200 Treasures unit

An Acknowledgement of Country is a statement that pays respect to the Traditional Custodians of the Country that you are learning or meeting on and recognises their ongoing relationship with Country. The Australian Museum respects and acknowledges the Gadigal people as the Custodians of the land on which the Museum stands.

Which First Nations Country or Nation was your school built upon? If you are unsure contact a local First Nations organisation to find out. You might like to start with the NSW Aboriginal Land Council and the Aboriginal Education Consultative Group.

Ask your students to write an Acknowledgement of Country for your school. To get them started, read more about why an Acknowledgement of Country is important and how to write one in this ABC article.

What is cultural history?

To help students describe traditions within their own culture, ask them to share examples of the following: the food they eat; clothing they wear on special occasions; any special celebrations; their religion or spirituality (if they have one); any languages spoken at home; any examples of music, art or dance.

With your students, brainstorm ideas about culture (way of life). Here are some questions to get you started:

• What are some things that define your culture?
• What are some things from your culture that you are proud of?
• How would you describe Australian culture?

What is natural history?

The natural world is all around us, and natural history is the observation and study of the animals, plants and all other living things that share our environments with us.

With your students, brainstorm ideas about nature and natural history.

• What are some examples of materials we find in nature?
• What are some examples of animals we find in nature?
• How might our natural environment have changed over time and how do we know?
• Why is it helpful to study and learn about animals around us?
• Are there any animals that are important to you?

Ask your students to bring to school an object of personal or cultural significance to them (or a photo of the object if it's more appropriate).

Their object could be an item which has special meaning to them, or it could be something from nature which makes them feel happy. Their object may have something to do with their religion, it may relate to a memory, it could be a photo of an animal, experience or person important to them, or it may have been given to them by a member of their family.

Ask your students to find out as much as they can about their object. This may include talking to family members, or doing some research on the internet.

To help them prepare, ask them to draw and create a label for their object. In the label, ask students to include a name, what it is made from (if appropriate), when it was made (if appropriate), who it was made by (if appropriate) and a short description.

Students can then present their object to the rest of the class. When they present, ask them to share a response to the following questions:

• What is your object?
• How old is your object?
• What is it made from?
• Do you know who made it?
• Why is it special to you or why do you like it?

Extension

Using the downloadable activity sheet, make your own treasure chest and put your favourite treasures inside!

Explore with your students the meaning of the word 'treasure'.

• What words might you use to describe a treasure?
• Was your item from show and tell a treasure? Why or why not?
• What makes an object valuable?
• What are some examples of natural history or cultural objects that might be viewed as treasures?

Ask students to work in pairs, choose an object from the Australian Museum’s collections, and discuss why it is a treasure. Students then share their treasure to the rest of the class. When presenting, ask them to respond to the following questions:

• What is your object or specimen?
• How old do you think it is? Why?
• Do you know who made it or where it was collected?
• What makes it a treasure?

Visit and explore our 200 Treasures exhibition which showcases 100 objects and specimens from the Australian Museum’s collections, and 100 people chosen for the way they helped shape Australia.

We also have free learning resources to support your visit, which you can access below.

Enhance your students' learning experiences during their visit to the Museum with our educator-led programs.

Ask your students to imagine they are a social media influencer or have been sent by their local newspaper to review the 200 Treasures exhibition. Ask them to choose a picture of the exhibition and write some words to describe it, and comments (positive and/or negative) that will be the basis for their written review.

Complete the assignment by writing a two to three sentence paragraph review of the exhibit.

• What was the exhibit about?
• What did you like and/or dislike?
• Who would you recommend it to?

Extension

Build on your students' written reviews of the exhibition with some filmmaking! This type of self-directed learning experience fosters creative and collaborative skills giving students the opportunity to share ideas and opinions, and make decisions for their review.

To get inspired, watch the review from Elderslie High School students who visited the Wild Planet exhibition.

As a whole class explore some of the Australian Museum's specimens and objects that have been 3D scanned and are accessible on our website or via pedestal3D.

• How are the scans useful to the public?
• How are the scans useful to researchers?

Then explore our taxidermy digital story about the use of taxidermy in the mammal collection.

• How are stuffed animals useful for the public?
• How are stuffed animals useful to researchers?

Split the class in two and have a debate about which is more important for our future – 3D scanning of objects and specimens, or taxidermy of animals.

Extension

Want to get even more out of your learning? Ask students to write a short response to one of the following questions.

• What is a museum?
• Why do we collect objects?
• Who visits museums and why?

An exhibition in a museum normally tells a story through objects, specimens, models, sounds, text, digital platforms, art, pictures and/or archival sources. A student-curated exhibition for your classroom or school would give great scope for object-based learning giving opportunities for students to investigate objects in ways that encourages collaboration, research, and discussion.

Students can set up their own exhibition about Australian animals, or animals around the world. Follow our scaffolded activity page to create your own exhibition in the classroom.