Teachers' notes for using the SA at War website in the classroom

The SA at War website is a valuable resource for students of the South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE) Stage 2 / Year 12 Australian History. Teachers wishing to cover Topic 8, Remembering Australians in Wartime: experiences and myths, 1880 to the present, will find a goldmine of primary source material that will enable them to convey a sense of living history through the letters, diaries, posters and war memorabilia.

The website and the ideas for classroom use will satisfy learning outcomes 1 - 7 of the Year 12 syllabus.

Ideas for using the website are arranged around the key areas of inquiry:

• The motivations of the Australian people in supporting, and in opposing, Australia's involvement in wars and conflicts;

• War memorials, commemorative ceremonies, and creative works (eg. art, literature, songs, photographs and film) as ways of remembering Australia's involvement in wars or conflicts;

• Changes in Australian society that resulted from Australia's involvement in wars and conflicts;

• Australian people's experiences overseas and in Australia during times of war and conflict.

The website comprises material relevant to Australia's involvement in overseas conflict in the Boxer Rebellion, the South African (Boer) War, World War One and World War Two, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

The website uses material from the Archival Collection which has been collected by the State Library since its establishment in 1920. For the benefit of instant access to primary evidence, these documents have been digitised into an electronic format. The Archival Collection at the State Library holds all the original documents used in this website. As well as those used here, there are many other pieces that reflect the war time experiences of South Australians. We would encourage teachers to familiarise themselves with what is in the collection and introduce their students to the resources available in the State Library.

Used in its entirety, the South Australians at War website will help in satisfying all learning outcomes 1 - 7 as specified in the SSABSA (Senior Secondary Assessment Board of South Australia) SACE (South Australian Certificate of Education) Stage 2 (Year 12) Australian History Curriculum Statement 2008 (view Curriculum Statement). These exercises rely heavily on source analysis using an enquiry approach to learning, specifically satisfying learning outcomes 3 & 4:

• Identify and apply historical concepts and skills of historical enquiry

• Analyse primary and secondary sources critically

Click here to download the teachers' notes. (176 KB)