HASS · Year 5

Active learning ideas

The Kelly Gang and the Siege of Glenrowan

Active learning works because this period invites debate and perspective-taking, where students grapple with conflicting narratives rather than memorize facts. When students construct timelines or role-play decisions, they confront the complexity of choices made under pressure, deepening historical empathy without romanticizing figures like Ned Kelly.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9HASS5K01

• 30–50 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Role Play
• 45 min · Small Groups

Timeline Construction: Kelly Gang Events

Provide students with event cards detailing crimes and the Glenrowan siege. In groups, they sequence the cards chronologically on a class mural, adding cause-effect arrows and primary source images. Groups present one key decision and its outcome to the class.

Construct a timeline of the key events involving the Kelly Gang.

Facilitation Tip

During Timeline Construction, have students physically rearrange event cards to emphasize how sequence shapes interpretation, not just dates.

What to look for

Provide students with three statements about the Siege of Glenrowan, for example: 'The police were unprepared for Kelly's armour.' 'Ned Kelly intended to surrender.' 'The gang's actions were solely motivated by revenge.' Ask students to write 'Agree' or 'Disagree' next to each statement and provide one piece of evidence from their learning to support their choice.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Activity 02

• Role Play
• 50 min · Small Groups

Role-Play: Siege of Glenrowan

Assign roles as Kelly Gang members, police, or hostages. Students rehearse the siege events using props like cardboard armour, then perform and debrief on tactical choices. Record the role-play for timeline integration.

Evaluate the decisions made by Ned Kelly and the police at Glenrowan.

Facilitation Tip

In Role-Play: Siege of Glenrowan, assign opposing roles (Kelly Gang, police, hostages) to ensure students engage with conflicting perspectives firsthand.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Was Ned Kelly a hero or a villain?' Facilitate a class discussion where students must use specific examples from the Kelly Gang's history to support their arguments, referencing at least two key events or decisions.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Activity 03

• Role Play
• 40 min · Pairs

Debate Pairs: Desperate Man or Criminal?

Pair students to prepare arguments using evidence from sources: one side justifies desperation due to land disputes, the other calculated crime via bank raids. Pairs present in a class debate with voting and reflection.

Justify whether Ned Kelly's actions were those of a desperate man or a calculated criminal.

Facilitation Tip

For Debate Pairs, require each student to cite at least one piece of evidence from their timeline or source analysis before stating an opinion.

What to look for

Present students with a list of key events (e.g., Stringybark Creek murders, Jerilderie bank robbery, Siege of Glenrowan). Ask them to arrange these events in chronological order on a mini-whiteboard or a piece of paper, then hold it up for the teacher to check.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Activity 04

• Role Play
• 30 min · Individual

Source Analysis: Ned Kelly Letters

Distribute excerpts from the Jerilderie Letter. Individually highlight perspectives on police and selectors, then share in pairs to categorise biases. Compile class findings into a perspective chart.

Construct a timeline of the key events involving the Kelly Gang.

Facilitation Tip

During Source Analysis of Ned Kelly’s letters, highlight vocabulary choices (e.g., ‘tyrants,’ ‘oppression’) to reveal Kelly’s framing of himself and his actions.

What to look for

Provide students with three statements about the Siege of Glenrowan, for example: 'The police were unprepared for Kelly's armour.' 'Ned Kelly intended to surrender.' 'The gang's actions were solely motivated by revenge.' Ask students to write 'Agree' or 'Disagree' next to each statement and provide one piece of evidence from their learning to support their choice.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should avoid framing Ned Kelly as a rebel hero or outright villain, which flattens the topic into a morality tale. Instead, use primary sources like Kelly’s Jerilderie Letter to uncover his self-justifications, while contrasting them with police reports or newspaper editorials. Research in history education suggests that structured debates and role-plays help students test interpretations against evidence, reducing oversimplification. Keep the focus on process: how historians weigh evidence, not who was ‘right.’

Students will articulate multiple viewpoints, use evidence to justify arguments, and recognize the consequences of individual actions within a broader social context. Successful learning is evident when students move beyond binary labels and evaluate motivations through specific historical examples.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Timeline Construction, watch for students who oversimplify Ned Kelly’s actions as purely heroic or purely criminal without examining escalating events.

  Use the timeline to trace the Kelly Gang’s actions (e.g., Stringybark Creek, bank robberies) and ask students to annotate each event with evidence of Kelly’s motivations (revenge, survival, gain) or consequences (public opinion, police response).

• During Role-Play: Siege of Glenrowan, students may assume the police were entirely justified in their tactics without considering the siege’s chaotic and violent outcome.

  Provide role-play scripts with incomplete or biased information for each character, forcing students to negotiate perspectives and question assumptions during the role-play debrief.

• During Source Analysis: Ned Kelly Letters, students might accept Kelly’s portrayal of himself as a defender of the poor without comparing it to other sources.

  Have pairs compare Kelly’s Jerilderie Letter with a police report or a contemporary newspaper editorial, highlighting discrepancies in language and purpose to reveal Kelly’s rhetorical strategies.

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Methods used in this brief

• Role Play