Lesson plans for virtual tours

Browse a large range of lesson plans for years 3 to 10 to use with our virtual tours and workshops. All include curriculum links.

Each lesson plan has:

Curated online resources (video, pictures and readings) for before and after the tour
A list of equipment and materials needed
Student tasks suitable for sharing with the class or for assessment
Curriculum links

You can change and adapt the lessons. Use them to plan about a week of learning or as the basis for an extended inquiry.

Each lesson plan contains links to the Victorian Curriculum:

Primary lesson plans link to Humanities and cross-curriculum capabilities. The activities draw on skills like reading, note-taking, writing, and expressing opinions.
Secondary lesson plans link to English and History. They draw on skills belonging to those curriculum areas.

Students will need
- Device
- Internet connection
- Paper
- 'Memorial' by Gary Crew and Shaun Tan
- Coloured pencils or markers
Go to the library and borrow the book 'Memorial' by Gary Crew and Shaun Tan and read it with your students.

Before the tour

This beautiful picture book explores the ways Australians use monuments, gardens, family heirlooms, photographs and family stories to remember significant events from the past.

After the tour

Shrine of Remembrance on Google Arts and Culture

Have a bit more of a look around at the places and things you saw on the tour.

This site has a big online gallery of museum objects and pictures.

Choose one of these objects and see how many different examples you can find of:
- hats
- flowers
- medals
- animals
Student activity: Design a web page
- Visit this is a website about visiting different places in Victoria.
- Have a look at a place you’d like to go.
- Now design your own web page about the Shrine.
- Draw 3 pictures and write 3 pieces of information about the Shrine. Choose information that will make people want to visit!
Victorian Curriculum Levels 3 to 4:
- History: Historical knowledge, Community commemorations and celebrations (VCHK076)
- English: Creating texts (VCELY266)
Before the tour

Watch: Here They Come: A Day to Remember (7 minutes)

This video explores what Anzac Day means in Australia now, as seen through the eyes of Australians of different ages, backgrounds and cultures.

View transcript

After the tour

Visit the Shrine of Remembrance on Google Arts and Culture and explore the Shrine some more on your own.
- Find one object in the galleries that belonged to a man and one that belonged to a woman.
- Where were those people involved in wars.
- What did they use the objects for?
Student activity: Curator for a Day
- Imagine you work at the Shrine and your job is to help student visitors understand what’s interesting and important about the objects on display.
- Draw a picture of the 2 objects you’ve chosen.
- Write a paragraph about each one. Think about what to write to make students your age become interested in the objects.
Victorian Curriculum Levels 5-6:
- Historical Knowledge: The different experiences and perspectives of Australian democracy and citizenship, including the status and rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, migrants, women, and children (VCHHK094)
Before the tour

Watch: 1934 newsreel of the Dedication of Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance (4 min 11 seconds)

The Shrine of Remembrance was opened (or ‘dedicated’) on 11 November 1934, as a memorial to the 19,000 Victorians who died in the First World War (1914-1918). About 300,000 people came to the opening ceremony. That's roughly equal to half the population of Melbourne. At that time it was the largest crowd ever seen in Australia.

View transcript

After the tour

Visit the Shrine of Remembrance on Google Arts and Culture and explore the Shrine some more on your own.

Find:
- an object that belonged to a person who survived the First World War
- an object that belonged to a person who died
Student activity: Letters to the builders of the Shrine

Building the Shrine of Remembrance was an expensive project. They raised a lot of money by collecting donations from members of the community.

Imagine 2 ordinary people in 1930 who have received a letter asking them to donate to the building fund. One of these people lost a loved one in the First World War and the other did not.

Do you think they would donate to the fundraising effort or not?

Write a letter from each of them back to the Shrine Fundraising Committee.

Victorian Curriculum Levels 7-8:
- Historical sources as evidence: Analyse the different perspectives of people in the past (VCHHC100)
- Citizenship, diversity and identity: Examine how national identity can shape a sense of belonging and examine different perspectives about Australia’s national identity, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' perspectives (VCCCC027)
Before the tour

Watch: At the Shrine

This beautiful short film by Nicolette Freeman weaves the thoughts, memories and ideas of ordinary people with the sights and sounds of the Shrine of Remembrance. It reflects on the significance of the building to Victorians past and present.

View transcript

After the tour

Visit the Shrine of Remembrance on Google Arts and Culture and explore the Shrine some more on your own.

Student activity

(Why) does the Shrine matter?

Imagine you are the Year 9 Coordinator at your school. You’re planning a Melbourne City Experience week for 2023. Your principal has asked you to decide whether the students should visit the Shrine of Remembrance. To go there will take half a day. There are many other worthwhile places in Melbourne to visit.
- Make your written recommendation to the principal.
- Draw on 3 primary sources to support your case.
Victorian Curriculum Levels 9-10:
- Historical Significance: Evaluate the historical significance of an event, idea, individual or place (VCHHC128)

Virtual Shrine Tour

Find out about online tours and workshops for all year levels.

Updated 17 November 2022