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Arab-Australian: What's in a name?
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This lesson uses Hot Words from Making Multicultural Australia to generate student discussion. Student activities include finding the definitions, discussing them and then developing texts that could lead to more extended discussion. It is intended to explore the meanings of the words ‘Arab’, ‘Arabic’ and ‘Australian’, as well as the issues that may arise from different interpretations and understandings. In English the focus would be critical literacy, while in Geography issues of cultural identity would be more the focus. It could be a single lesson or extended into a series of lessons using the extension activities.
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Australian Identity: Who is an Australian?
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This topic starts with a fun introductory activity in which students can learn some facts whilst getting to know their classmates better. A Worksheet provides a focus to extract and summarise material relating to cultural identity.
Video literacy is an important skill in both English and Drama. This lesson uses video excerpts from the Making Multicultural Australia library which are short and lend themselves to be played repeatedly to give the students an opportunity to extract the relevant information. Each video excerpt gives another angle to Australian identity. A Worksheet is provided to support this activity.
This activity is designed for two or more lessons.
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Before the Modern Australian Nation
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The areas in which people choose to live and settle are greatly affected by the type and abundance of resources in close proximity. This lesson serves as a basis for learning about the locations of different Aboriginal regions and the resources clans in those regions may have used. It can then be built upon by a discussion about environments and vegetation patterns in Australia. Information in the form of a map encourages students to use geographical skills such as direction. By using the climatic/vegetation map from the Bureau of Meteorology, students synthesise information from two sources, a higher order thinking skill. Also, by examining a photograph, students are engaged in an interpretation task whilst practicing geography skills. A Worksheet is included to support the classroom activities.
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Early Contacts - "Boat People" of the Past
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This lesson uses graphic, audio and text resources from Making Multicultural Australia to explore the contact between the Macassan people of Indonesia and Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory. As Mick Dodson says: “We were trading with the Asians for hundreds of years before you guys arrived… and the feature of that exchange was one of respect for difference”. Graphic details of this contact are described in the story by Charlie Wurramarrba, of Groote Eylandt, which is a primary source and gives us a picture of Aboriginal life and pre-British influences on their culture. It also illustrates the impact of the White Australia policy and how that changed their life. It is envisioned as series of lessons, but could be a single lesson as part of another unit of work.
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Post War Immigration
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In this lesson idea students are invited to examine immigration as a complex process using images, a video excerpt, various texts and policy documents from Making Multicultural Australia. This lesson idea intends to present the challenge of how the post-war immigration programme began in the context of the White Australia policy and developed into a more inclusive policy in the 1970s as attitudes in the community began to shift and in response to pressures to ‘populate or perish’ (Calwell). This idea is best conducted over several lessons to allow adequate exploration of concepts.
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Racism – An introduction
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This lesson provides an introduction to racism. It begins by examining what the term ‘racism’ means and associated legislation. A cartoon task enables students to creatively depict their idea of what can be done to combat racism at school. This can then provide a springboard into another lesson on legislation, the consequences and extent of racism today. The acrostic poem is another creative medium. A worksheet is included to support classroom activities. Ideas are included for extension activities.
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Shaping Multicultural Australia
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The topic begins by exploring the diversity of cultural backgrounds of the students in the class. Students then examine a range of cultural influences, explore what the term ‘multiculturalism’ means and how it has been interpreted in Australian Government policy.
The Making Multicultural Australia website has a comprehensive timeline of historical events. Each section develops the theme of multiculturalism from a number of perspectives. This lesson idea uses resources from this site as an entry point for understanding key events in the development of a multicultural identity for Australia.
This lesson idea is best conducted over several lessons, depending on the depth to which the teacher wishes to explore this subject. Three worksheets are included to support classroom activities.
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We Hear You
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Australia has a multilingual population. This means that businesses must tailor their products accordingly. Bilingual and multilingual speakers are a great asset for businesses establishing themselves in or expanding into overseas markets. This lesson uses case studies from Making Multicultural Australia to explore this theme. A worksheet is included to support classroom activities. |
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White Australia - Then and Now
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The White Australia policy played an important role in the shaping of Australian demographics through racist means. This policy was slowly abolished by successive governments and now we have one of the most multicultural societies on earth, one motivation being to boost our population. However, every now and then, political groups both in Australia and overseas attempt to revive the ‘whites only’ notion of society.
This lesson uses Making Multicultural Australia resources to examine these concepts, and also aims to improve literacy and comprehension skills.
Worksheets are included to support classroom activities. |
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Who is a Refugee?
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The intention of this lesson idea is to examine issues associated with refugees and asylum seekers as they have impacted on contemporary Australia. It begins with definitions and then continues with material from Making Multicultural Australia, especially stories and children’s drawings. There are also references to materials which students can explore from the Roads to Refuge kit and from a number of websites devoted to refugees. At least three lessons could be based on this theme. There are also numerous ideas for extension activities.
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