Historian - Research and Development - Fun Activities

Research and Development - HISTORIAN

Time Capsules! What would you add?

Primary

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Critical and creative thinking

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Literacy

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Personal and social capability

Australian Curriculum General Capability: ICT Capability

1. In 1988, students from St Kevin's Primary School in Eastwood Sydney created a time capsule. It was supposed to be kept until 100 years later and opened in 2088. It was opened in early 2016. Read about what was in this time capsule from the Daily Mail.

2. What things did you find interesting in this article? Why? Why not?

3. You are to copy this school's time capsule in content and ideas. Write down all the things that the students created and videotaped. Divide the research work about

current music,
stars,
movies,
technology
houses
transport

amongst the class. Each pair will research and make a short video about their section. Edit all the videos and combine them into one video with music. Put this video into a Time capsule box and bury it within the school grounds.

Be prepare to view the contents in not 100 years but in 10 years time!

Who do you think you are?

Primary Middle Secondary

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Critical and creative thinking

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Literacy

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Personal and social capability

1. The popular SBS TV show, Who Do You Think You Are, traces the personal history of celebrities looking at their ancestry.

You are to view one episode of Who Do You Think You Are to see what happens in the show.

2. You are to interview your parents or carers or other family members - grandparents are a great source of information!

To interview your family, you need to generate a list of questions. For example,

Who were your parents?
Did you know your grandparents? What were their names? When were they born? Where were they born? How old were they when they died? Where did they die? Do you have any photos of them?
Do you have any siblings? What are their names and when were they born?

Share your questions with a partner and use any of their questions that you think would be interesting and fact finding.

Present your questions to the family members you wish to interview so they have time to think about their answers. Also, ask them to find as many photographs and other things belonging to that person to show while you are filming their answers.

3. Set up a filming session so you can record the information of the interviews.

4. Did you come across an ancestor that interested you? You are to research this person a bit more and maybe go back to your family member who mentioned this person and ask more questions.

Edit the interview sessions to be around 5 - 10 minutes in length to show to the class.

5 You are to create a family tree going back as far as you can. Use the instructions from WikiHow to create your tree. OR, use Family Echo to create a free online version. To use Family Echo, you need to have all the data at hand before you start.

WikiHow

Family Echo

6. Create a timeline of your own life. Gather key information, note down major events and use relevant photographs to accompany your time line.

7. Present your family tree and any interesting findings to the class as well as your personal timeline.

Young Hitler: Truth vs Myth: What is your evidence?

Middle Secondary

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Literacy

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Critical and creative thinking

Cooperative Learning Activity

1. In groups of 3 - 4 students, you need to research young Hitler and answer the question "How did young Hitler develop into Adolf Hitler, the dictator?"

2. Listen to the following audio file from Conversations with Richard Fidler with Historian Paul Ham. Listen

https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/conversations/paul-ham-rpt/11956056

3. Write down as many points as possible under the two headings: Truth and Myth. Remember to research and show evidence as an Historian.

Truth - Evidence	Myth - Evidence

4. Using the data from your History books, confirm or question the information from Paul Ham's findings.

5. Verfiy the qualifications of Paul Ham by using the following resources:

https://www.qbd.com.au/paul-ham/

https://military.wikia.org/wiki/Paul_Ham

https://www.booktopia.com.au/blog/2011/10/24/paul-ham-author-of-hiroshima-nagasaki-answers-ten-terrifying-questions/

https://www.paulham.com/

https://www.rabblebooksandgames.com.au/p/biography-young-hitler--5

The Petrov Affair - Australia and the Cold War - Rich Task & WebQuest.
Middle Secondary

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Critical and creative thinking

Cooperative Learning Activity

Teacher

Want to get your students to study the Petrov Affair and Cold War in detail from an Australian perspective?

Go to the Museum of Australian Democracy website and discover a Rich Task including a WebQuest that Frances Moore [On the Job] created some time ago for the MoAD - The Petrov Affair.

It was maintained by MoAD and is now archived. This means as Teachers you will need to check that the resources are still available. There are many resources available from ASIO to National Museum of Australia.

The Bank, the Sergeant and his bonus: What does History tell us about Accountancy in Australia?

Secondary

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Literacy

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Ethical Understanding