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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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Cover of the book 'The Last Dragon'

Charles Massy & Mandy Foot, The last dragon, 2021, nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn8612818

The Last Dragon

Topic

The Last Dragon, written by Charles Massy and illustrated by Mandy Foot, is the story of a small, rarely seen lizard, Timpo, who is the last of his kind in his valley. Convinced he is not the only Monaro grassland earless dragon left, Timpo and his companion Wolfie the spider set off across the windswept Monaro plains in search of others.

Science
Year 4
Environment and biodiversity
A spiderweb illuminated by the sun. The web is strung between the branches of a green leafy tree.

Peter Dombrovskis, Spiderweb detail, Cradle Mountain, Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, Tasmania, 1986, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-151194004

Circle of life

Topic

Every living thing is part of a cycle. Plants and animals are born, they grow, they consume or produce, and they eventually die, making way for new life in their place. Without this cycle of life, ecosystems and the biosphere would not be able to survive.

Science
Year 4
Environment and biodiversity
A scene of a hillside completely ablaze. A large fire front is moving up the hillside. The image is blanketed with smoke. The lights of a fire engine can be seen through the smoke. A station wagon is parked in the forground.

Cutting, Jeff, 1945-. (2003). Freshening north-westerly winds drove the Stockyard fire down Apollo Road onto Ballineen in the hour before midnight on 17th January 2003. [picture] / Jeff Cutting. nla.gov.au/nla.obj-149584789

Forces of nature

Topic

The Earth and its environments are constantly changing. For millions of years, the wind has shaped and eroded mountains and sand dunes; the constant crashing of waves has changed and sculpted the coastline; and drought and fire have charred and renewed bushland. This process is ongoing and is a natural part of life.

Science
Year 4
Environment and biodiversity
A sweeping landscape of a mountain range. The mountains are craggy and rocky. They are covered in mist.

Peter Dombrovskis, Frankland Range, Southwest National Park, Tasmania, 1995, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-150007802

Understanding the living world

Module

Explore the connections between living things, the environments they inhabit, and the forces that shape them. 

Science
Year 4
Environment and biodiversity
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
A large book open at a midway point. The paper is yellowed and stained. The writing is written in highly decorative cursive. The book is being held open on a stand which sits atop a richly varnished cabinet with draws and a fold out desk surface.

James Cook, John Hutchinson, Samuel Wallis and Henry William Ferdinand Bolckow, Journal of H.M.S. Endeavour, 1768-1771, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-228958440

Endeavour voyage

Topic 

Embark on a historical journey with the original journal of Lieutenant James Cook, detailing the HMS Endeavour's voyage from 1768 to 1771. 

Humanities
Year 4
Australian history
Migration and immigration
Image of a page in a journal listing names of female convicts on the ship Lady Penrhyn

Arthur Bowes Smyth, Journal of Arthur Bowes Smyth, 1787, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-233364776

First Fleet

Topic 

Explore the journey of the First Fleet and its role in shaping Australia's early colonial history. 

Humanities
Year 4
Australian history
Migration and immigration
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

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