10 resources to learn about the Anzacs

Many wonderful institutions have educational resources to help commemorate Anzac Day. These free resources are perfect for anyone interested in learning about the Anzacs. Image: Pixabay.

Top 10 resources to learn about the Anzacs, ABC Education, 19 April 2022

Schools across Australia commemorate Anzac Day on 25 April, honouring all the Australians and New Zealanders who served in wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations around the world.

To help with this, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, the Australian War Memorial, the National Archives of Australia, the ABC and many other wonderful institutions have fantastic educational resources, each offering a different way to engage primary and secondary students with Anzac history.

Get in the spirit of the commemorations with these 10 great, free resources for students, teachers, parents and anyone interested in learning more about the Anzacs.

1. Australian War Memorial
A wonderful online resource for all ages, the Australian War Memorial website offers classroom resources, virtual excursions, practical activities, a war encyclopedia, explainers of military structure, podcasts and articles. It draws on the collection of the Memorial and personal stories, and even has excerpts from diaries and letters written by Anzac soldiers.

2. Department of Veterans’ Affairs
Education specialists and historians from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs have gathered stories and images of Anzac veterans’ service and created the Anzac Portal, which has a wealth of information and resources that can be used in the classroom. There are learning materials suited for the Australian Curriculum, including books and education resources that are available to download for free from the site.

3. ABC Education’s collection of Anzac resources
ABC Education has compiled videos and audio clips from across the ABC and aligned them to the Australian Curriculum. It’s a rich collection of resources, including many untold stories of young Australians from regional towns who left their normal lives to join the war in 1914.

4. ANZAC Day Commemoration Committee
Since its inception in 1916, the ANZAC Day Commemoration Committee has been educating young people about the origins and spirit of Anzac Day. The website is packed with useful information and resources, including activities, interactives, maps and classroom activities. Check out the traditions, facts, and folklore and then take the ANZAC quiz. There’s even a section to help introduce Anzac Day in early childhood education.

People of varying ages share their thoughts and feelings about Anzac Day. Click here to view video.

5. Discovering Anzacs
The National Archives of Australia has developed this fantastic website in partnership with Archives New Zealand. Explore a growing selection of government records about soldiers, munitions workers, nurses, conscription, internment, defence correspondence, wartime copyright and patents, and more. There are teacher resources, video tutorials, a timeline and a map that shows whether any Anzacs were born in your suburb.

6. Anzac history apps
Days in Conflict is an award-winning series of six interactive documentaries, presented as apps for tablet computers. They’re freely available worldwide from the iOS and Android app stores. Each app tells a significant aspect of Australia’s wartime record during World War I, including the Anzac involvement at Gallipoli, Fromelles, Pozières, Ypres and Beersheba.

7. Images of WW I Australian servicemen
The National Archives of Australia has digitised and shared images of Australian World War I servicemen received from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. They include photographs taken in London studios while servicemen were on leave and occasional newspaper clippings. The images link directly to records of service on the National Archives website, where you can learn more about the Anzacs.

8. Remembering Them
Download the Remembering Them app for a geocoded list of memorials, museums, war graves and significant sites commemorating Australian wartime history. There are accompanying activities designed to engage students with sites in their local area and encourage further research to broaden historical knowledge and skills.

The Last Post is the bugle call played during Anzac Day ceremonies and at military funerals. Find out what the Last Post means, especially for someone who has lost a family member in war. Click here to view video.

9. The Anzac legend
Australian Journey is a web-based video series exploring our nation’s history. This collaboration between the National Museum of Australia and Monash University’s Faculty of Arts explores numerous Australian issues. Hosted by Dr Susan Carland and Professor Bruce Scates, episode 12 investigates the enduring significance of the Anzac legend and its impact on Australian identity.

10. Anzac Day on the ABC
The ABC has a proud history as a broadcast partner of Anzac Day services. Share in the spirit of the occasion with our comprehensive broadcast coverage of Anzac Day services and events on TV, radio, digital platforms and social media. There will be specialist Anzac Day programming across the ABC radio network and ABC iview will feature a special collection of Anzac Day short stories.