Colonization: DBQ Assessment Sources

Historical Context

Australia was discovered by Captain James Cook in 1770.  This was a time of great exploration and many European countries chartered the Australian coast. Australia was quickly established as a British colony and the first settlers arrived in Sydney in 1788. Many of the first settlers were convicts. Previous to this, the Aboriginal people of Australia had lived in harmony with the country for approximately 40,000 years. The British rule brought vast changes to Australia and the Aboriginal peoples.

Colonization:  Document Based Question Assessment (DBQ) Sources

On Thursday, March 31st, you will be assessed on your knowledge and understanding of source documents as well as your ability to apply your understandings in writing.  The assessment is based on the accompanying documents. It is designed to test your ability to work with historical documents.  

Part A: Source Analysis (Knowledge and Understanding)

Read each source carefully.  To make certain you understand the source:

• Identify from whose perspective the source is written from (bias).
• Identify the source's intended audience.
• Define all unknown vocabulary.
• Summarize the meaning of the document.
• Identify the overall message and any hidden meanings

Source 1: The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser

Bennelong died on Sunday morning last at Kissing Point. Of this veteran champion of the native tribe little favourable can be said. His voyage to, and benevolent treatment in Great Britain produced no change whatever in his manners and inclinations, which were naturally barbarous and ferocious. The principal Officers of Government had for many years endeavoured, by the kindest of usage, to wend him from his original habits, and draw him into a relish for civilised life; but every effort was in vain exerted. His propensity to drunkenness was inordinate; and when in that state he was insolent, menacing and overbearing. In fact he was a thorough savage, not to be warped from the form and character that nature gave him, by all the efforts that mankind could use.


Source 2: The Queenslander

For, as the writer in the Cooktown paper says, there is plenty of good soil inviting settlement; but how many men dare fix their home in the bush when they know that neither their property nor their lives will be safe from the attacks of desperate savages, whose natural cunning has been intensified by their long struggle for life with the whites. Evidently settlement must be delayed until the work of extermination is complete—a consummation of which there is no present prospect—or until some more rational and humane method of dealing with the blacks is adopted.


Source 3:  Australian Aboriginal children at a government institution near Alice Springs, 1934 

Source 4:  Excerpt from "Rabbit Proof Fence" by Doris Pilkington

   “We can’t go down along our hunting trails,” Bigdup told him. “They are blocked by fences.”
   “And when we climbed over the fence, one of those men pointed one of those things – guns – at us and threatened to shoot us if we went in there again,” said an irritated Meedo.
   “There are huts and farms all over the place. Soon they will drive us from our lands.”
Cut off from their natural food source, the Nyungar people expected these white settlers to share some of their food with them.
   “We will take a sheep, they have plenty. They won’t miss one,” Bigdup said. His young brother Meedo agreed. 


Source 5:  "Australia's coloured minority: its place in the community" by A.O. Neville, 1947 

Part B:  Written Synthesis (Skills and Application)


You will select ONE question from below and write a well-structured response.

1.    How is colonization a catalyst for change?
2.    How does ethnocentrism cause conflict?
3.    How does bias influence perspective?
 
Your response needs to be a minimum of one paragraph. You may choose to write more than one paragraph, but you must complete your writing within the time limit.  Your response must use evidence from at least TWO sources.  Please see the rubric posted on Moodle that your response will be assessed against.  Additionally, in your written response, make use of the word bank provided below by choosing vocabulary terms that will strengthen your argument.


colonizer    
superior     
inferior     
ethnocentrism    
catalyst      
prejudice      
bias          
exploitation     
oppression   
alter          
impose      
seize                 
perspective        
dominant  
Stolen Generation   
resist       
partnership        
humane      
catastrophe  
destroy       
livelihood
sustain     
overcome     
capable    
civilized            
newcomer    
native           
accept   

Grave of Prominent Aborigine Bennelong Found

SYDNEY (AFP) – The grave of one of the most prominent Aborigines in Australian history has been located under the garden of a suburban Sydney home, a report said Sunday...

An unlikely friendship between Bennelong and colonial brewer, James Squire led to one of the most important historical findings - Bennelong's grave.  Historians gathered information from a variety of primary sources that revealed the details of the friendship in order to help them locate Bennelong's final resting place.   

How does ethnocentricity cause conflict?

Word Analysis:  ethnocentricity (n.)

Ethnocentricity is a thought-provoking word meaning the evaluation of other peoples and cultures according to the standards of one's own culture.  In order to avoid forming biased opinions of other peoples, one's ethnocentricity requires careful consideration.

When analyzed into its morphemes we see:  ethno + centr(e) + ic(e) + ity.  It is a compound word comprised of two base elements.  The first base (ethno) is bound coming from the Greek root ethnos meaning 'people, nation, tribe; a number of people accustomed to live together.'  The second base (centre) is free coming from the Latin root centrum meaning 'center; originally fixed point of the two points of a compass.' 

Historical Analysis: How does ethnocentricity cause conflict?

The British and the First Australians came face to face in Sydney on the 26th of January, 1788.  Both cultures viewed the other through their own cultural lens - forming opinions based on biased perceptions.

In your blog post, you will be discussing how the British ethnocentric view of the First Australians caused conflict between the two cultures.  In order to be successful, consider addressing the following points in your post:

• Describe how the British viewed the First Australians.  What words did they use to describe them and their culture?  Use specific examples from the "First Australians" DVD and the book, "The Rabbits." 
• Explain how the ethnocentrism of the British affected these perceptions. 
• Discuss the conflict between the British and the First Australians that stemmed from this ethnocentricity.  Again, use specific examples from the class resources.

Your post will be graded using the Six Trait writing rubric.  Be sure your post has a clear claim, specific evidence, explanations and a conclusion.

First Australians: Perceptions

Imagine that there is going to be a meeting between you and a totally new and different group, with no shared language, completely different origins, technology, lifestyle, culture and traditions.  Photos of the group you are meeting are posted below.  Study the photos and answer the following questions on the index card provided. 

1. What five adjectives would you use to describe the group you will be meeting?
2. How would you describe the culture of the group to someone else?

Julius Caesar: Solo/Duet Performance Assessment

Shakespeare wrote his plays to be acted, not read. Therefore, one of the assessments for the Julius Caesar Unit is for you to act out a significant passage from the play. You may perform solo or choose to act alongside a peer in a duet performance. Please check Moodle for the description of the assessment and the rubric.

In order to prepare for this performance assessment, you need to choose a passage and complete a blog post that answers the tasks outlined below.

• State the context of the passage (This is only 1-2 sentences).
• Explain the meaning and the significance of the passage (This is a well-developed paragraph).
• Identify the passage's ACT/SCENE/LINES.
• Copy of the passage (You can copy and paste this from an online source.  Be sure to check that it copies accurately).
• If you are part of a duet, identify your partner.

This post is due by Friday, February 25th.

Performance exemplars are provided below to serve as a guide.

Learning Profiles

Have you ever struggled in class, feeling the need to move or change seats so you could listen better with your left ear or view the whiteboard from a different angle?

Today, Mr. Whiting led us through a variety of exercises that helped you determine your learner profile and understand the characteristics that represent it. Understanding your profile helps you and your teachers know more about how you best learn: your strengths, preferences and areas you can improve.

Now that you have a better understanding of your profile, we request that you reflect on your new learnings and share the information.  For this blogpost, write a well-developed response using the information you gained in class.  

Begin your post by stating what type of thinker you are (gestalt or logical/sequential) and your newly identified learning profile.  Following this, please respond to the sentence stems listed below by writing a well developed paragraph.  Paragraphs need to reflect what you learned about yourself as a learner and how you will use this new information to help you reach your full potential.

1. I learn best when... (use the learning profile sheet to help you with this paragraph)

2. I need to... (knowing the characteristics of your profile, what will you need to do to succeed - seating, grouping...)

3. The strategies that would help me in my learning...(consider strategies that will help you succeed - use of visuals, audio tapes of books, discussing new topics...)

4. I would like my teachers to know this about me...(what information is important for the teacher to know about you in order to best help you learn...)

Include examples/scenarios in each of the paragraphs.  Paint a picture of you as a learner, so your audience gains a clear understanding of you as a student.