HASS · Year 4

Active learning ideas

Changing Landscapes: Colonial Impact

Active learning works because this topic asks students to see landscapes as living systems shaped by human decisions. Hands-on mapping, role-plays, and model building let students move from abstract ideas to concrete comparisons between two very different ways of caring for country.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9HASS4K02
• AC9HASS4K03

• 30–60 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Concept Mapping
• 45 min · Pairs

Mapping Activity: Before and After Settlement

Provide historical and modern maps of a local area. In pairs, students annotate differences in vegetation, watercourses, and land use, then discuss First Nations practices from provided sources. Share findings on a class mural.

Compare European land use practices with traditional First Nations land management.

Facilitation Tip

During Mapping Activity, ask students to use two colors: one for colonial clearing and one for First Nations fire mosaics, so the contrast becomes visually immediate.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Imagine you are a First Nations Elder and a new European settler in 1850. What would you observe about their farming methods, and what concerns might you have for the land? Share your observations and concerns with a partner.'

• Understand
• Analyze
• Create
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management

Activity 02

• Concept Mapping
• 50 min · Small Groups

Role-Play Simulation: Land Management Debate

Divide class into groups representing European settlers and First Nations custodians. Each prepares arguments for their methods using evidence cards, then debates impacts on a shared landscape model. Vote on sustainable choices.

Analyze the initial environmental changes brought by colonial agriculture and settlement.

Facilitation Tip

In the Role-Play Simulation, assign roles that force perspective-taking: a settler wanting quick profit, an Elder protecting cultural sites, and a scientist measuring soil loss.

What to look for

Provide students with a Venn diagram template. Ask them to list characteristics of First Nations land management on one side, early European land use on the other, and any overlapping ideas in the center. Review diagrams for understanding of key differences.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Create
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management

Activity 03

• Concept Mapping
• 60 min · Small Groups

Model Building: Landscape Change Diorama

Students in small groups construct dioramas showing pre- and post-settlement landscapes with materials like clay, sticks, and fabric. Label changes and First Nations techniques, then present predictions of future states.

Predict the long-term ecological consequences of these early changes.

Facilitation Tip

For Model Building, provide a base map with marked waterways and supply miniatures for sheep, eucalyptus trees, and traditional digging sticks to make changes tangible.

What to look for

On a slip of paper, ask students to write one sentence describing a specific environmental change caused by early colonial settlement and one sentence explaining how a First Nations land management practice might have prevented it.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Create
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management

Activity 04

• Concept Mapping
• 30 min · Whole Class

Inquiry Walk: Local Evidence Hunt

Lead a schoolyard or nearby walk to observe signs of landscape change like introduced plants. Students photograph and journal evidence, comparing to First Nations management in class discussion.

Compare European land use practices with traditional First Nations land management.

Facilitation Tip

On the Inquiry Walk, give each pair a simple checklist of colonial-era features (fence lines, old dams) and Indigenous features (scarred trees, native grass patches) to locate and photograph.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Imagine you are a First Nations Elder and a new European settler in 1850. What would you observe about their farming methods, and what concerns might you have for the land? Share your observations and concerns with a partner.'

• Understand
• Analyze
• Create
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management

A few notes on teaching this unit

Approach this topic as a balance between acknowledging colonial disruption and honoring Indigenous knowledge systems. Use the activities to build empathy first, then guide students to judge actions by their ecological outcomes rather than intentions. Avoid framing this as a simple ‘good vs bad’ story; instead, focus on systems thinking so students see how practices connect to biodiversity and water health over time.

Successful learning shows in students’ ability to explain at least three colonial impacts on landscapes and identify two First Nations practices that maintained healthy ecosystems. They should use evidence from their activities to support comparisons and share clear concerns about ongoing effects.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Mapping Activity, watch for students labeling the pre-1788 map as ‘empty’ or ‘wilderness.’

  Prompt students to annotate the map with evidence of Indigenous stewardship, such as ‘cool burns here,’ ‘hunting trails marked by scarred trees,’ and ‘seasonal campsites near water.’

• During Role-Play Simulation, listen for students assuming settler farming was always beneficial.

  Have students track the ‘ecological cost’ on a shared board during the debate, such as soil loss or weed spread, to make unintended consequences visible.

• During Model Building, watch for students creating dioramas that show Indigenous landscapes as unchanged.

  Require students to include at least one sign of active management, like a fire mosaic drawn in colored sand or a small dam made of sticks, to highlight purposeful care.

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Methods used in this brief

• Concept Mapping