Download pdf - iscovering History Types of history Page 29 Types of history

• Howdoesthisspecifichistoricalperiodoreventimpactonyourlife?

• Wheredoyoulive?Inthecountry,avillageoralargetown?Inbarracks,acottageoralargehouse?

• Wholiveswithyou?Doyouhaveafamily?• Whatworkdoyoudo?Ordoyougo

toschool?• Haveyouhadanyeducationortraining?• Whattoolsorequipmentdoyouuse?What

areyourworkingconditions?• Whatisyourdailyroutine?• Whatisyoureverydaylifelike?Forexample,

whatareyourwashing,cookingandsleepingarrangements?

• Whatdoyouwear?• Whatfooddoyounormallyeat?• Whatentertainmentisavailable?What

holidaysandfestivalsdoyoucelebrate?• Howdochildrenspendtheirtime?• Whatdifficultiesdoyouface?Whatproblems

needtobesolved?• Wheredoyoufitintosociety?Areyourich,

poororcomfortablywell-off?• Trytousesomewordsortermsfromthe

periodinyourfinalnarrative.

Answeringquestionssuchasthesehelpsstudentstocreatetheirhistoricalpersonabutalsohelpsestablishthe‘flavour’oratmosphereofthehistoricalperiod.Studentscouldchoosetobeanactualconvictcharacterfromhistoricaldocumentssuchastheconvictshippinglists.Teacherscouldprovidedetailsaboutwheretheylivedbeforeconviction,thecrimetheycommitted,thegaoltheyweresentto,theirtrialandsentence,theirtransportation,anypunishmentsinflictedonthem,theirarrivalinAustraliaandtheirsubsequentexperiences.Formoreablestudents,teacherscouldprovidethesourcesbutletstudentsfindtheinformationbythemselves.

Examine attitudes and beliefsTryingtounderstandtheattitudesandbeliefsofpeoplefromanothereraisquitechallenging.Teacherswillneedtoexplainthatinthepastpeopleheldsomevaluesandattitudesthatweresimilartothoseweholdtoday,butalsoothersthatwerequitedifferent.Providerelevantexamplestosupportyourexplanation.Fortheconvictera,forexample,youcouldpointouttheseverityofpunishmentsforcrimesagainst

Types of history 3Family history

FromFoundationtoYear2,studentswouldhaveexploredaspectsoffamilyhistory:retellingfamilystories,discussingfamilyartefacts,examiningoldfamilyphotographsorlisteningtostoriesbygrandparents.

InYear3,thelocalcommunity’shistorycouldbeexaminedthroughfamilyhistory.Studentscouldinterviewolderfamilymembersaboutthechangesandthecontinuitiesofaspectsoflifeinthelocalcommunity.Studentswithfamilylinkstocolonialtimesmaybeabletoprovideevidenceoflifeyearsagothroughitemssuchasoldphotographs,familydocuments,artefactsandmemories.Theycouldexaminethecontributionsoftheirownfamilyandculturalgroupstothelocalcommunityandagainposethequestion:‘Howdoweknow?’Familytraditionscanalsobeinvestigatedinthewaysthatvariousnationaldaysarecelebrated,andthenlaterdiscussedinclass.Studentswithmorerecentmigrantlinksmaybeabletoprovidestoriesofhownationaldayswerecelebratedinothercountries.

Ifusingfamilyhistoryinaninvestigationofthelocalcommunity,itwouldbeadvisabletonotifyparents.Somefamiliesmaynotwishtheirchildrentoexplorefamilyhistoryindetail.Ifso,theseissuesmaybeavoidedbykeepingtoageneralapproach,andavoidingthemore

traditionalmethodofexaminingfamilyhistorybyusingbirthandmarriagecertificatesandotherfamilydocuments.

Activities introducing historical concepts• Theconceptsofcontinuityandchangecan

beintroducedbycomparingphotographsofparentsorgrandparentsaschildreninthelocalarea.Studentscandiscusssimilaritiesanddifferencesinclothing,housing,transportoranyother‘clues’ofchangeinthephotograph.

• Thequestion‘HowdoIknow?’canbeusedtoreinforcetheconceptsofsourcesandevidence.‘HowdoIknowaboutmyfamily’scontributiontothelocalcommunity?’Sourcescouldincludephotographs,newspaperstories,familystories,streetnamesorfamilymembers’namesonlocalmonuments.

• Activitiescomparingdifferentfamilycommemorationsandcelebrationscanbeusedtointroducetheconceptsofsimilarityanddifference.Studentscanproducedrawingsoftheirfamilies’celebrations,whichcanthenbedisplayedandusedinclassdiscussiontodrawoutsimilaritiesanddifferencesinfamilycelebrations.Alternatively,studentscanprovideartefactsorphotographsfromfamilycelebrations,withabriefexplanationofwhattheytellabouttheir

property,theimprisonmentandtransportationofchildren,andthepopularityofpublichanging.Thefollowingconsiderationsaboutperspectivesfromtheconvicteracouldbediscussedinclass.• Whatisyourattitudetowardsbeingsent

toAustralia?• Whatisyourattitudetowardsothers—for

example,towardsotherworkers,convicts,soldiersorthegovernor?

• HowhaslifeimprovedforyouinAustralia?• Whatareyourmainconcerns?• Whatdoyoulookforwardtointhefuture?

Moreablestudentsmaybeabletoincorporatesomeoftheseattitudesandbeliefsintotheirstory—forexample,dreamsoffreedomorfearsofneverbeingabletoreturntoBritain.

Be aware of differing viewsStudentstendtobelievethateveryonefromthesamehistoricalperiodthoughtinthesameway.Astructuredrole-playbetweencharacterswithdifferentperspectivescouldhelptoshowthatpeopleinthepastmayhavehadquitedifferentattitudesandviews.Anexampleofarole-playcouldincludetheattitudestowardsharshpunishmentsofagovernorofacolonytryingtomaintainordercomparedwiththatofaconvictabouttobewhippedwithacat-o’-nine-tails.

Therangeofpossibleempathyactivitiesisverybroad.Oncestudentshaveestablishedtheirhistoricalpersona,theycan‘be’thatcharacterandperformoneormoreofthefollowingtasks,usingtheirhistoricalimaginationtodemonstratetheirhistoricalunderstanding.• Writeadiaryentry.• Writealetterexplaininganeventfromtheir

pointofview.• Describeanepisodeintheirlife.• Makeachoiceordecisionandexplainit.• Arguefororagainstaposition.

Thefollowingactivitiesrequirestudentstodemonstrateempathyandhistoricalunderstandinginavarietyofcontexts.• Interviewahistoricalcharacter.• Createeyewitnessaccountsfromthe

perspectivesofdifferenthistoricalcharacters.• Persuadeahistoricalcharactertowarda

particularcourseofactionordissuadethemfromone.

• Evaluateahistoricalcharacter’sactions,careerorachievements.

Page 29Page 28 Discovering History Types of history

family’scelebrations.Aclassdisplaycouldbemadeoftheseitems,emphasisingsimilaritiesanddifferences.

• InYear4,studentscaninvestigatecauseandeffectinrelationtotheimpactofearlyEuropeansettlementonAboriginalcommunitiesandtheenvironment.Differencesinsocialorganisation,beliefsandvalues,especiallyinrelationtonatureandtheland,betweentheEuropeansandtheAboriginalpeopleswouldneedtobeexaminedfirst.

Guest speakersEncouragestudentstotalktotheirparentsandgrandparentsabouttheirchildhoodsinthelocalcommunity,familycelebrationsorholidaysthattheyenjoyed.Thiscanbedoneinformallyorinastructuredwaywithasmallnumberofspecificquestions.Forfurtherdetails,see‘Oralhistory’,page33.

Alternatively,inviteanolderpersontotalktotheclass.Thestoryofagrandmotherorgrandfather’slifeasachildinthelocalcommunity,orastoryabouthowtheycelebratedeventsinthepast,canbeaspringboardformanysubsequentactivities.Itisadvisabletoinformyourguestspeakerabouttheareasyouwouldlikethemtotouchonduringtheirtalktotheclass.

Local history

The value of local historyInYear2,studentswouldhavehadtheopportunitytoexaminetheheritageoftheirlocalarea,andinYear3,theywillhavetheopportunitytobuildonthoseexperiences.

Localhistoryisveryrelevantforstudentsasitbeginsintheirknownworld.Itcanbeconductedmainly‘inthefield’,throughobservationandrecording,providinglearningexperiencesoutsidetheclassroom.Classroomactivitiescanalsobeconducted,suchashandlingartefacts,analysingoldphotographsandlisteningtoandvaluingthe

memoriesandexperiencesofolderpeople.Localhistoryishistory‘unplugged’,seenthroughstudents’owneyesratherthanthroughacomputerscreen.Itextendstheirinterestinandexperienceoftheirsurroundingsandhelpsthemtomakesenseoftheirworld.

Localhistoryprovidesexcellentopportunitiesfordevelopingimportanthistoryskills,including:• observingandrecordingtheremainsof

thepast• questioningwhattheseremainstellusabout

thepast• consideringwhetherornottheseremains

shouldbepreservedandwhy• drawingconclusionsaboutthepastfroma

rangeofsources.

Localhistoryalsoprovidesanidealcontextforteachingandlearningabouttheconceptsofchangeandcontinuity;howlifeinthepastwasdifferentfromorsimilartolifeinthepresent.

The scope of local historyThescopeoflocalhistorycanbebroadornarrowandtherangeofpossibletopicsisdiverse.Itprovidesanopportunitytodiscoverthestoryofthelocalcommunity.Alocalhistorystudycouldfocusonchangesandcontinuitiesinlocaleducation,buildings,streetscapesortransportation.Itcouldbethestudyofasingleeventormajorchangethatwassignificantforthelocalcommunity,suchasthearrivaloftherailway.Or,itcouldtraceathemeovertime,suchasthehistoryoftheenvironment,farming,theimpactoftechnologyorthecontributionofaparticularmigrantgroup.Astudyofthemorerecentpastcouldinvolvestudentsconductingoralhistoryinterviews.Teachersshouldchoosethemostaccessibleandrelevantareasforstudy,appropriatefortheabilitiesandinterestsofthestudents.Additionally,localhistorycanbereadilyintegratedwithothersubjectssuchasGeographyandEnglish.

Local history for Year 3Astudyofthelocalcommunity,regionorstateisafeatureoftheYear3Historycurriculum.Thisstudywillvaryaccordingtothelocationofyourschool,whetheritisanoldtownoranewsuburb,inthecityorinthecountry.Eachlocalareawilloffersomethingdifferent,yeteachinvestigationshouldbeginwithidentifyingandlearningaboutthefirstpeoplewholivedinthelocalarea,theAboriginalorTorresStraitIslanderpeoples.Whowerethey?Whatlanguagedidtheyspeak?Whatnaturalresourcesdidtheyuse?Whatevidenceofthemremains?Dotheirdescendantsstillliveinthearea?ContactwiththelocalAboriginalcommunityoragencieswillhelpyoutoapproachtheearlyhistoryofthelocalarea.

Ifyourschoolislocatedinanewsuburbandevelopment,youmaywishtofocusyourstudyonanolderareanearby,onthebroaderlocalregionoronanotherareainyourstateorterritory.However,evenifyoursuburbisnewlydeveloped,youmaystillfindevidenceoftheearlierhistoryoftheregionthroughcouncilrecordsorlocallibraryarchives.

Aslocalhistoryissovaried,itcanbetailoredtosuityourclass.Therearemanywaystointroduceastudyofthelocalarea;itisyourstocreate.

Teacher planning• Decide on the extent of your study.You

maywishtobuildontheexperiencesthatyourstudentshadinYear2.ThemainfocusforYear3istoexamineoneexampleofachangeandoneexampleofacontinuityinthelocalcommunity.Theexamplesmayfocusontransport,work,education,dailylife,entertainmentorthelocalenvironment.Startfromtheknownandeasilyseen.Walktheareaandidentifywherethemostvisibletracesofthepastremain.Thiscouldbetherouteofafuture‘heritage’walkfortheclass.Takephotographstouselaterinclass.

• Gain background knowledge.Goodsourcesoflocalorregionalhistoryincludethelocallibraryandmuseum,historywebsites,thelocalcouncil,historicalsocieties,thelocalAboriginallandcouncil,thestatelibraryandperhapsolderresidents.

• Locate useful resources.Onceyouhaveanideaofthehistoryofthelocalarea,youcanfocusonmorespecificresources

thatmaybeavailable,dependingontheaspectyouwishtoinvestigate,suchasaerialmaps,oldstreetdirectories,councilmaps,landgrantmaps,oldphonebooks,censusdata,oldnewspapers,postcardsandphotographs.Buildingscanprovidevaluableinformation—forexample,oldhouses,churches,cemeteries,museums,monuments,railwaystations,oldroadsandsigns.Privatedocumentssuchasletters,diariesandjournalsmaybeheldinthelocallibraryormuseum.Theremaybemoreresourcesforoneparticulartimeperiodandyoumaywishtofocusonthat.

Begin in the classroom• Itissoundpracticetobeginwiththeknown.

Whatdostudentsrememberfromlastyear?Askthemtoidentifyanyvisualcluesaboutthepastinthelocalarea:Whathavetheyseenthatisoldinthearea?Providephotographsoflocalhistoricbuildings,monumentsorremainstoencouragediscussionofchangeandcontinuity.Perhapsphotographsorsuggestionscanbecategorisedinto‘Changed’or‘Thesame’.

• ReadMyPlacebyNadiaWheatley,whichtraceschangeandcontinuityovertimeinaparticularsuburbanstreet.Iffocusingonchangeintransportorhousing,readingthestoryandcarefullyexaminingtheillustrationswillhelpestablishasequenceofchangeovertime.Ifthedrawingsarephotocopiedandthedatesareremoved,studentscanattempttoplacethemchronologicallyandexplainthereasonsbehindtheirsequencing.

• Investigateplacenamesandstreetnamesforcluestotheearlyhistoryofthelocalarea.TheyareoftenthenamesofAboriginalorTorresStraitIslandergroups,earlysettlers,significantcitizensorrepresentationsofimportantevents.

Beyond the classroom• Taketheclassonashort‘heritage’walk,

askingstudentstoidentifyhistoricalremainsthattheyhavestudiedpreviously.Focusononeaspectofchangeovertime,suchasbuildings,transportorentertainment.Whatevidenceofchangecantheynote?Isthereanyevidenceofaspectsoftheirtownthathavenotchanged?Canthisbeexplained?

• Visitalocalmuseumorheritagesite.Forfurtherdetails,seeChapter4Sitestudies,page35.


Back in the classroom• Createaphotographicdisplayofbuildings,

structuresormodesoftransportthathavechangedovertime.Trytoprovideatleastthreephotographsspreadovertimetoshowthischange.Explainwhysomethingshavechangedwhileothershaveremainedthesame.

• Inviteguestspeakerstosharetheirknowledgeandrecollectionsofthelocalareaorcommunity.Forexample,aspeakerfromthelocalAboriginallandcouncilcouldtellstoriesaboutAboriginallifebeforeEuropeansettlement;aspeakerfromthelocalhistoricalsocietycouldtellstoriesaboutearlypioneerlife;andagrandparentcouldtellstoriesaboutchangestheyhaveseeninthearea.Amemberofaparticularprominentculturalorethnicgroupmaywishtospeakabouttheirearliestsettlerstotheareaandtheircontributionstothecommunity.Createanannotatedpictorialtimelineintheclassroom,withdecadesandsignificantdatesmarked,showingeventsorbroaddevelopmentsinsequence.

• Presenttotheclassaselectionofartefactsrelevanttovariousphasesoflocalhistory.Studentscouldbeasked:‘WhatamI?’or‘WhatcluesdoIprovideaboutthehistoryofourarea?’Relevantartefactscouldincludeearlyfarmingorminingtools,oldharnessesorbridles,pottery,acandleholder,aconvictbrickoranyobjectnotusedtoday.

Use narrative• Focusonalocalculturalorethnicgroupthat

hascontributedtothelocalcommunity.Tellthegroup’sstoryasanindividualfromthatgroup.Allowstudentstoquestionyouduringorafterthenarrative.

• Setawritingexercisebeginningwith‘Ourcommunityhashadmanychangesovertime…’OR‘Somethingsinourcommunityneverchange…’

• Concludewithadiscussionfocusingonthequestion‘Howdoweknowaboutourpast?’Studentscouldrecordalistofpossiblesourcesordisplayaphotographicorpictorialrecord.

A decade

A person or family

A monument

A cultural group

A school

A church

A museumA cemetery

A local legend

Local history topics

A business

An Aboriginal

site

An event

A streetscape

Oral history

What is oral history?Oralhistoryisbasedonpeopletalkingabouttheirmemories.Itisatwo-wayprocesswheresomeonesharesmemorieswithaninterviewerwhohasplannedwhatquestionstoask.Peoplearegenerallymoreinterestingthandocuments,sooralhistorycanhelpbringthepasttolife.Importantly,oralhistoryhighlightsthefactthathistoryinvolvestheexperiencesofordinarypeople.Itcanalsobeameansofincreasingunderstandingbetweengenerations.

The value of oral history

CommunicationOralhistorycanbeanexcellentwaytoengagestudentsintheprocessof‘doing’historythroughinquiry-basedlearning.Itencouragesactivestudentlearningandcompelsstudentstogainexperienceingatheringevidenceastheyinterviewsubjectsandrecordtheirinterviews.

Theliteracyskillmodesoflistening,reading,speaking,writing,viewing,creatingandcommunicatingarehighlightedinthestudyoforalhistory.Inplanninganoralhistoryinvestigation,studentsneedtoidentifytheirsubject,planappropriatequestionsandcreateatextforaspecificaudience.Theyneedtoplananddrafttheirinterviewquestionsandeditthemforclarityofmeaning.Avarietyofdigitalformscouldbeused.

Local identity and oral historyOralhistorycanhelptodevelopstudents’understandingofandidentificationwiththeirlocalareaandthelocalcommunitythroughpersonalcontact.

InYears3and4,studentsmayuseoralhistorytofurtherinvestigatelocalAboriginalorTorresStraitIslanderhistory,interviewalocalhistorianonearlycoloniallife,orinterviewfamilymembersorolderresidentsaboutcommemorationsfromtheirchildhoodortheirobservationsofchangeovertimeinthelocalcommunity.

Historical skillsHistoricalskillsthatcanbedevelopedthroughoralhistoryinclude:• locatingrelevantsubjectsandseeking

informationfrompeopleandothersources• comparingandcontrastingsources—for

example,officialreports,newspaperarticlesandpersonalrecollections

• developingempatheticunderstandingofthosedifferentfromthemselvesandpeoplewhohavehaddifferentexperiences,suchasAboriginalpeoples,oldergenerations,migrantsandrefugees

• detectingprejudice,bias,personalattitudes,exaggerations,distortions,fallacies,omissionsandpropaganda

• understandingthepossibilityofdifferentinterpretationsofahistoricaleventorperiod

• testinginformationforrelevance,consistency,factandopinion

• developinganappreciationoftheimportanceofcarefullyandaccuratelyrecordinginformationandacknowledgingsources.

Social skillsOralhistorycanhelpdevelopimportantsocialskillsaswellashistoricalskills.Itrequiresstudentstodesignopenquestionsthatwillelicitinformationfromtheintervieweeratherthan‘yes’or‘no’responses;tobecourteousinarrangingandconductingtheinterview;tospeakclearly;andtolistenattentively.Recordinginterviewsrequiresstudentstouseappropriatetechnology,suchasaudioorvideorecorders.Acknowledgingtheintervieweewhentheinformationtheyprovidedisusedinpublishedaccountslaysthefoundationforethicalscholarshipinthefuture.

Planning a successful oral history interviewStudentscanconductinterviewsathomewithfamilymembersorfriends,oratschoolwhereguestshavebeeninvitedforthepurpose.Whateverthesituation,thefollowingstepsaregoodpractice.

Preparing the questions• Whattopicdoyouwanttofindoutabout?• Whowouldbeagoodpersontointerview?

Theywillneedtobeoldenoughtohavememoriesofyourtopic.


• Whatquestionswillyouask?Thiswilldependonwhatyouwanttofindout.

• Makesureyourquestionsare‘open’ratherthan‘closed’questions.Aclosedquestionisonethatproducesa‘yes’or‘no’answer.Forexample,‘DoyourememberAnzacDayserviceswhenyouwereatschool?’isaclosedquestion,whereas‘WhatdoyourememberabouthowAnzacDaywascommemoratedwhenyouwereatschool?’isanopenquestion.

• Makesureyourquestionsareclearlyexpressed—don’tuseslangexpressions.

• Wherewilltheinterviewbeheld—atschool,intheinterviewee’shomeorinyourownhome?Itwillneedtobeaquietplacewheretheintervieweewillfeelrelaxed.Whoelsewillbepresentattheinterview?

• Whatequipmentwillyouuse?Doyouknowhowtouseit?Isitworkingandarethebatteriesfullycharged?

Arranging the interview• Contactthepersonyouwouldliketo

interview(inperson,byletter,byemailorbyphone)andaskthemifyoucaninterviewthemaboutyourparticulartopic.Explainwhyyouwouldliketoconducttheinterviewandwhatyouwillbedoingwiththeinformationtheyprovide.

• Arrangeatimeandplaceandaskifitisokaytorecordtheinterview.Estimatehowlongtheinterviewmighttake.

• Givetheintervieweeacopyofyourquestionsafewdaysbeforetheinterviewsotheywillhavetimetothinkaboutthem.Theremaybesomequestionsthattheintervieweedoesnotwishtoanswerandthiswillgivethemanopportunitytoletyouknow.Itmayalsogivetheintervieweetimetofindphotographsorotherobjectstoshowyou.

• Oncetheinterviewarrangementsaremade,practiseyourinterviewtechniquewithaclassmateorfamilymember.

Conducting the interview• Beforetheintervieweearrives,checkyour

equipmentandrecordabriefintroduction,includingthenameofthepersonbeinginterviewed,yourname,thedate,theplaceandthetopicoftheinterview.

• Welcomeyourguestandthankthemfortakingpartintheinterview.

• Askyourquestionsandallowtimefortheintervieweetoanswer.Don’tinterrupt.

• Sometimesyoumaynotgetexactlytheansweryouwant,soyoumayneedtoaskanadditionalquestionforclarification.

• Althoughyouwillbeconcentratingonaskingyourquestionsandlisteningtotheanswers,trytoshowinterestinwhattheintervieweeissaying.Thiswillencouragethemtorespond.

• Onceallyourquestionshavebeenanswered,listentoorviewtherecordingwithyourinterviewee.Asktheintervieweeiftheyaresatisfiedwiththeiranswersoriftheywouldliketochangeoraddanything.

• Thankthepersonyouhaveinterviewedandmakeacommentabouthowmuchyouappreciatethemsharingtheirmemoriesandknowledgewithyou.

After the interview• Labeltheinterviewtapeorfilewiththename,

date,locationandtopicoftheinterview.• Sendathank-younotetotheinterviewee.• Acknowledgetheintervieweeinanyworkyou

producethatusestheirinformation.

Cautionary adviceOralhistory,withitsrelianceonpersonalopinionandmemory,maybesubjecttohalf-truths,inaccuracies,biasandfaultymemory.Iftheclassisinvestigatingchangesovertimeinthelocalcommunity,theymayfindthatopinionsvarywitheachsubject.Thiscanleadtoadiscussiononthevariablenatureofhistoricalsources;thereisneveronlyonestoryorversionofhistory.

Ethicalconsiderationsandcommoncourtesyarealsoimportant.Somecommunitymembersinsmalltownsmayhavebeenapproachedmanytimesinthepastforinterviews,andsomaybereluctanttobeinterviewedagain.Intervieweesmayalsowishtokeepsomememoriestothemselves;thememoriesmaybetoosensitiveorprivate.Studentsmustlearntorespectthat.Intervieweesmayalsobereluctanttospeakoncertaintopics.Forexample,culturalbarriersmaypreventintervieweesspeakingoncertaintopics.Checkthelanguageofquestions,keepingthemsimpleandavoidingslangandjargon.

Site studies 4The value of site studiesSitestudiesprovidetheopportunityforstudentstopractisearangeofhistoricalskillsoutsidetheclassroom,particularlyobservationandrecordingskills.Examplesofrealbuildingsandlandscapefeaturescanbeusedtoaugmentclassroomdiscussionsontopicssuchascontinuityandchangeinthelocalcommunity.Sitestudiesareapracticalintroductiontothedisciplineofhistory,encouragingstudentstolookattheirsurroundingswithfresheyesandsearchforcluestoanswerthequestion‘Howdoweknowaboutthepast?’HistorysitestudiescanbeintegratedwithGeographyfieldwork.

Monuments

Amonumentissomethingmadeespeciallytorememberpeopleoreventsfromthepast.Anothernameforamonumentisamemorial.Thewordsmemorial,memoir,memorabiliaandcommemorationareallconnectedinmeaningtoremembering.Monumentsshouldmakeusthinkaboutthepeopleoreventsbeingcommemorated.

Teachingstudentsaboutmonumentscanprovidethemwithtangibleandusefulmarkersforunderstandingtheirlocalornationalhistory.Italsoprovidesvaluableopportunitiesforfieldworkandlearningoutsidetheclassroom.

Types of monumentsInmostcommunitiestherewillbesomeformofmonument.Withintheschoolgrounds,theremaybeplaques,honourboardsorgalleriesofphotographstorememberpeoplewhohaveplayedsignificantrolesintheschool’shistory.Cemeteriescontainmonumentsintheformofgravestones,whichrecorddetailsofthosewhoareburiedthere.Inthelocalareatheremaybestatuesorothermonumentstocommemorateimportantpeopleandeventsinthehistoryofthecommunity.Atthestateandterritoryandnationallevels,therearegrandpublicmonuments,ceremoniesandevenpublicholidaystocommemoratesignificanteventsfromthenation’spast.

Thefollowinglistcontainssomeofthemorecommontypesofmonument.• Gravestonesincemeteriesrecorddetailsof

thelivesofthepeopleburiedthere.• Foundationstonestelluswhenbuildings

wereerected.• Plaquesrecordpeopleandeventsassociated

withaparticularbuildingorlocation.

Page 35Page 34 Discovering History Site studies