Australia and Oceania

Australia and

Oceania

Setting – Australia and Oceania

Day 1

Identify the following on your
map:

• Countries:

• Australia
• New Zealand
• Papua New Guinea

• Cities:

• Sydney

• Physical features:

• Pacific Ocean
• Ring of Fire
• Great Barrier Reef
• Indian Ocean
• Great Victoria Desert

Day 1

Setting – Australia and Oceania

•What physical feature is east of Australia?

•How is Australia unique?

Map Link

Day 1

Turn and Talk

Setting – Australia and Oceania (Effects of Geography)

Day 1

• The Outback is the remote

interior of Australia that is dry
and arid

• Due to its harsh interior, most

Australians live along the
coastline

• Australia benefits from being

surrounded by water, because it
is hard for enemies to launch an
invasion

•How does Australia benefit from being
surrounded by water?

•Why do Australians live along the coast?

Assessment Link

Day 1

Turn and Talk

Culture – Australia and Oceania

Day 2

• Australia has one of the highest standards

of living in the world, and New Zealand's is
high, but many others in the region are
very poor

• The average life expectancy in Australia

and New Zealand is 83 years old,
compared to 79 years old in the United
States

• The average GDP per capita in Australia

and New Zealand is a little less than
$50,000 compared to $63,000 in the
United States

• The literacy rate in Australia and New

Zealand is the same as the United States

• All students are required to be educated

through age 16 in most of Australia, school
is not free

Country
Life

Expectancy

GDP Per
Capita

Literacy Rate

U.S.

79

$63,000

99%

Australia

83

$57,396

99%

New Zealand

82

$42,331

99%

Marshall
Islands

65

$3,788

98%

Papua New

Guinea

64

$2,730

62%

*Data from World Bank (2018)

•How is the U.S. similar to Australia and
New Zealand?

•How is the U.S. different from Australia
and New Zealand?

Day 2

Turn and Talk

Day 2

• In Australia, English is the most

spoken due to European settlement

• In New Zealand, about 95% speak

English, however, Maori is the
official language, and in 2006 sign
language was added

• New Zealanders speak what’s

known as “kiwi slang”

• Barbie = Barbecue
• Jumper = Sweater
• Gidday = Good day

• A wide range of religions exist in the

area, however, Christianity is the
most common

Culture – Australia and New Zealand

•What style of English do New Zealanders
speak?

•How has European colonization
influenced Australia?

Read the article linked here. Then, complete this quiz.

Day 2

Turn and Talk

Day 3

• Swimming, rugby, soccer and

cricket are popular sports in
Australia

• Sydney Opera House hosts many

concerts and performances, cold
water from the harbor heats and
cools the building

• Daily lifestyles in Australia and

New Zealand are similar to the
United States

Culture – Australia and New Zealand (Entertainment)

•What are popular sports in Australia?

•Describe the Sydney Opera House in only
4 or 5 words.

Day 3

Turn and Talk

Day 3

Culture – Australia (Technological Inventions)

• Dr. David Warren created the

black box flight recorder used on
all major aircrafts, making a huge
contribution to air safety

• Dr. Mark Lidwill created the first

artificial pacemaker, countless
lives have been saved thanks to
this groundbreaking invention

• Dr. Graeme Clark developed the

first cochlear implant to help
improve communication and the
quality of life of the hearing-
impaired

•What was one technological innovation
made by an Australian, and how does it
help society?

•What innovations do you see being
created in the future?

Assessment Link

Day 3

Turn and Talk

Day 4

• Aborigines were hunters and

gatherers who created the
boomerang to make hunting
easier

• Aborigines developed 400

languages, yet they share
many beliefs and traditions

• The didgeridoo, a wind

instrument, is a long wooden
tube that created interesting
vibrations

Culture – Australia (Aborigines)

•What is a didgeridoo?

•Why did the Aborigines make the
boomerang?

Day 4

Turn and Talk

Day 4

Culture – New Zealand (Maori)

• Around 800 A.D., the Maori

traveled in canoes from
Polynesian Islands to New
Zealand

• In the Maori belief system, all

life in the universe is
connected

• Facial tattoos tell the stories

of Maorian families, or tribes

•Review these primary sources and answer the following questions.

• Who are the Maori?

• What agreements did they make with the British? Did the British follow these agreements?

• How did the Maori work to keep their culture alive? What parts of British culture did they adopt?

Day 4

Exit Ticket

Day 5

• Oceania’s island cultures

are a mix of traditional and
modern practices, beliefs,
and lifestyles

• The Hawaiian luau is a

Polynesian event to
celebrate an important
event, achievement, or
victory

• Oceania’s islands use songs,

myths, and dance like the
Hawaiian hula to pass along
traditional knowledge

Culture – Oceania

•How do Oceania islands pass along their
culture to the next generation?

•Describe what you would see at a
Hawaiian luau.

Day 5

Turn and Talk

Day 5

• Hand carved wooden

sculptures are a traditional
art form

• Traditional Oceanic clothing

includes grass skirts for
women, and loin clothes for
men

• Traditional Oceanic housing

generally includes thatched
roofs and no air
conditioning

Culture – Oceania

•Describe traditional Oceania dress.

•How would it be both difficult and easy to
live in a traditional Oceanic house?

Day 5

Turn and Talk

About the History – Australia

• Indigenous Australians are

called Aborigines who
immigrated from Asia about
50,000 years ago

• The British claimed Australia

and settled the region in the
late 1700s

• Many settlers were criminals

sent to live in Australia as
punishment by the British
government

Day 6

•Who originally lived in Australia?

•Who did the British send to live in
Australia and why?

Day 6

Turn and Talk

• Settlers migrated to

Oceania by using
wayfinding, a method
relying on studying the sun,
stars, and ocean currents

• In the 1600s, Europeans

colonized islands to claim
natural resources and have
a reliable stopping place for
ships crossing the Pacific

• After World War II, islands

in the Pacific were used as
nuclear testing sites

Day 6

About the History – Oceania

•Why did European countries claim islands
in the Pacific Ocean?

•How do you think using islands as nuclear
testing sites affected the area?

Day 6

Turn and Talk

Politics – Australia and Oceania

• All major countries in the region

function under some form of
limited government

• Australia and New Zealand are

both constitutional monarchies,
borrowing ideas from the U.S.
and England

• In 1893, New Zealand was the

first country to grant women
suffrage

Day 7

VOTE

New Zealand

Australia

•Which country was first to give women
the right to vote?

•What countries have you studied that
have the same type of government as
Australia and New Zealand?

Day 7

Turn and Talk

• The rights of Australian citizens are

similar to Americans and include:

• Freedom of speech
• Freedom of religion
• Right to run for office (Parliament)

• The responsibilities of Australian

citizens are similar to Americans and
include:

• Obeying laws
• Serving on a jury
• Defending the country if necessary

• Australia has compulsory voting,

meaning citizens who are 18 or
older are required to vote, failing to
do so can result in a fine and court
hearing

Day 7

Politics – Australia and Oceania

•What are some rights and responsibilities
of both Australians and Americans?

•What is required of Australians? Do you
agree?

Day 7

Turn and Talk

Economy – Australia and Oceania

Day 8

• Australia and New Zealand have a

free enterprise economy with
limited government involvement

• Some Aboriginals have a traditional

economy

• Australia’s economy is mainly service

industries due to its stable
government, but still relies on
mining and agriculture

• New Zealand’s economy was farm-

based, but has become
industrialized. Agriculture is still
very important

•What is Australia’s main industry?

•How are Australia and New Zealand’s
economies similar to the U.S.?

Day 8

Turn and Talk

Day 8

• Australia and New Zealand’s level of

economic development is considered
level one, however, Oceania
countries vary in their economic
levels

• Many small countries’ economies in

Oceania are more traditional and rely
on fishing and farming

• Tourism is an important service

industry to small, independent
countries of Oceania

• A bottle of Coke costs $1.80 in the

U.S., it typically costs around $2.00 in
most major countries in the region

Economy – Australia and Oceania

$2.00
$1.80

Australia &

Oceania

U.S.

•Go back to slide 7, how can you prove
that Australia and New Zealand have a
developed economic level?

•How does Australia and New Zealand’s
economies compare to the Aborigines
and Oceania economies?

Day 8

Turn and Talk