Introduction To This Webquest

Introduction

It is said that Australia is 'The Lucky Country'. As Australians, we have much to be grateful for. We live in a country that has a great deal of freedom, opportunity and prosperity compared to much of the world. As citizens of Australia, it's important to understand something of our nation's history. There is much to be proud of in being a part of this great country and we have a rich and colourful history. Not all of our history has been happy for everyone however. For many Indigenous Australians, our nation's history has has been filled with difficulties and injustice. This has led to the need of a process of reconciliation. Part of this reconciliation is about education and acknowledging the good and the bad of our nations history. This webquest has been designed for grades 5 and 6 primary school aged children. In going through this webquest, children are encouraged to think, learn about and discuss some aspects of Australian history, with the aim of building a sense of appreciation for Indigenous Australians and attitudes that are inclusive towards all Australians, facilitating the process of reconciliation.

How To Use This Webquest
In this webquest, simply follow the directions as outlined. Over four weeks, students shall go through each of the four tasks, doing one task each week. However, because each task goes toward your assessment,  be sure to read through the section titled RUBRIC EVALUATION CRITERIA as this will help you make sure that you are meeting the assessment requirements that you will be marked on for each task.

Generally, each week you will have a task that will require you to watch some video clips and discuss in small groups (two to three students per group), your thoughts, opinions and understandings about the content. You will then as a group, give a short (3-5 minute) verbal presentation to the class about what you discussed. For homework, you will individually write up a short post on your individual blog that we all started before this webquest began. An example of what your first post may look like can be seen HERE. Lets have fun exploring this subject together.