HASS · Year 5

Active learning ideas

Origins of Bushranging

Active learning works well for this topic because students often come with romanticized ideas of bushrangers they’ve picked up from films or stories. Hands-on activities let them test these ideas against real historical evidence, turning abstract concepts like justice and survival into tangible discussions.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9HASS5K01

• 20–50 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Think-Pair-Share
• 20 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Why Go Bush?

Students are given a short 'backstory' of a fictional convict or poor selector. They discuss with a partner the specific reasons why this person might choose a life of crime in the bush over their current situation.

Analyze the societal factors that contributed to individuals becoming bushrangers.

Facilitation Tip

During Think-Pair-Share, circulate and listen for students to move beyond vague answers like 'they were poor' to cite specific laws or events from the 1820s Convict Code.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Was it the harshness of the law or the lure of gold that most significantly contributed to people becoming bushrangers?' Facilitate a class debate, asking students to provide evidence from the lesson to support their arguments.

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

Activity 02

• Gallery Walk
• 40 min · Individual

Gallery Walk: Bushranger Profiles

Stations around the room feature different bushrangers like Ben Hall, Captain Thunderbolt, and Mad Dog Morgan. Students collect evidence of their crimes and any 'good' deeds reported by the public to build a profile.

Explain the connection between convictism and early bushranging.

What to look for

Provide students with a short case study of an early bushranger and a later one, like Ned Kelly. Ask them to complete a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting their backgrounds, motivations, and the public's view of them.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Activity 03

• Inquiry Circle
• 50 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: The Bushranger's Toolkit

Groups research the technology of the time, such as horses, telegraphs, and firearms. They create a 'survival guide' explaining how bushrangers used the landscape and technology to evade the police.

Compare the motivations of early bushrangers with later figures like Ned Kelly.

What to look for

On an index card, ask students to write two sentences explaining how being a convict might lead someone to become a bushranger, and one sentence explaining why some people might have supported bushrangers.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Start with the big picture: bushranging spanned a century and changed with each new wave of settlement. Avoid telling students what to think about these figures; instead, give them the raw materials—newspaper clippings, folk songs, police reports—and let them build their own analysis. Research shows that when students compare contradictory sources, they develop critical thinking faster than through lecture alone.

Successful learning looks like students questioning stereotypes, using primary sources to explain motivations, and clearly distinguishing between fact and folklore. They should articulate how economic hardship and legal harshness pushed people into the bush, not just memorize names or dates.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Gallery Walk: Bushranger Profiles, watch for students assuming all bushrangers fit the Robin Hood mold.

  Have students focus on the 'Motivation' section of each profile card and compare it to the 'Public Reaction' section; ask them to note how many profiles include violence against civilians and how many mention redistribution of wealth.

• During Collaborative Investigation: The Bushranger's Toolkit, watch for students thinking bushranging only existed during Ned Kelly’s time.

  In the timeline section of the toolkit, ask students to mark the earliest entry (late 1700s bolters) and the latest (1880s), then discuss why the activity includes objects from both periods, like a convict’s leg-iron and a gold-panning dish.

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Methods used in this brief

• Think-Pair-Share
• Gallery Walk
• Inquiry Circle