Themes

Family and community

The theme Family and community includes eleven subthemes relating to topics affecting individual characters, their relationships with family members, their ideas about being Australian and their involvement with community-based issues. This theme reflects the changing attitudes, values and perspectives in Australia over the period of time depicted in the series.

In each subtheme you will find a selection of resources that provide ideas for engaging students with the My Place TV series: clips and stills from various episodes, suggested History and English teaching activities, and associated student activity sheets. Some clips may be stronger and more explicit on the topic than others and teachers need to select the ones that are most relevant to their individual program.

Australians at war

This subtheme contains clips and stills from the My Place TV series, teaching activities and associated student activity sheets. You will find references to the Boer War, the First World War, the Second World War and the Vietnam War.

Beliefs

This subtheme contains clips and stills from the My Place TV series, teaching activities and associated student activity sheets. These resources explore the spiritual attitudes, and reverence to belief systems, held by the characters and their families.

Character

This subtheme contains clips and stills from the My Place TV series, teaching activities and associated student activity sheets. These resources deconstruct important characters in the series, their attitudes and behaviours.

Gender roles and stereotypes

This subtheme contains clips and stills from the My Place TV series, teaching activities and associated student activity sheets. These resources reflect the changing expectations and attitudes for male and female characters over the period of time of the series.

Historical events

This subtheme contains clips and stills from the My Place TV series, teaching activities and associated student activity sheets that relate to significant events in Australian history.

Indigenous perspectives

This subtheme contains clips and stills from the My Place TV series, teaching activities and associated student activity sheets. These resources focus on Indigenous characters, and historical events linked to Indigenous affairs, government policy and public attitudes.

Language and scripting

This subtheme contains clips and stills from the My Place TV series, teaching activities and associated student activity sheets. These resources focus on the use of particular Australian words, terminology and names. You will also find activities that use excerpts from the series scripts.

Multiculturalism

This subtheme contains clips and stills from the My Place TV series, teaching activities and associated student activity sheets. These resources reflect the diverse ethnic composition of Australia as evidenced by the characters in the series. The focus is on language, customs and attitudes.

Politics

This subtheme contains clips and stills from the My Place TV series, teaching activities and associated student activity sheets. These resources relate to government policy, people and political parties that affect the lives of the characters.

Relationships

This subtheme contains clips and stills from the My Place TV series, teaching activities and associated student activity sheets. These resources focus on the relationship between characters and their families in the series.

Social order and education

This subtheme contains clips and stills from the My Place TV series, teaching activities and associated student activity sheets. These resources capture the issues of class distinction represented in Australia's social development and also focus on the changing expectations of education for children.

Lifestyle

The theme Lifestyle includes eight subthemes relating to topics about different cultural trends, social behaviours and ethnic customs that affected the way people lived and worked in Australia over the period of time depicted in the series.

In each subtheme you will find a selection of resources that provide ideas for engaging students with the My Place TV series: clips and stills from various episodes, suggested History and English teaching activities, and associated student activity sheets. Some clips may be stronger and more explicit on the topic than others and teachers need to select the ones that are most relevant to their individual program.

Art, Music and Literature

This subtheme contains clips and stills from the My Place TV series, teaching activities and associated student activity sheets. You will find activities that relate to how the arts play an important role in the lives of the characters.

Celebrations

This subtheme contains clips and stills from the My Place TV series, teaching activities and associated student activity sheets. These resources show diverse public, cultural and personal celebrations by the characters and their families.

Chores, business and employment

This subtheme contains clips and stills from the My Place TV series, teaching activities and associated student activity sheets. These resources show the expectations on children to work and complete chores. It also explores the changing nature of employment and workers' rights in Australia.

Culture

This subtheme contains clips and stills from the My Place TV series, teaching activities and associated student activity sheets. These resources highlight aspects of accepted social observances, attitudes, speech and sport commonly associated with Australian communities.

Customs and traditions

This subtheme contains clips and stills from the My Place TV series, teaching activities and associated student activity sheets. These resources provide evidence of traditional practices, events and behaviours related to the cultural groups of the characters.

Entertainment and games

This subtheme contains clips and stills from the My Place TV series, teaching activities and associated student activity sheets. These resources explore children's games and show how the characters participate in activities for enjoyment and recreation.

Fashion

This subtheme contains clips and stills from the My Place TV series, teaching activities and associated student activity sheets. You will find activities that highlight changing fashions and trends, particularly for children.

Food

This subtheme contains clips and stills from the My Place TV series, teaching activities and associated student activity sheets. These resources focus on the importance of food as part of a cultural celebration or as an everyday activity.

Technologies

The theme Technologies includes three subthemes relating to topics about technological innovation for the domestic Australian market over the period of time depicted in the series. The subthemes relate to technologies highlighted in the stories from the My Place TV series.

In each subtheme you will find a selection of resources that provide ideas for engaging students with the series: clips and stills from various episodes, suggested History and English teaching activities, and associated student activity sheets. Some clips may be stronger and more explicit on the topic than others and teachers need to select the ones that are most relevant to their individual program.

Currency

This subtheme contains clips and stills from the My Place TV series, teaching activities and associated student activity sheets. You will find activities that provide evidence of the use of currency and the price of goods and services in different eras.

Inventions and electronic media

This subtheme contains clips and stills from the My Place TV series, teaching activities and associated student activity sheets. You will find activities that highlight innovations in lifestyle for families in Australia.

Transport

This subtheme contains clips and stills from the My Place TV series, teaching activities and associated student activity sheets. You will find references to various modes of transport in different eras.