History Level 5 (Years 7 and 8)
Learning focus
As students work towards the achievement of Level 5 standards in History, they develop knowledge and understanding about ancient and medieval societies and their role in providing the foundations of modern society. They consider why people at the end of the medieval period set out to discover the unknown world. They investigate some voyages of this period and New World discoveries during the Age of Exploration. Ancient societies could include civilisations of China, Rome, Greece and Egypt. Medieval societies could include those from England, Europe, Asia or an Islamic society. The Age of Exploration could include the discoveries of the Portuguese explorers, Christopher Columbus, Ferdinand Magellan, Francis Drake, the French explorers, Henry Hudson and James Cook. This learning enhances students’ knowledge and use of historical concepts such as time – chronology and sequencing, change and continuity – and cause and effect, and develops a broad historical map which allows them to locate periods of history within a timeframe.
Students explore key concepts of democracy, governance, the rule of law, justice, religion, liberty, authority, leadership, culture and feudalism. Students begin to use a variety of sources that record the features of these past societies. They investigate daily life, the role and work of various groups, the division of labour between men and women, education, rituals and family. They explore the values and beliefs of societies through their religions, myths and legends, and their social and political structures. Students examine the ways the culture was expressed through art, music, literature, drama, festivals and education. They learn about key events, significant individuals, and the influence of trade and contact with other cultures.
Students explore the legacies of ancient and medieval societies for contemporary societies. For example, they consider the origins of written law, democracy and the calendar; the limitations on the power of the monarchs (through the Magna Carta, the rule of law and the writ of habeas corpus); and the origins of major world religions.
Through their investigations, students develop their understanding of change and continuity over time, and the open-ended nature of historical inquiry. Students examine the influence of ancient and medieval societies on the present day, and make comparisons with contemporary societies.
Students begin to frame key research questions to guide their investigations, plan their inquiries, locate sources and use appropriate historical evidence to present a point of view, and report on their findings. They learn to use primary and secondary sources, and begin to evaluate historical sources for meaning, completeness, point of view, values and attitudes. They reflect on some of the strengths and limitations of historical documents. They use historical concepts such as time, evidence, continuity and change, and historical conventions such as documenting sources by using a bibliography and footnotes. They present their understanding in a variety of forms such as annotated timelines, multimedia presentations, posters, charts, diagrams, reports, case studies, biographies and oral reports.
Standards
Historical knowledge and understanding
At Level 5, students analyse and describe key events in ancient and medieval societies. They use a variety of sources to describe key aspects of these societies. They describe aspects of daily life in these societies such as work, the division of labour, family, clothing, housing and education. They explain key features of community life including myths and legends, religious beliefs and practices and cultural expressions such as art and drama. They analyse the ways that ancient and medieval societies were governed, identify political features and explain the nature of the political system, the dominant groups and how they established and maintained power. They describe the roles of key individuals and evaluate their contributions and legacies.
Students analyse change and continuity over time and compare key aspects of past and present societies; for example, aspects of daily life, social and political ideas and structures, and cultural values and beliefs. They demonstrate understanding of key concepts such as democracy, governance, the rule of law, justice, religion, liberty, authority, leadership, culture and feudalism. They explain the influences of ancient and medieval societies on contemporary societies.
Historical reasoning and interpretation
At Level 5, students frame key research questions, plan their investigations, and report on their findings. They use a range of primary and secondary sources including visual sources that record features of the societies in their investigations. They identify the content, origin, purpose and context of historical sources. They evaluate historical sources for meaning, point of view, values and attitudes, and identify some of the strengths and limitations of historical documents. They use relevant historical evidence, concepts and historical conventions such as bibliographies to present a point of view. Students use a variety of forms to present their understanding.
Downloads
-
The Humanities − History booklet (
PDF - 131KB) - The Humanities − History standards table (Doc - 40KB)
-
Victorian Essential Learning Standards Level 5 ( PDF - 755KB)
