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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.
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stacks of aluminium profiles

Sievers, Wolfgang, 1913-2007. (1965). Aluminium profiles at Comalco's plant at Yennora, New South Wales, 1965, 3 [picture] / Wolfgang Sievers. nla.gov.au/nla.obj-160295127

Modernism

Topic

Modernism was a cultural movement that influenced visual arts, architecture, music, literature and design in the first half of the twentieth century.

Humanities
Technologies
Year 5
Year 6
Architecture and design
Photography
Science and technology
an image of a map showing an outline of the eastern half of Australia with about 30 towns down the side with their minimum and maximum temperatures.

WEATHER MAP, 9 am 3 FEBRUARY, 1877. (1877, February 5). The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), p. 6. nla.gov.au/nla.news-article13389140

Mapping weather

Topic

In 1877, meteorologist and astronomer Henry Russell produced the first published weather map for the colony of New South Wales.

Humanities
Science
Year 4
Year 5
Year 6
Environment and biodiversity
Geography
A detailed 1867 wood engraving illustrating Chinese miners engaged in ground-sluicing near Beechworth, Victoria. The scene captures a forested landscape with miners working along a wooden sluice system directing water through rocky terrain. The foreground features a still water pool, while the background shows cascading water and dense trees.

Nicholas Chevalier and Frederick Grosse, Chinese people ground-sluicing, near Beechworth, Victoria, 1867, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-135653408

Gold and exploration

Topic

Explore the impact of migration during the gold rush and how people from around the world shaped Australian cities and industries and transformed the nation with this teaching resource.

Humanities
Year 6
Migration and immigration
Clipping of a newspaper article titled 'Weather Prophets'.

WEATHER PROPHETS. (1937, November 4). The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), p. 17. nla.gov.au/nla.news-article205560442

Forecasting weather

Topic

As cub reporter Betty Wilson (aged nine in 1937) tells us, forecasting the weather is not all about maps and laboratory science!

Humanities
Science
Year 4
Year 5
Year 6
Environment and biodiversity
Geography
A gold medal standing upright on a white cotton surface. The medal shows a figure holding a trumped and a wine amphorae. Behind the figure is a bust on a stand. In raised lettering around the edge of the medal are the words 'Olympiska Spelen Stockholm' The year '1912' is also present.

Olympic gold medal won by Miss Fanny Durack at Stockholm, 1912, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-139311257

Fanny Durack

Topic

One of the most significant events at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics was the admission of women into the Olympic swimming competition.

Humanities
Year 6
Australian history
Sport and recreation
A black and white photo of a man with a frostbitten face.

Frank Hurley, Madigan's frostbitten face, Adelie Land [Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911-1914], nla.gov.au/nla.obj-145067660

Exploring weather

Topic

Antarctica has been explored by meteorologists since the early 1900s. Blizzards are common there.

Humanities
Science
Year 4
Year 5
Year 6
Environment and biodiversity
Geography
Image of a colour sketch of a heavily snow covered town of Hobart houses with water and mountains in the background in 1882

H.J. Graham, Severe snow storm over Hobart, 1882, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-135529606

Experiencing weather

Topic

There are many stories of extreme weather and descriptions from those who survived the ordeals of droughts, bushfires, floods and cyclones in Australia.

Humanities
Science
Year 4
Year 5
Year 6
Environment and biodiversity
Geography
A colour pencil hand drawing of Murray Island with hand written notes.

Keon-Cohen, Bryan, 1945- & McIntyre, Greg & Queensland. Supreme Court & Australia. High Court. (1981). Papers of Bryan Keon-Cohen [manuscript] : the Mabo case, 1981-2000. nla.gov.au/nla.obj-224077217

Edward Koiki Mabo

Topic

In 1992, a decade-long legal battle over Indigenous land rights came to an end.

Humanities
Year 6
Australian history
National Gallery of Victoria forecourt

Sievers, Wolfgang, 1913-2007. (1968). National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne - Forecourt with Rodin's Balzac, 1968, 2 [picture] / Wolfgang Sievers. nla.gov.au/nla.obj-160765377

Documenting modernity

Topic

Sievers’ work is a pictorial timeline showing Australia’s social, technological and industrial transformation.

Humanities
Technologies
Year 5
Year 6
Architecture and design
Photography
Science and technology
man working on huge gears

Sievers, Wolfgang, 1913-2007 & Vickers Ruwolt. (1967). The gears [picture] : gears for the mining industry, Vickers Ruwolt, Burnley, Melbourne, 1967 / Wolfgang Sievers. nla.gov.au/nla.obj-136505226

Documenting modern Australia

Module

This resource is aligned to the Australian Curriculum: Design and Technologies standards for Year 5 and 6.

Humanities
Technologies
Year 5
Year 6
Architecture and design
Art, drawing and illustration
Photography
Science and technology
A torn buff coloured page with the words 'Draft of A Bill to Constitute the Commonwealth of Australia', with handwritten notes at the top and bottom of the page.

Sir Edmund Barton, Papers of Sir Edmund Barton, 1827-1940, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-225140407

Documenting Federation

Module

This resource is aligned to the Australian Curriculum: HASS for Year 6 students.

Humanities
Year 6
Australian history
A torn buff coloured page with the words 'Draft of A Bill to Constitute the Commonwealth of Australia', with handwritten notes at the top and bottom of the page.

Sir Edmund Barton, Papers of Sir Edmund Barton, 1827-1940, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-225140407

Documenting Federation

Topic

The Library holds the archive of the first prime minister of Australia, Edmund Barton (1849–1920). 

Humanities
Year 6
Australian history

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