PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY

Inquiry Question
What and who are the people that have had
significant impacts on the development of
Australia and our local communities?
Big Ideas
Australia has a large history and is impacted by
significant events and people
Different religions, cultures, places and people
contribute to the changes in our community
Buildings, locations, landmarks and people
have significant importance and impact on our
community
Assessment Evidence
Weekly reflections in journals
A timeline representing the
Individual project on a person from Australia or
from community
Annotated photos of observations and learning

Learning Intentions
1. Students learn about the significance that
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
individuals have had on our community and
our country.
2. Historically, events and people have
changed Australia and communities, and the
way individuals interact .
3. Buildings, locations and landmarks have a
significant influence on the community and
the people within.
4. Students learn about their own individual
and family roles in the community.
Victorian Curriculum
5. History is learnt through stories, artefacts
History
and places.
Civics and Citizenship
Geography
Cross Curriculum Priorities of ATSI cultures and
histories
Ethical capabilities

Skills Developed

Describe the history and the significant

events that have influenced our country

Identify the significance and impact of

places and people in our community

Record weekly learning in their journals to

be incorporated in their timeline

Investigate places and people who have

impacted our community and country over
time.

Justify reasoning for decisions made during

weekly learning.

Construct timelines and models in which

display the significance of the past, present
and future in our community and country.

Teaching Proposal:
Within this unit study students are able to learn and discover the people who are important and significant within our
community and within our country. Throughout the unit students are able to investigate past and present influences and
how they contributed to the places, events and history of our community, including how Indigenous people have influenced
and shaped the Australia we live in today. As students and their families are a part of the community, this unit is relevant to
them. Students will be involved in creating and building models of the local buildings and interview family in relation to their
involvement and history. They will also develop timelines and presentations that highlight the important and significant
events that occurred in Australia over time and the people who were involved, including the development of their local area.
Students will also explore the relevance of culture, religion, status and beliefs, as well as symbols and celebrations of
Australia. This will be supported by appropriate literature, artefacts, excursions to the local museum and library, dreamtime
stories, and videos. Our community is made up of people of all cultures, religions, status and beliefs. Therefore by gaining a
broader knowledge of this, students are able to be more accepting of the community itself (Chen & Hamilton 2015) and may
also be more likely to gain identity in knowing they are able to bring their differences to the community as well. By
participating in learning of their community, the people, events, and places that have impacted the community, it gives
them a foundation of being able to establish how they can participate and contribute to the community themselves. As the
Victorian Curriculum (2016) states students explore how individuals participate in their community, cultural diversity and
how belonging to different groups can shape personal identity, further explaining the importance of investigating and
identifying where they belong and contributions they make. Over the unit students will be able to discover the large history
Australia has and how people have the ability to impact and shape it. They will also gain insight into the different religions,
cultures, places and people who shape our community. Students will also discover the buildings, locations and landmarks
that have a significant impact on all members of our community. The Victorian Curriculum (2016) highlights that learning
about history allows students to develop curiosity and imagination, and that being aware of history is important to any
society and that historical knowledge is fundamental to understanding ourselves and others. Learning about places also
opens a childs curiosity to the world. It is essential that students have the opportunity to examine and investigate particular
places to understand how they have developed certain characteristics, and that exploring similarities and differences of
these places, investigating meanings and significance to people, and examining how they have changed over time
(Victorian Curriculum 2016), allows for students to gain knowledge of the place they live. The importance of teaching this is
that it promotes the understanding of societies, events, movements and developments that have shaped humanity from

Lesson 1
Learning Intention:
Students learn about the
significance that Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander
individuals have had in our
community and our country.
Activity: Use websites to
teach students about the
history of the Indigenous
culture. In groups of 3 or 4
students then choose a
language from the Indigenous
map and each member in the
group researches one of the
four key questions each:
How did the people live?
What were the roles of
men/women/children?
What were the main beliefs
and events the Indigenous
take part in?
Who are some people who
are significant to the
Indigenous community?
Students then present all
information as a PowerPoint.
Resources: Computers,
Dreamtime story, Language
Map, *Refer to website links in
Unit Planner*
Victorian Curriculum:
VCICCD007, VCCCTQ010,
VCCCTM018, VCECU005,
VCECU006, VCPSCSO020,
VCHHK081, VCHHK072

Lesson 2
Learning Intention:
Historically, events and people
have changed Australia and
communities, and the way
individuals interact .
Activity: Discuss with
students that they are going
on a trip back to 1788. Put
photos up around the room of
different events, different
people and tribes. Then hand
out the corresponding
information one to each pair.
Jump into a box made ship and
travel around the room to the
different photos. As you get to
each photo have the student
with the corresponding
information read it aloud to
the rest of the class.
Resources: Information
Documents, Photos to put up
around the room, class boat.
Victorian Curriculum:
VCECU005, VCECU006,
VCHHK080, VCHHC069,
VCHHC070

Lesson 3
Learning Intention:
Historically, events and people
have changed Australia and
communities, and the way
individuals interact.
Activity: Students choose one
person who contributes to the
local community, e.g. own
shops, built buildings, have
streets named after them, part
of sporting groups/created
them, mayors, settlers of the
area, farmers. They develop
questions they would like to
research about and then use
ipads, magazines and
newspapers to research about
the role of that person.
Students then create a collage
of the information and images
collected during research.
Resources: ipads, inquiry
journals, magazines,
newspapers
Victorian Curriculum:
VCICCB005, VCICCD007,
VCCCTQ010, VCPSCSO020,
VCCCC007, VCCCC006,
VCHHK074

Lesson 4
Learning Intention:
Students learn about their own
individual and family roles in
the community.
Activity: Students draw their
family tree in their journals
and next to each person, they
name something important
that person brings to the
community, whether its a job,
an event, a special quality.
From this information students
get into small groups and
create question they would
like to ask their family
members about the history of
their family, about important
events their family has been
part of, about any cultural
significance their family has
and to identify familys impact
on the local community past
and present. Teacher will then
create a class proforma of
questions to take home and
ask their families.
Resources: Question
proforma
Victorian Curriculum:
VCCCTQ010, VCCCTM019,
VCGGK084, VCHHK074

Lesson 6
Learning Intention: History
is learnt through stories,
artefacts and places.
Field Day: Students go to
Knox Historical Society
museum. Use Inquiry journals
to make important notes,
sketches and annotations
throughout. Students can also
write questions about what
they want to find out, what
they think will help them with
later projects/answer
questions about previous
lessons activities.
Resources: Inquiry Journals,

Lesson 7
Learning Intention:
Buildings, locations and
landmarks have a significant
influence on the community
and the people within.
Activity:
Students investigate the
importance of different
locations, landmarks and
buildings in our community.
Ask students to research one
in our community and then
create a model of that
building/location/landmark and
discuss to the class the
importance and the

Lesson 8
Learning Intention:
Students learn about the
significance that Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander
individuals have had in our
community and our country.
Activity:
Watch a video on
reconciliation. Then discuss
the different celebrations that
we have in our community.
Have 4 activities set up on
different tables in which focus
on different celebrations
throughout Australia (Anzac
Day, National Sorry Day,

Lesson 9
Learning Intention: History
is learnt through stories,
artefacts and places.
Activity: Students go to the
local library and use the
resources and facilities to
research one person they
would like to discover more
about who has impacted our
country or our community,
whether its in the past or
someone who is currently
impacting our community.
Students will need to take
rough notes in their Inquiry
journals as they discover this

Lesson 5
Learning Intention:
Historically, events and people
have changed Australia and
communities, and the way
individuals interact .
Activity: Show a short video
of Australia past and present
and ask students to take notes
in their journals. Then show
the website on how to create a
timeline, what they need to
include and how they can use
the website to create their
own timeline. In the timeline
ask the students to put in
information they already know
and have learnt in previous
lessons, also ask students to
put into their timelines any
information they received from
their family interviews. Share
timelines with the class and
give feedback.
Resources: Timeline:
http://www.readwritethink.org/f
iles/resources/interactives/tim
eline_2/
, Inquiry journals, video on
Australian history
Victorian Curriculum:
VCCCTM018, VCHHK079,
VCHHK073, VCHHC066,
VCHHC069
Assessment: Chronology and
relevance of events in the
timeline.
Lesson 10
Learning Intention:
Historically, events and people
have changed Australia and
communities, and the way
individuals interact .
Activity: Students create an
EXPO style presentation of
their chosen person, with
information regarding their
significance and details about
them, artefacts related to
them and students to come
dressed as their significant
person.
Resources: Artefacts and
information throughout the