People power - unit of work

• This is a valuable resource for history teaching and learning in year 6 in particular, and to a lesser extent in year 5. The unit's sequences of learning and student activities are directly relevant to content descriptions about the experiences of Australian democracy and citizenship, including the status and rights of Indigenous people and of women, and the contribution of individuals and groups to the development of a colony or Australian society.
• The sequence of learning and student activities associated with the fourth focus question 'In what ways can popular movements achieve change?' is useful for civics and citizenship in the upper primary years. By this stage of schooling, students should be starting to understand the strategies people use to bring about change. The unit provides many opportunities for students to identify and evaluate strategies used in the past.
• Many of the teaching and learning activities in this resource are helpful in enhancing students' historical skills, particularly in the area of perspectives and interpretations in years 5 and 6. Here the curriculum calls for students to identify points of view in the past and present.

5; 6