Wild Dog Books
Teachers’ Notes
Our Past: Gold
Wild Dog Books • PO Box 54a Alexandra Parade Clifton Hill Vic 3068 Australia
T +61 3 9419 9406 E [email protected] W www.wdog.com.au
Synopsis
Gold played an enormous role in shaping the history of Australia. The precious metal
was discovered in numerous locations around the country, bringing people from all
over the world in search of an easy fortune. Gold brought amazing wealth and
prosperity to Australia, made possible important infrastructure that advanced the
fledgling nation’s global standing and caused a population boom that would help to
end convict transportation. It also brought with it numerous evils such as corruption,
bushrangers and racism. Learn all about how gold changed Australian history.
Welcome to Our Past: Gold.
Writing style
Our Past: Gold has been designed with the needs of early and reluctant readers in
mind. The information conveyed by the text has a natural and understandable flow,
and the large format images relate directly to the text, so young readers have
multiple entry points to engaging with the information. Each image is further enriched
by additional text directly below each image, detailing author and source information.
Photographic style
The Our Past series makes use of fantastic archival images, from photos and
etchings to paintings, cartoons and realia. These documents have the advantage that
the image is static, giving the reader the opportunity to explore the image and look at
the subject matter and its features in detail. The photographs are also strongly
composed and clearly printed to increase the appeal to visual readers. Readers can
explore how images are used to convey messages.
Study notes
Themes:
• Descriptive words
• Gold
• Mining
• Wealth and prosperity
• Crime and corruption
• How gold quickened the growth and development of Australia
• Gold and its impact on immigration
• Racism in Australian history
• Bushrangers
• History
Wild Dog Books Teachers’ Notes • Our Past: Gold
2
Curriculum link: Literacy
Before reading Our Past: Gold:
• Brainstorm what students know about gold.
• Brainstorm what students know about its part in Australian history.
• What is their first response when they look at the cover of the book?
• Do they think gold is still important in Australia? Why/why not?
While reading Our Past: Gold:
• Ask the students to take turns reading a paragraph aloud to the rest of the class.
Where appropriate, ask the students what they think certain words may mean.
• Ask the students to write a table list of words from the book that are relevant to
gold.
After reading Our Past: Gold:
• Ask the students to reflect on the words they would use to describe gold and the
words that have been used in the book. Ask them to draw up a list of their own
words that they would use to describe gold.
Curriculum Theme: Critical and Creative Thinking
After reading Our Past: Gold ask the students the following questions:
• What is gold?
• What is it used for?
• Where is it found?
• Where was it found in Australia?
• How is it recovered from the ground?
• What was Australia like before gold was discovered?
• What was Australia like after gold was discovered?
• How did gold change Australia?
• Why was gold important to Australia?
• Where did people come from following news of gold in Australia?
• What were the negative consequences of gold being discovered?
Curriculum link: ICT Capability
After reading Our Past: Gold:
• Organise the class into small groups. Assign each group a modern use for gold
from the following website http://geology.com/minerals/gold/uses-of-gold.shtml
• Ask them to research online and answer the following questions: What is gold
used for? Why is gold useful for this product/process? How is this achieved? How
much gold is needed to do this?
• Ask the children to look for and print images relating to their use for gold.
• Ask each group to create a poster collage. Ask them to attach the images they
found and to write a short sentence detailing the connection to gold. All members
of the group then take turns presenting their findings to the rest of the class.
Wild Dog Books Teachers’ Notes • Our Past: Gold
3
Curriculum Theme: Personal and Social Capability
After reading Our Past: Gold:
• Organise the class into two groups. In one group, ask the students to work as a
team to construct a word finder puzzle. Ask each student to suggest an
appropriate word about gold using words they have learned from the book (e.g.
goldfield, nugget, panning etc.). Once completed, print copies for the other group
to complete.
• In the second group, students should work as a team to create a trivia bingo game.
Ask each student to suggest a fact they found surprising or interesting. Combine
these facts into a game for the whole class.
Find out more
•
•
•
•
http://geology.com/minerals/gold/uses-of-gold.shtml
http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/metals/gold.html
http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/science/mining/gold.htm
http://www.australianhistory.org/gold
Marketing and promotion
Our Past: Gold is the second in a new series looking at crucial periods, events and
icons of Australian history. Future titles include Bushrangers, while other titles such
as Explorers, Cobb & Co and Shipwrecks are planned.
Wild Dog Books Teachers’ Notes • Our Past: Gold
4