Convicts

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Teaching and Learning Proforma -
CONVICTS

(Big idea - The place of convicts in Australian history.)

Intended Outcomes:

Children to develop an understanding of -

convict system
convict employment
famous convicts
punishments and rewards
the end of transportation

The need to develop an empathy with people of other times and situations and the harsh life of convicts.

Co-operative learning strategies are to be modelled and practised with their peers.

Students will be given regular opportunities to develop their skills in speaking, listening, reading, viewing and writing.

Collect, analyse and organise information.

Access appropriate data to support research from computer, encyclopedias, etc

Engaging students:

Prior knowledge - Brainstorm What do we already know. (Hopefully the children will have some knowledge as to why the convicts were transported to Australia.

Refining (students’ questions, ideas and teacher’s intentions):

Teacher reading of texts to children -

Farewell to Old England Forever
An Uncommonly Fine Day
The Convict Settlement
They Came to Botany Bay

Video - For the Term of His Natural Life

Introduce any convict songs and poems.

Extending:

Direct teaching - Convicts can be divided into five groups -

Government labourers - chain gangs, could not be trusted
Assigned convicts - assigned to a free settler
Emancipists - well behaved
Ticket-of-leave convicts - work for himself and report to authorities
Expirees- served their sentences in full

Women and boy convicts, punishments, rewards and end of transportation to be covered in this area.

Group discussions -

How would you describe the conditions and treatment of the convicts?
Why do you think convicts, especially the women, received less food than sailors and marines?

Imagine that you are a convict locked below decks on one of the ships, write a description of what you can see, hear, touch, taste and smell.

Using primary and secondary sources to draw conclusions ( see page 32, 33 Discovering Australian History).

Group or individual research on various settlements -
Sydney, Port Arthur, Macquarie Harbour, Maria Island, Norfolk Island:

Locate the site. Show on a map. Why was this site chosen?
Describe the treatment of the convicts at this penal settlement.
What type of jobs were the convicts assigned?
How long did this penal settlement operate?
How many convicts spent time here?
Why was it closed?

Individual work - Children select a convict and research that convict. eg Francis Greenway, Mary Reibey, George Howe, James Ruse, Dr William Redfern.

Cloze and comprehension activities.

Class excursion to Port Arthur.

Reflecting on what we have learnt

Provide the opportunity for children to tell the rest of the class about their convict.

Teaching Resources:

Brown, Doug & Monoghan, Bob Comprehension 6 Longman Cheshire Pty Limited Melbourne 1994

Eshuys Guest Phelan Discovering Australian History Macmillan Education Australia Pty Ltd South Melbourne 1996

Garoni, Dennis Practical Projects Longman Cheshire Pty Limited Melbourne 1990

Harrold, Jenni and Bartley, Sue Social Studies 6 RIC Publications Pty Ltd 1990

Walters, Lynley Non-fiction Cloze and Comprehension Activities Book 4 Longman Cheshire Pty Limited Melbourne 1993

Educational Kits -
Convicts and transportation
Convict life
For the term of his natural life

Internet sites -
Convicts in Australia http://www.stg.brown.edu/projects/hypertext/landow/victorian/australia/convicts.html
Maria Island, Tasmania http://www-mcnl.tamu.edu/~justin/tastour/e/mariaisland.html
Port Arthur Historic Site http://www.portarthur.org.au/index.htm
Sarah Island Historic Site, South West Tasmania http://www.ozemail.com.au/~kemoon/Strahan.html
Tasmania FAQ http://www.tased.edu.au/tasfaq/history/HistConvict.html
Transportation of Irish convicts to Australia (1791-1853) http://www.kst.dit.ie/nat-arch/transp1.html

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