Newspapers as Windows to the Past: Exploring Trove (Years 3–10 History)

Introduction

What better way to understand the past than to read about it through the eyes of those who lived it? Historical newspapers offer a fascinating glimpse into everyday life, significant events and changing attitudes throughout Australian history.

The National Library of Australia's Trove is a free digital resource providing access to historical newspapers, photographs, advertisements and other primary sources. With newspapers dating back to the early 1800s, Trove offers teachers an engaging way to bring historical inquiry into the classroom.

How to Use It in the Classroom

Teachers can use Trove to encourage students to investigate how Australian society has changed over time. By exploring newspaper articles, advertisements and headlines, students can identify historical perspectives, consider the reliability of sources and develop a deeper understanding of significant events.

Students might compare advertisements from different decades, investigate how a historical event was reported or explore what newspapers reveal about daily life in their local community.

This resource is particularly valuable for developing historical thinking skills, encouraging students to look beyond the information presented and consider whose voices are represented, whose are missing and how perspectives have changed.

Five Practical Tips, Tricks and Ideas for the Classroom

1. Then and Now: Compare historical advertisements with modern advertisements to identify changes in technology, language, lifestyles and consumer expectations.

2. Headline Detectives: Provide students with a historical newspaper headline and challenge them to investigate the event, identifying what happened and how it was reported.

3. Local History Investigation: Search for articles mentioning your local town or suburb and explore how the community has developed over time.

4. Whose Perspective?: Compare newspaper reports of the same historical event and discuss how language, audience and purpose can influence the information presented.

5. Create a Historical Newspaper: Invite students to produce their own newspaper page about a historical event, using evidence from primary and secondary sources.

Australian Curriculum Connections (Version 9.0)

• Year 3 History: Investigating continuity and change in local communities.

• Year 4 History: Exploring historical events and experiences through evidence and sources.

• Year 5 History: Investigating developments in colonial Australia and their effects on people and communities.

• Years 7–10 History: Analysing historical sources, perspectives, interpretations and evidence.