Year 4/5/6 Process

Students in Year 5/6 began their Portrait of a Nation journey by studying the Antarctic explorer, Sir Douglas Mawson. They built sleds out of paddle pop sticks and tested their ability to carry heavy weights across a fragile bridge made of newspaper. This recreated the fateful accident that occurred when Ninnis, Mertz and Mawson were returning to base. Portraits of Mawson were drawn using charcoal, chalk pastels and painted. Other students researched former Australian Prime Minister, William (Billy) Hughes and created sketches and caricatures of him.

Students also undertook independent research projects on people featured in the Portrait of a Nation project. They chose a person of interest and used the website as well as the expertise of our teacher librarian to complete their research. Students completed detailed accounts of the significant contributions these people made to Australia. Students showed what they had learned about their chosen person through art by creating a piece that reflected the person’s life and achievements.