Impactful Persons of the Colonisation Era Posters

If you’re teaching your Grade 4 students a unit on the British colonisation of Australia, you’ll know how important it is to present historically accurate and balanced information. As teachers, we know how crucial it is to help students understand the perspectives of the settlers (colonialists and convicts) as well as the First Peoples of this great Southern land we now call ‘Australia’.

This poster set has been revised to include significant First Nations people at the time of colonisation or invasion, and will assist in students gaining knowledge as they move throughout this important HASS unit.

Through study of these posters, students will learn the roles of significant individuals in the development and events in the first Australian colony. 

Featured in this poster pack are bite-sized biographies on:

• Bennelong
• Pemelwuy
• Elizabeth and John Macarthur
• Arabanoo
• Yagan
• Arthur Phillip
• Gregory Blaxland
• William Charles Wentworth
• William Lawson

Also included is a Teacher Notes Cover Page with some information on embedding First Nations perspectives.

How to Make the Most of Your HASS Poster Set

1. Print the poster on A3 paper and display it in your classroom for students to reference when doing independent work.
2. Print the poster on A4 paper, slip it into a clear sleeve, and use it in your guided groups as a reminder.
3. Print the poster on A4 paper, slide it into a clear sleeve, and hang it on a ring as a reference tool for a resource centre. 

We’ve also come up with bonus ways to turn posters into interactive tools that really make your lessons stick!  

📝 Create a fill-in-the-blank worksheet by removing selections of text.  

📂 Place copies in students’ homework folders for reference. 

💻 Provide posters as digital resources. 

🧠 Test students’ memories by showing them the poster, then hiding it and having them tell you facts they recall.

✅ Incorporate posters into your lesson wrap-up: students write on a sticky note what they learned from the lesson and place it on the poster. 

Before You Download

This resource prints as a PDF. Please use the dropdown menu to choose between the full-colour, low-colour, or black-and-white version.

This resource was created on Wadawurrung Country by Caitlyn Phillips, a teacher and Teach Starter collaborator from Geelong, Victoria.

If you’re looking for more resources to support your Australian History lessons, make sure you take a look at these:

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A British Penal Colony - Teaching Slides

A 25 slide editable PowerPoint presentation to use when teaching students about the British colonisation of Australia.

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Captain James Cook and the Endeavour — Teaching Slides

Discover the journey of Captain James Cook on the HMS Endeavour with your students with this teaching presentation.