Sample learning activities

  • Taking the audio from Jean McLean , Ceci Cairns and Joan Coxsedge as one source for each person, analyse each source through the following questions:
    • The context of the speaker in the 1960s;
    • What the speaker thought about the National Service Act and the war in Vietnam;
    • What actions were undertaken by the speaker;
    • How the speaker feels about those actions today.

Use this analysis to write a short paragraph about the place of SOS in Melbourne’s protest scene.

  • Locate at least three different sources (such as the ANZAC Portal and Labour History Melbourne) that discuss SOS in Melbourne. Use a table or other graphic organiser to compare different interpretations of the actions of SOS. With this information, write a short response evaluating how the role of SOS has been interpreted.

Sample assessment tasks

  • Use these sources as part of an historical inquiry focusing on the ways in which ordinary people protested against national service.
  • Use these sources as part of an evaluation of historical sources. Suggested short-answer questions include:
    • Describe the motivation of women in SOS for protesting against the Vietnam War;
    • Explain why women in SOS protested outside the Swan St barracks;
    • Explain how women in SOS interpret the role of SOS;
    • Evaluate the importance of SOS in the protest movement in Melbourne.
  • Use these sources as evidence in answering an extended response or essay. Suggested questions include:
    • Analyse the importance of street protests in bringing about change in public attitudes towards the Vietnam War and National Service.
    • Evaluate the role of women in protesting the Vietnam War and National Service.