Battles of the Kokoda Track Campaign infographic poster

Teacher notes

The infographic poster shows:

• a cross-section of the high mountainous terrain that the Kokoda Track crosses in Papua
• the direction of the movement of Australian and Japanese forces along the Kokoda Track between July and November 1942
• the locations and dates of key battles in the Kokoda Track Campaign
• flag icons to indicate the outcome of each battle
• walking distances between locations on the Kokoda Track
• a key to identify all the icons.

The accompanying Kokoda Track Campaign summary provides a clear, easy-to-understand description of 14 significant events from the campaign.

Together, the infographic poster and summary give students a comprehensive overview of the battles of the Kokoda Track Campaign.

Learning intention

This resource provides a visual learning pathway to help students understand and gain an overview of the Kokoda Track Campaign.

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

• recall and understand the movement of Japanese and Australian forces along the Kokoda Track in Papua during the 1942 campaign
• recognise the chronological order of key battles
• name, locate and understand the key battles and their effects on the war
• analyse the mountainous terrain and distances travelled by troops during the campaign
• recognise the key features of the war as it was fought on the Kokoda Track in 1942.

Lesson resources

• Battles of the Kokoda Track Campaign infographic poster
• Guide to the infographic and quiz worksheet
• Summary of the battles of the Kokoda Track Campaign worksheet
• Battles of the Kokoda Track Campaign questions worksheet (PDF 538 KB)
• Battles of the Kokoda Track Campaign locations and events signs
• Battles of the Kokoda Track Campaign interactive hotspot activity.

Teaching ideas

This lesson provides a student-friendly visual overview of the battles of the Kokoda Track Campaign.

The infographic poster and accompanying worksheet can be used for engaging learning in a variety of ways in class, at home or for relief-teacher lessons.

This sequence of activities builds layers of knowledge about the battles of the Kokoda Track Campaign in a student-friendly, accessible manner.

Whole-class activity: introducing the infographic

The teacher takes students through the Guide to the infographic and quiz worksheet to explicitly explain the features of the infographic poster.

Alternatively, students work in pairs to investigate the information in the infographic poster using the guide.

Whole-class activity: check your understanding quiz

Students use the Guide to the infographic and quiz worksheet to check their understanding of the infographic poster.

Whole-class discussion: secondary source evaluation

Using the Guide to the infographic and quiz worksheet, discuss the infographic's usefulness as a historical source of information. Use the Battles of the Kokoda Track Campaign infographic poster as a secondary source.

• What initial information about the battles of the Kokoda Track Campaign have you gained from the infographic alone?
• How useful is a secondary-source visual infographic like this to learn about the battles of the Kokoda Track Campaign?
• Does this secondary-source infographic format have any limitations for understanding the battles of the Kokoda Track Campaign?
• What further information and historical perspectives might you need as a historian to understand the battles of the Kokoda Track Campaign in 1942?

Pair activity: pair experts class presentation

After the initial guided explanation, students can explore the infographic poster and the Battles of the Kokoda Track Campaign worksheet in pairs, then present their findings. This activity reinforces the chronological timeframe, the names of locations of key battles and events, and the movement of Australian and Japanese forces along the Kokoda Track.

1. Allocate one infographic text box to a pair of students to become experts. Have students read their corresponding text box in the Battles of the Kokoda Track Campaign worksheet and make a 3- to 4-point summary to present to the class (where, when, what, then). Have the pair also make an A4 sign of their location and date.
2. When ready, ask pairs to line themselves up in the classroom in chronological order of the events. Extra challenge: allocate students a colour (red, purple or blue) and ask them to line up in the same loop as the infographic. For example, pair Battle of Eora Creek and Templeton's Crossing with red, pair Second Eora Creek and Templeton's Crossing with blue.
3. Student pairs hold up their location and date sign and present their summary of the event in chronological order. Two students can role-play Australian and Japanese forces moving along the Kokoda Track as the events occur.
4. Students should understand the movement of both Australian and Japanese forces on the Kokoda Track.

Independent activity (Printable): Recall and understand questions

Using both the Battles of the Kokoda Track Campaign infographic poster and the Summary of the Battles of the Kokoda Track Campaign worksheet, students individually complete the questions included on the Battles of the Kokoda Track Campaign questions worksheet.

Supporting resources

Australian Curriculum

Knowledge and understanding

• the places where Australians fought, and their perspectives and experiences during the Second World War, such as the fall of Singapore, prisoners of war (POWs), the Battle of Britain and Kokoda (AC9HH10K02).
• the significant events and turning points of the Second World War, including the Holocaust and use of the atomic bomb (Elaboration: explaining why particular events were significant turning points in the Asia-Pacific theatre of war, such as the Japanese occupation of China, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the fall of Singapore in 1942, the bombings of northern Australia, the American victory at the Battle of Midway in 1942, the Battle for Kokoda and the Battle of Iwo Jima (AC9HH10K03).

Skills

• explain the usefulness of primary and secondary sources, and the reliability of the information as evidence (AC9HH9S04).
• create descriptions, explanations and historical arguments, using historical knowledge, concepts and terms that incorporate and acknowledge evidence from sources (AC9HH9S08).
• analyse cause and effect, and evaluate patterns of continuity and change (AC9HH10S05).

Teaching sensitivities

Teachers are advised to be sensitive to students' perspectives and emotions while using this resource. When working through the activities, teachers should consider students' religious and cultural beliefs, any experiences of war or conflict, and whether their parents serve in the defence forces. Teachers are responsible for deciding whether it is appropriate to use this resource with their students.

Copyright

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.