Impact of Colonisation on First Nations

Active learning works for this topic because it helps students move beyond textbook facts to grapple with the human realities of colonisation. By role-playing, simulating and discussing, students confront the emotional weight of migration and its impact on First Nations peoples in ways that passive learning cannot.

• Year 9
• Humanities and Social Sciences
• 3 activities
• 20 min–45 min

Learning Objectives

1. Analyze the concept of 'terra nullius' and its legal and social implications for First Nations peoples.
2. Explain the various methods First Nations peoples used to resist British colonisation.
3. Critique historical accounts that minimize the violence and dispossession experienced by First Nations peoples.
4. Evaluate the immediate and long-term consequences of colonisation on the land and cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Role Play

⏱ 45 min·Small Groups

Role Play: The Ship's Arrival

Students are assigned roles as convicts, guards, or free settlers arriving in Sydney Cove. They write a 'letter home' or perform a short scene describing their first impressions and fears.

Prepare & details

Explain the various ways First Nations peoples resisted British colonisation.

Facilitation Tip: During the Role Play: The Ship's Arrival, give students time to prepare by providing character cards that include both historical facts and emotional context, such as family separation or fear of the unknown.

Setup: Open space or rearranged desks for scenario staging

Materials: Character cards with backstory and goals, Scenario briefing sheet

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

Simulation Game

⏱ 40 min·Whole Class

Simulation Game: The Goldfields License Hunt

Simulate the tension on the goldfields by having 'troopers' check students for 'licenses'. This leads into a discussion about the grievances that caused the Eureka Stockade.

Prepare & details

Analyze the concept of 'terra nullius' and its legal and social implications.

Facilitation Tip: For the Simulation: The Goldfields License Hunt, set clear time limits to build tension and mimic the historical pressure miners felt when inspectors arrived.

Setup: Flexible space for group stations

Materials: Role cards with goals/resources, Game currency or tokens, Round tracker

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

Think-Pair-Share

⏱ 20 min·Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Why Stay?

After learning about the hardships of colonial life, students discuss in pairs why many convicts chose to stay in Australia after their sentences ended. They share their theories with the class.

Prepare & details

Critique the historical narratives that downplay the violence and dispossession of colonisation.

Facilitation Tip: Use the Think-Pair-Share: Why Stay? to structure discussions so that students first reflect individually, then discuss with a partner before sharing with the class, ensuring all voices are heard.

Setup: Standard classroom seating; students turn to a neighbor

Materials: Discussion prompt (projected or printed), Optional: recording sheet for pairs

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

Teaching This Topic

Experienced teachers approach this topic by balancing empathy with critical analysis. Avoid framing colonisation as inevitable or solely negative—acknowledge the agency of First Nations peoples and the complexity of migrant experiences. Research suggests that primary sources and survivor testimonies are essential for grounding discussions in reality rather than stereotypes.

What to Expect

Successful learning looks like students connecting historical events to human experiences. They should be able to explain the motivations and hardships of convicts, free settlers, and gold seekers, and articulate the consequences of these migrations for First Nations communities. Evidence-based discussions and reflections demonstrate depth of understanding.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During Role Play: The Ship's Arrival, watch for students assuming all convicts were violent criminals. Redirect by using the Digital Panopticon records in character cards to highlight minor crimes of poverty, such as stealing bread or poaching.

What to Teach Instead

During Role Play: The Ship's Arrival, provide peer-led research tasks where students examine convict records and identify common crimes. Ask them to present one example to the class, challenging the assumption of violence.

Common Misconception

During Simulation: The Goldfields License Hunt, watch for students believing the gold rush was only about wealth. Redirect by using the 'consequence web' to map how the rush led to democratic reforms and multicultural tensions.

What to Teach Instead

During Simulation: The Goldfields License Hunt, pause the activity to have students add nodes to a class-wide consequence web on the board, noting changes like the introduction of miners' rights or conflicts with Chinese immigrants.

Assessment Ideas

Discussion Prompt

After Role Play: The Ship's Arrival, pose the question: 'How did the legal concept of terra nullius facilitate the dispossession of First Nations peoples?' Ask students to share two specific examples from the role play or research, referencing evidence discussed in class.

Exit Ticket

After Think-Pair-Share: Why Stay?, provide students with a short primary source quote describing an act of resistance by First Nations peoples. Ask them to write one sentence identifying the form of resistance and one sentence explaining its significance in challenging colonial authority.

Quick Check

During Simulation: The Goldfields License Hunt, display an image depicting a scene from the colonial era. Ask students to write down two observations about the potential impacts of colonisation shown in the image, considering both dispossession and violence, and to identify one way First Nations peoples might have resisted.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge early finishers to research and present on a lesser-known migrant group, such as Chinese or German settlers, and their specific contributions or challenges during the gold rushes.
• For students who struggle, provide sentence starters for the Think-Pair-Share activity, like 'One reason free settlers chose to come to Australia was...' to scaffold their responses.
• Deeper exploration: Assign a creative writing task where students compose a diary entry from the perspective of a First Nations person observing the arrival of migrants, focusing on emotions and observations.

Key Vocabulary

Terra Nullius	A Latin term meaning 'nobody's land'. It was a legal fiction used by the British to claim sovereignty over Australia, ignoring the presence and ownership of First Nations peoples.
Dispossession	The act of depriving someone of land, property, or possessions. In the context of colonisation, it refers to the forceful removal of First Nations peoples from their ancestral lands.
Frontier Violence	Acts of aggression, conflict, and killing that occurred on the borders between colonial settlements and First Nations territories during the period of colonisation.
Sovereignty	The supreme power or authority. For First Nations peoples, sovereignty refers to their inherent right to self-governance and connection to Country, which predated colonisation.
Resistance	The act of opposing or fighting against an authority or force. This includes armed conflict, cultural preservation, and legal challenges by First Nations peoples against colonisation.