Unsung Wartime Heroes

Overview

Lesson Duration: 60 minutes
Year Level: Year 9
Subject: Australian History
Topic: Indigenous Australians in World War I
Australian Curriculum Link:
Year 9 – Humanities and Social Sciences (History)
Historical Knowledge and Understanding:

• ACDSEH095 – The places where Australians fought and the nature of warfare during World War I, including the Gallipoli campaign
• ACDSEH096 – The impact of World War I, with a particular emphasis on Australian involvement and the lives of Australians at home
• Historical Skills:
  • ACHHS174 – Use historical terms and concepts
  • ACHHS175 – Identify and describe points of view, attitudes and values in primary and secondary sources

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Learning Intentions

By the end of the lesson, students will:

• Understand the role Indigenous Australians played in World War I
• Identify and analyse the policies and societal attitudes affecting Indigenous Australians during this period
• Construct a well-reasoned paragraph that compares and contrasts Indigenous Australian experiences in WWI with those of non-Indigenous Australian soldiers
• Prepare for future short-answer exam responses using historical evidence

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Success Criteria

Students can:
✅ Identify at least two similarities and two differences between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian soldiers during WWI
✅ Use a structured PEEL paragraph to respond to a comparative question
✅ Refer to at least one primary and one secondary source for evidence
✅ Develop empathy and historical understanding of a marginalised group’s experiences

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Explore the Subject Question

“How were the experiences of Indigenous Australian soldiers in World War I similar to and different from those of non-Indigenous Australian soldiers?”

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Materials Required

• Printed and digital (if available) source pack with:
  • WWI recruitment posters (including policies excluding Indigenous people)
  • Letters or statements from Indigenous soldiers (e.g., Private Douglas Grant)
  • Diary excerpts or interviews from non-Indigenous soldiers
  • Legislation excerpts (e.g. Defence Act 1903)
  • Post-war veteran policy documents/photos
• Whiteboard and markers
• Student exercise books
• A3 comparison chart handouts
• Printed PEEL paragraph scaffold

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Lesson Structure (60 Minutes)

1. Hook / Warm-Up Activity (10 minutes)

Strategy: Walking Gallery (Active Source Analysis)

• Set up 5 printed historical sources (including photos, quotes and posters) around the classroom
• In pairs, students rotate every 2 minutes, viewing and noting observations about each source
• Prompt them with: "Whose experience is this reflecting?" and "What might be left out?"

🧠 Engages students with visual and textual stimuli; provokes inquiry and historical questioning.

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2. Explicit Instruction (10 minutes)

Mini-Lecture with Whiteboard Anchor Notes:

• Briefly introduce the Defence Act 1903 and its restriction on Indigenous Australians enlisting
• Explain the exceptions — the pushback from Indigenous Australians who wanted to serve
• Highlight one or two individuals (e.g., Douglas Grant)
• Explain the difference in wartime experience and post-war treatment
  • Equal comradeship in trenches
  • Discrimination on return — pensions denied, memorials neglected

📘 Connects policy, experience and legacy to the curriculum objectives

✏️ Students copy a quick “Compare and Contrast T-Chart” from the board as anchor notes

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3. Collaboration and Critical Thinking (15 minutes)

Group Task: Comparison Carousel

• Students in groups of 5
• Each group receives a set of 3 paired sources (one Indigenous-focused, one non-Indigenous)
• Complete a Comparison Chart (A3) focusing on:
  • Recruitment
  • Battlefield Experience
  • Post-war Recognition
• Rotate after 6 minutes so each group sees all material
• Teachers float and probe with higher-order questions:

  “Why might these differences have existed?”
  “Who shaped these narratives?”

🛠️ Builds critical thinking, evidence-based reasoning and empathy

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4. Skill Building: Writing Focus (15 minutes)

Guided Writing: PEEL Paragraph Construction

• Model writing a paragraph responding to the explore the subject question

  P: Point (How experiences differed on return from war)
  E: Evidence (Use Private Grant vs Returned Services League policy)
  E: Explanation (Analyse systemic discrimination)
  L: Link back to question

• Students then write their own paragraph using either ‘similarity’ or ‘difference’ focus
  • Push students to include at least 2 source references
  • Encourage the use of connectives (however, similarly, whereas)

📝 Links to school-wide writing strategy and prepares students for assessments

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5. Reflection and Exit Ticket (10 minutes)

Reflective Question Prompt:
"Why is it important to understand Indigenous Australians’ roles in Australian military history?"

• Students write for 5 minutes in their books
• Share 2–3 responses aloud
• Collect PEEL paragraph as exit ticket

🎯 Provides formative feedback, ensures individual accountability

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Differentiation & Support

• For EAL/D learners:
  • Use visuals and sentence starters during PEEL paragraph writing
  • Allow verbal responses prior to writing
• For advanced learners:
  • Push to include historiographical interpretations
  • Encourage drawing links between WWI and modern veteran policy regarding First Nations people
• Students with literacy difficulties:
  • Provide scaffolded paragraph templates with selectable source quotes

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Assessment and Feedback

• Exit ticket PEEL paragraph will serve as formative assessment
• Provide written individual feedback aligned with exam marking criteria
  • Focus: clarity of comparison, use of historical evidence, structure
• Use this data to inform revision coverage and writing focus in upcoming lessons

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Extension / Homework

Optional Extension Task:

• Interview family members about family war involvement — Does the mainstream narrative align with personal stories?
  Optional Media Suggestion:
• Watch curated clips from the documentary "The Forgotten" – Aboriginal Soldiers of WWI, followed by reflection

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Teacher Reflection (Post-Lesson)

• Were students able to identify and explain the experiences of Indigenous vs non-Indigenous soldiers?
• Did students make connections between primary sources and historical context?
• Were disengaged learners brought into historical empathy through the collaborative and reflective moments?

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Final Thought

“History isn’t just what’s written; it’s what’s remembered — and what has been ignored.”
This lesson aims not only to teach content for assessment, but build respect, recognition, and curiosity in young Australians about the full breadth of their nation’s past.

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