Australian Curriculum Connections

Year Level Learning Area Topic

4 HASS (History sub strand) First Fleet
Content Descriptor: Knowledge and Understanding

Stories of the First Fleet, including reasons for the journey, who travelled to Australia, and their experiences following arrival (ACHASSK085)

Content Descriptor: Inquiry and Skills

Questioning Pose questions to investigate people, events, places and issues (ACHASSI073)

Researching Sequence information about people’s lives and events (ACHAssI076)

Analysing Examine information to identify different points of view and distinguish facts from opinions (ACHASSI077)

Evaluating and Reflecting Interact with others with respect to share points of view (ACHASSI080)

Present ideas, findings and conclusions in texts and modes that incorporate digital and non-digital representations and
Communicating
discipline-specific terms (ACHASSI082)
Achievement Standards - History:

By the end of Year 4, students recognise the significance of events in bringing about change. They explain how and why life changed in the past and
identify aspects of the past that have remained the same. They describe the experiences of an individual or group in the past.
Students sequence information about events and the lives of individuals in chronological order with reference to key dates. They develop questions
about the past and locate, collect and sort information from different sources to answer these questions. They analyse sources to detect points of
view. Students develop and present texts, including narrative recounts, using historical terms.

Literacy Numeracy ICT Critical and Creative Thinking

General Capabilities
Ethical Behaviour Personal and Social Intercultural Understanding
 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Asia and Australia’s Engagement
Cross Curriculum Priorities Sustainability
Histories and Cultures with Asia

Significance Continuity and Change Cause and Effect Place and Space
Key Disciplinary Concepts
Roles, Rights and
Interconnections Perspectives and Action
Responsibilities

Teaching Sequence

Learning Focus Learning Experiences Check for Learning / Assessment Main Resources
Students complete KWL Chart (what I know and what I wonder
sections only)
KWL Chart
Class Reading – The First Fleet by Alan Boardman
Reflective Questions in a think-pair-share: Prior Knowledge Assessment: KWL Chart
The First Fleet by
Introduce unit - What was life like in Britain in the 1700’s?
Alan Boardman
Life in Britain
- Why were there so many convicts in cities like London? MOMENT ONE
During the 1700s
(1 lesson) - What did the government decide to do with all the Think-pair-share responses
Hulks video, via
convicts? YouTube -
https://www.youtu
- Why was the decision to move the convicts into the Senses Reflection – life on the Hulks
be.com/watch?v=e0
unknown southern land made? H3Ul2cY8I
Video and explanation of the Hulks
Senses chart – life on the Hulks
 Info. Power point

Reflect on previous lesson – overcrowding of prisoners Timeline Activity

Reflection responses
The First Fleet Final decisions to transport convicts worksheet +
Accurate Timelines and collaborative
(2 lesson) First Fleet timeline ordering activity display/answer
working.
Map it out as a class. timeline

Student workbook.

Research Task and

Introduce Research task – Identifying passengers on the First
Journal template
Fleet. Use this database site for information:
(on PowerPoint)
https://firstfleetfellowship.org.au/first-fleetfirst-fleet-convict- Research task with Journal Writing
Passengers of database/ (reflecting upon what life was like and
the First Fleet Showbie – task and
(2 lessons) Students must locate the convicts: name, age, occupation, crime, their experiences on the ship – indicating
URL link shared
sentence and ship. at their research)
with students.
Journal writing – reflective response about the life of chosen
convicts.
Info. Power Point
 Class Discussion/Brainstorm: what have we learnt so far about
the First Fleet Reading
Reading comprehension of the First Fleet available to students MOMENT TWO Comprehension via
via Showbie. Correct answers of the reading Showbie
Covering: The fleet, convicts, reasonings for coming to Australia, comprehension question (short answers)
the journey, arrival to Australia and cultural differences between Coherence and reflection upon the Student iPads
Summary of
learning British and Indigenous people. Convicts, Settlers and Indigenous People workbooks.
(2 lessons)
(Three low level students are in a small group with me to read
and go through content separately to ensure understanding) Student conferencing to prompt Short and Long
Short and long answer responses – differentiating with reflection and understand their thinking answered
expectations of answers. towards the events of the First Fleet. questions via
- Going through questions to ensure students are Showbie
correctly retrieving the information

Class Discussion/Brainstorm: What information did we learn from

the reading comprehension?
Life in Australia video – discuss what the video presented. What Life in Australia
video, via YouTube
questions do students have? Student Responses to Class Discussion.
Life in Australia - -
Museum Introduce museum website: Individual research https://www.youtu
Artefacts https://sydneylivingmuseums.com.au/convict-sydney/day-life- be.com/watch?v=I6
Conversations in expert groups
(3 lessons) convict d-kwsQX5M
- Explore with students briefly Information sharing in mixed groups
- Assign students one aspect of a convict life to explore Student iPads and
(individually). Aspects include assignment, clothes,
workbook.
escape, food, free time, health, language, punishment,
rewards and work.
 - Students will use museum website and other research Convict aspects of
to gather information on their aspect. living cards (lucky
Expert groups will be used for students to collate their
draw)
information with other students who researched the same topic.
-> ensuring information is accurate and consolidating ideas.
Students will split into groups of different topics.
- Each student will have the opportunity to share their
research.
- Other students will take notes while the expert is
speaking.

Love tokens video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHUys4-
cf5U&feature=youtu.be
Recap of the video
Show more examples of convict’s love tokens
The language used on the tokens, the use of poetry etc. Summative
MOMENT THREE
The significance. Assessment: task
Summative Assessment: Displaying the
Summative sheet and rubric.
Assessment: emotion and impact of the journey for
Written Task Introduce Summative Assessment: Students will immerse
the convicts (or crew) on board the first
(4 lessons) themselves into the life of a convict who has arrived in Australia. Love token
fleet, students will create a love token
Upon writing a letter back home, the convict finds a coin and template
and write a letter back home.
uses it to engrave a sentimental message to their family back in
England.
LOVE TOKEN:
The token will be creatively written and designed by the students
– in a way that represents their knowledge of love tokens and
the message they would want their family to remember them by.

LETTER:
Students are to use their knowledge of the First Fleet, including
reasons why crime occurred, the journey of the fleet and their
arrival in Australia to write a letter back home to their family;
accompanied with the love token.
 K-W-L CHART
TOPIC:

What I KNOW What I WONDER What I LEARNT

 Your task is to match the dates below with the events of the First
Fleet and create an accurate timeline.

Cut out both the dates and events and rearrange in the order that you
think is correct. Do not glue down yet! Together as a class we will go
through the correct sequence of the First Fleet Timeline.

Once all the dates are revealed and correct, rule a line in the middle of
a double page and glue the dates in order.

Good luck!

13 May 1787 20 May 1787 3 June 1787

10 June 1787 July 1787 5 August 1787

4 September 1787 13 October 1787 November 1787

25 November 18 - 20 January
4 January 1788
1787 1788

The First Fleet sets sail across
the Atlantic to Rio de Janeiro,
taking advantage of the trade
winds and ocean currents.
The First Fleet reaches the Cape
of Good Hope in southern
Africa. This is the last port of
A convict on the Scarborough
call before Australia, so they
plans a mutiny. Those involved
stock up on plants, seeds and
are flogged and two are
livestock. They take on board 2
transferred to the Prince of
bulls, 3 mares, 44 sheep, 32
Wales.
pigs, 4 goats and a large
quantity of poultry.

The First Fleet anchors at Santa Van Diemen’s Land is sighted

Cruz at Tenerife to stock up on from the Friendship. A freak The First Fleet leaves Rio de
fresh water, vegetables and storm damages some of the Janeiro.
meat. sails of the ships.

As the First Fleet sails through

The First feet reach Rio de the tropics, the ships become
Janeiro and stays for a month. infested with rats, bedbugs,
Here the ships are cleaned and lice, cockroaches and fleas.
repaired, and fresh water and With the hot and humid
The First Fleet leaves
food is taken on board. The weather, water is rationed to
Portsmouth, England.
infested clothing of the women three pints a day. The tropical
convicts is burnt and replaced rainstorms keep convicts below
with rice sacks to wear as deck, creating an overpowering
dresses. smell. Many convicts get sick
and die.

After 252 days and more that 24

Arthur Phillip is transferred to
000 km, on the 18th January
the Supply, which is travelling The gales of the “Roaring
1788 the Supply, with Phillip,
ahead of the fleet. It was Forties” helps the ships sail
reached Botany Bay. On the
planned that Phillip would through to Australia. However,
19th and 20th the remainder of
arrive first, select a suitable the fleet is faced with
the fleet arrived. Although
location, find clean water, clear challenging conditions. some
Phillip did not have enough time
the ground and build some huts supplies begin to run low, and
to prepare, it was a successful
before the arrival of the other water is rationed.
voyage with no ships lost and
ships.
only 48 people died.
 Imagine you have been sentenced to transportation to Australia. Knowing that you will never
return to England, this is the last time you will ever see your family again. You make a love
token for them to remember you and as your final goodbye.

Your details as a convict:

How old are you?

What was your crime?
Why did you commit this crime?

Who is your love token for? Why?

Create a Love Token below to give to your chosen person. Remember, convicts had their names,
age, year and a personal message included on their token. They also included simple
decorations within the token.

Explain the choices you made with your design: How would the convict be feeling when making
their love token?
Name:

Reflecting on the information you have created from the ‘Love Token’ task, write a letter
home in Britain to the same loved one. This letter will accompany your token as your final
assessment on the First Fleet unit.

In the letter, you will need to include:

à How you felt living in Britain in those conditions.

à A reason for committing your crime

à The decision to transport you to Australia and how that made you feel to be sent so

far away.

à The journey on the ship. Include the ship you were on.

à Your arrival in Australia and living in the new conditions with new rules.

à Hope/uncertainty for the future (possibility of living as a free person in a new

country/possibility of never returning home)

IMPORTANT REMINDERS:
o Use descriptive language to strengthen your sentences.

o The letter should be a page on Word.

o You will need to submit a draft first.

Requirements before submitting final copy:

Love Token task completed and handed in

Student check:
Teacher check:

Corrections made to draft copy of letter (please attach draft

to final copy)
Student check:
Teacher check:
 Assessment Rubric
A B C
Student has clearly
engaged with the Student has engaged Minimal evidence
First Fleet topic with the First of engagement
Fleet topic and with the topic
Knowledge and displays a high
displays a good and lack of
level of
understanding of the understanding of understanding of
content the content. the unit.

Student can
effectively Students can Student doesn’t
communicate accurate comprehend the accurately link
details of the events that the events of the
events and present a occurred and First Fleet in
deep level of displays a their piece.
Minimal
Historical empathy with the reflection of the reflection is
Convicts of the Convicts emotions. evident.
Accuracy First Fleet.
Some consideration Minimal
Students considered to historical consideration to
historical knowledge knowledge was made historical
by using accurate with the use of knowledge is
and relevant accurate language. evident.
knowledge.

Work is presented Content is

exceptionally well, somewhat clear,
and content is Work is presented and work is
clear. well, and content poorly presented.
is clear.
The audience of
The Love Token and Student identifies the Love Token
Presentation letter demonstrates audience and makes and letter are
and Audience a clear connection some connections not clearly
to the audience of from their pieces identified.
the pieces and the to accurate Student doesn’t
ability to make historical make connections
strong connections knowledge from their piece
with historical to historical
knowledge. knowledge.

More than 5
No grammar or 1- 4 minor grammar Grammar and
spelling errors and spelling errors spelling errors
Editing presented in the presented in are presented
written component. written component. throughout the
written
component.

Teacher
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