Each of the units of work below can be used as a stand-alone resource in the classroom. Some have complementary interactive activities.

Freely available online

> What can Forgotten Australians tell us about Australian society in the 20th century?

Consider experiences of those who as children spent time in institutions and, in doing so, learn about Australian society from the perspective of poor and disadvantaged children.

> What can the Irish migration story tell us about Australian history?

Explore the impact of Irish migration on Australian history, using a wealth of evidence and completing a series of tasks.

> How did Aboriginal Australians resist British colonisation?

> Investigating the changing rights and freedoms of Indigenous Australians, 1957–1975

> Australian Journeys

Use objects in the Australian Journeys gallery to explore the migration theme in the classroom.

> The 1967 Referendum: Will you put it in the Australian 'Human Rights Hall of Fame'?

This studies unit helps students interrogate the website Collaborating for Indigenous Rights: the 1967 Referendum.

> Reading between the lines: Developing skills to analyse political cartoons

> A Licence to Mock: Political Cartoons – Do they Help or Harm Democracy?

> Behind the Lines: Exploring Political Cartoons from 2003

Learn how to critically analyse and enjoy some of the cartoons in the 2003 Behind the Lines exhibition.

Political cartoons – interactive activities

> 'Laughing with Knives': Exploring Political Cartoons

What is the role and influence of political cartoons in a democratic society?

> Having opinions on issues – Is this 'good citizenship'?

The Talkback Classroom project encouraged students to explore issues in a way that involves active and informed citizenship processes.

> Life at the time of Federation

Explore life in Australia at the time of Federation through Museum objects and stories.

> Women and equality as citizens

Examine significant movements that have contributed to women's equality as citizens during the 20th century including suffrage, Indigenous rights (especially in relation to women), equal employment and the feminist movement.

> A walk through 'White Australia' at the National Museum

Investigate how the Museum's exhibition displays represent 'White Australia' and invites students to decide whether this representation is fair and accurate.

> What impacts has immigration had on Australia?

Investigate stories of immigration and how Australian society has changed over time as a result of the arrival and settlement of migrants.

> Nation: Investigating images of the nation

Explore the meaning of some significant symbols of Australia by analysing Museum objects and artefacts from the Nation gallery.

> Between the Flags

The year 2007 marked the centenary of surf lifesaving in Australia and was the Year of the Surf Lifesaver. This education package contains teachers notes, audiovisual resources and activities that can be adapted for students.

Explore the impact of the discovery of gold on Australia. The teachers' pack also includes information on current mining methods and the uses of gold in contemporary society.

> In search of Ned Kelly

Consider how Ned Kelly has been portrayed in photographs, by himself and by his victims, and through other evidence such as ballads, contemporary drawings and the writings of historians and other commentators.

> Outlawed! Investigating legend and reality

Explore Australian and other outlaws through history, and how history is 'made'.

Resources to order

> Australian History Mysteries

A video, print and web resource – inquiry-based case studies including 'The Eureka Rebellion – could you have stopped it from happening?', 'Why did the Government lie about the bombing of Darwin?' and 'Freedom Ride and 1967 Referendum – What do they tell us about Australian attitudes?'

> Our Voices

A series of books for primary school-aged children, about historical and contemporary issues that have shaped the Australian culture.

> Teaching Values

Draws on the collection of the National Museum of Australia to provide a new set of texts for teachers to share with their students as they work with the nine Values for Australian Schooling.

> Collection items associated with 'citizenship'

> Browse the audio-on-demand series for relevant talks

> Talkback Classroom

Features short video interviews between students and high profile personalities, including politicians.

> ANZAC Pilgrims

Recent Australian experiences of Gallipoli

> Australia at Expo 67 Montreal

In 1967 Canada's Montreal welcomed more than 50 million visitors to Expo 67 over a period of six months. Forty years on, explore the world of Australia at Expo 67 Montreal in this online exhibition.

> Australian History Mysteries

In 2010 a new website for this award-winning series was released. It features one full case study and a taste of the wealth of other resources available to subscribers.

> Prime Ministers of Australia

Explores the lives and times of each of Australia's 25 prime ministers since Federation.

Explore the Citizens' Arch, which was built in Melbourne in 1901 to celebrate the federation of Australia's six colonies, the opening of Federal Parliament, and a visit from members of the British Royal family.

> Political cartoons

Students investigate sixteen different 2004 Australia Day cartoons and get the chance to interview Geoff Pryor, the Canberra Times' long-standing former political cartoonist.

> Crimson Thread of Kinship

A 12-metre-long embroidery representing the unfolding story of Australia. It depicts the changing landscape of the nation, beginning with Aboriginal occupation of the continent and finishing in the southern night sky.

> Aussie English

Australian English has developed a rich and distinct vocabulary that some would say reflects our dry wit and occasional wisdom. Explore the origins and meanings of common Australian words and idioms, and test your knowledge of Australian English.

> Harvest of Endurance scroll

A 50-metre-long scroll that represents two centuries of Chinese contact with, and emigration to, Australia. Stories of hardship and survival, resourcefulness and reward are painted in the traditional gong bi style.

Students recreate the journey of the Hong Hai – the first case of refugee 'boat people' landing on Australia's shores.

> ABC van

An interactive tour of the Museum's ABC Van – a veteran of the first ABC-TV broadcast and the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. When the van retired in 1974, it had provided service for the entire period of Australian black-and-white television and had been involved in 2300 outside telecasts.

> The Cobb & Co coach

Take a trip back to Bathurst, New South Wales, in 1865 when Cobb & Co coaches were used to transport people and letters around Australia.

> The first golden age of cricket

Find out about the history of cricket in Australia by tracking the roots of cricket back to colonisation and how the British Empire influenced where cricket is played.

> Jerilderie letter

Ned Kelly justifies his actions in writing. The original transcription by John Hanlon shown side-by-side with a typed translation.