Digital Classroom | National Library of Australia (NLA)

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.
Showing 1 - 12 of 150 results
Logo saying Dirk Hartog, 1616-2016, Marking our history, celebrating our future
Dirk Hartog 1616–2016: 400 years of Dutch-Australian connections

Module

This resource is aligned to the Australian Curriculum: History for Year 10 students.

Humanities
Year 10
Explorers
black and white photograph of japanese world war two plane

Mitsubishi A6M Zero-Sen, a Japanese single seat monoplane fighter, 1940, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-144931273

Dutch–Australian connections in World War II

Topic

As World War II broke out across Europe in 1939, the Dutch had initially remained neutral. When Germany occupied the Netherlands in 1940, the Dutch lost the ability to defend their colonies in the Netherlands East Indies.

Humanities
Year 10
Explorers
The world famous pop group the Easybeats visited the CBN 8 CWN Channel 6 studios in 1970 for a tape session to be included in a local programme

Stephen Fleay, The Easybeats rehearsing at the CBN 8 and CWN 6 television studios, Orange, New South Wales, 1970, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-151176759

Dutch experiences in Australia

Topic

After World War II, the people of the Netherlands found themselves with a long journey ahead of them, resurrecting a war-ravaged country that was struggling to overcome recent famine and mass casualties in the Holocaust.

Humanities
Year 10
Explorers
Complete Map of the Everlasting Unity of the Great Qing (Da Qing wannian yitong dili quantu)

After Huang Qianren (1694–1771), Complete Map of the Everlasting Unity of the Great Qing (Da Qing wannian yitong dili quantu), Jiaqing period (1796–1820), National Library of China

Celestial Empire

Module

Aligned with Year 9 History in the Australian Curriculum, this resource encourages students to explore compelling historical sources and form their own conclusions about the Qing dynasty.

Humanities
Year 9
World cultures and history
french hand inked map of China and Tibet

Jean Baptiste Bourguignon d'Anville & Henri Scheurleer & Gerardus Condet, Carte la plus generale et qui comprend la Chine, la Tartarie chinoise, et le Thibet, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-232293356

Territory

Topic

The Qing dynasty, sometimes referred to as the Empire of the Great Qing, or the Manchu dynasty, was the last imperial dynasty of China.

Humanities
Year 9
World cultures and history
Chinese illustration

The Story of the Stone (Dream of Red Mansions), Suzhou: Book Room of Collected Literature 1791, National Library of China

Literature

Topic

The Story of The Stone is regarded by many as the greatest example of Chinese literature, and as one of the masterpieces of world literature.

Humanities
Year 9
World cultures and history
Painting Manual of the Mustard Seed Garden

Wang Gai (1645–1707), Painting Manual of the Mustard Seed Garden, Nanjing 1679, National Library of China

Art

Topic

Emperor Shunzhi, the first emperor of the Qing dynasty (since the taking of China proper in 1644) died in 1661. His son, Kangxi, took over at the age of seven and reigned for 61 years. He encouraged painting, porcelain making and literature.

Humanities
Year 9
World cultures and history
A colour lithograph showing chinese houses on either side of a long, wide boulevard with block rows of soldiers on horseback as far as the eye can see.

The Earl of Elgin's entrance into Pekin on the 24th of October last to sign the Treaty of Peace between Great Britain and China / sketched by our special artist from the An-Tin Gate (Gate of Peace) of the Tartar Quarter, 1861, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-128383685

Contact and conflict

Topic

In relation to the West, when the Qing dynasty began in 1644, access to Chinese markets for the Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch and English had been restricted to Canton since 1550.

Humanities
Year 9
World cultures and history
Logo saying Dirk Hartog, 1616-2016, Marking our history, celebrating our future
Dirk Hartog 1616–2016: 400 years of Dutch-Australian connections

Module

This resource is aligned to the Australian Curriculum: Humanities and Social Sciences for Year 4 students.

Humanities
Year 4
Explorers
A map of southern Asia which details the early development of the English East India Company.

Herman Moll & William Dampier, Collection of voyages, A map of the East-Indies and adjacent countries [cartographic material] : with settlements, factories, and territories : explaining what belongs to England, Spain, France, Holland, Denmark, Portugal, etc. with many remarks not extant in any other map, 1729, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-231221936

The Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie

Topic

The Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie from the Netherlands (VOC or United East Indies Company) was established in 1602 with the purpose of buying spices from East Asia for trade on the European market.

Humanities
Year 4
Explorers
Image of a pock marked copper plate with writing inscribed across it from top to bottom.

Replica of the Vlamingh Plate [realia], 1950, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-135734827

Dirk Hartog and the Tale of Two Plates

Topic

As captain of the newly built Eendracht, Dirk Hartog was bound for the East Indies in 1616, along with other VOC ships.

Humanities
Year 4
Explorers
An image from an old Dutch book showing some text with a pen drawing above the text of several tents on an island and many people fighting with each other.

Francisco Pelsaert, Ongeluckige voyagie van't schip Batavia na Oost-Indien uyt-gevaren onder de E. Franç̧ois Pelsaert : gebleven op de Abriolhos van Frederick Houtman op de hooghte van 28 en een half graden by Zuyden de Linie Equinoctiael : vervattende 't verongelucken des schips, en de grouwelijcke moorderyen onder 't scheeps-volck, op't eylandt Bataviaes Kerck-hoff nevens de straffe der handtdadigers in de Jaren 1628 en 1629 ; hier achter is by- gevoeght eenige discourssen der Oost-Indische Zee-vaert als mede de gantsche gelegentheyt der Koopmanschappen diemen in Indien doet., 1649, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-39984464

Shipwrecked!

Topic

At least four VOC ships were shipwrecked on the Western Australian coast in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

Humanities
Year 4
Explorers

Need help?

Our librarians are here to guide you.

Ask a librarian