Knox

City
Inquiry question:
What is the history and geographical significance of Knox city - our local community?
Big ideas:

Knox City has a rich, meaningful history, which can be explored through its
people, stories, buildings, suburbs, and landforms.

Knox City has significant features, resources, settlements, people and

places.

The community of Knox City is home to the Indigenous Wurundjeri Tribe.

Teaching Proposal

The unit focuses on the history, geography and c ommunity of Knox City and investigates the ways the past has had an impact on
the community and environment of the city today. A curriculum rich in concepts and historical/geographical skills helps young
people appreciate the legacies of the past, understand todays world and weigh up possible futures (Gilbert & Hoepper, 2014, p.
194). As the Australian Curriculum for History states: historical knowledge is fundamental to understanding ourselves and
others it promotes the understanding of societies, events, movements and developments that have shaped humanity from
earliest times (ACARA, 2015). This unit overall will help students discover who they are and the world they live in, prepare them
for active participation in civic life and contribute to their cultural literacy (National Center for History in the Schools, 2015).
From this unit, students will enhance their skills and knowledge on the local people and places within Knox City through the
analysis of stories, videos, and information found through research, historical documents, and historical events from the past.
Activities including creating an immigration story/video, placing historical events in sequential order and comparisons of the past
and present will allow effective analysis to occur. Students will use mapping skills during activities including a mapping puzzle,
poster and clay formation to explore the geography of the city and investigate it from a geographical perspective. This will help
students build a holistic understanding of the world (ACARA, 2015).
Students will understand the cultural impact on the community through investigation into the Wurundjeri tribe that inhabits the
city of Knox. They will explore the history, beliefs, food, clothing, shelter, transport, art and music of the Indigenous culture
through videos and inquiry based activities. Students will also explore the topic of sustainability, and discover ways they can
protect the environment they live in. In order to contribute to the democratic process in their society, they will investigate how
to make informed personal and financial choices through problem solving activities.
In order to develop a deep understanding of their local environment, a unit on place exploring Knox Cities past, present and
future will be effective as well as highly educational for students. Through exploring the city, they will become aware of the rich
history, geography, people, places, and landmarks in their own community. As students attend school and live in the community
of Knox City, this unit will also be extremely engaging and relevant for them. The topic of place encourages students curiosity
about the diverse places, cultures, people and environments in the world. It allows students to examine why places have
particular environmental and human characteristics, explore the similarities and differences between them, investigate their
meanings and significance to people and examine how they are managed and c hanged (ACARA, 2015).
The critical inquiry nature of the unit will allow students to be active participants in their own education. Although learning
outcomes are set, students have the flexibility to learn at their own level using their preferred learning style for more
worthwhile, educative experiences to occur. According to Gilbert & Hoepper (2014, pp. 68-69), worthwhile learning experiences
unravel new understandings about the world and its peoples; encourage students to search for accurate information from a
variety of sources; promote deep and authentic learning and high order thinking and ensure connectedness to the world
beyond the classroom. The use of inquiry based learning throughout this unit aims to provide a valuable context for learns to
acquire, clarify and apply and understanding of concepts (Edelson, Gordin & Pea 2011 p. 392).

Learning Intentions
At the end of this unit s tudents will understand that:

LI1: Knox City is rich in history and has a varied past. We can learn about this through
artefacts, stories, research and books.

LI2: Landforms, buildings, roads and settlements make up the city of Knox, and this can be
explored from a geographical point of view.

LI3: Local historical people, sites and buildings have significance to the community.

LI4: The traditional Indigenous landowners of Knox City and the Indigenous members of
our community today are important contributors to the community of Knox City.

LI5: Preserving and protecting the community of Knox City is of great importance, and
members of the community as well as community services can contribute to this.

LI6: Members of the community must make informed personal and financial choices in
order to contribute to the democratic process.

Skills developed:
At the conclusion of the unit students will be able to:

Identify the local people and places within Knox City, and explain their significance to our
community.

Analyse stories, videos, information found through research, historical documents, and
historical events from the past.

Navigate their way around Knox City and understand the cities formation using mapping
skills and knowledge.

Understand the cultural impact on the community.

Predict future s ustainable ideas for their local community.

Make informed personal and financial choices.

Record and express weekly learning through a journal as well as the formation of graphic
representations of the units work.

Assessment evidence:

Journal kept throughout whole unit that will provide rich summative as well as formative
data outlining the learning process and the level of understanding each student has
acquired.
Inquiry based projects that include groups working on specific topics outlining significant
features regarding history, geography, and Indigenous culture.
Other lesson activities including mapping puzzle, poster, clay formation etc.
Brainstorm maps.
Classroom observations/discussions/participation.
Letter piece that will be assessed regarding indigenous culture and sustainability.
Mini presentations of work samples will occur regularly after each topic is c ompleted.
KWL chart that will be used as a pre and post assessment.
Gallery walk summative task.

Australian Curriculum:
History, Geography, Economics & B usiness, Civics & Citizenship, Cross-Curriculum Priorities:
Sustainability & Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander Histories and Cultures, and General
Capabilities: Literacy, Numeracy, ICT Capability, Critical & Creative Thinking, Personal & Social
Capability, Ethical Understanding and Cultural Understanding (Refer to Inquiry Planner Document).


Lesson 1
Learning intention:
Knox City is rich in history and has a varied past.
We can learn about this through artefacts, stories,
research and books.

Activity:
The Little Refugee (Do, 2011) will be read to
students followed by class discussion, adding
ideas to a concept map. Possible questions
include: Who were the first people to migrate to
Australia? Why do you think people migrated to
Australia? Where do you think they came from?
How do you think they came to Australia?
Students will then use their imagination to
encompass what an immigrant would have felt,
smelt, seen and heard on their journey to
Australia through a short story or video.
Expectations of reflective journal writing will be
introduced.

Resources:

The Little Refugee by Anh Do

Student journals

Cameras/computers

Australian Curriculum:
(ACHHK096), (ACHHK097)

Assessment:
Students produced story or video.

Lesson 2
Learning intention:
Landforms, buildings, roads and settlements make
up the city of Knox, and this can be explored from a
geographical point of view.

Activity:
Students will be introduced to the area of Knox city
through displaying a map of the city with grid
references. Exploration of Knox City through a
mapping activity where students place puzzle pieces
together following a set of clear instructions to
create a cohesive map of Knox City using grid
references.
Adding reflection to journal.

Resources:

Knox city maps

Puzzle pieces

Instructions

Smartboard

Website: http://profile.id.com.au/knox/about

Australian Curriculum:
(ACHGK029), (ACHHK097), (ACHGS037)

Assessment:
Observations of students mapping skills during
activity as well as completed puzzle.

Lesson 3
Learning intention:
Landforms, buildings, roads and settlements make
up the city of Knox, and this can be explored from
a geographical point of view.

Activity:
Students are placed into suburb groups, and use a
website resource provided to research their
specific areas, focusing on major landforms in the
suburb. Students will then create a poster or a clay
formation of their chosen landform.
Adding reflection to journal

Resources:

Website:
http://profile.id.com.au/knox/about

IPads/computers to research

Clay

Poster paper and stationary

Australian Curriculum:
(ACHGS040), (ACHGS043), (ACHGS037)

Assessment:
The completed 3D clay model of a major landform
or a poster on a landform.

Lesson 4
Learning intention:
Local historical people, sites and buildings have
significance to the community.

Activity:
Students will attend an excursion to the Ambleside
Park Museum located in Ferntree Gully. Here,
students will learn the local geography and history
in more depth through images, artefacts, the
historical school photograph collection and
through exploration of the Ambleside Park
Gardens.
Adding reflection to journal.



Resources:

Ambleside Park Museum

Student journals

Notepads for students to take notes

Australian Curriculum:
(ACHHK096), (ACHHK097), (ACHGK029),
(ACHGK028)

Assessment:
Observation of students, as well as their
participation on the excursion.

Lesson 6
Learning intention:
The traditional Indigenous landowners of Knox
City and the Indigenous members of our
community today are important contributors to
the community of Knox City.

Activity:
Students will be introduced to the Wurundjeri
tribe, who were the original inhabitants of the
Knox City land through an educational video. They
will design a creative piece to demonstrate their
knowledge and understanding on their given topic
(beliefs, food, clothing, shelter, transport, art and
music). For example, the group investigating food
can come up with a Wurundjeri food menu.
Adding reflection to journal.

Resources:

http://aboriginalhistoryofyarra.com.au/

Different resources for each creative piece

e.g. craft items, IPads and cameras.

Stationary and paper

Australian Curriculum:
(ACHGK033), (ACHHK097), OI.1

Assessment:
Students finalised creative pieces.

Lesson 7
Learning intention:
Preserving and protecting the community of Knox
City is of great importance, and members of the
community as well as community services can
contribute to this.

Activity:
Individually, students will write a letter envisioning
themselves as Wurundjeri tribe members. They will
write a letter to another Indigenous tribe, describing
their lifestyle (what they see and do, how they live
off the land, how they protect their environment and
why they protect their environment). Students can
use sustainable materials to decorate their letters
and can justify why they chose those certain
materials.
Adding reflection to journal.

Resources:

Computers/IPads for research

A4 letter template provided by teacher

Sustainable materials

Australian Curriculum:
(ACHHK097), (ACHGK033), OI.3

Assessment:
Letter to another Indigenous Tribe Member.

Lesson 8
Learning intention:
Preserving and protecting the community of Knox
City is of great importance, and members of the
community as well as community services can
contribute to this.

Activity:
Four corner debate: Each student will construct a
list of 4 ways their suburb in Knox City can be a
sustainable living environment and 4 ways that
can negatively impact the environment. Each
student will present their statements while the
rest of the class will decide whether they strongly
agree, agree, disagree or strongly disagree.
Adding reflection to journal.

Resources:

Workbooks

Pens/pencils

Australian Curriculum:
Cross-curricular priorities - OI.7, OI.8

Assessment:
Students sustainability lists as well as observation
and notes of student participation and input in
four-corner debate.

Lesson 9
Learning intention:
Members of the community must make informed
personal and financial choices in order to
contribute to the democratic process.

Activity:
Problem Solving Activity: Students will use
magazines and catalogues to find images and
prices of the essentials they want in their house in
order to fit the given budget. They must use the
images to create a poster of their ideal household.
The students will have a design brief to follow
(refer to inquiry planner document).
Adding reflection to journal.

Resources:

Magazines and catalogues

Scissors

Glue

Calculators

Australian Curriculum:
(ACHEK002), (ACHEK003)

Assessment:
Students solution to the task using their
completed posters.

Lesson 5
Learning intention:
Local historical people, sites and buildings have
significance to the community.

Activity:
Short discussion reflecting on excursion, exploring
how the community has changed/evolved from
past to present. Compare and contrast of what
community services were accessible in the past
and present. Students will then create a short
cartoon/animation on key personnel in law
enforcement. Students will also show reference to
their duties from the past and present.
Adding reflection to journal.

Resources:

Website links to help students research:

http://profile.id.com.au/knox/about

http://home.vicnet.net.au/~khsinc/about.ht
ml

http://www.knox.vic.gov.au/Page/Page.asp
x?Page_Id=3697

Computers/IPads

Animation website tools

Australian Curriculum:
(ACHCK027), (ACHCK025)

Assessment:
Presentation of cartoon/animation designs.
Lesson 10
Learning intention:
Knox City is rich in history and has a varied past.
We can learn about this through artefacts, stories,
research and books.

Activity:
Gallery Walk Summative Task: Students will set up
their own small space in the class and in their
suburb groups they will create graphic
representations of their learning and work
samples throughout the unit and post them. The
group will also need to design a gallery plaque,
which states what they have displayed. This
plaque should also include five major statements
describing the most important things they have
learnt throughout this unit. This will be used as the
final journal entry of the unit.

Resources:

All work samples from previous weeks

Students journals

Australian Curriculum:
All previous lesson curriculum links combined.

Assessment:
The Gallery walk activity, which will be used as
summative assessment.