Terra Nullius? The Very Early Years - K-6 Educational Resources

Learning sequences
Terra Nullius? The Very Early Years
Outcomes Process
Learning sequence 1
Resources
needed
CCS2.1 1. What do we know about Australia before the British
came?
Initiating activity
• Explain to students this unit is about the British
‘colonisation’ or ‘invasion’ of Australia.
• Record on chart paper to keep students’ initial understanding
of these terms.
• Ask students what they think ‘colonisation’ means in the
context of British colonisation of Australia and why
Aboriginal people would call it ‘invasion’. Begin a retrieval
chart with their ideas and modify the chart throughout the
unit as students’ knowledge, understanding and ideas change.
• Remind students that Britain sent people to Australia to live
and to set up a government similar to theirs. Many countries
were doing the same in other parts of the world at the time.
• In groups, brainstorm what students know at this time and
report back to share information. Add this to a retrieval chart.
M3.7
CCS2.2
ENS2.5
S2.5
2. Who lived in Australia?
• Construct a timeline to represent 100 000 years (1cm = 200
years). Five metres will represent 100 000 years of
Aboriginal occupation. Indicate that the last cm on the
timeline represents the 200 + years of British colonisation.
• Show two maps of Australia (#1, #2) and list differences and
similarities, eg states and nations, areas of land, borders
based on languages and past colonial governments.
• Explain to students that before 1788 there were
approximately 250 different language groups. Reiterate that
before 1788 Australia was multicultural and that it still is
multicultural.
• Stress the fact that the Aboriginal Australia map (#2)also
gives some indication of contemporary Aboriginal land
ownership.
• Generalisation: Australia has always been multicultural.
• To illustrate this fact, ask students to identify their cultural
background.
- Survey class on languages spoken and family origins.
The word ‘British’ comes from ‘Great Britain’. Have
students find Great Britain in an atlas. Students should
know that Great Britain is made up of England, Scotland,
Northern Ireland and Wales. Students can make the
following type of statements:
‘If I was born in Portugal I would be Portuguese’
‘I come from Great Britain, I am British’
‘People who live in Vietnam are Vietnamese’
4
Chart paper and
pens
#1 Map 1: States
and capital cities
#2 Map 2:
Aboriginal Australia