Sydney Cove: Stories Objects Tell Us
Discovering life in Australia's first European settlement Learning from artefacts, images and historical sites Year 4 History Investigation
What Can Objects Tell Us?
Look at this mystery object... What do you think it is? What might it tell us about the people who used it? How old do you think it might be?
Objects as Evidence
Objects are called 'artefacts' by historians They are primary sources from the past Each artefact tells us something about: • How people lived • What they ate and drank • What work they did • What they believed was important
Timeline: Sydney Cove 1788-1800
Life in Sydney Cove: What the Objects Show Us
{"left":"Convicts wore rough woollen clothing and iron leg chains\nFree settlers had finer clothes made from cotton and silk\nEveryone ate salt pork, hardtack biscuits and whatever they could grow","right":"Fresh water was scarce and often stored in large ceramic jugs\nTools were precious - axes, hammers and saws were shared\nChildren played with simple wooden toys and corn husk dolls"}
Be a History Detective!
Work in groups of 3-4 students Each group gets one artefact image to investigate Use your detective skills to answer: • What is this object? • Who might have used it? • What does it tell us about daily life? Record your findings on the investigation sheet
Images Tell Stories Too
Paintings and drawings from the time show us: • What the landscape looked like • How people dressed and lived • Important events and ceremonies • The relationship between Europeans and Aboriginal people Artists were like early photographers - recording what they saw
Historical Sites: Places That Remember
Some places in Sydney still show us the past: • The Rocks - where the first buildings were made • Sydney Harbour Bridge area - site of early farms • Circular Quay - where ships arrived • Hyde Park Barracks - where convicts lived These sites help us imagine what life was like
Using Evidence Like Historians
'This object shows that... because...' 'This image tells us... because...' 'This site proves that... because...'
What Have We Discovered?
Objects, images and sites are all historical sources They provide evidence about life in Sydney Cove We can use them to understand: • How people lived, worked and played • What challenges they faced • How the settlement grew and changed Like detectives, we use evidence to solve mysteries from the past