I said I’d try to create some extra activities for teachers and tutors to use with the Read about Australia books, and so far I’ve only done one (for Capital Cities of Australia).
My excuse: I’ve been away (a little volunteer gig with a refugee group on Chios, then seeing friends and family, then the Self Publishing Show in London, where I felt my head was filled to bursting with information and ideas…)
So now, back to work! Here’s an activity for Outback Australia, inspired by a charming 2 minute YouTube video I watched about the outback town of Barcaldine (BarCOLdin) in central Queensland.
It features locals, including local kids, talking about what makes ‘Barcy’ great.
A research activity for Outback Australia
I wasn’t born in Australia, and I’ve only lived in Perth.
t can be hard for city folk like me to comprehend the vastness of this country and what life is like for anyone who lives outside the main cities and towns.
An interesting extension activity could be to do a mini-research project together, on living in a regional area, but with just one or two questions to research per learner pair.
Learners could find out more about an ‘outback’ town, like Barcaldine.
There are other YouTube videos giving tours, showing the wide streets and old buildings.
You can search online for a street map and see just how few (or many) streets there are. Here is the link for the download (plus a look inside):
Outback Australia research activity
Getting specific information
The cut up cards each have a research question (some a little more challenging than others).
This can be a great way to practice getting information: searching on shortened phrases like ”Barcaldine population”. (It’s also a good time to note that AI does not always come up with the right answers.)
Next, some very mini-presentation practice, where a pair stands up, one reads out their question card and the other gives the answer. (You can create extra cards based on learner interests.)
Finally, once all the information is out there, you can discuss what it might be like to live in Barcaldine (or other town). What are the positives and negatives of outback town life?
Good things about living here could be cheaper housing, fun for kids, safer, relaxed lifestyle, small town life, things in walking distance…
Difficult things about living here might include the heat, risk of floods, no mosque or temple, no TAFE, not many jobs for me, no local buses…
Wait, what about actual outback learners?
If you and your learners are actually living in the outback, or in regional Australia, then you might have a different perspective and a different discussion.
Is this book on Outback Australia fair? Is this activity fair? What else would you like to tell city folk about life in a small town? (Get in touch, and I’ll add their thoughts here!)
