From Nonna With Love: Immigration Stories

Overview

The WA Maritime Museum is the perfect location to bring Year 6 students as a stimulus to explore the stories of people who migrated to Australia. The Museum is located on Victoria Quay in historic Fremantle where many people disembarked ships to start the Australian part of their migration story.

Immigration Stories is a two-part 120-minute OR three-part 180-minute curriculum-linked package that immerses your students throughout our galleries. It assists teachers of Year 6 students with the following HASS focus questions:

• Why did they migrate to Australia and what were their stories and challenges? (ACHASSK136)
• How did they contribute to Australian society? (ACHASSK137)

This special edition of Immigration Stories links to the From Nonna With Love exhibition season and is available during Term 4, 2025 and Term 1, 2026. During this season, school groups are strongly encouraged to explore this exhibition included with General Admission entry as part of their visit. The exhibition content will really enrich their understanding of the migrant experience (from the perspective of many Italian Nonnas). We have adapted the interactive gallery tour at the heart of the Immigration Stories program - with permission from family descendants - to champion the experience of the Italian female migrant in an active way that creates links to the exhibition. The same points and activities will be covered, but will embrace a fresh perspective.

Find more information on this exhibition experience for students on the From Nonna With Love: School Visits page.                   

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At the Museum

What your class will experience

Students participating in the two-part 120min program (one or two classes) will experience: 

Part A: Interactive Gallery Tour (Ground floor of the WA Maritime Museum) 

• Take part in an interactive gallery tour that follows the life of the Ianello family and their migration from Italy to Fremantle in the early 1900s
• Recreate some of the challenges and achievements of Maria and Giacomo Ianello in the context of migration to Western Australia
• Discuss how the roles of men and women who migrated to Fremantle shaped the cultural and economic landscape of WA with their many contributions through industry and family legacy
• This part is led by a Museum Educator

Part B: Object Exploration (Level one of the WA Maritime Museum)

• Read the stories of five migrants who have come to Western Australia between 1891 and 1968
• Handle a range of objects that are linked to the various stages of each person’s migration story
• Discuss the motivations for coming, challenges, achievements and contributions of each migrant
• See gallery artefacts that come from or link to migrants who came to WA
• Reflect on the importance of using a range of sources when examining the past
• This part is led by a Museum Educator

An optional third part is also available for students participating in the two-part program. For those schools bringing three classes, Part C is incorporated into a 180-minute three-way rotation program. Students in this part will:

Part C: Choose between these two options below for a 180-minute group experience

Part C1 : (Highly Recommended) Self-guided exploration of temporary exhibition From Nonna With Love (Temporary Exhibition Gallery)

Part C2: Self-Guided Precinct Walking Trail (Outside the WA Maritime Museum and Victoria Quay)

• Participate in a self-guided precinct walking trail linked to Immigration Stories
• Find some of the migrants featured in Immigration Stories on the Welcome Walls
• Consider the changes that have occurred in the Harbour and the surrounding landscape
• Visit statues linked to CY O’Connor and migration to Fremantle and reflect on why they are there
• Download the trail via the button below and print one per group leader
• As Victoria Quay is part of Fremantle Ports you can view their emergency plan here
• This part is led by your group leaders

Bookings essential to manage capacity in the exhibition. Self-guided exploration resources will be provided on booking.

Download the Immigration Stories Precinct Walking Trail [PDF 745KB]

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Booking instructions

Step 1 – Creating your class rotation

• We can accommodate up to 3 classes per day – all starting at 10am or 12pm (start time can be adjusted on request). Before you book, it is important that you create a proposed rotation for your visit so that you are clear on what time your class is participating in the different parts of the program.
• 1 or 2 classes participate in the 120-minute two-part program (with the option of adding the self-guided precinct walking trail).
• If there are 3 classes, all students participate in the 180-minute three-part program, which includes Part C (either a visit to the From Nonna with Love exhibition OR the self-guided precinct walking trail). You can print out and use the following timetable if you wish.

WA Maritime Museum Education Program 3 Group Rotation Timetable [PDF 127KB]

Step 2 – Making a booking

Please send an email to education@museum.wa.gov.au with the following details and we will begin to process your booking.

1. Program choice: Immigration Stories
2. Preferred visit dates and session times
3. Number of classes & student numbers in each class
4. Number of attending adults per class
5. Contact Teacher name, email and mobile number
6. School

Step 3 – Planning your visit

• Don’t forget to read the Planning Your Visit section so you are prepared for your visit to the Museum.
• If you are booking for more than one class please share this page with your fellow class teachers.

Please email education@museum.wa.gov.au or call us on 1300 134 081 to discuss other booking options if the above is not suitable.

Booking conditions

• We may need refuse entry if we are already at capacity at your selected Museum and you haven't pre-booked
• Each Part starts on the hour and we are unable to shorten the program (especially if you are rotating with another school)
• For the best learning outcome we recommend a maximum of 30 students per session
• A minimum supervisor ratio of 1 adult to 10 students is required, however a ratio of 1 to 6 is preferred for this program
• Bookings need to be made 14 days before the date of your visit
• Changes to dates and times are subject to availability
• Refunds are not available if you cancel your booking within 14 days of your visit

 

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Curriculum links

Programs and exhibitions at the WA Museum support teachers in their delivery of the WA Curriculum to their students. Immigration Stories has been developed with reference to the following content description(s) from the Year 6 Western Australian Curriculum:

Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS)

• Knowledge and understanding
  History: Australia as a nation
  Stories of groups of people who migrated to Australia (including from one Asian country), the reasons they migrated (e.g. push–pull factors) and their contributions to society (ACHASSK136) (ACHASSK137).
• Skills
  Questioning and Researching, Analysing, Evaluating, Communicating and Reflecting

 

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Duration

Immigration Stories is a 2-hour package* that consists of the following two components:

• Facilitated tour – 60 minutes (approx.)
• Facilitated object exploration – 60 minutes (approx.)

For two classes, both classes start at the same time and rotate between the two activities. 

An optional 60 minute self-guided Precinct Tour OR a 60 minute visit to From Nonna With Love exhibition is also available to extend your visit.

*For three classes, Immigration Stories is three hours long. It includes the two facilitated sessions and a third session as part of the rotations. It cannot be shortened.

 

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Planning your visit

Specific to this program

• Before arriving at the Museum please have students already organised into FIVE groups of 4-6 students, each with an adult helper if possible, for the Part B: Object Exploration component of this program. Having your students already organised into groups will give them more time to enjoy the exploring objects activity, rather than spending time splitting into groups.  If you do not have enough adult helpers, we suggest that you organise 2-3 groups of more independent students that can work without direct adult supervision, and then allocate the adult helpers to the groups that require more support.  The minimum supervisor ratio is 1 adult to 10 students, however a ratio of 1 to 6 is preferred for this activity.
   
• Students will NOT require any pencils/paper or clipboards unless you specifically wish them to record their work for later use.
• The program starts promptly at 10am or 12pm and runs for the full 2 hours with a short transition period in the middle. There is no time for a snack break during the transition and we strongly recommend that a morning tea break occurs before the program start time.

General to WA Maritime Museum

• On arrival at the Museum, please check in at the Front Desk to confirm your student numbers, booked session times and emergency contact details.
   
• The Museum is open from 9.30am for access to toilets and storage of bags etc.
   
• If you are running late please contact the WA Maritime Museum front desk on 9431 8334, or the Customer Relations Team on 1300 134 081.
• Further information can be found in the WA Maritime Museum Excursion Management Guide
   
• Getting to the WA Maritime Museum

 

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Teacher familiarisation sessions

The Maritime Museum Education Team is excited to offer teachers the opportunity to experience Immigration Stories through one of our program familiarisation sessions which is included as part of any General Admission entry. This will help you to plan your excursion and prepare your students and adult helpers for the day. 

At the familiarisation sessions teachers will:

• Meet the Education Officers who created the program
• Learn about the background to Immigration Stories and how the program links to the curriculum
• Take part in the highlights of the interactive gallery tour that follows the life of an Italian fishing migrant who came to Fremantle in the early 1900s
• Handle the objects that represent the stories of our 5 featured migrants and find out more about the related student inquiry activity
• Find out about the booking process and important excursion essentials to the WA Maritime Museum
• Chat with your teaching colleagues about how to incorporate Immigration Stories into the classroom

Sign up to our education newsletter to be notified of the next session.

 

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Education resources

Visit Immigration Stories Education Resources for suggested Fremantle excursion extensions, post-visit activities and classroom activities to explore the topic of immigration.