Case Study Overview
What can studying the past tell us about ourselves today?
It can tell us:
- Who was here first?
- From where and when did Europeans come to Australia?
- How have communities changed over time?
- Why have they changed and …
- How important is the role of people in bringing about change and preserving things from the past?
This local history case study of the Victorian town of Harrow helps answer these questions and addresses the local history requirements embedded in both the primary and secondary HASS/history curriculum:
- How has our community changed?
- What is the nature and contribution made by different groups and individuals in the community?
- What were the nature and consequences of contact between Aboriginal peoples and Torres Star Islander peoples and early explorers, settlers and traders?
- What do we know about the lives of people in Australia’s colonial past and how do we know?
- What contribution have significant individuals and groups made to the development of Australian society? What followed from the extension of settlement, including the effects of contact (intended and unintended) between European settlers and Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples?
It also reveals an exciting story about the role of sport in shaping interactions between Aboriginal peoples and early settlers, as well as forging new links between colonial Australia and the mother country.
Format
This unit of study is presented as a website which includes a video, a virtual tour of the Harrow Discovery Centre, on-line activities, and worksheets (in Word Doc format). The unit is compatible with computers and iPads.
Case Study unit of work inquiry structure
- Activity 1 Google discovery of Harrow
- Activity 2 Video visit
- Activity 3 Virtual Discovery Tour of the Johnny Mullagh Museum
- Activity 4 Your place – a local history study
- Activity 5 My local history study reflection
