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Year 10
ACTIVITIES
Freedom
Australian Curriculum
ACELT 1644, 1815, ACELY 1750, 1751, 1813, ACHHS 188, 190,
192, ACDSEH 143, ACMSP 249, 250, 251, 253
Context
Many freedoms we take for granted in Australia are unknown
in other countries. Freedom for all races in South Africa is
now celebrated with Freedom Day, the 27 April, a national
South African public holiday which celebrates freedom and the
first national elections when voting became open to all races.
In 1797, the Dutch colonial governing authority decreed that
certain racial groups required ‘passes’ from a local official to
travel, similar to slave requirements at the time. In 1885,
African workers at diamond mines were closed into barrack
compounds and denied access to the outside world for the
length of their contract. In 1960 opposing political
organisations were declared illegal and detention without trial
was introduced.
For more information
See Stories for Teachers and Students 2013: What does it mean
to be free; ‘I am an African’; The elect: Sharing the Islamic faith
at the Cape; ‘I am an imprisoned man’; From orange to empire;
Fighting for freedom or federation.
A BBC news report of the first South African free elections in
1994 can be viewed at http://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/
apartheid/7226.shtml
Lesson Idea
For an English lesson, students could write a script or role
play a scenario imagining how the removal of one right would
impact their lives.
For an Civics and Citizenship lesson, students could debate
how far individual rights should extend and what
circumstances justify limiting our freedom. Explore the
concepts and balance of ‘Freedom to’ and ‘Freedom from’.
Students could discuss an open question like ‘Which right is
our most valued’
Students can explore what legislation or rules protect their
own freedom – in their school, the community and the country.
Provide students with a real life document to analyse, such as
a rental or job application. Are their any questions on the form
that could violate an individual’s rights
As a Maths lesson, students could box plot statistics from
annual reports from the Human Rights Commission of
Australia. Annual reports include statistics on enquiries and
complaints, broken down into the five Acts of Race, Sex,
Disability, Age and Human Rights, including the sub-area and
complaint outcome, available at http://humanrights.gov.au/
about/publications/annual_reports/index.html
For a Politics lesson, students could debate who has the right
to vote - such as setting a new voting age. Discuss why the
right to vote is important, and how our community would be
affected if only people over the age of 50 were allowed to vote.
How would this affect the spending of public funds and
decisions made
FAR FROM HOME: ADVENTURES, TREKS, EXILES & MIGRATION
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