HASS · Year 5 · Bushrangers and the Bush · Term 2

Ned Kelly's Legacy and Mythology

Explore the enduring debate about Ned Kelly's status as a hero or villain in Australian culture.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9HASS5K01

About This Topic

Ned Kelly's legacy sparks debate over his status as hero or villain in Australian history. Year 5 students examine key events like the Fitzpatrick incident, Stringybark Creek killings, and his armoured stand at Glenrowan. They study primary sources such as the Jerilderie Letter, where Kelly rails against police favouritism towards squatters, alongside ballads and trial documents that paint him as a ruthless criminal. This work aligns with AC9HASS5K01 by analysing significant people and their diverse interpretations.

Students compare perspectives from victims' families, sympathisers in the bush, and modern historians. They trace Kelly's influence on Australian identity through Sidney Nolan's paintings, films like Ned Kelly (1970), and his image on tourism signs. These explorations build skills in evaluating bias, empathy, and how stories evolve over time.

Active learning suits this topic well. Role-plays of Kelly's trial, source sorting debates, and creating personal myth posters make the controversy personal and memorable. Students actively weigh evidence, voice opinions, and connect past events to cultural symbols they see today.

Key Questions

1. Analyze the reasons why Ned Kelly remains a controversial figure in Australian history.
2. Compare different interpretations of Ned Kelly's character and motivations.
3. Assess the impact of Ned Kelly's story on Australian art, literature, and identity.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze primary source documents, such as the Jerilderie Letter, to identify Ned Kelly's stated motivations and grievances.
• Compare and contrast historical accounts and artistic interpretations of Ned Kelly's actions to evaluate differing perspectives.
• Evaluate the evidence presented in ballads, newspaper articles, and historical analyses to form an argument about Ned Kelly's legacy.
• Create a persuasive piece, such as a short speech or poster, arguing for Ned Kelly's classification as a hero or villain, using historical evidence.
• Explain how Ned Kelly's story has become embedded in Australian cultural identity through art and popular media.

Before You Start

Australian Colonies and Early Governance

Why: Students need a basic understanding of the colonial context, including the role of police and the social divisions present, to grasp the circumstances surrounding Ned Kelly's life and actions.

Introduction to Primary and Secondary Sources

Why: Understanding the difference between these source types is crucial for students to critically analyze documents like the Jerilderie Letter and historical accounts of Ned Kelly.

Key Vocabulary

Bushranger	A criminal who, especially in Australia's colonial past, lived in the bush and often robbed travellers or police. Ned Kelly is the most famous example.
Squatter	A person who owned or rented large areas of land in colonial Australia, often for sheep grazing. Ned Kelly's family had grievances against some squatters and the police.
Primary Source	An original document or object created at the time under study, such as a letter, diary, photograph, or artifact. The Jerilderie Letter is a primary source from Ned Kelly.
Mythology	A collection of myths or stories, especially one concerning the early history of a people or explaining some natural or social phenomenon. Ned Kelly's story has become part of Australian mythology.
Legacy	Something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past. Ned Kelly's legacy continues to be debated today.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

Ned Kelly was simply a cold-blooded murderer with no context.

What to Teach Instead

Many accounts show grievances against corrupt policing and land issues. Role-play trials let students hear defence arguments from sources like the Jerilderie Letter, helping them balance evidence and develop nuanced views through peer deliberation.

Common Misconception

All popular stories about Kelly are accurate history.

What to Teach Instead

Ballads and art exaggerate for drama, mixing fact with legend. Source-sorting stations expose differences, as students compare primary records to myths and discuss reliability in groups.

Common Misconception

Kelly's story has little relevance to modern Australia.

What to Teach Instead

His image persists in art, tourism, and debates on larrikin identity. Creating myth posters connects students' work to cultural examples like Nolan's series, showing ongoing impact through hands-on creation.

Active Learning Ideas

Debate Prep: Hero or Villain Evidence Sort

Provide evidence cards with quotes from the Jerilderie Letter, ballads, and trial records. In pairs, students sort cards into 'hero' or 'villain' piles and note reasons for each. Pairs share one strong piece of evidence with the class to build debate arguments.

30 min·Pairs

Stations Rotation: Kelly Perspectives

Set up stations with sources: one for sympathiser views (ballads), one for police accounts (newspapers), one for art (Nolan images), and one for modern views (film clips). Small groups rotate every 10 minutes, recording biases and motivations at each.

45 min·Small Groups

Role-Play Trial: Ned Kelly on Trial

Assign roles: prosecutor, defence, judge, jurors, and witnesses based on real figures. Groups prepare 2-minute statements using sourced evidence. Hold the trial with jurors deliberating and voting on a verdict.

50 min·Small Groups

Myth Poster: Create Your Kelly Legend

Individually, students choose a Kelly event and design a poster blending fact and myth, like a bush ballad cover. Include captions explaining choices. Display and class votes on most convincing legend.

40 min·Individual

Real-World Connections

• Historians and archivists at institutions like the National Archives of Australia and state libraries work with primary sources, similar to the Jerilderie Letter, to reconstruct historical narratives and understand past events.
• Cultural commentators and critics analyze how historical figures and events are represented in contemporary art, film, and literature, much like the ongoing discussion around Ned Kelly's portrayal in Sidney Nolan's paintings or various film adaptations.
• Lawyers and judges in courtrooms today still analyze evidence and testimonies to determine guilt or innocence, a process that mirrors the trial and sentencing of Ned Kelly, prompting discussions about justice and fairness.

Assessment Ideas

Discussion Prompt

Pose the question: 'If Ned Kelly were alive today, what charges would he face, and how might the public perceive him?' Encourage students to draw on their understanding of his actions and the differing interpretations of his character to support their answers.

Exit Ticket

Provide students with a Venn diagram template. Ask them to compare and contrast two different interpretations of Ned Kelly (e.g., the 'outlaw hero' versus the 'criminal'). They should list at least two points of similarity and two points of difference in the respective sections.

Quick Check

Present students with three short quotes about Ned Kelly from different sources (e.g., a ballad, a police report, a modern historian). Ask them to identify the likely source type for each quote and explain one piece of evidence from the quote that led them to that conclusion.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Ned Kelly remain controversial in Australian history?

Kelly divides opinions: some see him as a victim of colonial injustice fighting for small selectors, others as a violent criminal responsible for murders. Sources like his letter reveal anti-authority sentiment popular in the bush, while police records highlight lawlessness. Teaching both builds critical source analysis in Year 5.

What sources best teach Ned Kelly's legacy?

Use the Jerilderie Letter for Kelly's voice, 1870s newspapers for contemporary views, folk ballads for myth-making, and artworks like Sidney Nolan's for cultural impact. Pair with timelines of events. These let students compare biases and trace legend evolution across 150 years.

How does Ned Kelly shape Australian identity?

Kelly embodies the larrikin rebel against authority, resonating in a nation valuing underdogs. His armour suits modern films, tourism, and pub folklore. Students assess this through art analysis, seeing how one outlaw influences symbols of mateship and defiance.

How can active learning deepen understanding of Ned Kelly's mythology?

Activities like role-play trials and evidence debates put students in historical shoes, weighing hero-villain claims firsthand. Stations with biased sources reveal myth construction collaboratively. These beat lectures by fostering ownership: students argue, create ballads, and vote verdicts, embedding critical thinking and cultural connections long-term.