Responses to Colonisation

Overview

In this lesson (12 of 16) in “Australia’s Transformative Journey”, students investigate the different responses of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to colonisation and dispossession. They examine actions taken to protect land, preserve culture, resist violence and exclusion, and seek justice, then evaluate how these responses shaped ideas, beliefs and values in Australian society.

Learning intentions

• Students will investigate responses of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to colonisation and dispossession.
• Students will explain how different responses reflect different experiences and perspectives.
• Students will analyse historical sources to identify evidence, viewpoints and effects.
• Students will communicate findings using historical reasoning and appropriate language.

Success criteria

• I can describe at least two responses to colonisation and dispossession with supporting evidence.
• I can explain how those responses affected communities and/or Australian society.
• I can compare responses and identify similarities and differences.
• I can use evidence from notes or sources to justify my conclusions.

Curriculum links

• Humanities and Social Sciences — Year 9: causes and effects of European imperial expansion and movement of peoples; different responses to colonisation and migration.
• Humanities and Social Sciences — Year 9: different experiences and perspectives of colonisers, settlers and First Nations Australians, and how these experiences contributed to changes in ideas, beliefs and values in Australian society.
• Humanities and Social Sciences — Year 9: analysing information and data to identify and evaluate differences in perspectives and interpretations (using short source sets and claims).
• Civics and Citizenship link (for perspective-taking and evaluation): examining how different groups interpret issues and evidence.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Settling and recap. Teacher briefly revisits the unit focus: “colonisation led to dispossession—what happened next?” and checks prior lesson learning (causes/effects). Students do a quick silent write: “One impact of colonisation we discussed yesterday was…” and share one sentence with a partner.

2. 5–12 min · Hook: “Response gallery walk”. Teacher displays 6 short response prompts on the board (no names required yet), e.g., “protecting Country”, “continuing ceremonies”, “resisting frontier violence”, “seeking employment but protecting identity”, “creating community networks”, “speaking out to demand rights”. Students rotate in pairs, choosing one prompt and ranking it by “most visible at the time” vs “most lasting effect” with a brief reason.

3. 12–22 min · Direct teach: types of responses and why they differ. Teacher explains that responses were shaped by location, time, family circumstances, and how colonisation affected daily life; emphasise that responses included both survival and resistance, and also adaptation without surrendering identity. Students complete a teacher-provided two-column note: “Response” and “Possible reasons/effects”.

4. 22–35 min · Source investigation in groups. Teacher distributes a one-page source set (teacher-made) with 3–4 short excerpts: one community perspective (speech/recorded statement style), one account describing an event of resistance or protest, and one snippet showing cultural continuity (e.g., maintaining language/ceremony/knowledge) or community organisations. Students in groups of 4 use a structured tool:

• What does this source show about a response?
• Who is speaking/what viewpoint is shown?
• What evidence supports that interpretation?
• What effect might this have had (short-term and longer-term)?

5. 35–47 min · Evidence-to-claim writing. Teacher models a sentence starter and a reasoning pattern: claim → evidence → effect. Students write a paragraph titled “Responses to colonisation were…” including:

• one similarity between at least two responses
• one difference
• one effect on communities or on wider society.

6. 47–55 min · Whole-class discussion: contested interpretations. Teacher prompts: “Why might different people interpret these responses differently?” and guides respectful discussion about perspective, power and historical context. Students participate in a structured talk (teacher calls on pairs): each pair shares one evidence-backed claim and one question they still have.

7. 55–60 min · Exit ticket. Students answer: “Name one response and explain how it demonstrates agency, not only victimhood.” (1–2 sentences, evidence encouraged.)

Resources

• Teacher-made source set (short excerpts, accessible reading level)
• Response prompt cards for gallery walk
• Two-column note template (Response / Reasons-effects)
• Evidence-to-claim paragraph scaffold (sentence starters)
• Highlighters/markers or digital annotation tool for evidence marking
• Exit ticket slips or online form (no hyperlinks)

Assessment

• Formative: teacher circulates during source investigation, listening for accurate identification of response types and use of evidence.
• Formative: check group notes for viewpoint recognition (who is speaking and what perspective is represented).
• Summative-for-today: paragraph using claim–evidence–effect; evaluate with a quick teacher rubric (content accuracy, evidence use, explanation of effects).
• Exit ticket: assesses understanding of agency and dispossession-linked responses.

Differentiation

• Support: provide sentence starters, a word bank (e.g., agency, resistance, continuity, dispossession, community), and a simplified source-reading guide (underline “response words”).
• Support for EAL/SEN: allow writing in dot points first, then convert to a paragraph; offer a scaffolded template with fewer required elements.
• Extension: students compare two responses and propose how colonisation policies or local conditions might have influenced them; they also identify a limitation of one source (missing context, bias, or audience).
• Choice: allow students to focus on one of two effects categories (cultural continuity OR justice/resistance) in their paragraph.