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Digital Classroom

Explore Australia's history at the National Library's Digital Classroom, aligned with the Australian Curriculum. With over 10 million items, we support diverse learning styles, fostering inquiry-based learning for students to analyse sources and draw conclusions about the Australian story.
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A torn buff coloured page with the words 'Draft of A Bill to Constitute the Commonwealth of Australia', with handwritten notes at the top and bottom of the page.

Sir Edmund Barton, Papers of Sir Edmund Barton, 1827-1940, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-225140407

Documenting Federation

Module

This resource is aligned to the Australian Curriculum: HASS for Year 6 students.

Humanities
Year 6
Australian history
bronze cast of Henry Lawson's hand

Nelson Illingworth, Cast of Henry Lawson's hand, ca. 1922 [realia], nla.gov.au/nla.obj-139632985

The poet of Australia

Topic

Henry Lawson is celebrated as one of Australia’s greatest poets. The Library’s collection of Henry Lawson realia helps contemporary Australians understand Lawson’s popularity in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. 

Humanities
Year 6
Australian history
Literature and writing
A buff coloured manuscript of 'Waltzing Matilda'

From Macpherson, Christina Rutherford. & McCall McCowan, Joan, Papers relating to the song "Waltzing Matilda", nla.gov.au/nla.obj-224075208 nla.gov.au/nla.obj-224076484

A national identity

Topic

Waltzing Matilda is recognized as Australia’s most popular folk song.

Humanities
Year 6
Australian history
A torn buff coloured page with the words 'Draft of A Bill to Constitute the Commonwealth of Australia', with handwritten notes at the top and bottom of the page.

Sir Edmund Barton, Papers of Sir Edmund Barton, 1827-1940, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-225140407

Documenting Federation

Topic

The Library holds the archive of the first prime minister of Australia, Edmund Barton (1849–1920). 

Humanities
Year 6
Australian history
An oval shaped bronze medal. The oval is made of a belt buckled at the bottom. At the top is a stylised royal crown. In the centre of the oval is a monogram made up of an intertwined "V.A." Behind the monogram is pattered red glass. Around the oval in raised letters are the words 'For gallantry in saving life on land'. The medal is held by a ribbon of red and white vertical stripes

(1912). Albert Medal presented to Aya-I-Ga, also known as Neighbour, for gallantry, 1911 [realia], nla.gov.au/nla.obj-139608611

Neighbour and his bravery

Topic

The National Library of Australia’s collection includes the Albert Medal awarded to Aya-I-Ga, known as Neighbour, for gallantry.

Humanities
Year 6
Australian history
National Gallery of Victoria forecourt

Wolfgang Sievers, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne - Forecourt with Rodin's Balzac, 1968, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-160765377

Documenting modernity

Topic

Sievers’ work is a pictorial timeline showing Australia’s social, technological and industrial transformation.

Humanities
Technologies
Year 5
Year 6
Architecture and design
Photography
Science and technology
Cover of the book 'Australia's Weird Wild Wonderful Weather'
Australia's wild weird wonderful weather

Module

This resource is aligned with the Australian Curriculum: Humanities and Social Sciences (Geography), and Science for Year 4, 5 and 6 students.

Humanities
Science
Year 4
Year 5
Year 6
Environment and biodiversity
Geography
Clipping of a newspaper article titled 'Weather Prophets'.

WEATHER PROPHETS. (1937, November 4). The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), p. 17. nla.gov.au/nla.news-article205560442

Forecasting weather

Topic

As cub reporter Betty Wilson (aged nine in 1937) tells us, forecasting the weather is not all about maps and laboratory science!

Humanities
Science
Year 4
Year 5
Year 6
Environment and biodiversity
Geography
Sheet music featuring an illustration of a child looking out an open window

Edith Harrhy & Bronnie Taylor, Songs for young Australians [music] / words by Bronnie Taylor ; music by Edith Harrhy, 1941, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-175231656

Presenting weather

Topic

The weather is an important part of our lives, and this is reflected in the arts and other sources we consume.

Humanities
Science
Year 4
Year 5
Year 6
Environment and biodiversity
Geography
A sepia image of a weather almanac for 1894.

New South Wales weather almanac for ... : a general handbook for the year, 1894, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-406743496

Recording weather

Topic

In colonial Australia, there was a useful household book called an almanac. It contained lots of information, including weather forecasts and pictures of the flags used to signify approaching storms.

Humanities
Science
Year 4
Year 5
Year 6
Environment and biodiversity
Geography
A black and white photo of a man with a frostbitten face.

Frank Hurley, Madigan's frostbitten face, Adelie Land [Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911-1914], nla.gov.au/nla.obj-145067660

Exploring weather

Topic

Antarctica has been explored by meteorologists since the early 1900s. Blizzards are common there.

Humanities
Science
Year 4
Year 5
Year 6
Environment and biodiversity
Geography
an image of a map showing an outline of the eastern half of Australia with about 30 towns down the side with their minimum and maximum temperatures.

WEATHER MAP, 9 am 3 FEBRUARY, 1877. (1877, February 5). The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), p. 6. nla.gov.au/nla.news-article13389140

Mapping weather

Topic

In 1877, meteorologist and astronomer Henry Russell produced the first published weather map for the colony of New South Wales.

Humanities
Science
Year 4
Year 5
Year 6
Environment and biodiversity
Geography

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