Shaping the future
Lesson Information:
Grade / Age Level

Yrs 5-6

Class Time
3-4 class sessions
Products Used In This Lesson:
Applications
PowerPoint

 Word

Internet Explorer


 
Grade Level: Yrs 5-6
Curriculum Connections: Studies of Society and Environment, Literacy
Required Software: Microsoft® Power point®,  Microsoft® Word®,
What's in this Lesson:

 

Teacher Guide
Summary: In this activity, students explore those figures who have played a role in the development of Australian democracy. This information is collated in an information kiosk using Microsoft PowerPoint
Objectives:
  • Conduct research to write a report on an identity that has shaped democracy in Australia
  • Use technology to research and present information

Outcomes:

  • Explains the development of the principles of Australian democracy
  • Describes the roles of some key figures in the development of Australian parliamentary democracy, eg Henry Parkes, Edmund Barton, George Reid, Maybanke Anderson, Peter Lalor, Alfred Deakin
  • Produces a wide range of well-structured and well-presented literary and factual texts for a wide variety of purposes and audiences using increasingly challenging topics, ideas, issues and written language features
Prerequisite Skills: None
Time Allotted 3-4 class sessions
How to Begin:
  1. Discuss the term ‘democracy’ with the students. Provide students with a list of people who have contributed to Australian democracy. In pairs, ask students to select one person from the list to research and report on.
  2. Using Resource 1 to organise their information, students research their chosen person using the internet and other resource materials. Encourage students to save any images  they would like to use in their report to file for later use.
  3. Using Microsoft Word, students collate the information recorded in Resource 1 to write a report on their chosen person. You may like to model how to collate information from point form to a written report.
  4.  Now that the students have cooperatively written a report and saved it to file, it is time to demonstrate the functions and features of Microsoft PowerPoint. Demonstrate how to import a saved document to Microsoft PowerPoint and insert saved images. Illustrate the effective use of animation features by creating an example in front of the students.

  1. Collate all reports in Microsoft PowerPoint and include an index that allows the user to navigate through the information index. The library may be a great place to showcase your students work.
Web Resources

Discovering Democracy

Documenting Democracy - Australian History

Political Institutions - History of Australian Democracy

Parliamentary Library - A timeline to Democracy

Political Science Resources - Key Figures in History

History of Democracy - A timeline

Student Activity
Description: In this activity, you will explore those figures who have played a role in the development of Australian democracy. This information is collated in an information kiosk using Microsoft PowerPoint.
Step A Planning the Content
Software: Microsoft Word, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Microsoft PowerPoint
 What to do:
  1. What does ‘democracy’ mean to you? Discuss this with your teachers and classmates.
  2. Many Australian identities have contributed to the development and progress of democracy. Your teacher will give you a list from which you and a partner can select one person you would like to learn more about. Using the internet and books from your school library, find out how your chosen person contributed to the development of democracy in Australia. Your teacher will give you a worksheet to help guide you in your research. Keep an eye out for any images that you think will add meaning or clarity to your report. For example, you may like to save a photo of your chosen person so others can visualise who it is that you are reporting on.
  3. Now that you have collected all the information and recorded it on your worksheet, its time to write a report. Together with your partner, write a report using Microsoft Word. Don’t forget to save it as you will need it later.
  4. The hard part is over and here’s where the fun begins. Your teacher will show you how to import your report and any saved images to Microsoft PowerPoint. Play with background colours, font, layout and animation features to create an eye catching presentation for your report.
Step B Creating an Information Kiosk
 Software: Microsoft PowerPoint
 What to do: Collate all the reports together in an information kiosk.
  1. Create a contents page for the presentations. Type in the name of all prime ministers that have been researched. Highlight each name individually and from the Insert menu, select Hyperlink. The hyperlink dialogue box will open. Select Existing Document and locate the appropriate students saved PowerPoint presentation. You will notice that the font will change colour and appear underlined to indicate that a hyperlink has now been created. Continue adding hyperlinks from the contents page to all PowerPoint presentations.
  2. Check out the completed project and learn all about the other identities that have shaped Australian democracy.

 


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