Levels 5-6
In this resource, students will examine the ways the Australian environment was altered by colonial settlement and European pastoral and agricultural practices during the nineteenth century. Prompted by John Glover’s depictions of Van Diemen’s Land, students will evaluate the causes and effects of these environmental changes and generate ideas to counter and reverse them. Students will then produce and present an illustrated poster promoting a course of action that could reverse the negative environmental impact of the colonisation and settlement of Australia.
Learning Objectives
- Analyse and interpret ideas about and attitudes towards the Australian environment in John Glover’s artworks.
- Identify the causes and effects of significant environmental changes in Australia during the 19th century.
- Describe the ways these changes impacted upon the lives of Aboriginal peoples, as well as the native flora and fauna/ environment.
- Design and present a poster suggesting courses of action to restore balance to the natural environment.