Brittany, Julie, Nicole, Rosana & Sarah.

*Elizabeth Farm provides a rich learning experience for students.
Powerful knowledge about the site-
1. knowledge about the British Settlers
*John and Elizabeth Macarthur
2.Knowledge about Indigenous People
*Burramattagal Clan or the
original Aboriginal people of the site.

Elizabeth Farm was originally built in 1793 for John and Elizabeth Macarthur who are poignant figures in Australia’s history. The site is valuable in depicting what life was like for people living in the early 1800’s and therefore is a great site for reinforcing the principles of change and continuity. The farm gives a strong insight into the class struggles and structures which came to dominate the way people lived contextually and the roles that individuals assumed as a consequence. A contrast between the servant’s quarters and main living areas of the house reinforce this idea and would allow students to compare and contrast the living conditions of alternate classes and how these conditions came to affect all who were living in the period. Similarly, this would also allow students to recognise the convergence between daily living within modern contexts as opposed to the early 18th century and establish reasons why these changes have occurred. Elements of the site that allow visitors to understand the woman’s domestic role would also allow students to have a greater understanding of how society has changed in relation to gender and power relations.
By visiting the site it is apparent that Elizabeth Farm offers students a range of opportunities to engage in a range of hands on experiential learning activities. By dressing in traditional clothing, doing the washing and partaking in a variety of leisure activities which were popular in the 18th century, students would become more actively engaged in their learning and would also be able to link the knowledge that they have acquired to the appropriate context in order to make strong connections within their learning. For example, performing tasks such as doing the washing would allow students to gain a better understanding of what the daily life of the servants was actually like.
Elizabeth Farm also offers students with opportunities to learn and utilise appropriate language that would help them to discuss the changes that have occurred over time and discuss the ways in which these changes have impacted the wider society. Exposing students to this vocabulary would also provide students with the opportunity to recognise the way the use of language has also changed to meet the needs of ever changing societies.
The farm offers visitors with full access to the home and surviving collections of family letters which offer great insights into life within the 18th century. Additionally, these letters also allow students to be historians and view and make judgements about the usefulness, reliability, validity and biases which exist within these primary sources. This would also allow students to recognise the role of evidence within history and the ways in which sources can be utilised for a range of purposes.

An Excursion to Elizabeth Farm Museum
The students are given a guided tour of the house and property They particpate in a range of interactive activities:
Students will
Learn about Convicts way of life.

They are able to view the house and see many rooms like this elegantly set dinning table.

The house is historically set in 1828. Students learn the history of the house.

They are able to see 19th century technology in context

Students can participate in many activities.

Students put on a cap and apron and do chores just like a newly arrived convict servant.

They get a feel of what it was like by doing chores such as making scones.

Students will get to wash clothes just like a convict servant.

*Before leaving Students get to put ink on a Ticket of Leave
Just like a real Convict would have done!

Q3. The unit of work on colonisation is best suited to Stage 2, Year 3 based on the NSW Human Society and Its Environment Syllabus (Board of Studies, 2006). The topic of colonisation is relevant for this age group as it provides a historical inquiry into the birth of Australia. The site of Elizabeth Farm is beneficial to integrate into this unit as students are given practical, hands-on experience to engage with the content. Students are required to use their knowledge of colonisation and the first white settlers to role play a day in the life of a convict. Students have the opportunity to wash clothes by hand, sift flour and churn butter to make scones, as well as learning how to set the table and ringing the bell for dinner time. This provides a quality insight into the life of convicts in the 1820s. Before travelling to the site, students will be required to have some background knowledge about this time in history. Students should: understand why people were sent to Australia and give examples of crimes and punishment, know what it was like to travel on a boat for a long period of time, understand who the Macarthurs were and why they are significant people.

CCS2.1 - Describes events and actions related to the British colonisation of Australia and assesses changes and consequences.


CCS2.2 Explains changes in the community and family life and evaluates effects of these individuals, groups and environments.

Our group undertook additional research to engage deeper with the content that we will one day be teaching. We began by reading about the Macarthurs on the Sydney Living Museums website before we went to the site. This enabled us to understand the significance of the site and formulate any questions. At the conclusion of the visit, we were given two photocopies of letters that were written from Elizabeth Macarthur to her husband and son. After the visit we used the information we gained to conduct further research online using websites and books.

Australian Government. (2008). European discovery and the colonisation of Australia. Retrieved August 6, 2014, from http://australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/european-discovery...

Australian History. (2014). Australian history: Colonisation (1788-1900). Retrieved August 6, 2014 from http://www.australianhistory.org/colonisation

Australians Together. (n.d.). Discover stories: Era 1 colonisation. Retrieved August 8, 2014, from http://www.australianstogether.org.au/stories/detail/colonisation

Dunn, C., & McCreadie, M. (n.d.). The founders of a nation: Australia’s first fleet- 1788. Retrieved August 7, 2014, from http://www.australianhistoryresearch.info/the-first-fleet/

Resture, J. (2007). Australia: European settlement. Retrieved August 7, 2014, from http://web1.cnre.vt.edu/lsg/Intro/Australia_European_Settlement.pdf

School A to Z. (n.d.). Convicts in Australia. Retrieved August 6, 2014, from http://www.schoolatoz.nsw.edu.au/homework-and-study/other-subjects-and-proj...

State Library New South Wales. (2014). Convicts: Bound for Australia. Retrieved August 8, 2014, from http://guides.sl.nsw.gov.au/content.php?pid=400401&sid=3291413

State Library of Queensland. (2014). Convict records: Convict facts. Retrieved August 8, 2014, from ttp://www.convictrecords.com.au/facts

Sydney Living Museums. (n.d.) Elizabeth Farm. Retrieved August 3, 2014, from http://sydneylivingmuseums.com.au/elizabeth-farm

1. Students consider how people they are learning about might feel/have felt by participating in the “Transported in Time” program at Elizabeth Farm. Through the dramatization of the program students develop empathy for the Convict Servants. This allows students the chance to discover what life was like for convict servants assigned to the estate of John and Elizabeth Macarthur in 1829.

2. Students are able to evaluate points of view about the consequences of British Colonisation and formulate their own opinions. Students are able to extract required details and formulate their own informed opinions in this way.

3. Students can establish the importance of some significant places associated with the British Colonisation. Familiarising themselves with the history of Elizabeth Farm, the house being the oldest house in Australia dating back to 1793 and through the owners John and Elizabeth Macarthur.

A visit to the site as a part of a unit of work would be extremely effective in providing students with opportunities to have a greater understanding of the topic. Providing students with hands on experiential learning would promote student engagement and would also allow them to implement the field knowledge that they have developed in the classroom. If this site was incorporated as a key component of a unit of work it would provide students with opportunities to engage with content and ideas that would allow them to be more successful in their learning by comparing and contrasting elements of past and present societies. Although it would be an engaging way to begin a unit, I believe that it would be a more valuable site and experience if students were to first have developed the field knowledge and vocabulary in order to reinforce ideas and extend the ways in which students come to acknowledge and analyse the elements of change and continuity which exist within the site itself.