TCHE 2473: Humanities 1 Teaching Australian History

Assignment Task Three Building your Humanities Knowledge

Topic: The First Fleet
Background Information:
Through out England in the late seventeenth century there was a rapidly
growing population, this created constraints on essential living resources. With
these constraints came an increase in the prices for the public to afford these
resources, this in turn increased anxiety among the people, and soon people
started being involved in crime so they could survive. People stole food, clothes,
and any other items that belonged to people, and when these thieves were
caught by the law and found guilty they were sent to jail. Soon there was a
crowding of jail cells, this meant the government and court decided that they
needed a new place to send convicts. With the Independence of America on July
4th 1776, the British government couldnt send the convicts to America, so
Australia, or formally called New Holland at the time became the new
destination. The nation was called New Holland due to in 1770, Captain James
Cook discovered the east coast of the country, and he then sailed further down
and marked the area as New South Wales.
On the 13th of May 1787 eleven ships led by Captain Arthur Philip left
Portsmouth England with 700 people on board. The ships stopped in Tenerife,
Rio De Janeiro in Brazil and Cape of Good Hope in South Africa to replenish
resources before landing on the east coast of Australia on the 18th of January
1788, this was established as Sydney Cove, this was named after British Home
Secretary, Thomas Townshend, Lord Sydney. On the 26th of January 1788
Captain Philip planted the English flag in the ground and declared the land to be
British, which is why 26th of January is Australia Day. Around the cove the
convicts and all crew members were on rationed food because it took a long
time to start growing food due to the harsh hard land within the area of the bay.
For a long duration much of the food came in by vessels that had come from
Cape Town, South Africa. Over the next 50+ years at Sydney Cove the
population grew with Britain sending 1over 162,00 convicts to Australia in 806
ships. The first eleven of these ships are today known as the First Fleet.
Visuals to Support:
Learning Visual:
Captain Arthur Philip planting
the English flag on the shore
of Sydney Cove on the 26th of
January 1788, the date is now
formally known as Australia
Day.
Image retrieved from
http://www.migrationheritage
.nsw.gov.au/exhibition/object
sthroughtimehistory/ott1788/, on the
26/9/2015

1 http://www.australianhistoryresearch.info/the-first-fleet/, retrieved 24/9/2015

Classroom Display:
Image is sourced from- http://www.fellowshipfirstfleeters.org.au/route.html,
retrieved 22/9/2015
Classroom Display:
This is an accurate timeline of the First
Fleet voyage that I would display within my
classroom. The choice of this timeline over
other sources is the attractive format
TeachStarter have presented in, this
timeline has a useful amount of
information, and it also covers the
development of Sydney Cove and Australia
for the 75 years after the first fleet landing.
1788 (First Fleet landing) till 1863
(Australian population reaches 1
million)
*I would sign up to TeachStarter.com so I
could download and print a copy without
the watermark in future.
Retrieved from
https://www.teachstarter.com/teachingresource-tags/first-fleet/, on the 20/9/2015

Classroom Idea:
This is a classroom vessel that anyone can
board to go on a journey as a first fleet
member. On the sails of the vessel are
stories of the members who travelled out
from England as part of the First Fleet; the
students write these stories.
Retrieved from
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/3076522182
72488493/, on the 23/9/2015

Links to the curriculum & various policy documents:

Curriculum/ Policy:
Link/ Connection:

Australian Curriculum
(ACARA)

AusVELS

Melbourne
Declaration of
Educational Goals
For Young
Australians (2008)

Students examine European exploration and

colonisation in Australia and throughout the world up to
the early 1800s. Students examine the impact of
exploration on other societies, how these societies
interacted with newcomers, and how these experiences
contributed to their cultural diversity. & The content
provides opportunities to develop historical
understanding through
key concepts including sources, continuity and
change, cause and effect,
perspectives, empathy and significance
History, Level 4, First Contacts, Paragraph One &
Two
Stories of the First Fleet, including reasons for the
journey, who travelled to Australia, and their
experiences following arrival. (ACHHK079)
Students learn about some key events, which
contributed to the development of the Australian nation.
They explore symbols and celebrations of Australias
and Victorias past and present, for example Australia
Day
Civics & Citizenship, Level 4, Learning Focus,
Paragraph Two
Have an understanding of Australias system of
government, history and culture.
Sub-heading: Active and Informed Citizens, Page
9

Pedagogical Approach:
One of the major benefits of this topic, and many topics that are incorporated
with integrated studies in primary schools are the discussions, questionings and
activities can be more open, and free flowing compared to some other subjects
taught in schools. One of my mentors at Old Orchard Primary mentioned how
when he teaches integrated units he always makes the majority of the lessons,
and activities student centred. He mentioned how its important to allow
discussions to be open to allow for a greater opportunity for the students to
develop their inquiries and further their learning. While teaching the First Fleet I
would adapt a very similar approach while adapting some problem-based
learning opportunities within the lessons. In my teachings I thrive on making our
class discussions on topics to be open and diverse, to allow for further
investigations, to explore the answers in groups on iPads or as a class on the
Interactive whiteboard, these are some strategies I like to deploy to encourage
a positive & stimulating learning environment for all students to be involved
within.
When having these discussions, in groups or as a whole class the questions I
raise are structured to be open-ended, they need to require more then a yes/no
answer, they students will need to explain in more depth about what they
mean in their answer, this will then spark further inquires from more students.
Open-ended questions require a great need to be creative and imaginative, to
provide the audience with more content and they also require a high level of
language skills; these are some benefits over close-ended questions.
The lessons that would be planned need to carry a very similar approach, they
need to be student centred, with the entire class knowing what the clear
learning intent for the lesson is, for example, We are exploring what it means to
be a convict. The importance of the students knowing the intent of the lesson
is so they know exactly what they are learning & the relevance it has to the
topic, or subject area. A journal piece written by Jeffrey Froyd and Nancy
Simpson on student centred learning elaborated student centred learning
perfectly, they mention how it 2provides students with opportunities to learn
independently and from one another and coaches them in the skills they need
to do so effectively. The SCI approach includes such techniques as substituting
active learning experiences for lectures, assigning open-ended problems and
problems requiring critical or creative thinking.
This approach that Froyd and Simpson mention is exactly how running
humanities units and lessons should be done, and how my First Fleet lessons &
also the entire unit would be taught. The method of using the help from the
students to guide their learning, with all students being active members in our
classroom community, with their learning being 3creative, innovative and
resourceful able to plan activities independently, collaborate, work in teams
and communicate ideas.
Annotated Resources:
2 Student-Centered Learning Addressing Faculty Questions about Studentcentered learning written by Froyd and Simpson, extract from pg. 1
3 Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians, (2008),
Australian Educational Ministers, pg. 8

There is a wide a range of useful resources that can be implemented into my

First Fleet teaching in the future. I found resources such as Pintrest very useful
to collect and save these resources in a First Fleet Library.
The First Fleet by Alan Boardman & Roland Harvey Classroom Book This illustrated historical story that follows a young boy named John
Hudson from England who travels as part of the First Fleet. The story
aids as an introductory into the how someone, no matter of age or
socio-economic level could be transported out to New Holland
(Australia), this novel also covers the conditions of the vessel and what
life was like at the beginning of settlement in Sydney Cove, New
Holland.
1788: The Brutal Truth of the First Fleet by David Hill Teacher Book I found his book more directly useful for myself as the teacher to
understand and learn about the voyage of First Fleet. This novel is a
non-fiction book that is based on true facts that cover such aspects as
felonies that caused people to take this trip, also how life was on the
boat and also the events of the first settlements of Australia, an
informative accurate account. The 1788: Brutal Truth of the First Fleet
would prove to be useful to read before teaching the unit for all
educators.
Tom Appleby, Convict Boy by Jackie French Classroom Book
This is a novel that follows the story of eight-year old boy Tom Appleby,
a convict who travels as part of the first fleet to Australia because he
was sentenced there for stealing. The story can be tied into many
lessons, activities and assessments during a First Fleet unit, covering
topics such as 18th centaury London, life as a convict, early settlement,
while carrying the embedded themes of the novel in courage, faith,
hope, friendship and tenacity.
School Performance Tours: Then and Now Incursion Performance Play
This performance group come to all schools (pre-school, primary 7
secondary) performing plays that tie into areas of AusVELS. Under the
Primary tab they perform three plays, with one of these being the First
Fleet history & the British Colonisation of Australia. This group performs
with colourful costumes, they tell events through stories, they use a
high level of visual aids, as well as including the audience in the
performance on numerous occasions.
http://schoolperformancetours.com.au/spt/shows/2014/ThenAndNow/The
nAndNow.pdf
I had a performance group that acted out a fantastic rendition of first fleet
during my last placement in April, however I havent heard back from my
mentor about the actual name and contact of that particular group.

First Fleet Behind the News YouTube Clip Classroom

This is a short four-minute clip that covers a brief recount of the First
Fleet; its made by a reliable source in a department of the ABC called
Behind the News that broadcast issues that are appropriately
communicated for children. This clip talks about how someone would
end up in jail as a convict, then why England decided to explore the
oceans for Australia and then the voyage of the 700 people aboard the
First Fleet. The video has young (children) actors; its done with clear

informative language, which is well supported with appropriate visuals

that support the facts and knowledge that is being verbalised.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnUNEkMsjfY
References:
ABC - Behind the News,. (2015). First Fleet - Behind the News. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnUNEkMsjfY
Australian Curriculum (ACARA),. (2008). Melbourne Declaration on Educational
Goals for Young Australians. Retrieved 27 September 2015, from
http://www.curriculum.edu.au/verve/_resources/National_Declaration_on_the
_Educational_Goals_for_Young_Australians.pdf
Australiancurriculum.edu.au,. (2015). History Foundation to Year 10 Curriculum
by rows - The Australian Curriculum v7.5. Retrieved 25 September 2015,
from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/humanities-and-socialsciences/history/curriculum/f-10?
y=3&y=4&s=HKU&s=HS&c=3&c=4&c=6&layout=1#level4
Ausvels.vcaa.vic.edu.au,. (2015). AusVELS - Level 4. Retrieved 24 September
2015, from http://ausvels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Level4?layout=1&d=cc&d=H
Froyd, J., & Simpson, N. Student-Centered Learning Addressing Faculty
Questions about Student centered Learning. CCLI Conference. Retrieved 27
September 2015, from http://ccliconference.org/files/2010/03/Froyd_StuCenteredLearning.pdf
Pinterest.com,. (2015). First Fleet. Retrieved 20 September 2015, from
https://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=first%20fleet&term_meta%5B
%5D=first%7Ctyped&term_meta%5B%5D=fleet%7Ctyped
Research, A. (2013). The First FleetAustralian History
Research. Australianhistoryresearch.info. Retrieved 26 September 2015,
from http://www.australianhistoryresearch.info/the-first-fleet/
Schoolperformancetours.com.au,. (2015). Then And Now. Retrieved 23
September 2015, from
http://schoolperformancetours.com.au/spt/shows/2014/ThenAndNow.php
TOM APPLEBY CONVICT BOY Jackie French TEACHING IDEAS (1st ed., pp. 1-2).
Retrieved from

http://static.harpercollins.com/harperimages/ommoverride/teacher_guide_to
m_appleby.pdf

Education is not to reform students or amuse them or to make them expert

technicians. It is to unsettle their minds, widen their horizons, inflame their
intellects, teach them to think straight, if possible. Robert M. Hutchins
By Liam Wilkinson, s3383635, RMIT University