Education Resources
Wars, Conflicts and Peace Operations
Investigating Gallipoli
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DVA Education Resource. Published March 2010 |
Primary |

This education resource is designed for primary students in years 4-6, and focuses on the campaign and the experiences of the Anzacs at Gallipoli in 1915. Students use collected evidence to create their own storybook, covering the main features of the campaign, the experiences of soldiers and nurses involved, and the ways in which Gallipoli has been, and continues to be, commemorated in Australia.
The published resource includes a copy of the ABC website Gallipoli, The First Day and a DVD Video containing a documentary on Gallipoli: Australians at War Episode Two.
Guidebook – buy | PDF – see the chapter links below
Contents
The full publication – Investigating Gallipoli (PDF 16.8 Mb)
Gallipoli and the Anzacs
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DVA Education Resource. Published March 2010 |
Secondary |

This education resource provides teachers and students with learning activities and information on the experiences of the Anzacs at Gallipoli in 1915, contextualising the involvement of the Turkish, British, French and other Allied forces in the campaign. The resource aids students in discovering the main features of the campaign, including the landings of the Anzacs; the stories of soldiers and nurses involved; the roles of other allied nations; the experiences of families waiting at home; the evacuation; and the reasons why Gallipoli has been and continues to be commemorated as an event of national significance for Australians.
The published resource includes a copy of the ABC website Gallipoli, The First Day and a DVD Video containing two documentary films, Australians at War Episode Two and Revealing Gallipoli.
Guidebook – buy | PDF – see the chapter links below
Contents
The full publication – Gallipoli and the Anzacs (PDF 28.9 Mb)
Australian Prisoners of War
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DVA Education Resource. Published March 2009 |
Secondary Schools |

This educational resource provides teachers and students with activities to investigate Australian Prisoners of War using the stories from the Australians at War Film Archive. The resource provides historical background about Australian prisoners of war since the Boer War and uses the personal stories of veterans and civilian POWs from the Second World War and the Korean War.
Guidebook - buy | PDF - see the chapter links below
The Full publication - Australian Prisoners of War (PDF14.08 Mb)
Contents
M is for Mates- Animals in Wartime from Ajax to Zep
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DVA and AWM Education book. Published March 2009 |
Primary Schools |

This education book is designed for primary students and is an alphabetic book about the contribution made by animals in wartime and peace operations.
Guidebook – buy | PDF (65.35 Mb)
Please note: Due to the big file size the download of the publication may take some time.
M is for Mates shortlisted for Children’s Literature Awards
The Department of Veterans’ Affairs’ publication M is for Mates - Animals in Wartime from Ajax to Zep has been shortlisted for the 2010 Children’s Literature Book of the Year Awards by the Children’s Book Council of Australia.
M is for Mates has been nominated for the Eve Pownall Information Book of the Year 2010 – for information books suitable for children up to the age of eighteen years.
The publication was produced collaboratively with the Australian War Memorial. Copies of were sent by the Department to every primary school in Australia in March 2009. Additional copies can be purchased from the Australian War Memorial on (02) 6243 4578 or online at www.awm.gov.au/shop.
For further enquiries contact your state or territory commemorations officer by e-mailing commemorations@dva.gov.au or phoning 133 254.
Australian Women in War
Released late May 2008
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DVA Education Resource. Published March 2008 |
Primary & Secondary |
Guidebook - buy | PDF - see the chapter links below
This educational resource provides teachers and students with self-contained classroom ready activities and teaching strategies to investigate the roles and experiences of Australian women during more than a century of wars, conflicts and peace operations. Covering women’s roles since 1899 to the present it includes the service roles as well as the home front experiences. The resource includes an introductory DVD and a CD ROM with ten interactive classroom activities.
Follow the links below to view each unit of the publication (PDF files).
Chapters
Australia and the Vietnam War
| DVA Resource Kit Published2007 |
Primary & Secondary |
Guidebook - buy
Students can learn about the experiences of Australians and the Vietnam War from 1962 to 1973, through images, film, classroom and interactive activities.
Follow the links below to view each chapter of the publication (PDF files).
Chapters
Operation CLICK - Anzac to Kokoda
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DVA Resource Kit. Published 2005 |
Upper Primary, Lower & Middle Secondary |
Guidebook - buy | CD Rom
Websites: Operation CLICK ; Visit Gallipoli ; Australia's War
Investigating Australia's wartime history with the websites Visit Gallipoli and Australia's War contains a range of teaching and learning activities aimed at upper primary and lower and middle secondary students. The activities relate to 10 topics which explore Australians’ experiences in World Wars I and II. The accompanying CD-ROM contains reproducible worksheets and relevant sections of the websites.
Includes a range of teaching and learning activities
WW1 - WW2
Anzac Day - Remembrance Day
Australians at War
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DVA Resource Kit. Published 2002 |
Primary & Secondary |
Guidebook | Video | DVD - buy | Primary - buy | Secondary - buy
Website: www.australiansatwar.gov.au/education
Dedicated to Australians who served their country over the past 100 years. This Primary and Secondary resource complements the Australians at War television documentary series, first screened in 2001. It covers the experience of Australians in wars, conflicts and peace operations from the Boer War to 2000 and includes a teachers’ guidebook and compilation video of highlights from the series
Activities include: Boer War - WW1 - WW2 - Korean War - Malayan Emergency - Vietnam War - Indonesian Confrontation - East Timor - Peacekeeping
Defence of Australia
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DVA Resource Kit. Published 2002 |
Upper Primary & Lower Secondary |
Guidebook - buy | Video
Studies the period 1939-1945 especially the events of 1942, including the fall of Singapore, the bombing of Darwin and other Australian towns, the Japanese midget submarine attack on Sydney Harbour and the Kokoda Track campaign. The resource includes a teachers’ guide with classroom activities, a video and posters.
Activities & posters include: WW2
Working the Web: Investigating Australia's wartime history
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DVA Resource Kit. Published 2004 |
Upper Primary & Secondary |
Guidebook - buy | Websites | PDFs (below)
Designed to inform teachers and their students of the wartime history resources available on the websites of the agencies of DVA portfolio. The 10 investigative chapters examine significant themes in Australia’s Wartime history, peacekeeping roles, remembrance and commemoration and include links to the relevant websites.
About this book; Contents; State & Territory curriculum links
Teachers Guide (470 Kb)
Investigations
Activities include: WW1 - WW2 - Korean War - Malayan Emergency - Vietnam War - Indonesian Confrontation - Peacekeeping
Anzac Day - Remembrance Day
Memorial Box - Australian War Memorial
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Outreach resource |
Primary & Secondary |
For more information: www.awm.gov.au/education/box
Authentic and replica artefacts that students can handle! There are boxes for World War I, the Red Cross Society, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in the Defence Force, World War 2, Women and Children during World War 2 and the War in the Pacific, 1942.
Includes photos, case studies, uniforms, equipment, models, videos & CDs
WW1 - WW2
Anzac Day - Remembrance Day
Commemoration
Their Spirit, Our History
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DVA & AWM Resource. Published2007 |
Primary & Secondary |
Guidebook | PDF (5.12 Mb)
Discover and imagine, through letters, journals, newspaper clippings and telegrams, what life was like for Australians during WorldWarI. Learn about the origin and historical significance of Anzac Day through research-based activities. Find out tips on how to plan and conduct your own commemorative ceremony.
Activities include: WW1 - WW2 - Korean War - Malayan Emergency - Vietnam War - IndonesianConfrontation - FirstGulfWar - WaronTerror - SecondGulfWar - Peacekeeping
Anzac Day
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Our Past – Our Future: Commemorating Remembrance Day
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DVA PDF file. Published 2003 |
Primary & Secondary |
PDF (1.49 Mb)
Offers teachers and students information and activities about Remembrance Day and commemoration.
Activities include: Remembrance Day
We Remember
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DVA Resource Kit. Published 2001 |
Lower Primary |
Big Book - buy | PDF (1.36 Mb)
A Big Book written specifically for the lower primary school audience. The book addresses the themes of remembrance and commemoration through the story of Charlie Cooper, a boy who lives in a rural township and discovers his family’s wartime history. Includes teaching notes and class activities.
Activities include: Boer War - WW1 - WW2 - Korean War - Malayan Emergency - Vietnam War - Indonesian Confrontation - Gulf War - East Timor - Peacekeeping
Anzac Day - Remembrance Day
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