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 25 - 36 of 41 results
The front page of The Australian Panorama Arabic Newspaper. The masthead is written in red Arabic script.

(2008). The Australian panorama Arabic newspaper. [Panorama Arabic Newspaper], [Parramatta, New South Wales] https://www.panoramanews.net nla.gov.au/nla.obj-747828340

Arabic

Topic

Migration from Arabic nations to Australia has a complex and multifaceted history.

Languages
Year 7
Year 8
Year 9
Year 10
Languages
A page one which all the letters of the English alphabet are printed in capital letters. They are printed by type setting.

PIC MSR 14/8/2 #PIC/14340/1-51-Early Flemish, German, Italian, Spanish, French woodcuts. /Item PIC/14340/40., nla.gov.au/nla.obj-2902124765

The press

Topic

Since ancient times, most documents were written by hand. If multiple copies were needed, it would mean making multiple handwritten copies; even with a team of scribes, this was time consuming. It also meant that information could be difficult to read, depending how good a scribe’s handwriting was.

Humanities
Year 8
World cultures and history
A page from The English Chinese Advertiser newspaper written in Chinese.

(1858, August 7). The English and Chinese Advertiser (Vic.: 1856–1858), p. 1., nla.gov.au/nla.news-page15910530

Chinese

Topic

Stringent colonial restriction laws affected early Chinese migration to Australia.

Languages
Year 7
Year 8
Year 9
Year 10
Languages
Black and white photo of Cathy Freeman carrying Australian and Indigenous flags with a cameraman filming alongside her

Melanie Louise Collins, Cathy Freeman, Commonwealth Games, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, 1994, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-145960092

Sporting heroes

Topic

Australians make heroes of their most famous sportsmen and women, with the cricketer Sir Donald Bradman, Olympian Cathy Freeman and the racehorse Phar Lap among the most celebrated figures in the Australian sporting scene.

Health
Year 7
Year 8
Year 9
Year 10
Sport and recreation
A photo of a large number of protestors gathered in front of the Victorian state library.

Francis Reiss, Protesters gathered outside the State Library in Swanston Street, Melbourne peace rally, 14 February 2003, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-147324313

Participation and protest

Module 

This resource is aligned with the Australian Curriculum: Civics and Citizenship for Year 8 students. It adopts an inquiry-based learning approach that develops a student’s understanding of Australians’ rights, freedoms and opportunities to participate in Australia’s democracy.

Humanities
Year 8
Australian history
Protest and dissent
A photo of lots of different coloured plastic love hearts on a wire, stuck in a grassy area. The hearts are decorated with writing about freedom, and drawings.

Loui Seselja, [Section of the field of hearts display in close-up view, United Nations World Refugee Day and Field of Hearts event, Canberra, 20 June 2004], nla.gov.au/nla.obj-130944424

Freedoms and rights

Topic

Australia is a signatory of various international treaties and laws. Treaties, conventions, protocols and covenants are agreements between nation states on how best to respond to international issues.

Humanities
Year 8
Australian history
Democracy
Protest and dissent
A photo of 2 people with their backs to the camera, facing Australia's Parliament House, holding hands, lifting them high. Each is holding a large sign in their outside hands that reads 'Australia said Yes to equality' and 'Australia said Yes to equality, not discrimination'.

Sean Davey, Marriage Equality Ambassadors holding up 'Yes' signs in front of Parliament House, Canberra, 7 December 2017, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-735351644

Dissent in society

Topic

Many protest movements in Australia have resulted from dramatic shifts in public opinion on contentious issues, and as a response to how governments of the time dealt with these shifting opinions.

Humanities
Year 8
Australian history
Democracy
Protest and dissent
A black and white photo of a bearded man with collar length hair and a large metal peace medallion hanging down his front, holds a burning piece of paper up high, while several people watch and take photos.

Tim Aickin, A protester burns his draft card, standing in front of Jim Cairns, Vietnam War Moratorium Day, Melbourne, May 1970, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-138060747

Direct action

Topic

Direct action can be separated into two categories: civil resistance and civil disobedience.

Humanities
Year 8
Australian history
Democracy
First Australians
Protest and dissent
A photo of a woman standing and speaking to a room of seated and standing people.

Francis Reiss, [Anna Burke, Federal member for Chisholm, at the Chisholm Aged Care Forum, Mt. Waverly Community Centre, Melbourne, October or November, 2001], nla.gov.au/nla.obj-146654777

Be informed, get involved: Participating in Australia’s democracy

Topic

While the majority of Australians participate in our democracy during elections, there are ways of participating and sharing your beliefs throughout the year.

Humanities
Year 8
Australian history
Democracy
Protest and dissent
stone carvings, two rows of Buddhas

Yves Coffin, [Banteay Kdei, pediment], nla.gov.au/nla.obj-140372605

The rise of Angkor and the Khmer Empire

Topic

The Khmer Empire has its beginnings somewhere in the late eighth century when Jayavarman II (c. 770–835) is said to have returned to Chenla from exile in Java.

Humanities
Year 8
Asia-Pacific
World cultures and history
Preah Khan, rows of stone posts lined towards gopura

Yves Coffin, [Preah Khan, rows of stone posts lined towards gopura], nla.gov.au/nla.obj-140374253

The way of life in the Khmer Empire

Topic

The Khmer Empire lasted almost 630 years.

Humanities
Year 8
Asia-Pacific
World cultures and history
Angkor Wat, perron of main temple and sculptures

Yves Coffin, [Angkor Wat, perron of main temple and sculptures], nla.gov.au/nla.obj-140376052

Building Angkor

Topic

The Khmer kings were prolific builders.

Humanities
Year 8
Asia-Pacific
World cultures and history

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