People in our world: Migration in Australia

An inquiry unit for grade 5/6, by Tamara How and Rebecca Newman
Inquiry question: How have those who migrated to Australia shaped our nation throughout history and up to today?
Big ideas:

Immigration in the past involved conflict, which still affects Australia and Indigenous Australians today.

Immigration has changed throughout Australias history and impacted the way it looks today.

Teaching proposal
Australia is a multicultural nation, made up of a diverse range of people who have migrated from overseas, and contributed to
making Australia what it is today. Reflecting this multiculturalism, The Melbourne Declaration on Education Goals for Young
Australians states that education in our country should aim to build a society that is cohesive and culturally diverse, and that
values Australias indigenous cultures as a key part of the nations history, present and future (2008). In order for this goal to be
achieved, students must learn to engage with and understand the perspectives of others, both today, and throughout our
nations history. As history is a process of inquiry into the past (Hoepper, 2014, p. 179), students must ask and answer
questions - particularly about what happened, how, why, and in whose interests? (Habermas, 1971, cited in Hoepper, 2014, p.
52). This questioning will all help students on their path to exploring and answering the inquiry question around which this unit is
based - How have those who migrated to Australia shaped our nation, throughout history and up to today?. By understanding
the past, students are able to understand the present, and to value and engage with our multicultural community.
In any inquiry-based learning sequence, students undertake their own investigations, to collect and analyse data from a range
of sources and perspectives (Hoepper, 2014, p. 49). This is particularly relevant to the study of history, which is interpretative
by nature (ACARA, 2013, cited in Hoepper, 2014, p. 179) therefore, it is important that different points of view must be
explored, and considered critically - another hallmark of inquiry-based learning (Harvie, 2016). Particularly relevant to this unit
of inquiry are the perspectives of the British settlers (and later, their descendants), Indigenous Australians, and migrants. This
involves students inquiring into points of view from various sources, in order to understand the impact of those who have
migrated to Australia, and the impact various events and laws have had on them (and whose interests these laws served), and
migrants involvement in making Australia the multicultural nation it is today.
The lesson sequence we have designed begins with the earliest migration to Australia from Britain the first settlement.
However, it is envisioned that this unit would follow a unit on the settlement of Australia, so the focus here is mainly on
indigenous perspectives of settlement, and how the lives of indigenous Australians have been impacted by settlement in the
events leading up to and following Federation. Students identify, order and explain the significance of events, which particularly
contributed to the changing lives of indigenous Australians. Moving on from this, students consider the impact of migration to
Australia since its settlement, and the continuing attitude of favouring white Australians.
Throughout this lesson sequence, we have adopted a mixture of open inquiry and teacher directed inquiry where appropriate.
The aim is to have students consolidate their own learning. We aim to provide our students with autonomy in their learning and
provide them with opportunities to learn about what interests them (Harvey 2015). As a result, the final summative assessment
task allows students to choose not only a current issue to explore, but also the method of presenting their findings.
The teacher plays a pivotal role in keeping students engaged in meaningful learning experiences. It is important to have the
content relatable, so they are able to develop their mindset as a global citizen when learning to accept others differences, and
have respect for others cultures. This can be achieved whilst students are also developing their critical thinking skills, where they
will learn to develop criteria to assess and test thinking, and identify and seek out new relevant information as required. (VCAA
2016).
There is a fine balance between the teacher providing enough instructions, and proving too many instructions and making the
lesson teacher centred. Students need to be given the chance to steer their learning, whilst the teachers uses questioning and
prompting to develop critical thinking and key concepts. These lessons then become student centred, adopting an inquiry
approached where students ideas and concepts are developed through scaffolding.

Learning intentions
1. What immigration is, and what it means to be a refugee.
2. What the Immigration Debate is within Australia.
3. The treatment of Indigenous Australians and their rights resulting from
policies surrounding immigration.
4. What the White Australia Policy was and the goal of this policy.
5. Reasons why people may have migrated to Australia, and where they
came from.
6. The impact immigration has had on Australia (how we are now a very
multicultural nation)
7. How we can be responsible global citizens, respecting others cultures
and differences.
Key skills
At the conclusion of this unit students will be able to:

NAVIGATE discussions and debate in a respectful manner.

EXPLAIN major events that have occurred in Australias history from

first settlement

INVESTIGATE cause and effects related to migration and its impact

(eg. Sorry Day, relationship with indigenous communities, White
Australia policy, why people migrated to Australia, current issues
regarding refugees).

UNDERSTAND PERSPECTIVES of different Australians regarding

migration.

RESEARCH using sources identified as trustworthy and reputable.

Assessment:

KWL (individually completed) and mind map (whole class) of prior

knowledge of immigration.

Narrative/journal entry of a migrant.

Timeline of dates of events/policies which affected immigration, and

which affected the lives of indigenous Australians.

Debate on whether to be White Australia.

Presentation on action in response to a current issue relating to

migration.
Victorian Curriculum links:

History perspectives of immigration to Australia throughout our

nations history.

Civics and citizenship what it means to be an Australian citizen, and

a global citizen.

Ethical capability considering ethical issues.

Intercultural understanding understanding different cultures.

Lesson 1 IMMERSION

Lesson 2 IMMERSION

Lesson 3 INVESTIGATE

Lesson 4 INVESTIGATE

Lesson 5 INVESTIGATE

Learning Intention:
What immigration is, and what it means
to be a refugee.
Activity:
The teacher writes Immigration and
Refugee in the middle of butchers paper
on the board. Students are to then work
individually and complete a KWL chart in
their books.
Once completed, create a mind map on
the butchers paper as a class, sharing
prior knowledge and ideas.
As an on-going activity/game, each
student is given a card with a description
of a person wanting to migrate to
Australia and their background story and
country of origin. Over the next few
weeks, they will discover each day who
has run into different kinds of trouble,
and who will never reach Australia.
Resources:
Butchers Paper
Immigrant description cards
Victorian Curriculum: VCHHK091
Assessment: Class mind map

Learning Intention:
What immigration is, and what it means
to be a refugee.
Activity:
Introductory YouTube clip Immigration
Australia - A Special Report
Whilst watching the video clip, students
are to write out the terms they cannot
explain E.g. boat people, immigration
debate, Tony Abbott's statement about
turning them around, reasons that
cause people to leave their country.
After this clip, students are divided into
research groups, where they research
an idea or term, and present and explain
it to the class. The class together adds
their new understandings into the class
mind map from the first lesson, to build
connections to prior knowledge.
Resources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPL
gII3psmQ (video link)
Mind map from previous lesson.
Victorian Curriculum:
VCHHK095, VCHHC084

Learning Intention:
Reasons why people may have migrated
to Australia, and where they came from.
Activity:
Introductory activity:
The Little Refugee - by Anh Do
Students discuss how the boy felt in the
book, and how they may feel if they
moved to another country.
Follow up activity:
Students are to choose a family
member, friend, or someone from
history and create a research poster
identifying that person's reasons for
migration to Australia, and their story of
their migration. (This task could be
carried over 2-3 lessons to allow time
for research and the presentations.)
Resources:
The Little Refugee picture book, by Anh
Do
Victorian Curriculum:
VCHHK095, VCHHC084

Learning Intention:
Reasons why people may have migrated
to Australia, and where they came from.
Excursion:
Immigration Museum
Activity:
Four activities based on the excursion:
1. Take note of the different reasons
people came to Australia. Thinkpair-share at school: how would you
rank these in order of importance?
Why?
2. Write a narrative piece, imagining
you are a migrant. How do you feel?
What would you bring with you?
3. Try the dictation test at the
museum. At school discuss: was it a
fair test? Why or why not?
(simulation in next lesson).
4. Explore the different laws which
have impacted migration (developed
in the next lesson).
Victorian Curriculum:
VCHHC084, VCHHK091

Learning Intention:
What the White Australia Policy was and
the goal of this policy.
Activity:
As students come into the classroom,
the teacher sternly runs a difficult,
surprise dictation test for students to be
allowed to stay. The teacher will then
dictate fast, with hard vocabulary for
students about issues they may not
understand.
The class discuss the experience: Was it
a fair test? How do you feel you were
treated? (Also discuss dictation test
from Immigration Museum).
Students research the White Australia
policy, and look into the impact similar
white policies around the time of
Federation, and their impact on
indigenous Australians and migrants.
Resources:
Racism No Way website:
http://www.racismnoway.com.au/about
-racism/timeline/index-1900s.html
Victorian Curriculum:
VCHHK094

Lesson 6 INVESTIGATE

Lesson 7 INVESTIGATE

Lesson 8 INVESTIGATE

Lesson 9 INNOVATE

Lesson 10 INNOVATE

Learning Intention:
What the Immigration Debate is within
Australia?
Activity:
Students are to divide into 4 groups. This
will allow two debates to take place. In
the first debate, there will be a team for
White Australia, and a team against. In
the second debate, there will be a team
for welcoming refugees, and a team
against refugees.
Once students have discussed how a
debate works with the teacher and the
task is explained, students have the rest
of the lesson to research and write their
arguments. Next lesson, the debates will
take place. Following these debates,
students will write reflections on how
they may have felt having to argue a
point they didn't believe in, or what they
learnt from the debate.
Resources:
Computers/iPads for research
Victorian Curriculum:
VCHHC083, VCCCTR027

Learning Intention:
The impact immigration has had on
Australia (how we are now a very
multicultural nation) .
Activity:
Students brainstorm the ways they can
think of that migration of different
cultures has contributed to the culture
of Australia (for example, international
foods, festivals such as Chinese New
Year, etc).
Students then work in pairs to research
one particular migrant who has had a
significant impact on Australia as a
nation (this may be someone they heard
about on the excursion, or another
person of their choice).
Students identify on a map the countries
these influences originated.
Resources:
Computers/iPads for research.
Paper for venn diagrams.
World map.
Victorian Curriculum:
VCHHC087

Learning Intentions:
The impact immigration has had on
Australia (how we are now a very
multicultural nation) AND How we can
be responsible global citizens, respecting
others cultures and differences.
Activity:
Introduction to the concept of global
citizenship and what it means for
students. Students explore the ideas of
how they have responsibilities to our
world, and to help others in other
countries.
Students are to then complete a venn
diagram with a partner, to highlight the
similarities and differences between
their families background, culture and
beliefs.
Victorian Curriculum:
VCCCC017, VCHHK095

Learning Intention:
How we can be responsible global
citizens, respecting others cultures and
differences.
Activity:
Students are to present their views on
what it means to be accepting of others,
and why we should be, in regards to a
current issue surrounding immigration.
Students should include knowledge they
have learnt about Australia's history
with immigration, and what they hope
the future Australia looks like.
These issues may include:
Asylum seekers.
Racial bullying.
Reconciliation with indigenous
Australians.
Resources:
Print outs of articles for research and
inspiration.
Computers and iPads for researching
and presenting.
Victorian Curriculum:
VCCCC016

Learning Intention:
How we can be responsible global
citizens, respecting others cultures and
differences.
Activity:
Students are to present their views on
what it means to be accepting of others,
and why we should be, in regards to a
current issue surrounding immigration.
Students should include knowledge they
have learnt about Australia's history
with immigration, and what they hope
the future Australia looks like.
This may be presented in the form of:
Newspaper article/opinion piece
Video
Song or drama performance
Resources:
Anything students require for their
presentation.
Victorian Curriculum:
VCCCTR025, VCCCC016