Australian symbols Year level: 5 6

Transcription

1 Australian symbols Year level: 5 6 R7513 Southern Cross flag. From the collection of the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery. About the unit Unit description This unit focuses on symbols and some of the key images that are intended to represent or typify Australia. Students deconstruct and read a number of formal national symbols, research formal and informal symbols of Australia, and construct and represent symbols of Australia using writing, speaking, reading and art-related activities. Knowledge, understandings, skills, values Students develop an understanding of what a symbol is and how to read it. Students investigate which symbols are seen as good representations of Australia and why. Students investigate the relationship between symbols and national identity. Students develop skills and techniques to communicate their understanding of Australian symbols. Focus questions What is a symbol? How do we understand symbols? Which symbols are important to Australians and why? Australian symbols 1

2 Resources Digital curriculum resources L865 Sea rescue: plotting the course L349 Rainforest: use signs and symbols L9511 Discovering democracy: we remember Internet sites Symbols of Australia exhibit: (search for symbols of Australia ) Australian national flag: Factsheet of the British flag : (select Visiting the UK, then Holidays in the UK, then Factsheet of the British flag ) Aboriginal flag: (search for Aboriginal flag ) Torres Strait Islander flag: (search for Torres Strait Islander flag ) Attached printable resources The following learning resources referred to in the unit of work are available for you to modify, print and use in your own teaching and learning context. Exploring our flag Australian symbols Australian symbols 2

3 Teaching the unit Setting the scene Resources Factsheet of the British flag : (select Visiting the UK, then Holidays in the UK, then Factsheet of the British flag ) L865 Sea rescue: plotting the course L349 Rainforest: use signs and symbols Teaching and learning activities Reading symbols Remind students that a symbol is something that represents something else. For example, the letter S with one or two strokes through it ($) has come to represent dollars. If a person came to Australia from another country and saw the $ symbol, they would not necessarily know what it meant. We have to learn to read symbols to understand their meaning. ~ Project the flag of Great Britain in the classroom. (Go to and select Visiting the UK, then Holidays in the UK, then Factsheet of the British flag.) Ask students if they know the meaning of the Union Jack symbol. Ask students if they can see the series of crossed lines and colours that make up this flag. To aid students deconstruction of this symbol, show them the three separate sub-national flags that combine to form the flag of Great Britain. (Scroll down to the flags on the same webpage.) The cross of St George, representing England (red on white) The cross of St Andrew, representing Scotland (white on blue) The cross of St Patrick, representing Ireland (red on white) Can students now explain the symbol? Project the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags in the classroom. Ask students if they know the meaning of the colours and symbols of the flags. Aboriginal flag: (search for Aboriginal flag ) Torres Strait Islander flag: (search for Torres Strait Islander flag ) Australian symbols 3

4 Placing symbols in context Explain to students that, even if we can read a symbol, we may not understand the full message or implications of what it is telling us. ~ Ask students to imagine that a new student has come to their school. You know nothing about the person, but you notice a number of things. Look at them and decide what they tell you about her. Her hair is dyed green. She was dropped off by a young man driving a flash sports car. She is carrying a book written in Russian. She has dog hairs on her clothes. She is wearing a hearing aid. She has an Amnesty International badge on her jumper. She is in your class but she is two years younger than everyone else. Ask students to work in pairs to decide what these contextual elements help them to know or suspect about this new student. Ask them to share the responses. Discuss with them the importance of reading symbols and placing the symbols in context. Is it possible to misread what this student might be like from these clues? What other information might students need before making a more informed and accurate judgement? Extension activities Ask students to complete L865 Sea rescue: plotting the course. This digital curriculum resource asks students to use symbols to map and chart a safe passage for a rescue ship. Ask students to complete L349 Rainforest: use signs and symbols. This short digital curriculum resource asks students to use symbols to make signs to protect the rainforest. Investigating Resources Symbols of Australia exhibit: (search for symbols of Australia ) Australian national flag: (select symbols, and then Australian national flag ) L9511 Discovering democracy: we remember Exploring our flag (page 9) Australian symbols (page 10) Australian symbols 4

5 Teaching and learning activities Identifiers of the nation: flags and coat of arms Project the flag of Australia in the classroom for students to see. (Go to and select symbols, and then Australian national flag ). Use Exploring our flag (page 9) to guide a discussion about the Australian flag, and to create a mind map in the classroom. What is the purpose of a national flag? What does the Australian flag consist of? What do the symbols on the Australian flag mean? Does the flag convey an overall meaning? How has it come to be what it is today? What messages does it send? What alternatives might be available? Do you think the flag is a good representation of Australia? Do you think it can tell us anything about being Australian? Do you think the flag is important to all Australians? Also have students complete the questions on the sheet. Visit the flag section of the National Museum of Australia s online Symbols of Australia exhibition. (Go to and search for symbols of Australia. Then, on the Symbols of Australia page, click on Flag.) View the slideshow, which presents different images of the Australian flag. Discuss how the context of the image changes the way in which we view the symbol of the Australian flag. Project the coat of arms in the classroom for students to see. (Go to and select Commonwealth Coat of Arms.) Discuss the following with students. What are the elements of the coat of arms? What do you think the following four elements represent? The star The shield The wattle The animals Look at the symbols on the crest. What do you think each of the symbols represents? You can see enlarged versions of these symbols at (Select Commonwealth Coat of Arms, then scroll down.) What message does the coat of arms send about Australia? Does the coat of arms add to our understanding of what it means to be Australian? Australian symbols 5

6 Researching other Australian symbols Ask students to work in small groups to research another Australian symbol. Students should use Australian symbols (page 10) to guide their research and presentation tasks. Students can research one of the following symbols and use the National Museum of Australia s online exhibition Symbols of Australia as an information source. Kangaroo Wattle Uluru Boomerang Sydney Harbour Bridge Billy Holden Southern Cross Vegemite Extension activities Australia has a number of official flags. Ask pairs of students to research one of Australia s official flags and share their findings with the class by creating a poster that features the flag, its history and its symbolism. Ask students to view and complete the activity in L9511 Discovering democracy: we remember. This digital curriculum resource asks students to view a range of Australian symbols and events and complete a poster activity. Assessment Students creative presentations on Australian symbols (page 10) can be used for assessment. Bringing it all together Teaching and learning activities New national symbols Ask students to think about all the Australian symbols they have explored. Can they think of any other symbols that effectively represent Australia? Using a think-pair-share method, ask students to brainstorm some other Australian symbols. (For example, they may think of Australian currency, Australian medals, landmarks, big things or symbols of lifestyles.) Discuss with students the differences between formal symbols and informal symbols. Ask students if the symbols they have explored and identified represent modern Australia. What symbols would you choose to be effective representations of modern Australia? Australian symbols 6

7 Communicating Teaching and learning activities Ask students to work in pairs to construct a new symbol of Australia. They can undertake one of the following activities. Students select four symbols that they would include on a new Australian coat of arms. Have them draw this new coat of arms and annotate it, explaining why they have selected the symbols. Students design a new Australian flag. They draw this flag and annotate it, explaining why they have selected the symbols. Students create a poster that advertises Australia for an overseas tourist market. They will need to carefully select symbols of Australia that will attract more people to come and holiday in Australia. Their poster will also need to include some persuasive text that encourages people to come to Australia and refers to the symbols they have included on the poster. Australian symbols 7

8 Writer: Angela Casey, National Museum of Australia Some of the content in this unit of work draws on material jointly owned by National Museum of Australia and Ryebuck Media. The material in this unit of work may contain links to internet sites maintained by entities not connected to Education Services Australia Ltd and which it does not control ( Sites ). Education Services Australia Ltd: provides the links for ease of reference only and it does not sponsor, sanction or approve of any material contained on the Sites; and does not make any warranties or representations as to, and will not be liable for, the accuracy or any other aspect of the material on the Sites or any other matter connected to the use of the Sites. While the material in this unit of work is not remunerable under Part VB of the Copyright Act 1968, material on the Sites may be remunerable under Part VB of the Copyright Act It is your responsibility to read and comply with any copyright information, notices or conditions of use which apply to a Site. Australian symbols 8

9 Exploring our flag Name Class Date One of the most powerful symbols of a nation is its national flag. This is the image the nation presents to the rest of the world when it is engaged with other nations in political forums, sporting events and artistic celebrations. For many young Australian travellers who sew a small flag on their backpacks, it is also a beacon of identity and a signal to fellow wanderers. Discuss the following questions and brainstorm a mind map. What is the purpose of a national flag? What does the Australian flag consist of? What do the symbols on the Australian flag mean? Does the flag convey an overall meaning? How has it come to be what it is today? What messages does it send? What alternatives might be available? Do you think the flag is a good representation of Australia? Do you think it can tell us anything about being Australian? Do you think the flag is important to all Australians? ~ There are two main elements to the flag the Union Jack in the top-left-hand corner and the arrangements and nature of the stars. All the stars bar one are seven-pointed. They were originally six-pointed but were changed in 1908 to match the star on the Commonwealth crest. Working in pairs, answer the following questions. You may need to research the answers. You could use your school library or the internet. A useful internet site is: Many countries incorporate their national colours into their flag. Does Australia? Why would we have a representation of the Southern Cross in the flag? Are there any elements of the flag that are unique to Australia? What messages do you think somebody from another country would receive when looking at the Australian flag? Can the Australian flag tell us anything about what it means to be Australian? The design of the flag was a result of a competition in The rules of the competition said that the Union Jack had to be part of the flag s design. Why do you think this rule was imposed? Do you think the flag is important to all Australians? Australian symbols 9

10 Australian symbols Name Class Date Write the names of the students in your group here: Write the symbol you are investigating here: Your job is to research an Australian symbol and present your findings. You ll have a choice in how you do this. You might use the school library or the internet to research your symbol. Make sure you visit the National Museum of Australia s online exhibition Symbols of Australia at: (search for symbols of Australia ). Find out the following information about your symbol. What is it? What are some interesting facts about your symbol? (Try to include about five facts.) What makes it important to Australia? (Is it only found in Australia or was it made in Australia?) Find out what other people think about the symbol you are researching. Survey some classmates and family members and ask them: Do you think this is a good symbol of Australia? Why? What part of Australia/Australian life do you think this symbol represents? Now decide how you are going to present your information. If you decide on a poster, include a few images of your symbol and your information. ~ If you decide on a drama skit, maybe your setting could be a news program or a talk show. You could have several panel guests maybe some of them don t think your symbol is appropriate for Australia, while others think it is. Or maybe your scene could include the symbol you have explored and show why it is important to Australians by telling a story. ~ Take the tune from a well-known song and write some lyrics to promote the symbol you have researched. Perform your song for the class. Australian symbols 10