Australian History - WW1 Returned soldiers experiences Source Usefulness

Empower your middle and high school students to think like historians with this no-prep, print and digital source analysis activity focused on the experiences of returned Australian soldiers after World War I. Designed to support historical thinking and source evaluation skills, this resource includes a guided slide deck, editable student worksheet, and structured scaffolding to help students assess the usefulness of historical sources.

Product Purpose and Benefits

✔️ Teaches students how to evaluate the usefulness of historical sources using content and provenance

✔️ Deepens understanding of Australia’s post-WWI veteran experiences and public memory

✔️ Builds analytical writing and source comparison skills

✔️ Supports both in-class and independent learning with digital and printable versions

What’s Included in This Resource:

1. Editable Slide Deck – “Understanding Source Usefulness”

The lesson begins with a teacher-guided slide deck that introduces key concepts of source usefulness, including content and provenance, bias, perspective, and purpose, with sample questions, sentence starters, and modelled examples to support discussion and explicit teaching of historical thinking skills.

2. Source Evaluation Worksheet

After the slide deck, students apply their learning to a structured, scaffolded worksheet focused on two real sources.

Students are guided to:

• Evaluate each source’s content (what is being said/shown)
• Analyse the provenance (who, when, where, why)
• Make informed judgments about usefulness for understanding the event
• Use evidence to support their evaluation in a clear, written format

3. Source Usefulness Activity

Worksheet designed to deepen understanding.

This task encourages students to:

• Examine the surface and subtext of both sources
• Explore tone, language, and visual cues
• Build confidence in engaging with unfamiliar source types

Learn more about this product’s features, care instructions, and other useful details to help you make an informed choice.

Learn more about this product’s features, care instructions, and other useful details to help you make an informed choice.