Humanities and Social Sciences · Year 9

Active learning ideas

First Fleet & Early Penal Colonies

Active learning works for this topic because it helps students confront uncomfortable truths about colonisation. Moving beyond textbooks lets students analyse perspectives, engage with primary sources, and connect past events to ongoing impacts on First Nations communities.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9H9K03
• AC9H9K04

• 20–60 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Inquiry Circle
• 60 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: Resistance Heroes

Small groups research a specific First Nations leader who resisted colonisation. They create a digital 'commemoration' that highlights their tactics and the reasons for their resistance.

Analyze the motivations behind Britain's decision to establish a penal colony in Australia.

Facilitation Tip

For the Resistance Heroes activity, assign each group a different form of resistance (e.g., guerrilla warfare, diplomacy, cultural preservation) to ensure varied contributions.

What to look for

Pose this question to small groups: 'Imagine you are a convict arriving on the First Fleet. Based on what we've learned, what are your biggest fears and hopes for survival in this new land? Be specific about the challenges you anticipate.' Have groups share their top two fears and hopes with the class.

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

Activity 02

• Gallery Walk
• 40 min · Pairs

Gallery Walk: Perspectives on the Frontier

Display quotes and artworks from both colonial settlers and First Nations people. Students move through the 'gallery' and record how each group experienced the same events differently.

Compare the experiences of different groups of convicts transported to Australia.

Facilitation Tip

During the Gallery Walk, position students as curators by asking them to write interpretive labels for each perspective that explain its significance in 2-3 sentences.

What to look for

Provide students with a card asking: 'List two reasons Britain established a penal colony in Australia. Then, name one significant challenge faced by convicts during the early years of settlement.'

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

Activity 03

• Think-Pair-Share
• 20 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: The Meaning of 'Terra Nullius'

Students define the term and then discuss why the British used it despite seeing established Indigenous societies. They share how this legal fiction shaped Australian history.

Evaluate the effectiveness of the penal system as a form of punishment and colonisation.

Facilitation Tip

Use the Think-Pair-Share for terra nullius by providing a historical map of Australia before 1788 to ground the discussion in concrete evidence rather than abstract ideas.

What to look for

Display a map of the First Fleet's journey. Ask students to orally identify three key locations or stages of the voyage and briefly explain their significance to the establishment of the colony.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Experienced teachers approach this topic by centering First Nations voices and experiences first. Avoid starting with the British perspective, as it reinforces the narrative of colonisation. Instead, use inquiry-based tasks that encourage students to question why certain stories are told and others are silenced. Research shows that students retain more when they grapple with primary sources and conflicting accounts, rather than relying on summarised textbook narratives.

Students will demonstrate understanding by explaining the complexity of colonisation, not just the dates and facts. They will articulate how resistance, disease, and policies like terra nullius shaped Australia’s history and continue to affect people today.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Gallery Walk activity, watch for students assuming that all First Nations peoples had the same response to colonisation.

  Direct students to focus on the diversity of responses displayed in the gallery, such as both violent and diplomatic strategies, and ask them to note how these varied by region and leadership.

• During the Think-Pair-Share activity, watch for students dismissing terra nullius as a simple misunderstanding of the land.

  Use the historical maps provided to challenge this idea by asking students to identify documented First Nations societies and their complex land management systems before 1788.

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Methods used in this brief

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