Cracker night

History

The Australian curriculum: History

The Australian Curriculum: History aims to ensure that students develop:

interest in, and enjoyment of, historical study for lifelong learning and work, including their capacity and willingness to be informed and active citizens
knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the past and the forces that shape societies, including Australian society
understanding and use of historical concepts, such as evidence, continuity and change, cause and effect, perspectives, empathy, significance and contestability
capacity to undertake historical inquiry, including skills in the analysis and use of sources, and in explanation and communication.

This resource contains extracts from the Australian Curriculum and is current as at 25 May 2011. © Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority 2010.
ACARA neither endorses nor verifies the accuracy of the information provided and accepts no responsibility for incomplete or inaccurate information. You can find the unaltered and most up to date version of this material at http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Home
This material is reproduced with the permission of ACARA.

History activities [2]

Activity 1: Fireworks

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Subtheme(s): Customs and traditions; Historical events

The annual celebration with a bonfire and fireworks is a significant English tradition. In Australia, the night became known as Guy Fawkes Night until it was banned in the 1970s. The British have been celebrating Guy Fawkes Night since the 1600s.

Discover

Research and discuss information on the celebration of Guy Fawkes' infamy. Who is Guy Fawkes and why is he celebrated?

Reflect

Ask students to research Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot on the internet. They can use the information collected to create a fact poster about him and his rebellion.
Ask students to design a life-size silhouette of Guy Fawkes. They can cut it out of card and add facts by writing them on the cut-out figure. Ask students to draw and colour around the facts with designs representing fireworks. Alternatively, ask students to create an animation or slideshow presentation. Kahootz 3 is an ideal 3-D animation software program to use here. The software is available for purchase from the Australian Children's Television Foundation (ACTF) website at http://www.kahootz.com

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Student Activity Sheet H11.11: All about Guy Fawkes

Activity 2: Bonfires

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Subtheme(s): Celebrations

Australians celebrated Guy Fawkes Night on 5 November each year. It symbolised Australia's links to Britain. Guy Fawkes Night is not celebrated any longer. Why not?

Discover

Discuss a number of special events that students and their families celebrate today that are a reflection of past customs and traditions from other countries and ethnic communities.

Reflect

Ask students to create a scrapbook page based on an Australian celebration such as Australia Day or Anzac Day. They are to find images, historical facts and information and present a personal recount of the event.
Look at The Scrap Album, 'Guy Fawkes Day', http://www.scrapalbum.com/agfp1.htm Students can use the page on Guy Fawkes as a template for their own work.