Famous Bushrangers: Beyond Ned Kelly

Active learning helps students move beyond textbook summaries of bushrangers by engaging with real historical materials and conflicting perspectives. This topic benefits from role-based activities like a mock trial and collaborative investigations, which reveal the human complexity behind Ned Kelly’s story.

• Year 5
• HASS
• 3 activities
• 30 min–60 min

Learning Objectives

1. Compare the methods and motivations of bushrangers like Ben Hall, Captain Thunderbolt, and Frank Gardiner.
2. Evaluate the differing perspectives on bushrangers, classifying them as folk heroes or criminals based on historical evidence.
3. Analyze how colonial newspapers and official reports portrayed bushrangers and their actions.
4. Explain the social and economic conditions that contributed to the rise of bushranging in Australia.

Mock Trial

⏱ 60 min·Whole Class

Mock Trial: The People vs. Ned Kelly

Students take on roles as lawyers, witnesses (police, family, victims), and jurors. They must use historical evidence to argue whether Kelly's actions were justified as self-defense against a corrupt system or were simply criminal.

Prepare & details

Differentiate the methods and legacies of various prominent bushrangers.

Facilitation Tip: During the Mock Trial, assign roles like judge, jury, and witnesses based on historical figures to ensure students internalize perspectives beyond their own opinions.

Setup: Desks rearranged into courtroom layout

Materials: Role cards, Evidence packets, Verdict form for jury

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Social Awareness

Think-Pair-Share

⏱ 30 min·Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Analyzing the Jerilderie Letter

Students read excerpts from Kelly's famous letter. They discuss with a partner what his main complaints were and whether his tone makes them feel more or less sympathetic toward him.

Prepare & details

Assess the extent to which bushrangers were seen as folk heroes or criminals by different groups.

Facilitation Tip: For the Think-Pair-Share on the Jerilderie Letter, display key excerpts on a screen and have pairs annotate them before sharing with the class to scaffold close reading.

Setup: Standard classroom seating; students turn to a neighbor

Materials: Discussion prompt (projected or printed), Optional: recording sheet for pairs

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Inquiry Circle

⏱ 50 min·Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: The Glenrowan Siege

Groups are given different 'perspectives' of the final shootout (a hostage in the inn, a police officer, a Kelly gang member). They reconstruct the events and present their version of what happened during the 'last stand'.

Prepare & details

Analyze how media of the time portrayed bushrangers.

Facilitation Tip: When investigating the Glenrowan Siege, assign each group a different angle (police, hostages, townspeople) so they uncover how a single event can be interpreted differently.

Setup: Groups at tables with access to source materials

Materials: Source material collection, Inquiry cycle worksheet, Question generation protocol, Findings presentation template

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Teaching This Topic

Teachers often start with a brief historical context to ground students, then use primary sources to challenge assumptions. Research shows that role-based activities increase empathy and critical thinking, but they require clear structure so students stay focused on historical accuracy rather than modern judgments. Avoid letting discussions devolve into 'good vs. bad' binaries; instead, guide students to examine power, poverty, and colonial authority.

What to Expect

Students will analyze primary sources, debate opposing viewpoints, and articulate how social context shaped the actions of bushrangers. Success looks like students using evidence to support claims, not repeating stereotypes or oversimplifications.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During the Mock Trial, watch for students describing Ned Kelly’s armor as 'invincible.'

What to Teach Instead

Use the armor diagrams provided in the activity to point out its weight, coverage gaps, and the fact that Kelly was shot in the legs, which were unprotected. Have students physically simulate the armor’s restrictions to reinforce its impracticality.

Common Misconception

During the Think-Pair-Share on the Jerilderie Letter, watch for students assuming all colonists supported Kelly.

What to Teach Instead

Provide excerpts from colonial newspapers and letters to the editor (available in the activity) and ask students to categorize the tone of each source as supportive, critical, or neutral. Discuss why public opinion was divided.

Assessment Ideas

Discussion Prompt

After the Mock Trial, pose the question: 'Were bushrangers like Ben Hall and Captain Thunderbolt more like Robin Hood figures or dangerous criminals?' Ask students to support their answers with specific examples from the bushrangers' actions and the reactions of different groups in colonial society, referencing evidence gathered during the mock trial.

Exit Ticket

During the Collaborative Investigation on the Glenrowan Siege, provide students with a blank newspaper template. Ask them to write a short headline and a brief article (3-4 sentences) from the perspective of a colonial newspaper reporting on the siege, considering the tone and potential biases of the reporting.

Quick Check

After the Think-Pair-Share on the Jerilderie Letter, present students with three short quotes, each representing a different perspective on Kelly (e.g., a police report, a settler's diary entry, a ballad). Ask students to identify which perspective is which and briefly explain their reasoning based on the activity’s analysis.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge: Ask students to write a letter to the editor from the perspective of a settler who supported Kelly, using evidence from the Jerilderie Letter to justify their stance.
• Scaffolding: Provide a graphic organizer with sentence starters for students to structure their arguments during the mock trial, such as 'One piece of evidence supporting Kelly’s actions is...'
• Deeper exploration: Compare Australian bushrangers to outlaws in other cultures (e.g., Jesse James in the U.S. or Pancho Villa in Mexico) to examine shared themes of resistance and survival.

Key Vocabulary

Bushranger	An outlaw, typically on horseback, who roamed the bushland of Australia, often resorting to robbery.
Colonial Era	The period of Australian history when it was a British colony, roughly from 1788 to 1900, characterized by settlement and expansion.
Folk Hero	A person, often from humble origins, who is widely admired by ordinary people for their courage, achievements, or defiance of authority.
Convict Transportation	The practice of sending convicted criminals from Britain to penal colonies in Australia, a significant factor in the social landscape of the time.
Magistrate	A civil officer or judge who administers the law, often responsible for maintaining order and dealing with minor offenses.