Kensington Primary School: The History Show
The History Show: Six Stories from Australian History is a Performing Arts and Australian History project for seventy Grade 5 and 6 students, approximately 35% of whom are from CALD backgrounds. This project will employ a team of teacher-artists to work collaboratively with teachers to engage students in researching Australian history from indigenous and migrant perspectives. Students will examine pre-European Aboriginal culture and the centuries of settlement, looking at stories of how Australia has developed as a nation of migrants. Unusual stories such as the story of William Buckley (a convict who lived with Koorie people), the Afghani cameleers and the Vietnamese boat people will be chosen to give a broad view of Australian history.
A range of performing arts approaches - documentary theatre, dance, spoken word poetry, drama and puppetry - will be used to tell the stories in innovative and engaging ways. The project will culminate in a community performance that celebrates the cultural diversity of Australia and the school. Students will use rich texts to research their projects and will write historical diary entries, poetry and scripts for the performance. They will also generate digital visual material for the performance. This project aims to re-engage students in learning and to create innovative work that celebrates Australian multiculturalism by placing it in a historical perspective.
Performance
7pm, 27th August, Kensington Community Centre, Cnr Kensington Rd & Altona St, Kensington.
