Modern History · Year 12

Active learning ideas

The Franklin River Campaign: A Case Study

Active learning brings this pivotal environmental campaign to life by letting students embody the roles of activists, policymakers, and community members. Moving beyond dates and names, students grapple with the real tensions between progress and preservation through debates, role-plays, and source analysis.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9HI12K40

• 35–50 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Case Study Analysis
• 50 min · Small Groups

Debate Simulation: Dam vs. Wilderness

Divide class into teams representing developers, government, activists, and indigenous stakeholders. Provide primary sources like speeches and maps for preparation. Teams present 3-minute arguments followed by rebuttals and class vote on the outcome.

Analyze the strategies employed by environmental activists in the Franklin River campaign.

Facilitation Tip

During the Debate Simulation, assign clear roles and provide a one-page briefing sheet for each perspective to keep discussions focused and inclusive.

What to look for

Facilitate a class debate using the prompt: 'Resolved: The strategies employed by environmental activists in the Franklin River campaign were justified given the potential environmental impact.' Assign roles representing activists, government officials, and industry representatives.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Self-Management

Activity 02

• Case Study Analysis
• 45 min · Small Groups

Source Stations: Protest Strategies

Set up stations with blockade photos, Bob Brown interviews, High Court excerpts, and media clippings. Groups rotate, annotating evidence of tactics used. Conclude with whole-class synthesis of most effective strategies.

Evaluate the long-term impact of the Franklin River campaign on Australian environmental policy.

Facilitation Tip

At Source Stations, rotate groups every 8 minutes and require students to record one key insight and one lingering question on a shared sheet to ensure active engagement with each source.

What to look for

Ask students to write on an index card: 'Identify one specific strategy used by Franklin River campaigners and explain its intended effect. Then, state one long-term impact of the campaign on Australian environmental law or politics.'

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Self-Management

Activity 03

• Case Study Analysis
• 40 min · Pairs

Comparison Matrix: Global Protests

Pairs create a matrix comparing Franklin campaign to two global cases on strategies, outcomes, and impacts. Use provided templates and online archives. Share findings in a gallery walk for peer feedback.

Compare the Franklin River campaign with other significant environmental protests globally.

Facilitation Tip

For the Comparison Matrix, model how to extract comparable data from global case studies by completing the first row together as a class before independent work.

What to look for

Present students with three short primary source excerpts: a protestor's diary entry, a government statement on development, and a newspaper headline from the era. Ask them to identify the perspective of each source and how it relates to the campaign's central conflict.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Self-Management

Activity 04

• Case Study Analysis
• 35 min · Whole Class

Timeline Role-Play: Key Events

Assign roles for 10 pivotal events from 1970s planning to 1983 victory. Students sequence events on a shared timeline while acting out decisions. Discuss contingency and turning points afterward.

Analyze the strategies employed by environmental activists in the Franklin River campaign.

What to look for

Facilitate a class debate using the prompt: 'Resolved: The strategies employed by environmental activists in the Franklin River campaign were justified given the potential environmental impact.' Assign roles representing activists, government officials, and industry representatives.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Self-Management

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should foreground the campaign’s strategic depth rather than its outcome, emphasizing the interplay between legal, media, and grassroots tactics. Avoid framing it solely as a victory story; instead, use the timeline to reveal uncertainties and setbacks that shaped the campaign’s evolution. Research shows students retain more when they analyze primary sources directly, so prioritize structured source work over secondary summaries.

By the end of these activities, students will articulate the strategic choices behind the campaign’s success and connect them to broader themes in civil society. They will also evaluate the trade-offs between development and conservation using evidence from multiple perspectives.

---

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Debate Simulation: The campaign was solely about environmentalism and ignored economic arguments.

  Use the assigned roles in the Debate Simulation to ensure students articulate economic trade-offs, such as job losses versus long-term ecological benefits, by providing specific data on power generation and tourism revenue.

• During Timeline Role-Play: The activists lost because the dam was eventually built.

  In the Timeline Role-Play, have students verify each event against primary sources, especially the High Court ruling, to clarify that the project was permanently halted in 1983.

• During Source Stations: Only urban environmentalists participated, with no indigenous involvement.

  At Source Stations, include a station with excerpts from Tasmanian Aboriginal community statements to center their voices, and require students to synthesize this perspective in their group discussions.

---

Methods used in this brief

• Case Study Analysis