This Australian Nation: We Are Australian Introduction

KLA: Studies of Society and Environment major/English minor focus

Year level: Middle Primary

Theme: 'We Are Australian'

Introducing the Australian Readers

Australian Readers Discovering Democracy Middle Primary Collection provides a range of written and pictorial items with a strong civics focus.

The material is organised into five themes each linked to the Discovering Democracy themes, and has been carefully selected to present extracts and images that are relevant and interesting for this learning level. Different perspectives are presented to encourage a range of responses and consideration of alternative points of view. Each theme provides an initial focusing paragraph for the extracts. The supporting Teacher Guide provides practical approaches to exploring the concepts and texts. Teachers, in developing their own courses appropriate to the interests of their particular students, will find the materials stimulating and a valuable supplement to existing course design.

This series of class activities makes use of some extracts from the 'We Are Australian' section in Australian Readers Discovering Democracy Middle Primary Collection and in the corresponding section in the Teacher Guide.

Curriculum links

Links to the Australian Curriculum

Materials

  • Extracts from Australian Readers Discovering Democracy Middle Primary Collection: 'We Are Australian', pages 22 - 33
  • Australian Readers Discovering Democracy Middle Primary Teacher Guide, pages 8 - 11
  • Recommended Core Civic Values (PDF), Australian Citizenship Council  

This unit complements the 'We Remember' Unit in Discovering Democracy Middle Primary Units, in particular Teaching and Learning Activities 1 and 2 on pages 71 - 75

Teacher reference

Australian Citizenship Council, Australian Citizenship for a New Century, Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra, February 2000, chapter 2

Overview

To explore this theme there are five sets of activities which use different elements of the Australian Readers. The activities can be completed as stand-alone exercises or used as integrated sets.

The main focus points are:

  • Students explore what it means to be Australian.
  • Students consider how to describe a sense of belonging to a nation.
  • Students investigate differing views of being Australian from different times and different perspectives.
  • Students gather evidence to build a picture of diversity and change over time. They develop an understanding of some of the values, beliefs and actions that bring us together as a nation.

Introduction | Activity 1 | Activity 2 | Activity 3 | Activity 4 | Activity 5

Back to Middle Primary Teaching and learning Activities

Core Civic Values