Asian Studies Program
La Trobe University
Victoria 3086
AUSTRALIA Tel: +61 3 9479 1315 Fax: +61 3 9479 1880 Email:cha@latrobe.edu.au
Asian Studies Program
Chinese Australia
Life and death on the goldfields: A cemetery
cyber-search
Unit title:
Life and death on the goldfields: A cemetery cyber-search
Year level:
Junior secondary.
Key learning areas:
Studies of society and environment
Curriculum emphases:
From: Studies in Asia: A Statement for Australian Schools:
- Developing concepts of Asia
- World contributions of the peoples of Asia
Duration:
Two to three 50-minute lessons
Description:
There are Chinese cemeteries and Chinese sections in cemeteries
scattered across Australia, particularly in the old mining
districts. Students use and search the 'Old Cemetery in Ballarat'
database and the 'Chinese Inquests in Victoria' database.
The tasks involve students in group tasks of reading and ordering
data, interpreting, and forming hypotheses emerging from the
data.
Teacher background material:
The following links provide an introduction and overview of
the topics covered in this unit:
- Brief History of the Chinese in Australia on the Chinese Heritage
of Australian Federation website.
- For an understanding of names of Chinese people in the history
record. See Why
a Chinese person may have more than one name on the Chinese
Heritage of Australian Federation website.
- Read 'Procedures'
section of the Linda Brumley's 'Fading Links to China website
for some help in considering the issues that hampered researchers.
- Become familiar with the Chinese Heritage of Australian
Federation website, particularly Linda Brumley's 'Fading
Links to China' site and perhaps consider working with
excel to complete the graphs and tables.
- If unfamiliar with the conditions of the goldfields, visit
the Victorian Cultural Collaboration 'GOLD!'
site on the SBS website for a short survey through the gold
rush and the conditions of work or a visual tour through the
State Library of Victoria's online 'Life
on the Goldfield's' exhibition.
Student outcomes:
Students will:
- search a database
- work cooperatively with others
- categorise information into graph form
- complete an oral presentation
- compare data from other sources and draw conclusions relating
to working and living conditions within Chinese mining communities.
- extend their ability to read, order and interpret primary
sources.
- consider how data can reveal details about people's everyday
life.
- see the links between themselves and others throughout history.
Materials required:
- Computer/s with access to the internet. Alternatively could
use a cached version of the site, paste the database information
into a spreadsheet program such as Excel or print relevant
pages and copy onto overheads or handouts.
- Overhead projector, overhead transparencies and pens (Optional
- can use white/black board or butcher's paper.)
Procedure: 1. Introduction
Explain the purpose of the lesson(s) is to work in groups
to get a clearer picture of the working and living conditions
for Chinese people (predominantly miners) in the mid to late
19th century Victoria. Students will be working with databases
and will need to use the same skills as used when conducting
a search on the library catalogue or when using indexes or
encyclopedia.
2. Establish groups
Break the class into groups with at least 3 students in each.
As described in the handout, 'Using
primary sources: cyber data bases', students need to divide
the labour within the group.
Each group will have a separate instruction sheet.
3. Work!
Students complete their tasks.
4. Reporting back
Students report their findings back to the class using their
overheads to aid in the explanations of what they found.
5. Writing
Students consider/discuss the collected findings and either:
- write a short report
- draw a detailed picture
- write a story/diary
that describes life as a miner during this period. They need
to include descriptions of their work, hours worked, personal
health and physical problems experienced, etc. They will need
to include evidence to support each of their points.
A discussion of what sort of events and issues that could
be included in their account and some direction and examples
of how to include evidence into each of these formats may
be useful.
Extension activities: 1. Writing task (or role play):
Imagine you are a Chinese miner who is sick of seeing his
friends involved in accidents and with health problems. Write
either a speech or a dialogue where this miner discuss the
ways some of these problems can be avoided.
2. Research Task:
Is mining still dangerous? How have mining practices evolved
and has this changed the life of miners? Use the internet
to conduct this research.
3. Research task:
In the Hospital
database on Linda Brumley's 'Fading Links to China' website
you can search for the religions of the Chinese who had been
admitted to the hospital. Conduct a search of the database
then investigate one of the religions and their rituals. Consider
the role of ritual in death and how would these migrants have
celebrated these rites in Australia.
Summary of websites used in this lesson:
Chinese Heritage of Australian Federation website - http - Brief History of the Chinese in Australia
- education/history.htm
- Why a Chinese person may have more than one name - education/names.htm
- Linda Brumley's 'Fading Links to China' - brumley/brumley.htm
- Digitised Historic Documents database - docs_home.htm
- Useful Links database - links.htm
- Historical backgrounds - education/about.htm
