War in WA: Stories from the Home Front

The First World War and the Second World War were times of great change in Western Australia.

This program focuses on the impacts of war in WA through the lens of the home front; the role of women, and social and economic changes that occurred in response to the First and Second World Wars. Students will review, compare and contrast primary and secondary sources and visit our Reflections gallery to uncover stories from objects of the museum's collection.

This program focuses on World War I for Year 9 or World War II for Year 10, aligning with the relevant WA Curriculum links.

Student experience 

Students will

• Compare and contrast primary and secondary sources relating to the experiences of those on the home front.
• Identify the social changes, pressures and impacts on those not at the front, including ongoing effects.
• Visit the Reflections gallery to explore stories and experiences of Western Australians during the war years.
• Highlight the impact of WA as a front  (Year 10 World War II program only). 

Program Feedback

"The content was engaging for the students and allowed them to explore the concepts at their own pace as well as ask questions to enhance their understanding.”

Skills development

This program links to the following strands of the Western Australian Curriculum:

Year 9

Humanities and Social Sciences

• Depth Study 2: Investigating World War I (1914–1918). The impact of World War I, with a particular emphasis on Australia, such as the use of propaganda to influence the civilian population, the changing role of women and the conscription debate (ACDSEH096)
• Analysing: Use criteria to analyse the reliability, bias, usefulness and currency of primary sources and/or secondary sources (WAHASS85).

Year 10

Humanities and Social Sciences

• Depth Study 1: Investigating World War II (1939–1945). The impact of World War II, with a particular emphasis on the Australian home front, including the changing roles of women and use of wartime government controls (e.g. conscription, manpower controls, rationing, censorship) (ACDSEH109)
• Analysing: Use criteria to analyse the reliability, bias, usefulness and currency of primary sources and/or secondary sources (WAHASS85)

Facilitated Workshops

Our highly regarded facilitated workshops continue to set the mark by being well researched, engaging and highly inclusive. They are the best way to experience the Museum with your class, no matter what year level you teach.

All facilitated workshops are led by the Museum’s experienced Learning and Engagement team and have been curated using the Museum’s unique resources to provide a deeper learning experience in our specialist subject areas.

Your booking for a facilitated workshop will include all materials and activities for the duration of the program with no prior preparation required.

As part of all facilitated workshop bookings, you are welcome to explore the rest of the Museum free of charge pre or post workshop and do not need to make any additional bookings to do so.  WA Museum Boola Bardip is open daily from 9.30am to 5pm, with last entry at 4pm.