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This Week in Australian History

Black Wattle flowers — Black wattle flowers – photo, John Tann

The end of August and beginning of September is traditionally linked to the beginning of Spring in Australia, although the change in seasons is experienced in different ways in different parts of the country and was marked in locally appropriate ways by Aboriginal people. As a uniquely Australian celebration of Spring, National Wattle Day, celebrated on 1 September since 1910, celebrates the flowering of these uniquely Australian trees, as well as Australian identity.

Not strictly speaking within this week, but close enough to be included: it was 22 August, 1770, when James Cook claimed the East Coast of Australia for Britain, planting a flag on the island he called “Possession Island“.
On 29 August, 1862, Andrew Fisher, who became the 5th Prime Minister of Australia after Federation and served 3 terms (1908-1909; 1910-1913 and 1914-1915) was born in Scotland in the UK. Fisher had started working in coal mines at the age of 10 and went on to be the leader of the Australian Labor Party between 1907 and 1915. Fisher came out to Australia and worked on the gold mines at Gympie. The cottage in which he lived is a heritage-listed building and can be visited as part of the Gympie and District Historical Society Mining Museum.
On 30 August, 1835, John Batman, with a party of settlers including John Pascoe Fawkner, landed at the mouth of the Yarra River and established a settlement on the site where the current Melbourne Immigration Museum is situated. This settlement later became the city of Melbourne.
Also on 30 August, 1853, the last convict ship to travel directly from Ireland to Australia, the Phoebe Dunbar, arrived in Fremantle, Perth. England continued to send convicts for another 15 years.
31 August, 1933, the township of Stuart in the Northern Territory was renamed Alice Springs.
1 September, 1874, was the day that the General Post Office opened in Sydney. It was the first building purpose-built as a post office in Sydney and was controversially positioned over the Tank Stream, which had provided early Sydney with its drinking water.
A rather unique incident occurred on 1 September, 1846. John Ainsworth Horrocks was an explorer who founded the village of Penwortham in South Australia. Whilst on an expedition in north-west South Australia, he stopped to reload his shotgun. He was busy with this task when a sudden lurch from Harry, his camel, discharged the gun, fatally injuring Horrocks.

From a celebration of Spring to a man who was shot by his camel, there are plenty items of potential interest to students this week. These can also be aligned to aspects of the Australian curriculum. Why not celebrate wattle day in your classroom? Have the students bring in wattle flowers. Younger students can talk about changing seasons, Australian celebrations and draw the flowers; older students can examine Australian identity, Federation and the creation of a separate identity from Britain in the early 20th century. Students in Victoria and New South Wales can also examine the events of particular significance to their state.

NAPLAN and vocabulary

It is the time of year when the thoughts of teachers of students in years 3, 5, 7 and 9 turn (not so) lightly to NAPLAN. I’m sure many of you are aware of the controversial review of NAPLAN by Les Perelman, a retired professor from MIT in the United States. Perelman conducted a similar review in 2005 in the US, which was influential in leading to a change in the American Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SATs). At the time, Perelman published a guide on how to “ace the essay writing test” and he has produced a similar PDF text for Australia’s NAPLAN writing test. Perelman criticises the fact that NAPLAN essays are marked according to which words in a vocabulary list are included in the essay, with those words on the list rated as “Challenging” being awarded the highest marks. Perelman states that students who use these particular words, regardless of whether or not they demonstrate that they understand the meaning of the words, will score higher, and that students can thus be trained to use these words in their essays. However, Perelman also warns that if students are unsure of the spelling, then they should not use a word because of the emphasis placed on correct spelling in the marking of NAPLAN essays.

Perelman had been asked to review the planned robot-marking of NAPLAN essays in October 2017, and his criticism was so harsh that the plan was scrapped. ACARA seems to be taking Perelman’s concerns seriously. ACARA have stated that they believe that teachers focus on building and expanding the vocabulary of students and students should be able to use this vocabulary in “meaningful, constructive ways”. It seems certain that ACARA will re-evaluate the marking of NAPLAN essays in the face of these criticisms.

So how can teachers best help students to improve their vocabulary? Well, one way may be to study Perelman’s list, but surely there are better ways, more closely aligned to our goals of enhancing students’ understanding of words as well. It is well known (and scientifically proven) that reading improves children’s vocabulary, especially if they are reading texts which use decent vocabulary. The OpenSTEM® Understanding Our World® program, which covers the HASS + Science curriculum for the years: Foundation/Prep/Kindy to Year 6 prides itself on the vocabulary used in its resources, which cover a huge range of curriculum-aligned subjects. We maintain a reasonably high standard of vocabulary aimed at stretching students to improve their knowledge of more complex words. We encourage the concomitant use of a dictionary to ensure that students learn the meanings of these words.

Teachers have already reported to us that they find these resources a useful addition to students’ preparations for NAPLAN. This is a wonderfully efficient use of time – while engaged in HASS or Science learning, students are actually also preparing for NAPLAN’s literacy tests, practising vital curriculum-aligned core skills that will improve their performance in NAPLAN, as well as increasing their overall educational outcomes. It really is the best of all worlds! These resources (over 200 on topics as vast as geography, indigenous peoples, explorers, Australian history, electricity, the seasons, celebrations, sport etc, etc, and including many activities) are available for free download to subscribers, or can be purchased individually, or as part of the Understanding Our World® units.

So let’s help our students to become the best they can possibly be, whilst efficiently covering the curriculum, and most importantly helping them to prepare to face the world armed with the knowledge and skills they will need in their future lives!

Australia and the Commonwealth Games

Australia has been doing exceptionally well at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, held at the Gold Coast, Queensland. We can be very proud of our athletes, not only for their sporting prowess, but also because of their friendly demeanour and wonderful examples of the spirit of sportsmanship. I’m sure we all felt proud when the Australian team waited 4 minutes on the track for the last runner, representing Lesotho, to finish the 10,000 m, after all the other athletes had left the track. Our team was at the finish line to congratulate their fellow athlete, Lineo Chaka, from the extremely poor, small African nation in the mountains of Southern Africa (it can be a good exercise in geography for students to locate Lesotho on a world map or globe). With a per capita GDP of only $2,450 (compared to Australia’s rate of almost $50,000) this tiny nation has almost no money to spend on sporting facilities or training for athletes. The challenges overcome by Lineo Chaka just to be present at the Games would have been enormous and it was a fitting acknowledgement of her efforts for the Aussies to be there to congratulate her at the finish. It is these moments that remind us what the true spirit of these Games should be about. Well done to all!

Empire Games Sydney, 1938 — Opening Ceremony Empire Games, Sydney Cricket Ground, 1938

The Commonwealth Games began as the British Empire Games in the early 20th century. The idea for a games competition for members of the British Empire was first proposed by John Astley Cooper in 1891 in an article in The Times newspaper. Committees were formed in many places around the world (including Australia) and these committees actually helped with the organisation of the first Olympic Games as well. In 1911 a Festival of the Empire was held at Crystal Palace in London, and athletics, boxing, wrestling and swimming events were also held. The Australian Harold Hardwick was undefeated in both the boxing and the swimming. Australia had become a Federation by then and proudly exhibited a 3/4 size scale model of Melbourne’s Parliament House at Crystal Palace. However, the first British Empire Games were not until 1930. They were held in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Australia was amongst the 11 teams competing in these games and won 8 medals, of which 3 were gold. England won the most medals that year, with 61, of which 25 were gold; followed by Canada, South Africa, New Zealand and then Australia. Scotland, Wales, British Guiana, Ireland, Bermuda and Newfoundland also competed.

The second British Empire Games were held in London in 1934 and the third in Sydney, Australia in 1938. They were timed to coincide with Sydney’s sesqui-centenary, celebrating 150 years since the First Fleet had arrived. Fifteen nations competed at the Sydney Cricket Ground in eight sports – athletics, boxing, cycling, lawn bowls, rowing, swimming, diving and wrestling. Australia won 66 medals, 25 of them gold, more than any other nation in the competition. War delayed the next Empire Games until 1950. These were held in Auckland, New Zealand.

Landy and Bannister 4 min mile — Landy and Bannister 1954 Commonwealth Games. Photo: Paul Joseph

By 1954 the name had started to change with the British Empire and Commonwealth Games being held in Vancouver, Canada. In those games, John Landy of Australia joined Roger Bannister of England in running a mile in less than 4 minutes, earning the race the title of the “Miracle Mile”. The event was also televised for the first time. In 1970 the games were called the British Commonwealth Games (the days of empire being truly over by then) and in 1978 they became known as just the Commonwealth Games, the name they retain today. In 1982 the Commonwealth Games were back in Australia, this time in Brisbane, Queensland and the opening event featured a giant model of a kangaroo. Forty-six nations competed and again, Australia topped the medal tally. The Commonwealth Games were back in Aus in 2006 in Melbourne, making Australia the country which has hosted the games the most number of times (5 times in all).

Today (15 April 2018) marks the closing of the Commonwealth Games at the Gold Coast, which started with the arrival of the Queen’s Baton Relay at the Opening Ceremony on 4 April, 2018, having covered 230,000 km through Africa, the Americas, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia and Oceania in 388 days, the longest Queen’s Baton Relay so far. The 2018 Queen’s Baton is made from macadamia wood and recycled plastic sourced from the Gold Coast waterways. Australia has done extremely well, remaining at the top of the medal table.

It has also been wonderful to see the events for para-athletes taking place interspersed with the regular events, which has occurred since 2002. This means that para-athletes are part of the same teams and are cheered by the same crowds, giving them far more support than in segregated games. We salute all of the athletes for their hard work, dedication, wonderful spirit and sportsmanship and look forward to supporting them again in the future.

Australia at the Olympics

The modern Olympic games were started by Frenchman Henri de Baillot-Latour to promote international understanding. The first games of the modern era were held in 1896 in Athens, Greece. Australia has competed in all the Olympic games of the modern era, although our participation in the first one was almost by chance. Of course, the Olympics predated Federation by 5 years, so there was officially no “Australia” as a unified country – rather a collection of separate colonies of Britain. In fact, OpenSTEM®‘s Understanding Our World® program offers National Sport as a optional topic for students in Year 6, for studying Federation and the development of a national identity.

Edwin Flack, first Olympian — Edwin Flack

An Australian, Edwin Flack, born in London and moved to Victoria at the age of 5, later attending Melbourne Church of England Grammar School, was a keen runner, taking part in amateur athletics with the Melburnian Hare and Hounds Athletics Club. Flack went overseas to work in London and New York as an accountant, at the age of 21, and decided to attend the inaugural Olympic games as a spectator. He spent 6 days travelling by rail and sea, and was dreadfully sea-sick, before arriving in Athens. However, once there, he decided to take part in the games and won his first race on the opening day – an 800m heat, which he completed in 2 min 10 sec. On the second day he beat the American favourite in the 1500m race and then won the 800m final on the fourth day. Flack competed in the colours of his high school in Melbourne, there being no official national colours or uniform for Australia yet. He is credited with 2 gold medals and a bronze medal for doubles tennis, although it was not until 1904 that medals were actually awarded at the games. Flack later joined the Australian Olympic Committee and represented Australia at the International Olympic Committee Congress. Flack’s medals have been credited to Australia by the international Olympic committee, which means that Australia is ranked as a country that has taken part in every modern Olympics.

1936 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony (Bundesarchiv)

Winter Olympics did not begin until 1924 and Australia did not compete in the Winter Olympics until 1936, although they have participated in every one since, with the exception of the games of 1948. In 1936 the games were held in the market town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria, Germany. A picture taken at the opening ceremony shows a rather concerned looking Henri de Baillot-Latour standing between Rudolf Hess and Adolf Hitler. History may have justified Baillot-Latour’s expression… Australia was represented by Kenneth Kennedy, who took part in the speed skating event, coming 33rd in both the 1500 and 5000m events and 29th in the 500m event. Not being a country renowned for its winter sports, and having a climate not particularly conducive to supporting the training of local athletes, it was many years before Australia was a serious contender in any of the winter sports. It was not until 1994 that Australia won its first medal at the Winter Olympics – a bronze in the short track relay.

However, modern technology which increased access to training options for athletes and increased support for the winter sports by the Australian Olympic Committee have seen Australia forge ahead in recent decades. In 2002 Australia won its first 2 gold medals (the first time any country from the southern hemisphere had won a winter Olympics event) for short track speed skating (which Steven Bradbury won after all the other competitors crashed out) and aerials.

Torah Bright, 2010 — Torah Bright, gold medal 2010 (Allie from Vancity)

2010 was Australia’s most successful Winter Olympics. The games were held in Vancouver, Canada and Australia won 2 gold and 1 silver, with a further 7 athletes finishing in the top 10 in their events. Torah Bright, who was the Australian flagbearer, won a gold medal for the snowboard half-pipe. Lydia Lassila took gold in the aerial skiing. Dale Begg-Smith took silver in the men’s mogul skiing.

This year Australia has 51 athletes competing in 10 sports in PyeongChang in South Korea. Matt Graham has already taken a silver medal in men’s moguls and Scott James has taken a bronze in men’s snowboard half-pipe, with many events still to be completed. Go Aussies!

Current events such as the Winter Olympics can be a great vehicle for teachers to achieve student engagement. There are heaps of ways that these events can be incorporated into students’ learning – from looking at how they can hold the Winter Olympics while we’re sweltering through the tail-end of summer (our Torch and Ball activity demonstrates global seasons as well as day and night, specifically aimed at Science for Years 1 to 3 , it can be a great thing to revise in higher years too); to the Geography and climate of the different venues around the world; from the historical events surrounding many Olympics to the development of an Australian national identity, and national sport, around Federation. The broad range of OpenSTEM® resources are aimed at helping teachers to guide the interests of the students towards the outcomes of the curriculum, whilst keeping the process interesting and engaging.

Australia Day in the early 20th century

Australia Day and its commemoration on 26 January, has long been a controversial topic. This year has seen calls once again for the date to be changed. Similar calls have been made for a long time. As early as 1938, Aboriginal civil rights leaders declared a “Day of Mourning” to highlight issues in the Aboriginal community, particularly around celebration of the sesqui-centenary of the date that the First Fleet arrived to take possession of Australia. Interestingly enough, the date of 26 January was initially not universally accepted as the date for Australia Day.

Before 1888, each colony had its own celebration of the founding of the colony, which was 26 January for New South Wales, making that date closely associated with New South Wales. Since Federation was officially marked as 1 January, there did not seem to be any point in making this day a public holiday, since it was already a public holiday for New Year’s Day. It was the events of the First World War, particularly Australia’s role in the Gallipoli conflict, which highlighted a need to celebrate patriotically and suggestions of public holidays to mark Australia and it’s contribution to the war effort. ANZAC day was born out of this fervour and it was also decided to celebrate an “Australia Day”. The Red Cross suggested that this occasion could be used to raise money for wounded soldiers, widows and orphans and an “Australia Day Fund” was started.

The Sydney Morning Herald of 17 June, 1915, announced that this was supported by the Premier of NSW, and various of his ministers. The date was set for this celebration for 30 July, 1915. Many states turned the celebration into a giant pageant or carnival, some incorporating it with the state’s agricultural Exhibition for that year. The day was celebrated on 28 July, 1916; 27 July, 1917 and 26 July, 1918. Each year the celebration got bigger, with cake stalls, refreshment stands, bands, concerts, demonstration sports, etc. and people dressed in a myriad of costumes. The fund-raising was a huge success too, with figures of £120,000 being mentioned – an enormous sum of money at that time!

It was only in 1935 that all the states settled on 26 January as the date to mark Australia (and 3 years later that Aboriginal people announced their objections to this date). A range of other days have been suggested. These include:

19 January (which can be written as 19.01 – commemorating 1901, the year of Federation);

3 March (commemorating the Australia Acts 0f 1986, removing the appeal to Privy Council and diminishing the influence of the Queen);

25 April (combining with ANZAC day);

8 May (a play on words, suggesting the epithet “Mate” – May-8)

9 May – opening of the first Federal Parliament;

27 May – marking the date of the 1967 referendum amending the constitution to include Aboriginal people;

9 July – the date that Queen Victoria gave her royal assent to the Constitution of Australia, which allowed Federation to proceed;

24 October – the date of Henry Parkes‘ speech on Federation at Tenterfield;

3 December – to commemorate the Eureka Stockade.

The range of possible dates available show that Australia has a rich history as a nation, which can be celebrated in a positive way. The initial celebrations, although within a context of war, were very positive in approach and made a positive contribution to segments of society badly needing support. Perhaps we can alter the focus of the modern celebration, incorporating some of these elements and acknowledging the different meanings different dates have for different parts of society? This might be a useful class discussion, examining the historical context around some of the issues raised above. Links to useful resources have been provided for teachers to explore some of these topics with their classes.

This Week in HASS – term 3, week 9

OpenSTEM’s ® Understanding Our World® Units are designed to cover 9 weeks of the term, because we understand that life happens. Sports carnivals, excursions and other special events are also necessary parts of the school year and even if the calendar runs according to plan, having a little bit of breathing space at the end of term can be essential for teachers and students alike. We have many suggestions for activities that can keep the students engaged and learning if there is extra time at the end of term.

So this week is the last week of scheduled lessons in our term 3 units. This week our younger students are ending the term on a high note with a class party! Older students are completing their Reflections on the term’s Scientific Report and engaging in a discussion on the role of Science in our society – always topical.

Foundation/Prep/Kindy to Year 3

The second half of the year can be tough for younger students – they are often starting to get tired and attention may be flagging at this stage. In order to liven things up, the units for Foundation/Prep/Kindy (Unit F.3), Year 1 (Unit 1.3), Year 2 (Unit 2.3), Year 3 (Unit 3.3) and combined Foundation/Prep/Kindy and Year 1 (Unit F-1.3) have a class party scheduled for this week. A range of options are discussed in the Teacher Handbooks – building on year level appropriate material covered during the term. Our Food In the Past resource is always popular and even contains recipes tailored to match the stories covered by students earlier in the term. However, sometimes food is not practical in the classroom, in which case dress-ups, decorations and games can promote the party atmosphere! Our Games From the Past resource has a range of activities both new and familiar, which students love. These games are also matched to the places from the stories covered in the beginning of the term, allowing the teacher to provide a coherent theme for the term.

Years 3 to 6

The older students have finished or are finishing off their Scientific Reports. This week there is an opportunity for them to reflect on what they have learnt during the term. The Student Workbook guides the students through the task of looking back at their work for the term, naming the enjoyable aspects of their projects, as well as any challenges encountered. Students are encouraged to think about alternate ways they could have approached their work, as well as recapping what they have learnt (an important step in integrating their knowledge). These skills of re-evaluating their own work and the processes they used are critical in the development of independent thinking and in teaching them how to manage their work, not only as they go on towards high school, but also for work habits in later life. In addition, we suggest a class discussion on the perspectives Science provides on issues in the world. How do modern perspectives differ from historical ones and what role has Science played in changing our understanding of these issues. The discussion of these points also addresses key parts of the curriculum. Students in Year 3 (Unit 3.7) will consider how their capital city or local community has changed over time. Those in Year 4 (Unit 4.3) can discuss our understanding of Australia before Europeans arrived and around the time of the First Fleet – how has our understanding of Aboriginal Australia changed over time? Year 5 (Unit 5.3) classes can compare colonial Australia to modern Australia and Year 6 (Unit 6.3) students will consider how Australia has changed since Federation.