Multicultural Stories: Introduction

Key learning area: Studies of Society and Environment

Year level: Middle Secondary

Lesson duration: 5 hours (4 lessons)

Unit topic: Multicultural stories

Lesson topic: Understanding migration experiences

Lesson's overal aim

Students will undertake a study of migrant stories as they explore multicultural Australia. They will identify the reason/s why people left their homelands, explore the social, cultural, economic and/or political contribution/s migrants have made to Australia and abroad and consider the possible motivations for those contributions. Students will then consider these contributions and motivations in light of the history of Australia’s immigration and multicultural policies.

Intended student learning objectives/outcomes

Knowledge:

  • Examine the development of multiculturalism in Australia.
  • Explore ways in which government policies on immigration have changed over time.

Skills

  • Research
  • Hypothesising
  • Evaluation

Values

  • Doing your best
  • Fair go
  • Integrity
  • Respect
  • Understanding, tolerance and inclusion

Resources:

  1. Civics and Citizenship website: Biography of Jimmy Pham
  2. New homes (TLF-Learning object L678)
  3. Fiona Chiu: Chinese family tree (TLF-Learning object L614)
  4. Australian Centre for the Moving Image, Immigration stories
  5. Museum Victoria, Immigration Museum
  6. Randwick City Council, Migrant Story project
  7. Migration Heritage Centre (NSW), Belongings: Post World War II Migration Memories and Journeys
  8. Department of Immigration, Success Stories of Australian Migration
  9. Australian Biography
  10. Dictionary of Australian Biography (1949)
  11. Australian Story
  12. Famous Australians
  13. Australian Dictionary of Biography Online
  14. Making Multicultural Australia
  15. Racism: No way, History of Australia's development as a culturally diverse nation
  16. Feedback sandwich
  17. Two-ring Venn diagram
  18. Three-ring Venn diagram

Note to teachers

Access to the Le@rning Federation’s digital content is through your educational body’s licensing agreement with Curriculum Corporation.

Please be aware that the digital resources may contain references to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who have passed away. This may cause distress to some Indigenous students.

Introduction | Activity One | Activity TwoActivity Three