Year 4 students walk into history

Historians pose questions about the past, and then find ways to discover some possible answers.

Year 4 students have been asking questions about how Aboriginal people lived before Europeans came. Instead of conducting all of our research in books or on the Internet, we decided to go for a short walk to Humphrey’s Rivulet, which is the creek that borders the College on the northern side.

As the students made their way up the hill and then down the little bush track, there was a sense of anticipation, followed by the sheer delight of finding such a hidden natural treasure so close by. Students sat down on the rocks and silently imagined being an Aboriginal person living in this area before white people came.

They considered questions such as, ‘What would you be able to see?’, ‘What would you hear?’, ‘Where would you find shelter?’ What would you eat?’ What games would you play?

The next day, students beautifully and cleverly used some Aboriginal symbols to make a map of the area. Students will also be writing descriptions and poems about this special place. It was a wonderful experience to take a walk into the past.

There are some more photos on our web gallery: Year 4 visit Humphrey's Rivulet.

Mrs Therese McDevitt - Year 4 teacher