Lesson Plan 5

Week 3
Date: Monday 13th of April 2015

Duration: 60 70 minutes

Unit: The Land of Milk and Honey and English

Lessons

Lesson: 5 of 10

Level: Year level 6

Name: Group Discussion/Comparing historical

knowledge with contemporary times

Curriculum
History
Chronology, terms and concepts
Use historical terms and concepts (ACHHS118).
o Using historical terms and concepts related to the content such as democracy, federation,
empire, immigration, heritage, diversity, enfranchisement, suffrage.
Historical questions and research
Identify questions to inform an historical inquiry (ACHHS119).
o Developing key questions about the birth of Australian democracy and the experiences of
citizenship for women, migrants and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
o Developing key questions about immigration such as: What were the main reasons people
migrated to Australia? Who migrated? Where did they come from? What impact have they
had on the character of Australian society?
Analysis and use of sources
Locate information related to inquiry questions in a range of sources. (ACHHS121)
o Finding relevant historical information in primary and secondary sources (for example related
to the rights and status of women as well as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and
the experiences of migrants)
Perspectives and interpretations
Identify points of view in the past and present (ACHHS123)
o Analysing the language used in sources to identify values and attitudes (for example new
Australians, boat people)

General capabilities and cross curriculum

General capabilities
Literacy Content specific words/phrases e.g. Federation, assimilation, mixed cultural values,
immigration/migrants, meanings of these words etc.
Numeracy Timeline of certain historical happenings such as WWII and influx of immigration to
Australia
Information and communication technology (ICT) capability View video footage from historical
archives giving insight into the issues and conditions at the time of immigration to Australia.
Critical and creative thinking students compare and contrast ideas based on the information they
Trish Gee, Deashni Pillay, Rosalba Contarino, Bianca Polino & Amy Gampe

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receive and critically analyze using meta-cognitive skills.

Personal and social capability- draw on prior knowledge to accommodate new learning and build
personal opinions of the topics covered.
Ethical understanding gain a knowledge of past and present practices regarding immigration which
they may or may not agree with based on their own belief systems
Intercultural understanding gain an awareness of cultural diversity and build and understanding
and tolerance for individual reasons for immigration to Australia.
Cross curriculum
Curriculum links to Literacy: - (English P-10 Literacy, ACARA, 2015)
o Participate in and contribute to discussions, clarifying and interrogating ideas, developing and
supporting arguments, sharing and evaluating information, experiences and opinions
(ACELY1709)
o Use comprehension strategies to interpret and analyse information and ideas, comparing
content from a variety of textual sources including media and digital texts (ACELY1713)

Lesson Objectives
Students will have the ability to:
o By the end of the lesson students will identify the diversity around them and propose reasons
for migration into Australia using historical language and chronological sequencing
o Use digital technologies to track Australian natives, residents and migrants.

Students Prior Knowledge

Students have prior knowledge in:
o Students have some knowledge of why people migrated to Australia (ACHHK096).
o Students have prior knowledge of how some people and groups shaped Australias first colonies
(ACHHK097).

Assessment
Assessment for learning:
o To further elicit prior knowledge this lesson will involve grand conversations to discuss reasons
for immigration to Australia.
o How these reasons may have impacted on Australian society at the time, weather it was a
positive or negative result.
o Students will discuss answers to higher order thinking questions to compare and contrast ideas
and concepts discussed throughout the lesson.
o Anecdotal notes will be taken of students participation and understanding of concepts.
Further, answers to inquiry questions (during the puzzle activity) which will indicate the lever of
learning achieved and weather further lessons will need to be revisited to reinforce or
elaborate on key concepts.

Enquiry questions
Key enquiry question:
1. Why did immigrants come to Australia?
2. What problems (if any) arose as a result of immigration to Australia?
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Lesson Structure
Time

Introduction & Motivation

Teaching
Resources

Orientation Phase
20 minutes
5 mins

To begin the lesson

View the video clip A Land of Milk and Honey and
English Lessons (1 min 54 secs)
Allow students to make some comments about the
video, to initialise ideas to create a group discussion
and describe what is shown in the video clip.
Allow students to write some of these down.

Resources
Interactive
whiteboard to
view video

A Land of Milk and Honey

and English Lessons

https://dl.screenaustr
alia.gov.au/module/3
14/
5- 8 mins

Following this - ask some probing questions to create further

dialogue (write some of the answers on the board)
What is the message of the video clip?
o Does the video clip show any glimpse of social tensions
or potential problems with the new immigration
scheme? (Give examples).
o Who is the audience, which the video is aimed at? How
do you know?

5 -10 min

To extend the activity

o The last topic question (above) can lead to viewing the
second video clip, Bonegilla Migrant Camp (5 mins 24
sec)
o Students view the footage and begin to make
comparisons with the earlier footage (which promised
a different setting to that which was Bonegilla Migrant
Camp).

Trish Gee, Deashni Pillay, Rosalba Contarino, Bianca Polino & Amy Gampe

Bonegilla Migrant Camp

http:/.
/dl.screenaustralia.go
v.au/module/1599/

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Time

Main Content

Teaching
Resources

Enhancing Phase
30 minutes
30 mins

Assessment for learning:

o After viewing the video clip and creating a group
discussion, ask the students to answer the following
questions.
o Students can be divided into small groups where they
can discuss the questions and scaffold ideas from one
another as well as refer to the information that was
provided during the video clip. They answer the
questions as a group, however, each student can write
important points in their workbooks to refer to in
future lessons (Vygotsky, Constructivist approach).

Resources
Worksheet with
Questions/Concepts
about early immigrants.

Puzzle method, to share conclusions: - (Aronson, 1971)

o Students are divided into groups and are allocated
with one question (from above) to focus on.
o All groups share their ideas with the class, and notes
are taken (written answers on board and students can
write in their work books)

Questions/Concepts to consider: 1. Most immigrants at this time were people whose

country had been ravaged by war. In Australia, a lot of
immigrants came from Italy and Greece (Post WWII).
2. What do you note about the cultural backgrounds of
people shown in the first video (A Land of Milk and
Honey and English Lessons). Why do you think this is
so?
3. This first clip suggests that once the English language is
acquired, success for the migrant will be guaranteed.
4. Do you think that there may be other obstacles for the
newly arrived migrant to overcome? What could these
be? Consider the second Video clip (Bonegilla Migrant
Camp).
5. Describe the differences between the official
government view of migrants experiences of Bonegilla
and the views of the migrants themselves.
6. Based on the knowledge we have and that with which
we have gained throughout this lesson, can you see
any similarities or differences with Australian
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immigration/refugees/asylum seekers of today?

Time

Conclusion

Teaching
Resources

Summarising Phase
10 minutes
10 mins

o Students know share their findings with the rest of the Resources
class. Some answers may vary and therefore this can
o Collaborative
create a healthy debate of ideas.
answers to group
o Make reference to both video clips and briefly discuss
question, to
differences allow students to come to conclusions
share with the
based on these differences.
class.
o That is: - The intention of the first video clip (A Land of
Milk and Honey and English Lessons) and the reality of
what eventuated in the second video clip (Bonegilla
Migrant Camp).

Differentiation of learning

Deweys, Constructivist Theory Inquiry Approach: - (Tomkins, Campbell & Green, 2012)
Garners Multiple Intelligences: (Slavin, 2012).
Meta-Cognitive, Higher order thinking skills Blooms Taxonomy: (Perterson, 2004)
Puzzle Method for students requiring scaffolding, also great co-operative method and
increasing self-esteem. (Aronson, 1971).
o Scaffold learning within small groups with mixed group abilities (Vygotsky: - Peterson, 2004)
o Some open-ended questions will be ok to use for students experiencing difficulty throughout
lesson. Provide step-by-step guidance and prompting where needed. If possible have a teacher
aid available (who has been briefed prior to lesson) to sit with the students and provide some
guidance.
o Narrow down questioning for individual students to provide a focused approach to answers.
For example less open-ended questions such as: Do you think the first video was aimed at only white immigrants? Yes!
Could this possibly be a way for the political leaders of the time to send a message of
the type of immigrants they wanted arriving in Australia?

Extended Activities: Trish Gee, Deashni Pillay, Rosalba Contarino, Bianca Polino & Amy Gampe

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1) Students can plan and write a commentary in 500-600 words on the long-term effects on Australian
society and culture since post WWII, of the huge non-British immigration program carried out by
successive Australian governments over many decades.
o Provide ICT to research and write up the commentary.
o Use ICT to construct a PowerPoint presentation with information (500-600 words).
o Search the school library for related books articles and pictures etc. which may provide
evidence to support your commentary
N.B. This activity can be done over a period of lessons as an extended activity, whereby students can
continue working on this when class topics related to this unit have been completed. Further, it can
extend partly to a homework task whereby students can continue to gain information and research to
support the topic with the intention of presenting finding to the class during group discussions.
2) Students can visit Wordle (http://www.wordle.net/create )
or Tagxedo (http://www.tagxedo.com)
These Internet links can be used to create a word cloud using words related to the history topics
covered. Such as immigration, assimilation, racism etc. These can be printed and displayed in the
classroom to provide Literacy links

Evaluation
o
o
o
o

Based on observations and student answers were learning outcomes achieved?

Which sections of the lesson worked well and what needs to be improved or adjusted?
Were students able to follow instructions well based on the guidance given?
Were the majority of the students able to understand the level of difficulty faced by early
immigrants? If not what parts would need to be re-visited or provide further information?

Resources
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Aronson, E. (1971). The Jigsaw Classroom: A Cooperative Learning Technique, Retrieved from
https://www.jigsaw.org

English - Australian Curriculum (2015) P -10, Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting
Authority (ACARA). Retrieved from
http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/english/curriculum/f-10?layout=1

National Film and Sound Archive (2015) A Land of Milk and Honey and English Lessons

Retrieved

from https://dl.screenaustralia.gov.au/module/314/

Peterson, C. (2004). Looking Forward Through Childhood and Adolescence, Developmental

Psychology. NSW: Pearson Education Australia.

Slavin, R. E. (2012). Educational Psychology, Theory and Practice. Boston, USA: Pearson Education.

Tompkins, G.E., Campbell, D, & Green, D. (2012). Literacy for the 21st Century: A Balanced
Approach (5th Edition). Frenchs Forrest: Pearson.

Lesson 5 Activity Sheet

Video Footage of our Early Immigrants to Australia: Trish Gee, Deashni Pillay, Rosalba Contarino, Bianca Polino & Amy Gampe

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o A Land of Milk and Honey and English Lessons

https://dl.screenaustralia.gov.au/module/314

o Bonegilla Migrant Camp

http://dl.screenaustralia.gov.au/module/1599/

Questions/Concepts to consider: 7. This first clip suggests that once the English language is acquired, success for the migrant will be
guaranteed.
8. Do you think that there may be other obstacles for the newly arrived migrant to overcome?
What could these be? Consider the second Video clip (Bonegilla Migrant Camp).
9. Describe the differences between the official government view of migrants experiences of
Bonegilla and the views of the migrants themselves.
10. Based on the knowledge we have and that with which we have gained throughout this lesson,
can you see any similarities or differences with Australian immigration/refugees/asylum seekers
of today?
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