Year 7 History: Ancient Australia & First Peoples’ Journey to Australia | Reading Comprehension

No-prep Year 7 History reading comprehension and historical inquiry resource exploring Deep Time Australia.

A Journey Across the Sea helps students investigate how the First Peoples reached Australia, how Ice Age sea levels shaped Sahul and Sunda, and what archaeological discoveries at Madjedbebe reveal about the ancient past.

Accessible readings, maps, vocabulary support and scaffolded questions develop comprehension and historical thinking. Students explore stone tools, grinding stones, ochre, optical dating and the importance of Mirarr Traditional Owners before completing a short “History Detective” discovery report.

What’s included

• Four-slide teaching presentation

• Four-page student reading and activity booklet

• Teacher answers and a model discovery report

• Maps, artefact images, research summaries and comprehension questions

Suitable for Year 7 / Grade 7 History topics covering Deep Time Australia, First Nations histories and archaeology. Ideal for guided reading, independent work, revision and relief lessons.

Digital download. No physical product will be shipped.

Australian Curriculum alignment — Year 7 History, Version 9.0

Supports selected aspects of the Deep time history of Australia and historical skills through readings, research summaries, comprehension questions and the History Detective discovery report.

• AC9HH7K02 — Arrival and migration: Investigate the journey to Sahul through Wallacea and the use of freshwater corridors after arrival.
• AC9HH7K03 — Continuing cultures: Explore evidence of early First Nations occupation at Madjedbebe and continuing connections to Country.
• AC9HH7K04 — Environmental processes and change: Consider how Ice Age sea levels shaped landmasses, sea crossings and the survival of archaeological evidence.
• AC9HH7K05 — Technological achievements: Examine watercraft, ground-edge stone tools and grinding stones as evidence of technological skill and food processing.
• AC9HH7K06 — Cultural practices: Introduce what ochre and artefacts may reveal about early art, ceremony and cultural life.
• AC9HH7K07 — Cultural heritage and collaboration: Examine the importance of Mirarr Traditional Owners’ permission and involvement in archaeological research at Madjedbebe.
• AC9HH7K08 — Investigating the ancient past: Explore excavation, stratigraphy, artefacts and optical dating as methods and evidence used to investigate early societies.
• AC9HH7S08 — Historical communication: Write a discovery report using historical terms and evidence to explain what artefacts reveal about the past.

Cross-curriculum priority: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures.