The Humanities - History

Learning focus

As students work towards the achievement of Level 4 standards in History, they develop an understanding of change and continuity over time through the history of the establishment and growth of Australia. They learn about the organisation and lifestyle of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in the past, the impact of European settlement and as enduring cultures today. They learn about the significance of key events, such as European settlement, the establishment of the colonies, the development of the wool industry, the gold rushes, the moves to self-government, Federation and World War I. They learn about key people in Australia’s history (for example, James Cook, Caroline Chisholm, Edmund Barton, Vida Goldstein, William Barak) who have brought about change. Through structured activities they explore links and comparisons with contemporary Australia.

Students develop an understanding of the histories of the cultural groups which have contributed to the Australian identity. This could include some history of source countries for Australian immigration such as Italy, Greece, Poland, Sudan, Ireland, Chile or Vietnam. They explore the concepts of nation, culture and identity in both Australian and regional contexts, and learn that identity is complex, multifaceted and evolving.

Students apply their understanding of culture by investigating the history of an Asian country or countries in the Australian region such as Indonesia, East Timor, India, China and Japan. They consider how other societies are organised, how they express their beliefs and make meaning of their world. They investigate significant people and events in that country’s recent history and learn about daily life, religious traditions, customs and governance. They learn about links between other countries and Australia, develop ideas about Eastern and Western traditions, and about the values that are important to other societies and their own.

Students use a range of written, visual, oral and electronic sources to study the past. With support, they frame research questions and plan their own inquiries using historical language and concepts such as time, sequence, chronology, continuity, change, culture and, tradition. They begin to question sources and make judgments about the viewpoints being expressed, the completeness of the evidence, and the values represented. They learn to develop explanations in a range of forms such as timelines, oral presentations, posters, multimedia presentations, reports and narratives.

National Statements of Learning

This Learning focus statement incorporates aspects of the National Statements of Learning for Civics and Citizenship, Year 5.

Standards

Historical knowledge and understanding

At Level 4, students demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of significant events in Australian history including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, European settlement, the development of the colonies, the development of the wool industry, the 1850s gold rushes; the moves to self-government, Federation; and World War I. They demonstrate an understanding of the histories of some cultural groups which make up Australia today. They make links and appropriate comparisons with contemporary Australia.

Students demonstrate an understanding of key aspects of an Asian country or countries within the Australian region. They explain significant events and people in the history of that country or countries. They describe aspects of governance, customs, religious traditions and daily life. They explain the values important to other societies and their own and links between other countries and Australia.

They compare and contrast the values and beliefs of Australians and people of other cultures. They compare aspects of different cultures and countries, in both the past and present, and ask questions about their own society. They sequence events and describe their significance in bringing about particular developments.

Historical reasoning and interpretation

At Level 4, students use a range of primary and secondary sources to investigate the past. With support, they frame research questions and plan their own inquiries. They comprehend and question sources and make judgments about the views being expressed, the completeness of the evidence, and the values represented. They use appropriate historical language and concepts to develop historical explanations. They present their understandings in a range of forms.

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.

Learning focus

As students work towards the achievement of Level 6 standards in History, they investigate how Australia developed in terms of social, political and cultural structures and traditions. Students examine the impact of European colonisation of Australia, including the representation of that settlement as invasion. They learn about the struggles and successes of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to gain political and social rights, and their campaigns for land rights and self-determination. They learn about the impact of significant issues and events in Australia’s development; for example, European settlement; the development of the colonies; self-government in the colonies; the gold rushes; the development of trade unions; the events leading to Federation; World War I; World War II; post-World War II immigration; the development of multiculturalism; and the Gulf Wars. They investigate the contribution of significant Australians such as Lachlan Macquarie, Peter Lalor, Edith Cowan, Sir Howard Florey, Edward (Weary) Dunlop, Captain Reg Saunders, Margaret Tucker and Charles Perkins.

Students analyse significant events and movements which have resulted in improvements in civil and political rights for groups of Australians such as the eight-hour day and the right to vote for women, and describe the contributions of key participants and leaders in these events.

Students also learn about key events, ideologies and social and cultural movements that have shaped the contemporary world. They consider the impact of war on people and countries in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. They learn about the increasingly global interconnections in the twentieth century, international organisations such as the United Nations, and challenges to global security. Key events could include the Russian and Chinese revolutions; the world wars; the Cold War and Cold War conflicts such as the Korean and Vietnam wars; Middle East conflicts; the break up of the Union of Soviet Social Republics; the emergence of the United States as a dominant world power; and conflicts in the late twentieth and the twenty-first centuries. Ideologies could include communism, fascism, capitalism and democracy. Social and cultural movements could include civil rights, feminism, environmentalism and the development of the film and music industries. Key leaders could include Lenin, Hitler, Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi, F D Roosevelt, Mao Tse Tung, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and Aung San Suu Kyi.

Students investigate the impact of changes in technology, medicine and communication on their lives, and make links in their study of history to contemporary issues and the world today.

In their study of history, students become aware of the importance of historiography and that there are competing interpretations and contested narratives in history. They recognise the significance of different events within an historical context and learn how evidence and values produce different interpretations of events, people and institutions. They discover that history is not only a narrative but also a means of participating in the broader society. They use historical language and demonstrate understanding of the broad concepts of causation, motivation, continuity and change. They represent the past in a variety of forms.

Students frame research questions and locate relevant resources, including contemporary media and online resources. They continue to expand the range of primary and secondary sources they consult, and evaluate them in terms of origin, context, information, reliability, completeness, objectivity and bias. They use historical conventions to document sources including quotes, bibliographies and footnotes. They present their understanding in a variety of oral, written and electronic forms.

National Statements of Learning

This Learning focus statement incorporates aspects of the National Statements of Learning for Civics and Citizenship, Year 9.

Standards

Historical knowledge and understanding

At Level 6, students analyse events which contributed to Australia’s social, political and cultural development. These events could include: European colonisation, the growth of the colonies, self-government, the gold rushes, the development of trade unions, the events leading to Federation, Federation, World War I, World War II, immigration, and the Gulf Wars. Students evaluate the contribution of significant Australians to Australia’s development.

Students evaluate the impact of colonisation on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and the fight for civil and political rights and land rights. They analyse significant events and movements which have resulted in improvements in civil and political rights for other groups of Australians such as the eight-hour day and the right to vote for women, and evaluate the contributions of key participants and leaders in these events. They compare different perspectives about a significant event and make links between historical and contemporary issues.

Students analyse the impact of some key wars and conflicts in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. These could include the world wars, revolutions, the Cold War and post Cold War conflicts. They explain aspects of increasing global interconnections in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. They demonstrate understanding of key ideologies and explain their influence on people’s lives, national events and international relations. They explain why significant social and cultural movements have developed and evaluate their influence on societies. They analyse changes in technology, medicine and communication.

Historical reasoning and interpretation

At Level 6, students frame research questions and locate relevant resources, including contemporary media and online resources. They identify, comprehend and evaluate a range of primary and secondary sources, including visual sources and use historical conventions such as footnotes and bibliographies to document sources. They critically evaluate sources of evidence for context, information, reliability, completeness, objectivity and bias. They recognise that in history there are multiple perspectives and partial explanations. They use appropriate historical language and concepts in historical explanations. They use evidence to support arguments and select and use appropriate written and oral forms to communicate develop historical explanations in a variety of oral, written and electronic forms.