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Child Convicts First Fleet

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Child Convicts First Fleet

Read the information card, then use evidence from it to solve the questions. The First Fleet arrived at Warrane (Sydney Cove) in 1788. Remember: people in the past lived in very different conditions from children today.

A journey to a new colony

In 1787, eleven ships left Britain in a fleet now called the First Fleet. They carried convicts, marines and supplies to establish a British colony in New South Wales. The ships reached Warrane (Sydney Cove) in January 1788. The journey took about eight months. Children were among the convicts. Some had been convicted of theft, including stealing food or clothing. In Britain, poverty and hunger affected many families, but theft could still lead to severe punishment. Convicts did not all have the same experience: their ages, offences, sentences and later lives varied. Children faced an unfamiliar place, a long sea journey and separation from family and home. Historians learn about their lives by checking records and comparing evidence; a record may not tell us exactly what a child felt.

1.Put these events in time order by numbering them 1–3: the fleet arrives at Warrane; the fleet leaves Britain; the journey lasts about eight months.

2.Which statement is supported by the information card?

Every child convict had the same experience.
The First Fleet travelled from Britain to establish a colony in New South Wales.
The journey lasted eight weeks.
Records tell historians exactly how every child felt.

3.True or false: The First Fleet reached Warrane (Sydney Cove) in January 1788.

TrueFalse

4.Complete the sentence: Some children were convicted of theft, including stealing or .

5.Match each historical term to its meaning.

Convict
Fleet
Colony

A settlement established and governed by another country
A person found guilty of an offence and sentenced
A group of ships travelling together

6.The information card says some children stole food or clothing and that poverty and hunger affected many families. What might this suggest about why some children stole? Use one piece of evidence.

7.Choose two challenges a child convict might have faced during the journey or after arrival.

Separation from family
A long sea journey
Sending messages by mobile phone
Knowing exactly what life in the colony would be like

8.Why should a historian avoid claiming that every child convict had the same experience?

9.A record says a child was convicted of stealing clothes. Does that record prove how the child felt on the voyage? Explain.

10.Imagine arriving in an unfamiliar place after an eight-month voyage. Write a short diary entry that describes one possible feeling and one reason for it. Make clear that this is an imagined response, not a fact from a record.