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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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Three young girls smile and sit together inside a wooden boat cabin. A customs officer stands outside near a vessel labeled "Customs." Two bowls rest on a barrel near the cabin.

Michael Jensen, Three girls in cabin on the boat from Vietnam, Darwin 1977, nla.gov.au/catalog/3209932

Refugees

Topic

Examine the journeys and challenges of refugees to Australia and reflect on government policies related to asylum and detention in this learning resource.

Humanities
Year 6
Migration and immigration
A colourful woodblock print showing a warrior gripping a spear in battle. He wears a detailed robe with bold patterns, including phoenix designs. Arrows are embedded around him, and swords are visible at the bottom of the image.

Kuniyoshi Utagawa & 歌川国芳, Honchō Suikoden gōyū happyakunin no hitori : Eda Genzō Hirotsuna [Kagaya Kichibei], 1830, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-151535028

Pre-Shogunate Japan

Topic

Take your students on a journey through Japan’s early political and cultural development, leading up to the rise of the shogunate.

Humanities
Year 8
Asia-Pacific
Woodblock print showing 5 men. Three men are kneeling before one seated man holding a sign, Tokugawa Mitsukuni. Behind the seated man crouches an advisor.

Toshitsune Inano, Tokugawa Mitsukuni [Tokyo], 1880, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-152444502

Life under the Shoguns

Topic

Explore the intricate social hierarchy of feudal Japan during the shogunate era, characterised by distinct classes and roles.

Humanities
Year 8
Asia-Pacific
A black and white page with four seperate images. Each image depicts famous Japanese military generals in uniform. Their names are written in script next to their pictures.

[Ehon cover drafts], nla.gov.au/nla.obj-151544183

The Tokugawa

Topic

Japan’s transformative Sengoku Jidai, or Warring States Period, is a time marked by internal conflict and powerful military leaders.

Humanities
Year 8
Asia-Pacific
print of samurai archer in blue and red outfit

Toshikata Mizuno, Eishi sassō Hakubunkan, Tōkyō, 1899, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-152419290

Japan and the West

Topic

The arrival of the Portuguese on Japanese shores in 1543 marked the beginning of Japan’s first interactions with the West.

Humanities
Year 8
Asia-Pacific
The Japanese print set depicts the ceremonial scene of marriage of very high class couple, possibly the emperor and his would be wife; various traditionally Japanese customs can be observed, and at the same time, Western influences in clothing and decorations are also eminent.

Nobukazu Yōsai & 楊斎延一, Kōi konreishiki no zu Hasegawa Tsunejirō, Tōkyō, 1900, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-151494111

The final act and the restoration

Topic

Dive into the transformative period of Japan's history as it transitioned from feudal isolation to modernisation with the decline of the Tokugawa Shogunate and the Meiji Restoration.

Humanities
Year 8
Asia-Pacific
Family of aboriginal people sitting by a bay surrounded by trees.

Joseph Lycett, Family of Aborigines taking shelter during a storm, 1817, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-138500126

First peoples

Topic 

Explore the rich cultural heritage of Australia's First Peoples through the art of Joseph Lycett, a convict artist who captured the rituals and customs of Indigenous communities. 

Humanities
Year 4
Australian history
Migration and immigration
sketch and depiction of the settlement at Sydney Cove Port Jackson.

Francis Fowkes, R Cribb Neele & John Samuel, Sketch & description of the settlement at Sydney Cove Port Jackson in the County of Cumberland taken by a transported convict on the 16th of April, 1788, which was not quite 3 months after Commodore Phillips's landing there, 1789, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-230578175

Early settlement

Topic 

Explore the early settlement of Sydney Cove through Francis Fowkes' 1789 map and other historical sources. 

Humanities
Year 4
Australian history
Migration and immigration
A pencil drawing of a large opossum with trees in the background.

Peter Mazell, James Cook & John Webber, An opossum of Van Diemen's Land, 1784, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-136182204

Strange creatures

Topic 

Explore the excitement and wonder of the First Fleet as they encountered Australia’s unique flora and fauna for the first time. 

Humanities
Year 4
Australian history
Migration and immigration
A group of men are gathered around a fallen tree in an outdoor setting. One person is seated on the ground, while others stand and hold spears. Two individuals engage in manual labor. A ship is anchored near the shore in the background, with sheep grazing on the grassy landscape. The sky is partly cloudy, and there are trees and a small structure in the distance. This scene depicts a moment of cultural interaction and shared labor during a historical period of exploration and colonisation.

Thomas Baines, Thomas Baines with Aborigines near the mouth of the Victoria River, 1857, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-134296782

Early interaction

Topic 

Investigate the complex interactions between Indigenous peoples and European settlers in Australia through Thomas Baines’ evocative painting.

Humanities
Year 4
Australian history
Migration and immigration
Pencil drawings depicting Aboriginal peoples and native Australian flora and fauna

Mickey of Ulladulla, Corroboree with native animals in the distance near Ulladulla, New South Wales, approximately 1885, 1880, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-135517021

Early communication

Topic 

Examine the relationship between Indigenous peoples and European settlers in Van Diemen’s Land through the use of pictograms for communication.

Humanities
Year 4
Australian history
Migration and immigration
Painting of a man, woman and young child. The man is motioning towards a globe and the woman is passing an apple to the child.

Jacob Gerritsz Cuyp, Portrait of Abel Tasman, his wife and daughter, 1637, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-138417248

Early explorers

Topic 

Delve into the journeys of early European explorers, focusing on Abel Tasman’s significant contributions to Australian history. 

Humanities
Year 4
Australian history
Migration and immigration

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