HASS · Year 5

Active learning ideas

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.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9HASS5K01

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

Activity 01

• 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.

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.

What to look for

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.

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

Activity 02

• 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.

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.

What to look for

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 an event involving one of the bushrangers studied. They should consider the tone and potential biases of the reporting.

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

Activity 03

• 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'.

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.

What to look for

Present students with three short quotes, each representing a different perspective on a bushranger (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.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

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.

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

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

  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.

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

  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.

---

Methods used in this brief

• Mock Trial
• Think-Pair-Share
• Inquiry Circle