iscovering history types of history page 29 types of history
TRANSCRIPT
• Howdoesthisspecifichistoricalperiodoreventimpactonyourlife?
• Wheredoyoulive?Inthecountry,avillageoralargetown?Inbarracks,acottageoralargehouse?
• Wholiveswithyou?Doyouhaveafamily?• Whatworkdoyoudo?Ordoyougo
toschool?• Haveyouhadanyeducationortraining?• Whattoolsorequipmentdoyouuse?What
areyourworkingconditions?• Whatisyourdailyroutine?• Whatisyoureverydaylifelike?Forexample,
whatareyourwashing,cookingandsleepingarrangements?
• Whatdoyouwear?• Whatfooddoyounormallyeat?• Whatentertainmentisavailable?What
holidaysandfestivalsdoyoucelebrate?• Howdochildrenspendtheirtime?• Whatdifficultiesdoyouface?Whatproblems
needtobesolved?• Wheredoyoufitintosociety?Areyourich,
poororcomfortablywell-off?• Trytousesomewordsortermsfromthe
periodinyourfinalnarrative.
Answeringquestionssuchasthesehelpsstudentstocreatetheirhistoricalpersonabutalsohelpsestablishthe‘flavour’oratmosphereofthehistoricalperiod.Studentscouldchoosetobeanactualconvictcharacterfromhistoricaldocumentssuchastheconvictshippinglists.Teacherscouldprovidedetailsaboutwheretheylivedbeforeconviction,thecrimetheycommitted,thegaoltheyweresentto,theirtrialandsentence,theirtransportation,anypunishmentsinflictedonthem,theirarrivalinAustraliaandtheirsubsequentexperiences.Formoreablestudents,teacherscouldprovidethesourcesbutletstudentsfindtheinformationbythemselves.
Examine attitudes and beliefsTryingtounderstandtheattitudesandbeliefsofpeoplefromanothereraisquitechallenging.Teacherswillneedtoexplainthatinthepastpeopleheldsomevaluesandattitudesthatweresimilartothoseweholdtoday,butalsoothersthatwerequitedifferent.Providerelevantexamplestosupportyourexplanation.Fortheconvictera,forexample,youcouldpointouttheseverityofpunishmentsforcrimesagainst
Types of history 3Family history
FromFoundationtoYear2,studentswouldhaveexploredaspectsoffamilyhistory:retellingfamilystories,discussingfamilyartefacts,examiningoldfamilyphotographsorlisteningtostoriesbygrandparents.
InYear3,thelocalcommunity’shistorycouldbeexaminedthroughfamilyhistory.Studentscouldinterviewolderfamilymembersaboutthechangesandthecontinuitiesofaspectsoflifeinthelocalcommunity.Studentswithfamilylinkstocolonialtimesmaybeabletoprovideevidenceoflifeyearsagothroughitemssuchasoldphotographs,familydocuments,artefactsandmemories.Theycouldexaminethecontributionsoftheirownfamilyandculturalgroupstothelocalcommunityandagainposethequestion:‘Howdoweknow?’Familytraditionscanalsobeinvestigatedinthewaysthatvariousnationaldaysarecelebrated,andthenlaterdiscussedinclass.Studentswithmorerecentmigrantlinksmaybeabletoprovidestoriesofhownationaldayswerecelebratedinothercountries.
Ifusingfamilyhistoryinaninvestigationofthelocalcommunity,itwouldbeadvisabletonotifyparents.Somefamiliesmaynotwishtheirchildrentoexplorefamilyhistoryindetail.Ifso,theseissuesmaybeavoidedbykeepingtoageneralapproach,andavoidingthemore
traditionalmethodofexaminingfamilyhistorybyusingbirthandmarriagecertificatesandotherfamilydocuments.
Activities introducing historical concepts• Theconceptsofcontinuityandchangecan
beintroducedbycomparingphotographsofparentsorgrandparentsaschildreninthelocalarea.Studentscandiscusssimilaritiesanddifferencesinclothing,housing,transportoranyother‘clues’ofchangeinthephotograph.
• Thequestion‘HowdoIknow?’canbeusedtoreinforcetheconceptsofsourcesandevidence.‘HowdoIknowaboutmyfamily’scontributiontothelocalcommunity?’Sourcescouldincludephotographs,newspaperstories,familystories,streetnamesorfamilymembers’namesonlocalmonuments.
• Activitiescomparingdifferentfamilycommemorationsandcelebrationscanbeusedtointroducetheconceptsofsimilarityanddifference.Studentscanproducedrawingsoftheirfamilies’celebrations,whichcanthenbedisplayedandusedinclassdiscussiontodrawoutsimilaritiesanddifferencesinfamilycelebrations.Alternatively,studentscanprovideartefactsorphotographsfromfamilycelebrations,withabriefexplanationofwhattheytellabouttheir
property,theimprisonmentandtransportationofchildren,andthepopularityofpublichanging.Thefollowingconsiderationsaboutperspectivesfromtheconvicteracouldbediscussedinclass.• Whatisyourattitudetowardsbeingsent
toAustralia?• Whatisyourattitudetowardsothers—for
example,towardsotherworkers,convicts,soldiersorthegovernor?
• HowhaslifeimprovedforyouinAustralia?• Whatareyourmainconcerns?• Whatdoyoulookforwardtointhefuture?
Moreablestudentsmaybeabletoincorporatesomeoftheseattitudesandbeliefsintotheirstory—forexample,dreamsoffreedomorfearsofneverbeingabletoreturntoBritain.
Be aware of differing viewsStudentstendtobelievethateveryonefromthesamehistoricalperiodthoughtinthesameway.Astructuredrole-playbetweencharacterswithdifferentperspectivescouldhelptoshowthatpeopleinthepastmayhavehadquitedifferentattitudesandviews.Anexampleofarole-playcouldincludetheattitudestowardsharshpunishmentsofagovernorofacolonytryingtomaintainordercomparedwiththatofaconvictabouttobewhippedwithacat-o’-nine-tails.
Therangeofpossibleempathyactivitiesisverybroad.Oncestudentshaveestablishedtheirhistoricalpersona,theycan‘be’thatcharacterandperformoneormoreofthefollowingtasks,usingtheirhistoricalimaginationtodemonstratetheirhistoricalunderstanding.• Writeadiaryentry.• Writealetterexplaininganeventfromtheir
pointofview.• Describeanepisodeintheirlife.• Makeachoiceordecisionandexplainit.• Arguefororagainstaposition.
Thefollowingactivitiesrequirestudentstodemonstrateempathyandhistoricalunderstandinginavarietyofcontexts.• Interviewahistoricalcharacter.• Createeyewitnessaccountsfromthe
perspectivesofdifferenthistoricalcharacters.• Persuadeahistoricalcharactertowarda
particularcourseofactionordissuadethemfromone.
• Evaluateahistoricalcharacter’sactions,careerorachievements.
Page 29Page 28 Discovering History Types of history
family’scelebrations.Aclassdisplaycouldbemadeoftheseitems,emphasisingsimilaritiesanddifferences.
• InYear4,studentscaninvestigatecauseandeffectinrelationtotheimpactofearlyEuropeansettlementonAboriginalcommunitiesandtheenvironment.Differencesinsocialorganisation,beliefsandvalues,especiallyinrelationtonatureandtheland,betweentheEuropeansandtheAboriginalpeopleswouldneedtobeexaminedfirst.
Guest speakersEncouragestudentstotalktotheirparentsandgrandparentsabouttheirchildhoodsinthelocalcommunity,familycelebrationsorholidaysthattheyenjoyed.Thiscanbedoneinformallyorinastructuredwaywithasmallnumberofspecificquestions.Forfurtherdetails,see‘Oralhistory’,page33.
Alternatively,inviteanolderpersontotalktotheclass.Thestoryofagrandmotherorgrandfather’slifeasachildinthelocalcommunity,orastoryabouthowtheycelebratedeventsinthepast,canbeaspringboardformanysubsequentactivities.Itisadvisabletoinformyourguestspeakerabouttheareasyouwouldlikethemtotouchonduringtheirtalktotheclass.
Local history
The value of local historyInYear2,studentswouldhavehadtheopportunitytoexaminetheheritageoftheirlocalarea,andinYear3,theywillhavetheopportunitytobuildonthoseexperiences.
Localhistoryisveryrelevantforstudentsasitbeginsintheirknownworld.Itcanbeconductedmainly‘inthefield’,throughobservationandrecording,providinglearningexperiencesoutsidetheclassroom.Classroomactivitiescanalsobeconducted,suchashandlingartefacts,analysingoldphotographsandlisteningtoandvaluingthe
memoriesandexperiencesofolderpeople.Localhistoryishistory‘unplugged’,seenthroughstudents’owneyesratherthanthroughacomputerscreen.Itextendstheirinterestinandexperienceoftheirsurroundingsandhelpsthemtomakesenseoftheirworld.
Localhistoryprovidesexcellentopportunitiesfordevelopingimportanthistoryskills,including:• observingandrecordingtheremainsof
thepast• questioningwhattheseremainstellusabout
thepast• consideringwhetherornottheseremains
shouldbepreservedandwhy• drawingconclusionsaboutthepastfroma
rangeofsources.
Localhistoryalsoprovidesanidealcontextforteachingandlearningabouttheconceptsofchangeandcontinuity;howlifeinthepastwasdifferentfromorsimilartolifeinthepresent.
The scope of local historyThescopeoflocalhistorycanbebroadornarrowandtherangeofpossibletopicsisdiverse.Itprovidesanopportunitytodiscoverthestoryofthelocalcommunity.Alocalhistorystudycouldfocusonchangesandcontinuitiesinlocaleducation,buildings,streetscapesortransportation.Itcouldbethestudyofasingleeventormajorchangethatwassignificantforthelocalcommunity,suchasthearrivaloftherailway.Or,itcouldtraceathemeovertime,suchasthehistoryoftheenvironment,farming,theimpactoftechnologyorthecontributionofaparticularmigrantgroup.Astudyofthemorerecentpastcouldinvolvestudentsconductingoralhistoryinterviews.Teachersshouldchoosethemostaccessibleandrelevantareasforstudy,appropriatefortheabilitiesandinterestsofthestudents.Additionally,localhistorycanbereadilyintegratedwithothersubjectssuchasGeographyandEnglish.
Local history for Year 3Astudyofthelocalcommunity,regionorstateisafeatureoftheYear3Historycurriculum.Thisstudywillvaryaccordingtothelocationofyourschool,whetheritisanoldtownoranewsuburb,inthecityorinthecountry.Eachlocalareawilloffersomethingdifferent,yeteachinvestigationshouldbeginwithidentifyingandlearningaboutthefirstpeoplewholivedinthelocalarea,theAboriginalorTorresStraitIslanderpeoples.Whowerethey?Whatlanguagedidtheyspeak?Whatnaturalresourcesdidtheyuse?Whatevidenceofthemremains?Dotheirdescendantsstillliveinthearea?ContactwiththelocalAboriginalcommunityoragencieswillhelpyoutoapproachtheearlyhistoryofthelocalarea.
Ifyourschoolislocatedinanewsuburbandevelopment,youmaywishtofocusyourstudyonanolderareanearby,onthebroaderlocalregionoronanotherareainyourstateorterritory.However,evenifyoursuburbisnewlydeveloped,youmaystillfindevidenceoftheearlierhistoryoftheregionthroughcouncilrecordsorlocallibraryarchives.
Aslocalhistoryissovaried,itcanbetailoredtosuityourclass.Therearemanywaystointroduceastudyofthelocalarea;itisyourstocreate.
Teacher planning• Decide on the extent of your study.You
maywishtobuildontheexperiencesthatyourstudentshadinYear2.ThemainfocusforYear3istoexamineoneexampleofachangeandoneexampleofacontinuityinthelocalcommunity.Theexamplesmayfocusontransport,work,education,dailylife,entertainmentorthelocalenvironment.Startfromtheknownandeasilyseen.Walktheareaandidentifywherethemostvisibletracesofthepastremain.Thiscouldbetherouteofafuture‘heritage’walkfortheclass.Takephotographstouselaterinclass.
• Gain background knowledge.Goodsourcesoflocalorregionalhistoryincludethelocallibraryandmuseum,historywebsites,thelocalcouncil,historicalsocieties,thelocalAboriginallandcouncil,thestatelibraryandperhapsolderresidents.
• Locate useful resources.Onceyouhaveanideaofthehistoryofthelocalarea,youcanfocusonmorespecificresources
thatmaybeavailable,dependingontheaspectyouwishtoinvestigate,suchasaerialmaps,oldstreetdirectories,councilmaps,landgrantmaps,oldphonebooks,censusdata,oldnewspapers,postcardsandphotographs.Buildingscanprovidevaluableinformation—forexample,oldhouses,churches,cemeteries,museums,monuments,railwaystations,oldroadsandsigns.Privatedocumentssuchasletters,diariesandjournalsmaybeheldinthelocallibraryormuseum.Theremaybemoreresourcesforoneparticulartimeperiodandyoumaywishtofocusonthat.
Begin in the classroom• Itissoundpracticetobeginwiththeknown.
Whatdostudentsrememberfromlastyear?Askthemtoidentifyanyvisualcluesaboutthepastinthelocalarea:Whathavetheyseenthatisoldinthearea?Providephotographsoflocalhistoricbuildings,monumentsorremainstoencouragediscussionofchangeandcontinuity.Perhapsphotographsorsuggestionscanbecategorisedinto‘Changed’or‘Thesame’.
• ReadMyPlacebyNadiaWheatley,whichtraceschangeandcontinuityovertimeinaparticularsuburbanstreet.Iffocusingonchangeintransportorhousing,readingthestoryandcarefullyexaminingtheillustrationswillhelpestablishasequenceofchangeovertime.Ifthedrawingsarephotocopiedandthedatesareremoved,studentscanattempttoplacethemchronologicallyandexplainthereasonsbehindtheirsequencing.
• Investigateplacenamesandstreetnamesforcluestotheearlyhistoryofthelocalarea.TheyareoftenthenamesofAboriginalorTorresStraitIslandergroups,earlysettlers,significantcitizensorrepresentationsofimportantevents.
Beyond the classroom• Taketheclassonashort‘heritage’walk,
askingstudentstoidentifyhistoricalremainsthattheyhavestudiedpreviously.Focusononeaspectofchangeovertime,suchasbuildings,transportorentertainment.Whatevidenceofchangecantheynote?Isthereanyevidenceofaspectsoftheirtownthathavenotchanged?Canthisbeexplained?
• Visitalocalmuseumorheritagesite.Forfurtherdetails,seeChapter4Sitestudies,page35.
Page 31Page 30 Discovering History Types of history
Back in the classroom• Createaphotographicdisplayofbuildings,
structuresormodesoftransportthathavechangedovertime.Trytoprovideatleastthreephotographsspreadovertimetoshowthischange.Explainwhysomethingshavechangedwhileothershaveremainedthesame.
• Inviteguestspeakerstosharetheirknowledgeandrecollectionsofthelocalareaorcommunity.Forexample,aspeakerfromthelocalAboriginallandcouncilcouldtellstoriesaboutAboriginallifebeforeEuropeansettlement;aspeakerfromthelocalhistoricalsocietycouldtellstoriesaboutearlypioneerlife;andagrandparentcouldtellstoriesaboutchangestheyhaveseeninthearea.Amemberofaparticularprominentculturalorethnicgroupmaywishtospeakabouttheirearliestsettlerstotheareaandtheircontributionstothecommunity.Createanannotatedpictorialtimelineintheclassroom,withdecadesandsignificantdatesmarked,showingeventsorbroaddevelopmentsinsequence.
• Presenttotheclassaselectionofartefactsrelevanttovariousphasesoflocalhistory.Studentscouldbeasked:‘WhatamI?’or‘WhatcluesdoIprovideaboutthehistoryofourarea?’Relevantartefactscouldincludeearlyfarmingorminingtools,oldharnessesorbridles,pottery,acandleholder,aconvictbrickoranyobjectnotusedtoday.
Use narrative• Focusonalocalculturalorethnicgroupthat
hascontributedtothelocalcommunity.Tellthegroup’sstoryasanindividualfromthatgroup.Allowstudentstoquestionyouduringorafterthenarrative.
• Setawritingexercisebeginningwith‘Ourcommunityhashadmanychangesovertime…’OR‘Somethingsinourcommunityneverchange…’
• Concludewithadiscussionfocusingonthequestion‘Howdoweknowaboutourpast?’Studentscouldrecordalistofpossiblesourcesordisplayaphotographicorpictorialrecord.
A decade
A person or family
A monument
A cultural group
A school
A church
A museumA cemetery
A local legend
Local history topics
A business
An Aboriginal
site
An event
A streetscape
Oral history
What is oral history?Oralhistoryisbasedonpeopletalkingabouttheirmemories.Itisatwo-wayprocesswheresomeonesharesmemorieswithaninterviewerwhohasplannedwhatquestionstoask.Peoplearegenerallymoreinterestingthandocuments,sooralhistorycanhelpbringthepasttolife.Importantly,oralhistoryhighlightsthefactthathistoryinvolvestheexperiencesofordinarypeople.Itcanalsobeameansofincreasingunderstandingbetweengenerations.
The value of oral history
CommunicationOralhistorycanbeanexcellentwaytoengagestudentsintheprocessof‘doing’historythroughinquiry-basedlearning.Itencouragesactivestudentlearningandcompelsstudentstogainexperienceingatheringevidenceastheyinterviewsubjectsandrecordtheirinterviews.
Theliteracyskillmodesoflistening,reading,speaking,writing,viewing,creatingandcommunicatingarehighlightedinthestudyoforalhistory.Inplanninganoralhistoryinvestigation,studentsneedtoidentifytheirsubject,planappropriatequestionsandcreateatextforaspecificaudience.Theyneedtoplananddrafttheirinterviewquestionsandeditthemforclarityofmeaning.Avarietyofdigitalformscouldbeused.
Local identity and oral historyOralhistorycanhelptodevelopstudents’understandingofandidentificationwiththeirlocalareaandthelocalcommunitythroughpersonalcontact.
InYears3and4,studentsmayuseoralhistorytofurtherinvestigatelocalAboriginalorTorresStraitIslanderhistory,interviewalocalhistorianonearlycoloniallife,orinterviewfamilymembersorolderresidentsaboutcommemorationsfromtheirchildhoodortheirobservationsofchangeovertimeinthelocalcommunity.
Historical skillsHistoricalskillsthatcanbedevelopedthroughoralhistoryinclude:• locatingrelevantsubjectsandseeking
informationfrompeopleandothersources• comparingandcontrastingsources—for
example,officialreports,newspaperarticlesandpersonalrecollections
• developingempatheticunderstandingofthosedifferentfromthemselvesandpeoplewhohavehaddifferentexperiences,suchasAboriginalpeoples,oldergenerations,migrantsandrefugees
• detectingprejudice,bias,personalattitudes,exaggerations,distortions,fallacies,omissionsandpropaganda
• understandingthepossibilityofdifferentinterpretationsofahistoricaleventorperiod
• testinginformationforrelevance,consistency,factandopinion
• developinganappreciationoftheimportanceofcarefullyandaccuratelyrecordinginformationandacknowledgingsources.
Social skillsOralhistorycanhelpdevelopimportantsocialskillsaswellashistoricalskills.Itrequiresstudentstodesignopenquestionsthatwillelicitinformationfromtheintervieweeratherthan‘yes’or‘no’responses;tobecourteousinarrangingandconductingtheinterview;tospeakclearly;andtolistenattentively.Recordinginterviewsrequiresstudentstouseappropriatetechnology,suchasaudioorvideorecorders.Acknowledgingtheintervieweewhentheinformationtheyprovidedisusedinpublishedaccountslaysthefoundationforethicalscholarshipinthefuture.
Planning a successful oral history interviewStudentscanconductinterviewsathomewithfamilymembersorfriends,oratschoolwhereguestshavebeeninvitedforthepurpose.Whateverthesituation,thefollowingstepsaregoodpractice.
Preparing the questions• Whattopicdoyouwanttofindoutabout?• Whowouldbeagoodpersontointerview?
Theywillneedtobeoldenoughtohavememoriesofyourtopic.
Page 33Page 32 Discovering History Types of history
• Whatquestionswillyouask?Thiswilldependonwhatyouwanttofindout.
• Makesureyourquestionsare‘open’ratherthan‘closed’questions.Aclosedquestionisonethatproducesa‘yes’or‘no’answer.Forexample,‘DoyourememberAnzacDayserviceswhenyouwereatschool?’isaclosedquestion,whereas‘WhatdoyourememberabouthowAnzacDaywascommemoratedwhenyouwereatschool?’isanopenquestion.
• Makesureyourquestionsareclearlyexpressed—don’tuseslangexpressions.
• Wherewilltheinterviewbeheld—atschool,intheinterviewee’shomeorinyourownhome?Itwillneedtobeaquietplacewheretheintervieweewillfeelrelaxed.Whoelsewillbepresentattheinterview?
• Whatequipmentwillyouuse?Doyouknowhowtouseit?Isitworkingandarethebatteriesfullycharged?
Arranging the interview• Contactthepersonyouwouldliketo
interview(inperson,byletter,byemailorbyphone)andaskthemifyoucaninterviewthemaboutyourparticulartopic.Explainwhyyouwouldliketoconducttheinterviewandwhatyouwillbedoingwiththeinformationtheyprovide.
• Arrangeatimeandplaceandaskifitisokaytorecordtheinterview.Estimatehowlongtheinterviewmighttake.
• Givetheintervieweeacopyofyourquestionsafewdaysbeforetheinterviewsotheywillhavetimetothinkaboutthem.Theremaybesomequestionsthattheintervieweedoesnotwishtoanswerandthiswillgivethemanopportunitytoletyouknow.Itmayalsogivetheintervieweetimetofindphotographsorotherobjectstoshowyou.
• Oncetheinterviewarrangementsaremade,practiseyourinterviewtechniquewithaclassmateorfamilymember.
Conducting the interview• Beforetheintervieweearrives,checkyour
equipmentandrecordabriefintroduction,includingthenameofthepersonbeinginterviewed,yourname,thedate,theplaceandthetopicoftheinterview.
• Welcomeyourguestandthankthemfortakingpartintheinterview.
• Askyourquestionsandallowtimefortheintervieweetoanswer.Don’tinterrupt.
• Sometimesyoumaynotgetexactlytheansweryouwant,soyoumayneedtoaskanadditionalquestionforclarification.
• Althoughyouwillbeconcentratingonaskingyourquestionsandlisteningtotheanswers,trytoshowinterestinwhattheintervieweeissaying.Thiswillencouragethemtorespond.
• Onceallyourquestionshavebeenanswered,listentoorviewtherecordingwithyourinterviewee.Asktheintervieweeiftheyaresatisfiedwiththeiranswersoriftheywouldliketochangeoraddanything.
• Thankthepersonyouhaveinterviewedandmakeacommentabouthowmuchyouappreciatethemsharingtheirmemoriesandknowledgewithyou.
After the interview• Labeltheinterviewtapeorfilewiththename,
date,locationandtopicoftheinterview.• Sendathank-younotetotheinterviewee.• Acknowledgetheintervieweeinanyworkyou
producethatusestheirinformation.
Cautionary adviceOralhistory,withitsrelianceonpersonalopinionandmemory,maybesubjecttohalf-truths,inaccuracies,biasandfaultymemory.Iftheclassisinvestigatingchangesovertimeinthelocalcommunity,theymayfindthatopinionsvarywitheachsubject.Thiscanleadtoadiscussiononthevariablenatureofhistoricalsources;thereisneveronlyonestoryorversionofhistory.
Ethicalconsiderationsandcommoncourtesyarealsoimportant.Somecommunitymembersinsmalltownsmayhavebeenapproachedmanytimesinthepastforinterviews,andsomaybereluctanttobeinterviewedagain.Intervieweesmayalsowishtokeepsomememoriestothemselves;thememoriesmaybetoosensitiveorprivate.Studentsmustlearntorespectthat.Intervieweesmayalsobereluctanttospeakoncertaintopics.Forexample,culturalbarriersmaypreventintervieweesspeakingoncertaintopics.Checkthelanguageofquestions,keepingthemsimpleandavoidingslangandjargon.
Site studies 4The value of site studiesSitestudiesprovidetheopportunityforstudentstopractisearangeofhistoricalskillsoutsidetheclassroom,particularlyobservationandrecordingskills.Examplesofrealbuildingsandlandscapefeaturescanbeusedtoaugmentclassroomdiscussionsontopicssuchascontinuityandchangeinthelocalcommunity.Sitestudiesareapracticalintroductiontothedisciplineofhistory,encouragingstudentstolookattheirsurroundingswithfresheyesandsearchforcluestoanswerthequestion‘Howdoweknowaboutthepast?’HistorysitestudiescanbeintegratedwithGeographyfieldwork.
Monuments
Amonumentissomethingmadeespeciallytorememberpeopleoreventsfromthepast.Anothernameforamonumentisamemorial.Thewordsmemorial,memoir,memorabiliaandcommemorationareallconnectedinmeaningtoremembering.Monumentsshouldmakeusthinkaboutthepeopleoreventsbeingcommemorated.
Teachingstudentsaboutmonumentscanprovidethemwithtangibleandusefulmarkersforunderstandingtheirlocalornationalhistory.Italsoprovidesvaluableopportunitiesforfieldworkandlearningoutsidetheclassroom.
Types of monumentsInmostcommunitiestherewillbesomeformofmonument.Withintheschoolgrounds,theremaybeplaques,honourboardsorgalleriesofphotographstorememberpeoplewhohaveplayedsignificantrolesintheschool’shistory.Cemeteriescontainmonumentsintheformofgravestones,whichrecorddetailsofthosewhoareburiedthere.Inthelocalareatheremaybestatuesorothermonumentstocommemorateimportantpeopleandeventsinthehistoryofthecommunity.Atthestateandterritoryandnationallevels,therearegrandpublicmonuments,ceremoniesandevenpublicholidaystocommemoratesignificanteventsfromthenation’spast.
Thefollowinglistcontainssomeofthemorecommontypesofmonument.• Gravestonesincemeteriesrecorddetailsof
thelivesofthepeopleburiedthere.• Foundationstonestelluswhenbuildings
wereerected.• Plaquesrecordpeopleandeventsassociated
withaparticularbuildingorlocation.
Page 35Page 34 Discovering History Site studies