
Teaching resources and worksheets for use in Australian classrooms
Questions and Answers about Refugees, Migrants and Indigenous Peoples
- Introduction
- Refugees and Asylum Seekers
- Migrants and Multiculturalism
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples
- Learning outcomes
- Key learning areas
- Face the Facts Publication 2005
Introduction
Download in Word [74KB]
Download in PDF [424KB]
Face the Facts was first published in 1997 at a time of heated debate over race issues in Australia. This debate has since broadened. Events such as the furore over refugees, anti-Arab and anti-Muslim prejudice and the stalled Aboriginal reconciliation process have fanned the flames of this debate.
Today, there is even more need for clear information that addresses prevailing myths about refugees, migrants and Indigenous peoples. Face the Facts uncovers issues that are often misrepresented. It is an essential resource for exploring these issues in the classroom.
Face the Facts education resource is designed to complement the material in the Face the Facts publication and forms a part of the HREOC human rights education program. The activities are suitable for use in a range of key learning areas for secondary students across Australia. Teaching notes, student activities and worksheets are provided, plus a range of recommended online resources and further reading.
Note that the following resources should be used with a degree of sensitivity, particularly in classrooms with students from diverse backgrounds.
Refugees and Asylum Seekers
The activities provided will enable teachers to explore key current issues relating to ‘unauthorised arrivals’ or ‘boat people’, immigration detention and the so-called ‘Pacific Solution’. Simple information is provided to help students identify the reasons people become refugees and how the different ways they flee persecution impact on their treatment in Australia.
Activity 1:
What’s It Like to be a Refugee?
- Teaching notes
- [Download in Word]
186KB - [Download in PDF]
244KB
- [Download in Word]
- Worksheet 1
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188KB - [Download in PDF]
313KB
- [Download in Word]
Activity 2:
Perceptions - Refugees in the Media
- Teaching notes
- [Download in Word]
188KB - [Download in PDF]
79KB
- [Download in Word]
- Worksheet 2
- [Download in Word]
46KB - [Download in PDF]
77KB
- [Download in Word]
Migrants and Multiculturalism
The information provided in Face the Facts provides a useful starting point for the exploration of the history of the migration policies and patterns that influenced Australia’s settlement since the end of World War II, and the development of policies to promote multiculturalism and acknowledgement of the diversity of Australia’s population.
Activity 3:
Readers Theatre and Multicultural Storytelling
- Teaching notes
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39KB - [Download in PDF]
76KB
- [Download in Word]
- Worksheet 3
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228KB - [Download in PDF]
692KB
- [Download in Word]
- Resource Sheet “I’m going to Australia” by Herman van Haren
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161KB - [Download in PDF]
226KB
- [Download in Word]
Activity 4:
Statistics: Migration in Australia
- Teaching notes
- [Download in Word]
37KB - [Download in PDF]
27KB
- [Download in Word]
- Worksheet 4
- [Download in Word]
709KB - [Download in PDF]
94KB
- [Download in Word]
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples
The information provided in Face the Facts gives an indication of some of the experiences of Indigenous Australians in regard to work, health, education, housing, criminal justice and the historical effects of government policies of separation.
Activity 5:
The Facts: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples
- Teaching notes
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40KB - [Download in PDF]
23KB
- [Download in Word]
- Worksheet 5
- [Download in Word]
186KB - [Download in PDF]
259KB
- [Download in Word]
Activity 6:
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Web Quest
- Teaching notes
- [Download in Word]
41KB - [Download in PDF]
30KB
- [Download in Word]
- Worksheet 6
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953KB - [Download in PDF]
622KB
- [Download in Word]
Learning outcomes
[Download in PDF]
79KB
Students will develop:
- a stronger understanding of issues concerning asylum seekers and refugees, migrants and multiculturalism and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
- analytical and research skills including internet research skills.
- critical literacy skills, particularly in relation to representations of issues central to social, economic and political debate.
- an understanding of the importance of numeracy skills during research and when studying society and culture.
Key learning areas
Face the Facts education resources can be used for the following key learning areas:
- Studies of Society and Environment
- English (including ESL)
- Mathematics
- Australian Studies
- Geography
- History
- Legal Studies
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
- Political Studies
- Drama
- Civics and Citizenship
- Health and Personal Development
For specific links to curriculum see http://www.humanrights.gov.au/education/curriculum.html
Illustrations by Adam Hill



