Colonial Beginnings Overview

Lesson: Introduction to Colonial Australia

Year level: 4
Duration: 45 minutes
Class size: 25 students

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Curriculum Alignment

Australian Curriculum: History (Version 9)

Year 4 Content Descriptions:

• ACHASSK083: The importance of a significant person, group or event in the local community’s history, and why the First Fleet arrived in Australia, including the experiences of convicts, explorers and Indigenous peoples.
• ACHASSI080: Develop questions about the past based on prior knowledge and observations from sources.
• ACHASSI081: Locate, collect and organise information from a census, map, oral history, photograph and provided sources.
• ACHASSI084: Describe the significance of people and events to the community.

These learning objectives encourage students to explore colonisation, gaining geographical and historical understanding of the First Fleet's arrival and its impact.

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Lesson Objective(s)

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

• Explain the concept of colonisation in simple terms.
• Identify the British arrival in Australia in 1788 as a key historical event.
• Recognise key locations on maps related to the First Fleet's journey.
• Share initial thoughts on the impact of colonisation, including the experiences of Indigenous Australians.
• Engage respectfully in discussions about history, considering multiple viewpoints.

(Aligns with ACHASSK083, ACHASSI080, ACHASSI081, ACHASSI084)

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Resources Required

• Large visible map of the world, spotlighting Britain and Australia.
• A map of Australia showing significant sites related to the First Fleet.
• Images/photos/illustrations of the First Fleet ships.
• Simple timeline or visual of the year 1788 in context.
• Whiteboard or large paper for brainstorming.
• Student notebooks or worksheets for drawing and notes.
• Digital projector or printed images for visuals.
• Optional: short video clip (2-3 mins) on the First Fleet arrival (age-appropriate).

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Lesson Structure

1. Introduction (5 minutes)

• Engage attention: Teacher opens with a question: "What do you think ‘colonisation’ means?"
• Collect student ideas and write them on the board, encouraging them to describe the word in their own words.
• Teacher provides a simple definition: Colonisation means when one group of people go to live in a new land and start a community there, usually changing the place.
• Briefly introduce that today the class will learn about how British people came to Australia in 1788 and what that means for the land and the people who lived here.

2. Setting the Scene – First Fleet Journey (10 minutes)

• Show the large world map and trace the journey from Britain to Australia.
• Introduce the "First Fleet" – explain it was a group of 11 ships that brought people to start a new colony. Show images of the ships.
• Ask students to find and name Britain and Australia on the map.
• Highlight the distance and length of the journey, encouraging students to imagine how long and hard the trip may have been.
• Use a timeline or visual to place the year 1788 in historical context.

3. Understanding Maps and Places (10 minutes)

• Distribute maps of Australia to students, highlighting where the First Fleet landed (Botany Bay and Port Jackson, present-day Sydney).
• Ask guided questions: "Why do you think they chose to settle here? What do you notice about this area on the map?"
• Use images to show early settlements and the environment.
• Brief discussion on what life might have been like on arrival.

4. Discussion: What Does Colonisation Mean? (10 minutes)

• Facilitate a class discussion about the concept of colonisation touched on earlier.
• Explain briefly that the land already belonged to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and colonisation changed many things for them.
• Encourage students to think about different perspectives: the British settlers’ experience and the Indigenous peoples’ experience.
• Use open-ended questions: "How do you think the First Fleet’s arrival affected the people already here?"
• Emphasise respect in discussion, recognising different viewpoints.

5. Wrap-up and Reflection (8 minutes)

• Students draw a quick picture or write a few sentences about one thing they learned or found interesting about the First Fleet or colonisation.
• Share a few responses.
• Teacher summarises the lesson: colonisation involves arrival and settlement, it was a big event in Australia’s history, and it affected many people in different ways.
• Briefly preview next lesson: exploring why people came to Australia and what life was like for the first settlers and Indigenous Australians.

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Assessment (Ongoing/Formative)

• Observation: Informal assessment during class discussion to gauge participation and understanding of colonisation and the First Fleet.
• Work sample: Collect student drawings/written reflections to check understanding of key points.
• Questioning: Use targeted questions throughout to assess comprehension and to encourage deeper thinking (aligned to ACHASSI080, ACHASSI081).

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Differentiation Strategies

• Provide sentence starters for students who need support with writing reflections.
• Use visuals, simple language and repetition to aid comprehension.
• Encourage peer support and partner discussions.
• Extension task: Advanced students may research one ship from the First Fleet and share a fact.

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Key Australian Curriculum References

• History: ACHASSK083, ACHASSI080, ACHASSI081, ACHASSI084 – understanding colonisation, events, and impacts.
• Literacy skills: Plan, rehearse and contribute to discussions (ACELY1689), use multimodal resources to support understanding (ACELY1680).
• Literacy comprehension: Use comprehension strategies to understand and discuss texts (ACELY1680).

This aligns learning to the Australian Curriculum for Year 4 History and Literacy outcomes, ensuring an integrated and scaffolded introduction to the concept of colonisation focusing on Australia's colonial beginnings .

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Teacher Tips to Wow Students

• Use a globe or interactive map app to "fly" from Britain to Australia, engaging curiosity.
• Incorporate storytelling to personalise the journey of a convict or settler aboard the First Fleet.
• Show authentic images/artifacts to connect students emotionally to history.
• Facilitate respectful discussion about Indigenous perspectives using empathetic prompts.
• Invite students to imagine and share how they might feel on the long sea journey to a new land.

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This structured, interactive and curriculum-aligned lesson ensures Year 4 students gain foundational knowledge about colonial Australia with opportunities for discussion, critical thinking, and multiple modes of learning.