year 3 history: first contacts
What's Your Story: Leonard and Milba's Story
(for teachers)
This is a picture book which tells the story of the First Fleet's arrival in Port Jackson in 1788. The story is told through the eyes of Leonard, an English boy, and Milba, an Aboriginal girl, who become friends soon after the ships arrive.
The book is often used in Year 3 as a focus for learning about the first contacts between the English and the Aboriginal people who are the First Peoples of this land.
I wrote this summary to help a group of newly-arrived EAL/D students in Year 3 who were studying the book in class. Although the story of Leonard and Milba is a picture book, the language and concepts are complex ones for children for whom English is new and who have had no prior exposure to the content involved.
This page would also be useful for children who struggle with literacy and/or have special needs. You can display this page on your interactive whiteboard or read it with the children on a computer. The children can also access it at home.
The first part of this page is simply an introduction to the First Fleet and its arrival.
The images are included as a focus for discussion, to help extend the children's content-specific vocabulary and to provide speaking and listening practice.
The book is often used in Year 3 as a focus for learning about the first contacts between the English and the Aboriginal people who are the First Peoples of this land.
I wrote this summary to help a group of newly-arrived EAL/D students in Year 3 who were studying the book in class. Although the story of Leonard and Milba is a picture book, the language and concepts are complex ones for children for whom English is new and who have had no prior exposure to the content involved.
This page would also be useful for children who struggle with literacy and/or have special needs. You can display this page on your interactive whiteboard or read it with the children on a computer. The children can also access it at home.
The first part of this page is simply an introduction to the First Fleet and its arrival.
The images are included as a focus for discussion, to help extend the children's content-specific vocabulary and to provide speaking and listening practice.
WHAT'S YOUR STORY: LEONARD AND MILBA'S STORY
(for students)
The First Fleet was a group of ships which came to New South Wales from England in 1788.
A fleet is a group of ships sailing together. There were eleven ships in the First Fleet.
A fleet is a group of ships sailing together. There were eleven ships in the First Fleet.
Who Came to New South Wales on the First Fleet?
The First Fleet ships carried soldiers, convicts and free settlers. The convicts were prisoners. They did not want to go to New South Wales but the government in England forced them to go.
There were too many prisoners in England. There was no room for them in the jails so the English government wanted to send them somewhere far away.
The free settlers were not convicts. They were English people who wanted to live in a new country. England was a very crowded country, with lots and lots of people.
The free settlers knew there were no shops, houses or farms in New South Wales. They knew there was lots of land. They thought the land didn't belong to anyone.
Some free settlers wanted land to make big farms. Some free settlers wanted to start shops so they could sell things. They wanted to sell food and clothes to the convicts, the soldiers and the other free settlers and make money.
What Was the Journey to New South Wales Like?
A journey is when people travel from one place to another.
The ships in the First Fleet took 10 months to travel from England to New South Wales.
The journey was dangerous. 23 people died on the ships while they were at sea.
There were no cameras or photos in 1788. We only have drawings and paintings to show us what the ships looked like.
The Aboriginal People
The Aboriginal people had been living here for about 60,000 years.
There were many different tribes of Aborigines and they travelled around to find food and to visit other tribes.
When the First Fleet arrived, the Aboriginal people did not know who the English people were. They had never seen people with white skin before. They thought the English people were ghosts! They did not know if the white people were friendly.
Leonard
Leonard was a quiet boy. He had a stutter which made him too embarrassed to talk so he did not talk very much.
Leonard liked to read and to draw. He took his books, his pencils and his paper on the ship.
When he arrived in Sydney, Leonard felt lonely. Everyone was busy and they did not talk to him. He felt confused because everything was different. The birds were different and the sun was brighter than it was in England. It was summer in Sydney but it was winter in England!
Leonard liked to read and to draw. He took his books, his pencils and his paper on the ship.
When he arrived in Sydney, Leonard felt lonely. Everyone was busy and they did not talk to him. He felt confused because everything was different. The birds were different and the sun was brighter than it was in England. It was summer in Sydney but it was winter in England!