These materials have been developed consistent with the Victorian
Essential Learning Standards (VELS) for History and Civics and
Citizenship Education (CCE).
These activities have been written for students working at
Levels 4 and 6, and can be readily adapted to meet student and
classroom needs. They are self-contained with all information,
website links and activity sheets available online.
The following focus questions provide the basis for developing
student learning through the associated resources and activities:
- Focus Question 1: What is responsible government?
- Focus Question 2: What do governments do?
- Focus Question 3: How does a responsible government work?
- Focus Question 4: How did Victoria move towards responsible
government?
- Focus Question 5: What does an Act of Parliament look
like?
- Focus Question 6: Why does every responsible government
need a rule book?
- Focus Question 7: Who gets to vote in Victoria?
- Focus Question 8: Who could buy land in colonial Victoria,
and why?
- Focus Question 9: Why is water a precious resource?
- Focus Question 10: What else should responsible governments do?
There are four types of activities available online for use
by students in Years 5, 6, 9 and 10:
- Introductory activities: helps students understand
key terms and ideas, to set the scene and to introduce some
issues
- Investigating the past: introduces some key primary
and secondary documents displayed at the exhibition and helps
students makes sense of them
- Going further activities: builds on past knowledge and
encourages students to be active citizens
- Extension activities for Focus Questions 4 and 7 which
are designed for use particularly with Year 9 and 10 students.
For example, Focus Question 7 concentrates on who could vote
and who could stand as a candidate in the two houses of the
Parliament of Victoria. The extension activities investigate
some issues related to types of voting.
The Student
Activities menu page will help you select activities to
meet students’ needs. It is highly recommended that students
investigate all Focus Questions and related activities. If time
does not permit this to happen, students will gain most benefit
by investigating a lesser number of Focus Questions but all
stages from introductory activities to going further and/or
extension activities.
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