide shows to present a more balanced image of Australia and its diverse people?  Image Search Engine  Using the above search engine, have children search for icons which could faithfully represent multicultural Australia.  They could compile a set of icons for discussion by using keywords such as 'Greek', 'Italian', 'Aborigine', 'Aussie', New Zealand', 'Vietnamese'.  Combine images to make an inclusive graphic representation of Australia/Australians.

 
 

BACK TO REQUESTED SITES Site authored by Cheryl Kerr, Beenleigh State School, Queensland, Australia. Author takes no responsibility for redundant links. Please notify author when links become redundant.