CAN YOU SAVE the NATIONAL CAPITAL? Role Play

Role Play

CAN YOU SAVE THE NATIONAL CAPITAL? Role Play

CAN YOU SAVE THE NATIONAL CAPITAL?

STEP 1 Questions for you to discuss 1 What is this building? 2 Who are the people in the room inside the building? 3 What are they doing? 4 These people are our representatives. What does that mean? 5 Why do we have laws that apply to all people equally in Australia?

STEP 2 Imagine you have been asked to write a message that will be put at the front of this building. Here is the start of the message. How will you finish it? “This place is important to all Australians because . . . “

If you cannot answer any of these questions look at the clues. But do not look at them unless you really have to.

When you have worked out the message you need to present that message to the rest of the class. But we do not want you to TELL them what your message is, we want you to SHOW them through a role play!

STEP 3 Work out your role play to get your message across to the rest of your class You have created your message. It will be something like:

“This place is important to all Australians because it is where the representatives we elect to Parliament meet to pass laws for all Australians.”

How can you get this message across in your role play? You need to: 1 Show the rest of your class that this place is Parliament House 2 Show the rest of the class that people are elected to go there as representatives of Australians 3 Show the rest of your class that they make laws there for all Australians.

Here is one way you might do this:

You have two Members of Parliament arriving at Parliament House, and about to go into the House of Repre- sentatives to pass a law. Remember to act out the roles!

‘Well here we are in Parliament House.’ ‘Look, there are a lot of us here.’ ‘Yes, like us, they have been elected to represent Australians, and speak for them.’ ‘Who do you represent? I represent the people of . . . [say your own suburb here]’. ‘Well, I think we had better go and do our job there.’ ‘Yes, we are about to pass a law about our defence force.’ ‘Yes, that is important for all Australians.’ Role Play

CAN YOU SAVE THE NATIONAL CAPITAL?

Or you might decide on a different way to show your class what the message about this building is. • For example, you might: • Create a song or a rap • Be a TV interviewer and a guest • Be on a quiz show and the person has to get the answers right • Or any other good idea you can come up with.

Remember that you only have a short time to prepare your role play, and then it is showtime!

STEP 4 Perform your role play • It should only be short - about 1 minute at most. • Make sure all your group is part of it. • Enjoy it!

STEP 5 At the end of your role play Ask your classmates if they got the message. We are sure they have, but you can read out this final summary of what you have discovered:

We have learned that this place is an important part of Canberra because

• Canberra is the national capital • The national Parliament is here • We elect people as our representatives to pass laws • The laws they pass apply to all Australians

• So the national capital helps us understand an important part of our system of democracy.

- The people who are elected pass laws about what all Australians can and cannot do. cannot and can Australians all what about laws pass elected are who people The -

- The Prime Minister is the leader of the government, and sits in the House of Representatives. Representatives. of House the in sits and government, the of leader the is Minister Prime The -

- Most sit in the House of Representatives, some sit in the Senate. the in sit some Representatives, of House the in sit Most -

- People are elected to represent Australians in this place. this in Australians represent to elected are People -

- This is called Parliament House. Parliament called is This - Clues Clues Role Play

CAN YOU SAVE THE NATIONAL CAPITAL?

Photoraph: George Serras, National Museum of Australia

Photograph: Dragi Markovic, National Museum of Australia Role Play

CAN YOU SAVE THE NATIONAL CAPITAL?

STEP 1 Questions for you to discuss 1 What is this building? 2 What is in this building? 3 Why do we have collections of things? 4 How can a museum display help us know about our history and who we are?

If you cannot answer any of these questions look at the clues. But do not look at them unless you really have to. When you have worked out the message you need to present that message to the rest of the class. But we do not want you to TELL them what your message is, we want you to SHOW them through a role play!

STEP 3 Work out your role play to get your message across to the rest of your class You have created your message. It will be something like:

“This place is important to all Australians because it helps us understand our past and how we have developed as a nation.”

How can you get this message across in your role play? You need to: 1 Show the rest of your class that this place is the National Museum of Australia. 2 Show the rest of the class that it displays objects that tell us about the past. 3 Show the rest of your class that this helps us understand who we are as a nation.

Here is one way you might do this: We have a museum tour guide and a visitor. Remember to act out the roles!

“Welcome, students. Let me show you around this museum. Any questions?” “Why are all these things on display?” “These objects show us how people lived in the past. For example, here is a dress that was made for a girl who did Irish dancing.” “So what?” “Well, seeing this helps us understand that many people came to Australia from different countries, and they brought ideas and traditions with them.” “But why keep this old stuff?” “Because it is a way of remembering our past, so we know what happened, and we do not just live in the present. It’s about keeping the memory of who we were alive.” “What’s it got to do with today?” “Well, it helps us understand the mix of people and ideas that we are today, a multicultural place, not one that is just one culture.” “OK. Let’s go see the stuffed Tasmanian Tiger next!” Role Play

CAN YOU SAVE THE NATIONAL CAPITAL?

Or you might decide on a different way to show your class what the message about this building is.

For example, you might: • Create a song or a rap • Be a TV interviewer and a guest • Be on a quiz show and the person has to get the answers right • Or any other good idea you can come up with.

Remember that you only have a short time to prepare your role play, and then it is showtime!

STEP 4 Perform your role play • It should only be short - about 1 minute at most. • Make sure all your group is part of it. • Enjoy it!

STEP 5 At the end of your role play Ask your classmates if they got the message. We are sure they have, but you can read out this final summary of what you have discovered:

We have learned that this place is an important part of Canberra because

• Canberra is the national capital • The National Museum of Australia is here • The museum collects objects from the past • The past has helped to create who we are today

• So the national capital helps us understand who we are as Australians today.

- This helps us understand our history, and who we are today. are we who and history, our understand us helps This -

- These objects tell us how people used to live, and what life was like for them. for like was life what and live, to used people how us tell objects These -

- It displays aspects of our past. our of aspects displays It -

- This is the National Museum of Australia. of Museum National the is This - Clues Clues Role Play

CAN YOU SAVE THE NATIONAL CAPITAL? Role Play

CAN YOU SAVE THE NATIONAL CAPITAL?

STEP 1 Questions for you to discuss 1 What are these buildings? 2 Which countries do they belong to? 3 The person in charge is called an Ambassador. He or she represents their country in Australia. Why would this country want a person to represent them in Australia? 4 Who might come to this building to see the Ambassador?

STEP 2 Imagine you have been asked to write a message that will be put at the front of this building. Here is the start of the message. How will you finish it? “These places are important to all Australians because . . . “

STEP 3 Work out your role play to get your message across to the rest of your class You have created your message. It will be something like:

“These places are important to all Australians because Australia is a nation, and it has lots of contacts with other nations around the world.”

How can you get this message across in your role play? You need to: 1 Show the rest of your class that these places are the Embassies of other countries. 2 Show the rest of the class that the Ambassador of a country talks to the Government of Australia. 3 Show the rest of your class that this shows that Australia is a part of the international world.

Here is one way you might do this: We have a tour driver and a visitor. Remember to act out the roles!

“Welcome to this tour of Canberra. Just ask questions if you have any as we travel around.” “What’s that building?” “That’s the Chinese Embassy.” “Wow, it’s big, the person who owns it must be rich.” “Well it’s owned by the Government of China, not by a person. The main person who lives in it is the Chinese Ambassador, who represents China.” “Why do we need the Chinese to have a special place in Australia?” “So the Ambassador can speak to the Australian Foreign Minister, and tell Australia what the Chinese Govern- ment thinks about things.” “So that makes it easy for the two countries, Australia and China, to get together and decide things?” “Correct. When you are a Government, you need to be able to speak to representatives of other nations easily and quickly.” “And I suppose Chinese in Australia can get help if they need it.” “Correct. You will see lots of Embassies in Canberra. They are all here because they need to be near the capital city, where the Australian national government is. Next stop - Questacon!” “Hooray!” Role Play

CAN YOU SAVE THE NATIONAL CAPITAL?

Or you might decide on a different way to show your class what the message about these buildings are.

Remember that you only have a short time to prepare your role play, and then it is showtime!

STEP 4 Perform your role play It should only be short - about 1 minute at most. Make sure all your group is part of it. Enjoy it!

STEP 5 At the end of your role play Ask your classmates if they got the message. We are sure they have, but you can read out this final summary of what you have discovered:

We have learned that these places are an important part of Canberra because

• Canberra is the national capital. • Australia is a nation and it has to be able to talk with other nations of the world. • Many nations have a representative in Australia, so that they can meet and talk to the Australian • government. • The government meets in Canberra, so that is where the representatives of the other nations need to be.

• So the national capital helps us understand that Australia is part of the international world.

- People who are from other countries and are visiting Australia can go to their Embassy for help if they need it. need they if help for Embassy their to go can Australia visiting are and countries other from are who People -

together.

- The Ambassadors can talk to the Australian Government if there are any problems, or if they want to work or trade or work to want they if or problems, any are there if Government Australian the to talk can Ambassadors The -

- The Ambassador represents their country in Australia. in country their represents Ambassador The -

- These ones are the Embassies of the People’s Republic of China, the United States of America, Israel and New Guinea. New and Israel America, of States United the China, of Republic People’s the of Embassies the are ones These -

- These buildings are called Embassies. Many countries have embassies in Canberra. in embassies have countries Many Embassies. called are buildings These - Clues Clues Role Play

CAN YOU SAVE THE NATIONAL CAPITAL? Role Play

CAN YOU SAVE THE NATIONAL CAPITAL?

STEP 1 Questions for you to discuss 1 What is this memorial? 2 What is on the top? 3 How is that a symbol of the United States? 4 What Australian animal is most symbolic of Australia? 5 Why would you have a memorial in one country to another country? 6 Why would Australia help and be friends with another country? 7 Why would this memorial be in Canberra and not some other part of Australia?

STEP 2 Imagine you have been asked to write a message that will be put at the front of this memorial. Here is the start of the message. How will you finish it? “This memorial is important to all Australians because . . . “

STEP 3 Work out your role play to get your message across to the rest of your class You have created your message. It will be something like:

“This memorial is important to all Australians because it helps us remember that as a nation we are friends and allies of other nations in the world.”

How can you get this message across in your role play? You need to: 1 Show the rest of your class that this place is a memorial. 2 Show the rest of the class that this memorial is a symbol of friendship between Australia and another nation. 3 Show the rest of your class that it helps us to remember that we are a nation and have a place in the rest of the world.

Here is one way you might do this: We have a pigeon and the eagle at the top of the memorial. Remember to act out the roles!

“Hello. Do you mind if I rest here for a while?” “That’s OK. I’m not going anywhere. Just don’t poo on me.” “I won’t. Who are you?” “I’m the American bald eagle, the symbol of the USA.” “You’re a long way from home.” “Tell me about it! But my job is 24/7 so I just have to stay here.” “Um, just what exactly is your job?” “I’m here to remind you Aussies that America and Australia are friends who support and help each other.” “Wow, that is important. Thank you.” “Don’t mention it, kid. If you ever go to the USA just let me know. I can give you the address of some pigeons there in Central Park.” “OK, that’s kind of you - sort of continuing the friendship between the USA and Australia that you symbolise, I guess. Bye. “ Role Play

CAN YOU SAVE THE NATIONAL CAPITAL?

Or you might decide on a different way to show your class what the message about this building is.

Remember that you only have a short time to prepare your role play, and then it is showtime!

STEP 4 Perform your role play It should only be short - about 1 minute at most. Make sure all your group is part of it. Enjoy it!

STEP 5 At the end of your role play Ask your classmates if they got the message. We are sure they have, but you can read out this final summary of what you have discovered:

We have learned that this memorial is an important part of Canberra because

• Canberra is the national capital. • Australia is a country, and it has friendships with other countries. • We can see symbols of national friendship in a national place. • So the national capital helps us understand that we are part of the world and have to interact with

other nations.

- It is there so people who see it can be reminded of the close ties between the two nations. two the between ties close the of reminded be can it see who people so there is It -

- Australia and America have been friends and allies for many years. many for allies and friends been have America and Australia -

- It is a symbol of the friendship between the two countries. two the between friendship the of symbol a is It -

- It is the American-Australian Memorial. American-Australian the is It - Clues Clues Role Play

CAN YOU SAVE THE NATIONAL CAPITAL?

Courtesy High Court of Australia Role Play

CAN YOU SAVE THE NATIONAL CAPITAL?

STEP 1 Questions for you to discuss 1 What is this building? 2 Who are the people in the room inside the building? 3 What are they doing? 4 Why do we have laws that apply to all people equally in Australia?

If you cannot answer any of these questions look at the clues. But do not look at them unless you really have to.

When you have worked out the message you need to present that message to the rest of the class. But we do not want you to TELL them what your message is, we want you to SHOW them through a role play!

STEP 3 Work out your role play to get your message across to the rest of your class You have created your message. It will be something like:

“This place is important to all Australians because it is where the highest judges in the land meet to decide if the laws passed by Parliament have been properly made, and apply to all Australians.”

How can you get this message across in your role play? You need to: 1 Show the rest of your class that this place is the High Court 2 Show the rest of the class that the judges decide if the laws made by Parliament have been properly made 3 Show the rest of your class that their decision applies to all Australians.

Here is one way you might do this:

You have two judges arriving at the High Court, and about to hear a case about an Act of Parliament (or law) made by the Australian Parliament. Remember to act out the roles!

‘Hello, Judge.’ ‘Good to see you again. The rest of us are all here, ready to do our job.’ ‘Yes, we have been asked to decide if this Act of Parliament has been properly made and therefore applies to all Australians.’ ‘Yes, this is an important job. Lucky for us nearly all the laws are made properly, but every now and then we are not sure about an Act’. ‘Well, I think we had better go and do our job there.’ ‘Yes, let’s hear the arguments, and make our decision whether this Act is all correct under the rules set out by the Australian constitution.’ ‘Yes, let’s go.’ Role Play

CAN YOU SAVE THE NATIONAL CAPITAL?

Or you might decide on a different way to show your class what the message about this building is. For example, you might: • Create a song or a rap • Be a TV interviewer and a guest • Be on a quiz show and the person has to get the answers right • Or any other good idea you can come up with.

Remember that you only have a short time to prepare your role play, and then it is showtime!

STEP 4 Perform your role play • It should only be short - about 1 minute at most. • Make sure all your group is part of it. • Enjoy it!

STEP 5 At the end of your role play Ask your classmates if they got the message. We are sure they have, but you can read out this final summary of what you have discovered:

We have learned that this place is an important part of Canberra because

• It is the High Court of Australia • The judges here decide if the laws made by Parliament comply with the Australian constitution • And if they have then those laws apply to all Australians • And if the law has not been properly made by the Parliament then it is not a law

• So the national capital helps us understand an important part of our system of democracy.

- If those laws are properly made they apply to all Australians people. Australians all to apply they made properly are laws those If -

- They decide if laws made by Parliament comply with the Australian constitution. Australian the with comply Parliament by made laws if decide They -

- They are High Court judges. Court High are They -

- This is the High Court of Australia. of Court High the is This - Clues Clues Role Play

CAN YOU SAVE THE NATIONAL CAPITAL? Role Play

CAN YOU SAVE THE NATIONAL CAPITAL?

STEP 1 Questions for you to discuss 1 Who are these people? 2 What connection do they have with the two buildings? 3 Why do we have British symbols in Australia?

STEP 2 Imagine you have been asked to write a message that will be put at the front of these statues. Here is the start of the message. How will you finish it? “These statues are important to all Australians because . . . “

If you cannot answer any of these questions look at the clues. But do not look at them unless you really have to.

When you have worked out the message you need to present that message to the rest of the class. But we do not want you to TELL them what your message is, we want you to SHOW them through a role play!

STEP 3 Work out your role play to get your message across to the rest of your class You have created your message. It will be something like:

“These statues are important to all Australians because they remind us of our British origins and heritage.”

How can you get this message across in your role play? You need to: 1 Show the rest of your class that these two places are associated with Britain 2 Show the rest of the class that they reflect our old British connections 3 Show the rest of your class that they tell us about an important part of our national history and heritage.

Here is one way you might do this:

You have two statues. They will have a conversation. Remember to act out the roles!

‘Hello. I’m King George V. I was the King of Britain and also of Australia when Parliament House was opened in Canberra in 1927.’ ‘Oh, I am Queen Elizabeth II. I was the Queen of Britain and also of Australia when the new Parliament House was opened in 1988.’ ‘Yes, I am actually your grandfather, remember!’ ‘Of course, grandpa. Sorry’. ‘Why do you think we are here?’ ‘Well, Britain started Australia as a colony, and I am the head of state of Australia, so this is showing people that Australia has a strong British connection, which is part of who they are, their national identity.’ ‘Yes, that is important for all Australians, and the national capital is a good place to show this.’ ‘Oh, well, nice to talk to you. But back to work, here come the tourists!’ ‘Bye, granddaughter!’ Role Play

CAN YOU SAVE THE NATIONAL CAPITAL?

Or you might decide on a different way to show your class what the message about these statues is. For example, you might: • Create a song or a rap • Be a TV interviewer and a guest • Be on a quiz show and the person has to get the answers right • Or any other good idea you can come up with.

Remember that you only have a short time to prepare your role play, and then it is showtime!

STEP 4 Perform your role play • It should only be short - about 1 minute at most. • Make sure all your group is part of it. • Enjoy it!

Ask your classmates if they got the message. We are sure they have, but you can read out this final summary of what you have discovered:

We have learned that these statues are important parts of Canberra because

• Canberra is the national capital • The statues are of British monarchs (kings and queens) • Australia began as a British colony • The British monarch is the Australian head of state • So the national capital helps us understand an important part of our system of government and our

heritage.

- These remind us of our strong British history and heritage. and history British strong our of us remind These -

1988.

and Queen Elizabeth was the Queen of Britain (and therefore Australia) when the new Parliament House was opened in in opened was House Parliament new the when Australia) therefore (and Britain of Queen the was Elizabeth Queen and

- King George was the King of Britain (and Australia) when the original Parliament House in Canberra was opened in 1927, 1927, in opened was Canberra in House Parliament original the when Australia) (and Britain of King the was George King -

- One is King George V outside Old Parliament House, the other is Queen Elizabeth inside Parliament House. Parliament inside Elizabeth Queen is other the House, Parliament Old outside V George King is One - Clues Clues Role Play

CAN YOU SAVE THE NATIONAL CAPITAL? Role Play

CAN YOU SAVE THE NATIONAL CAPITAL?

STEP 1 Questions for you to discuss 1 What is this building? 2 Who are the people whose names are on the wall? 3 Why do we have a museum and memorial to Australians in war?

If you cannot answer any of these questions look at the clues. But do not look at them unless you really have to.

When you have worked out the message you need to present that message to the rest of the class. But we do not want you to TELL them what your message is, we want you to SHOW them through a role play!

STEP 3 Work out your role play to get your message across to the rest of your class You have created your message. It will be something like:

“This place is important to all Australians because it reminds us that many Australians have died for the Aus- tralian nation.”

How can you get this message across in your role play? You need to: 1 Show the rest of your class that this place is the Australian War Memorial 2 Show the rest of the class that many Australians have died in wars for the nation 3 Show the rest of your class that this is an important part of our history and national identity.

Here is one way you might do this: A visitor to the Australian War Memorial talks to a statue of a Digger. Remember to act out the roles!

‘So this is the Australian War Memorial.’ ‘Yes, it’s very important.’ ‘(Startled) Who are you?’ ‘I am the spirit of “the Digger”.’ ‘What’s a Digger?’ ‘The special name given to Australian soldiers.’ ‘Which war were you in?’ ‘I was in the First World War, but I could also have been in the Second World War, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the war in Afghanistan, and in lots of peacekeeping activities in different countries.’ ‘Why did you go to war?’ ‘Because my country was at war and it was my duty.’ ‘Were you hurt?’ ‘Many of us died serving our country. You can see their names on the walls outside. Many others were wound- ed and our families in Australia also suffered because we were away.’ ‘So you are really an important part of our nation’s history, aren’t you?’ ‘Yes. This is something that you need to remember.’ ‘And the Australian War Memorial is a way of helping make sure we do not forget this.’ ‘Yes. We will remember you.’ Role Play

CAN YOU SAVE THE NATIONAL CAPITAL?

Remember that you only have a short time to prepare your role play, and then it is showtime!

STEP 4 Perform your role play • It should only be short - about 1 minute at most. • Make sure all your group is part of it. • Enjoy it!

STEP 5 At the end of your role play Ask your classmates if they got the message. We are sure they have, but you can read out this final summary of what you have discovered:

We have learned that this place is an important part of Canberra because

• Canberra is the national capital • The Australian War Memorial is here • Many Australians have served and died on behalf of the nation • This is an important part of our history

• So the national capital helps us understand an important part of our national identity.

- It exists to commemorate the contribution of Australians in wars. in Australians of contribution the commemorate to exists It -

- They are the Australian men and women who have died during wars. during died have who women and men Australian the are They -

- This is the Australian War Memorial. War Australian the is This - Clues Clues Role Play

CAN YOU SAVE THE NATIONAL CAPITAL?

Photographs Courtesy National Library of Australia Role Play

CAN YOU SAVE THE NATIONAL CAPITAL?

STEP 1 Questions for you to discuss 1 What is this building? 2 What are people doing in it? 3 Why is it important to be able to do these things? 4 What is kept here? 5 Why do we keep books and documents from the past?

If you cannot answer any of these questions look at the clues. But do not look at them unless you really have to.

When you have worked out the message you need to present that message to the rest of the class. But we do not want you to TELL them what your message is, we want you to SHOW them through a role play!

STEP 3 Work out your role play to get your message across to the rest of your class You have created your message. It will be something like:

“This place is important to all Australians because it is where we store books and documents and other records that are part of our national history and identity.”

How can you get this message across in your role play? You need to: 1 Show the rest of your class that this place is the National Library of Australia 2 Show the rest of the class that this is a place for storing important books, papers and images 3 Show the rest of your class that this place is a ‘keeper of our national memory’; that it is an important part of our national identity.

Here is one way you might do this: You have two buildings discussing a document.

‘Hello, I’m the National Library of Australia, and I store documents.’ ‘I’m the National Archives of Australia and I store documents, too.’ ‘Well I store Australian documents.’ ‘Me too!’ ‘I store documents that help us understand our past.’ ‘Yep, that’s my job too.’ ‘Well the documents and books and images I store are part of our history and tell us about who we are, our national identity.’ ‘Yep, snap!’ ‘I store everything, except government papers.’ ‘Ah, well that is where we are different, because I only store government papers.’ ‘So, really, we work together and do not get in each other’s way.’ ‘Correct!’ ‘So we are part of the one family —‘ (Together: ‘The family of Australia and its history!’) Role Play

CAN YOU SAVE THE NATIONAL CAPITAL?

Or you might decide on a different way to show your class what the message about these buildings is. For example, you might: • Create a song or a rap • Be a TV interviewer and a guest • Be on a quiz show and the person has to get the answers right • Or any other good idea you can come up with.

Remember that you only have a short time to prepare your role play, and then it is showtime!

STEP 4 Perform your role play • It should only be short — about 1 minute at most. • Make sure all your group is part of it. • Enjoy it!

STEP 5 At the end of your role play Ask your classmates if they got the message. We are sure they have, but you can read out this final summary of what you have discovered:

We have learned that this places is an important part of Canberra because

• Canberra is the national capital • The National Library of Australia is here • This places stores important documents, books, records and images from our history • It is a ‘keeper’ of the memory of Australians

• It helps us understand our history and national identity.

- These are all part of our history, and tell us about our national identity — who we are as Australians. as are we who — identity national our about us tell and history, our of part all are These -

early drawings of birds. of drawings early

- It stores important documents, records, books, newspapers and images from our past — like Captain Cook’s journal, and and journal, Cook’s Captain like — past our from images and newspapers books, records, documents, important stores It -

- This is important because we can learn about our past. our about learn can we because important is This -

- The people are studying or reading. or studying are people The -

- It is the National Library of Australia. of Library National the is It - Clues Clues Role Play

CAN YOU SAVE THE NATIONAL CAPITAL?

Some of the memorials at Reconciliation Place Role Play

CAN YOU SAVE THE NATIONAL CAPITAL?

STEP 1 Questions for you to discuss 1 What is this place called? 2 What are these artworks about? 3 Why do we have these artworks in Canberra?

If you cannot answer any of these questions look at the clues. But do not look at them unless you really have to.

When you have worked out the message you need to present that message to the rest of the class. But we do not want you to TELL them what your message is, we want you to SHOW them through a role play!

STEP 3 Work out your role play to get your message across to the rest of your class You have created your message. It will be something like:

“This place is important to all Australians because it reminds us of the importance of Indigenous Australia in our past, present and future.”

How can you get this message across in your role play? You need to: 1 Show the rest of your class that this place is Reconciliation Place 2 Show the rest of the class that it contains many artworks 3 Show the rest of your class that they these artworks remind us of the importance of Indigenous people in our history and identity as a nation.

Here is one way you might do this:

You have a person visiting Reconciliation Place, and another person speaking. Remember to act out the roles!

‘So, this is Reconciliation Place. Wow, lots of artworks around.’ ‘Hello.’ ‘Who are you? ‘I am a member of the Ngunnawal tribe.’ ‘Cool! Why are you here?’ ‘I live here. My people have lived here for thousands of years, and we live here still.’ ‘Wht are these artworks here?’ ‘They are here to help remind people of our shared Indigenous and non-Indigenous history.’ ‘Why should we remember that?’ ‘Because we Indigenous Australians are part of Australia’s past, present and future. Australia’s Indigenous heritage is part of what Australia is today.’ ‘So you are really part of our identity as a nation, who we are?’ ‘Got it!’ ‘OK, that’s important. Thanks for reminding me.’ Role Play

CAN YOU SAVE THE NATIONAL CAPITAL?

Or you might decide on a different way to show your class what the message about this place is. For example, you might: • Create a song or a rap • Be a TV interviewer and a guest • Be on a quiz show and the person has to get the answers right • Or any other good idea you can come up with.

Remember that you only have a short time to prepare your role play, and then it is showtime!

STEP 4 Perform your role play • It should only be short - about 1 minute at most. • Make sure all your group is part of it. • Enjoy it!

STEP 5 At the end of your role play Ask your classmates if they got the message. We are sure they have, but you can read out this final summary of what you have discovered:

We have learned that this place is an important part of Canberra because

• Canberra is the national capital • Reconciliation Place is here • The artworks in Reconciliation Place tell us about the central place of Reconciliation in Australian national life and the achievements of Indigenous Australians

• Indigenous people are an important part of our history and identity as a nation.

Indigenous reconciliation. Indigenous

- Reconciliation Place’s location in the centre of our national capital reminds us of the importance of Indigenous and non- and Indigenous of importance the of us reminds capital national our of centre the in location Place’s Reconciliation -

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- The artworks are about Reconciliation, ties to land and water, and of Indigenous achievement. Indigenous of and water, and land to ties Reconciliation, about are artworks The -

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CAN YOU SAVE THE NATIONAL CAPITAL? Role Play

CAN YOU SAVE THE NATIONAL CAPITAL?

STEP 1 Questions for you to discuss 1 What is this building? 2 What do the people who work in it do? 3 What is a passport? 4 What does this website page tell people about? 5 Why do Australians travelling overseas need information from the government? 6 Why does Australia need to work with other countries?

If you cannot answer any of these questions look at the clues. But do not look at them unless you really have to.

When you have worked out the message you need to present that message to the rest of the class. But we do not want you to TELL them what your message is, we want you to SHOW them through a role play!

STEP 3 Work out your role play to get your message across to the rest of your class You have created your message. It will be something like:

“This place is important to all Australians because it’s the place where people work to carry out Australia’s policies toward the rest of the world.”

How can you get this message across in your role play? You need to: 1 Show the rest of your class that this place is a government building 2 Show the rest of the class that the Australian government has to work with other countries 3 Show the rest of your class that this is part of our national identity — that we are a nation and are part of the world community.

Here is one way you might do this:

A student meets the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Remember to act out the roles!

‘Hello, young person.’ ‘Hello. Who are you?’ ‘I’m the Minister for Foreign Affairs.’ ‘Wow, you must be important?’ ‘Well, the job I do is important. I represent Australia when I go to visit other countries.’ ‘How did you get that job?’ ‘I am part of the government, and I was elected by people in my area to be in Parliament.’ ‘So, you are a Member of Parliament?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘So, really, the people who elected you are your boss, and you represent Australia overseas for them.’ ‘Correct.’ ‘And the people in this building all work to help you make decisions and to represent Australia overseas.’ ‘Correct.’ continued on next page... Role Play

CAN YOU SAVE THE NATIONAL CAPITAL?

‘Why are you all in Canberra?’ ‘Because this is where the national government is, where the national decisions are made, and where the foreign countries send their representatives when they need to talk to the Australian government. There are also many workers overseas and around the country’ ‘OK, so when you go overseas, you have an Australian embassy in the capital city of that country to go to.’ ‘Correct.’ ‘OK, now I also understand why embassies are here.’ ‘Excellent. Enjoy your time in Canberra.’

Remember that you only have a short time to prepare your role play, and then it is showtime!

STEP 4 Perform your role play • It should only be short - about 1 minute at most. • Make sure all your group is part of it. • Enjoy it!

STEP 5 At the end of your role play Ask your classmates if they got the message. We are sure they have, but you can read out this final summary of what you have discovered:

We have learned that this place is an important part of Canberra because

• Canberra is the national capital • Many national decisions are made here • We need to be in contact with other nations of the world • This is done by Ministers and by people who work for the Australian government

• So the national capital helps us understand an important part of our system of government.

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