Well… History Took A Wrong Turn!

I’m teaching history to a class of Year 4 students (ages nine to ten). They are learning about the European explorers of Australia. Today, we are discussing Captain James Cook, the English settler who charted the east coast of Australia. One student eventually raises her hand.

Student: “I thought that a different explorer discovered Australia.”

Me: “Well, a few explorers charted different areas of the country. James Cook was the first to chart the east coast, but he wasn’t the first to discover Australia. Who was it that you were thinking of?”

Student: “George Washington? Wasn’t he one of the explorers?”

Me: “No… for a wide variety of reasons.”