Voices of the Past

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Lesson Overview

Subject Area: Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) — History
Curriculum Link: Australian Curriculum v9.0 — Year 4 History
Content Description:

• ACHASSK086: The nature of contact between First Nations Australians and European settlers, and the impact that colonisation had on the lives of First Nations Australians
• ACHASSI073: Locate and collect information from different sources, including observations

Class Details: 27 students, Year 4
Lesson Duration: 60 minutes

Learning Goal (LG):
We are learning to understand the response and experiences of Aboriginal People to colonisation.

Success Criteria (S.C):

• I can describe the perspective of an Indigenous elder (Pemulwuy).
• I can describe the actions taken.

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Lesson Sequence

Daily Review (5 minutes)

• Quick-fire revision quiz (oral):
  • "Who were the first people to live in Australia?"
  • "What year did the First Fleet arrive?"
  • "What changes occurred after the settlers came?"
• Purpose: Activate prior knowledge and set a meaningful context.

Teacher Tip: Use a soft ball and toss it to students to answer—this keeps everyone engaged and ready to participate.

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Activate Prior Knowledge (APK) (5 minutes)

Think-Pair-Share:
Pose the question:
🧠 "Imagine strangers arriving at your home without asking—how might you feel?"

• Students think individually for 30 seconds, then share with a partner.
• Select 2–3 partnerships to share ideas with the whole class.

Learning link: Explain that Indigenous people like Pemulwuy felt similar emotions when settlers arrived without permission.

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I Do (Teacher Modelling) (10 minutes)

• Display an image of Pemulwuy (print out or use an interactive whiteboard).
• Briefly narrate Pemulwuy’s story in an age-appropriate way:

💬 "Pemulwuy was a brave Bidjigal man from the Botany Bay area. When settlers began cutting down trees and taking land, Pemulwuy decided to lead his people in standing up for their rights and Country. He resisted peacefully at first, then became a warrior to protect his community."

Model writing a short extract as Pemulwuy (on the board):

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"Today I saw smoke rising from the riverbanks. Their strange houses are spreading across our land. I feel anger, but also sadness for my people. Tonight, we will meet by the sacred tree and decide what must be done."

Highlight:

• Feeling words
• Action words
• Use of "I" to stay in role

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We Do (Guided Practice) (10 minutes)

Group brainstorming session:

• Create a word bank together: emotions (e.g., angry, confused, scared, determined) and possible actions (e.g., meet leaders, protect the river, track settlers).

On the board, jointly construct a starting sentence together:
"When I woke up today, I knew something was wrong…"

Students help suggest the next line or a feeling.

Scaffold: Sentence starters provided on mini whiteboards for struggling writers:

• "I feel..."
• "I see..."
• "I decide to..."

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You Do (Independent Practice) (20 minutes)

Task:
Students will write their own short diary entry (approximately 8–10 sentences) from Pemulwuy's perspective.

Prompt on board:
💭 "Imagine you are Pemulwuy. Settlers have come to your land. How did you feel? What did you do?"

Support Options:

• High flyers: Challenge to include speech or thoughts (e.g., "I whispered to my brother, 'We must act quickly.'")
• Supported students: Offer sentence frames and check-in halfway through.

Teacher Role: Circulate, confer, and encourage deeper thinking with prompts like:

• "What would you see in your Country that is different?"
• "How would you share your feelings with your mob?"

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Reflection (10 minutes)

Class sharing circle:

• Invite 4–5 students to read a selected part of their diary entry aloud.
• Discuss: "What emotions were most common across our diary entries?"
• Reinforce that Pemulwuy and his people felt a complex mix of emotions—strength, sadness, hope, anger.

Exit Slip:
Before leaving, each student must choose one word to describe how Pemulwuy might have felt and drop it in the "Feelings Basket" (a small tub or box).

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Resources and Materials

• Image of Pemulwuy
• A3 chart paper for word banks
• Mini whiteboards and markers
• Student workbooks and pencils
• Feelings Basket for Exit Slips

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Assessment

Formative:

• Observations during discussions
• Diary entries (assessing ability to describe Pemulwuy’s perspective and actions using historical empathy)

Success Looks Like:

• Staying in character
• Using feeling and action words relevant to Pemulwuy’s experiences
• A minimum of 8 thoughtful, sequential sentences

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Teacher Reflection Questions (Post-Lesson)

• Did students effectively put themselves in Pemulwuy's shoes?
• Did the scaffolding provided meet the needs of all learners?
• How can we deepen understanding of Indigenous perspectives next lesson?

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Extension Ideas

• Students create "Pemulwuy's Voice" art: an artwork combining words and images from their diary entry.
• Host a "Pemulwuy Day" where students bring their entries to life through role-play.

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"Teaching history through empathy builds not just knowledge, but understanding. Every story shared seeds a future of respect." 🌿

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