History Yr 4 WebQuest Unit Plan - Explorers

Curriculum Task 1: What is an Explorer?
Links
Part 1 – “What is an explorer?”
ACHASSK08 Students are introduced to their class text ‘The Explorer’ by
4 Katherine Rundell. Students will be reading this novel
throughout HASS and guided readding sessions.
WAHASS29
Students, in groups, use the ‘Explorer’ note-taking template to
WAHASS27 gather information as they watch the provided sources.
Once their notetaking is complete, students create a word
explosion poster OR a Canva poster about: What an explorer
is and what they do.
Part 2 - “Famous Explorers?”
Students are tasked with choosing one of the four given
famous explorers (Marco Polo, Hernan Cortes, Ferdinand
Magellan, and Vasco da Gama) and creating a character
profile on them. Student’s research: Where they were
born, what they accomplished during their lives as well as
what made them famous explorers. After they have done
their research, use Canva or Google Slides to create the
profile. During this process students also create focus
questions to guide their research.
Students submit their character profiles to the google
classroom before moving on to the next task.
Curriculum Task 2: Expedition
Links
Part 1 – “The Journey”
ACMNA080 Students plan and budget an expedition to an undiscovered
land. They are given $500 to cover the cost of transportation,
ACHASSK08 food, and passengers. Students choose which land they are
7 going to explore (Australia, South America, and Africa).
Students use the ‘Expedition Cost’s Sheet’ as well as the
WAHASS29 individual map guides, to calculate their spending. All
calculations and notes are to be made on the ‘Expedition
WAHASS27 Notes Sheet’.
The notes sheet is then uploaded to google classroom.
Part 2 – “What is a Land Survey”
Students write a journal entry about what it was like living on
the rough seas for months. When writing entries, have
students think about:
- What might it have been like to constantly be
tossed around by waves?
- How might you have felt not having enough food
to eat sometimes?
- How would it have felt being confined to such a
small space?
Students submit their journal entries to the google classroom
link.
Students use the given sources to learn, “What is a land
survey and how are they important?”. Students write a
statement in the comment section about what they learnt.
Part 3 – “Land Survey and Report”
Students use the given sources for their chosen location to fill
in the ‘Land Survey’ worksheet. Students use focus questions
to guide their research. Students also complete a reflection
section about what they learnt and how this will impact the
building of their civilisation.
Using sketch pad or a piece of paper student illustrate what
their location would ‘Look like, Feel like, Sound like’.
Curriculum Task 3: Laws & Social Cohesion
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Part 1 – “Laws”
ACHASSK09 In groups, students create a Popplet, brainstorming the following
2 ideas:
- Food begins to run low; some people have to go
WAHASS26 without for periods of time.
- Workers believe they should be earning more money.
- People from outside your civilisation are attempting
to enter.
Students then add to their Popplet, solutions in the forms of
possible laws that would protect from these stations.
Students use Canva to formally create their laws in the form of a
poster.
Part 2 – “Role play”
In groups, students demonstrate the process of ONE law being
created. This process will include:
- The complication/issue arise
- The impacts of this issue on society
- The solution to the complication and,
- The law being formed 
Students draft a script for their role play using the ‘Laws Role
Play’ Worksheet. Students submit their scripts to the google
classroom.
Part 3 – “Performance”
Students perform their roleplays, following their script.
Performances need to engage the audience, using words,
actions, and camera angles to draw in the audience.
Using iMovie students edit their roleplays before submitting
them to the google classroom.

Part 4 – “2D Grid Maps”

Students use the provided 2D mapping grids to plan their
settlements under the parameters of the ‘Settlement Plan’
outlined.

Students upload their 2D maps to google classroom for

assessment.

Part 5 – “Building your Civilisation”

Using their 2D maps as guides, students log into the Minecraft
Education World that hosts their specific location map.
Students have 30 mins to build their settlement following
their maps. Students take a screenshot and write a short
descriptive paragraph about their settlements.