The Humanities

	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3
Standards
Learning focus

Learning focus

As students work towards the achievement of Level 3 standards in the Humanities, they draw on their own experience to help them understand the world around them. Through activities such as developing personal and family timelines, examining photographs and buildings, and visits from community members, they learn about the concepts of time - chronology and sequencing, and change and continuity.

Through reading and listening to narratives, including personal stories, and participating in celebrations students begin to learn about the cultures and histories that have contributed to Australian society and by seeing and hearing about other places outside their experience they begin to consider how and why other times and places are different from their own.

Students develop an awareness of spatial concepts through structured experiences within their immediate environment. They investigate the relative location, direction and distance of their home, school, classroom, local parks, shops and other significant features of their environment and begin to understand the geography of their local area. They learn to give and follow simple directions, and describe location relative to other people and places using everyday spatial terms such as front/back, up/down, right/left, near/far, above/below. They draw simple pictorial maps from their developing mental maps of familiar environments.

Students explore how and why natural factors (for example, changes in the weather) and human activities (for example, the closing of a park) affect their lives. They develop basic narratives that link events in their own experience. Participating in activities such as wearing protection from the sun, saving energy, saving water, and recycling, they develop their awareness of environmental issues.

Standards

In the Humanities, standards for assessing and reporting on student achievement are introduced at Level 3. Specific standards for Economics, Geography and History are introduced at Level 4. The learning focus statements for Levels 1 and 2 provide advice about learning experiences that will assist students to work towards the achievement of the Humanities standards at Level 3 (which focus on historical and geographical knowledge and skills) and the Economics standards at Level 4.

Learning focus

As students work towards the achievement of Level 3 standards in the Humanities, they develop their understanding of the concepts of time - chronology and sequencing, and change and continuity - through a study of changes in the local community over time. By comparing the experiences and artefacts of their daily lives with those of their parents, grandparents and other community members, students reflect on how life at home and in the community has changed.

Students develop their awareness of spatial concepts and use terms that demonstrate an understanding of absolute and relative locations. With guidance, they recognise and point to their street, town or city and state on an appropriate map. They recognise the globe as a model representation of Earth and can locate Australia and other places with which they have links. Students learn to identify and name physical features and distinguish them on the basis of variables, including size (scale/height/distribution) and colour. Through observation, they investigate and describe elements of the natural and built environments in their local area.

By examining artefacts and listening to the oral history of relatives, teachers and community members, students become aware of the various types of geographical and historical evidence. They begin to make basic comparisons between ‘then’ and ‘now’ and learn to construct simple timelines to show their understanding. By observing the characteristics of different places, and prompted by questions, students think about environmental differences, locally and in other parts of Australia and the world, and why these differences exist. They begin to grasp the role and importance of the various cultural groups that make up the Australian community, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. They explore what their local area might have looked like before European settlement.

Students are introduced to the concept of resources and their management, and begin to understand how resource use reflects community interdependence and economic sustainability. They begin to understand how local resources are used to make products which meet local people's needs and the needs of people in other places. They also begin to understand that resources from other places may be used to make products locally to meet their needs.

Standards

In the Humanities, standards for assessing and reporting on student achievement are introduced at Level 3. Specific standards for Economics, Geography and History are introduced at Level 4. The learning focus statements for Levels 1 and 2 provide advice about learning experiences that will assist students to work towards the achievement of the Humanities standards at Level 3 (which focus on historical and geographical knowledge and skills) and the Economics standards at Level 4.

Learning focus

As students work towards the achievement of Level 3 standards in the Humanities, they apply the concepts of time, continuity and change through a study of the history and traditions of Australians. They examine stories, artefacts and other evidence from the past and present to learn about Australian society and its origins, such as the history of national symbols, including the flag, and key commemorations and celebrations such as Anzac Day and Labour Day. They examine the histories of the cultural groups represented in their classroom, community and nation. They learn to sequence some key events on a timeline and write simple explanations of events.

Students investigate the human and physical characteristics of their local area and other parts of Victoria and consider features of their local community that have changed over time. They learn about settlement patterns, major land uses, communication networks, and the location and variety of national parks in Victoria. They begin to make some simple comparisons between local and other Victorian environments: natural features, climate, land use and types of human activities. Students develop awareness and understanding of the effects of people's interactions with their environment and the ways in which these affect their lives. Students begin to visualise and describe location and direction using simple alphanumeric grids and compass points. They learn to use atlas maps and a globe to locate and name the states and territories of Australia.

Students learn to distinguish between basic needs and wants (for example, food, clothing, shelter, and affection), saving and spending, buyers (consumers) and sellers (producers), and goods and services. They develop an understanding of the role of money and identify ways to save; for example, using a savings account, and begin to understand the importance of budgeting. They examine and compare different types of work and specific jobs.

National Statements of Learning

This Learning focus statement incorporates aspects of the Statements of Learning for Civics and Citizenship, Year 3.

Standards

Humanities knowledge and understanding

At Level 3, students describe and sequence some key events in Australian history, some key commemorations and celebrations including Anzac Day, and key aspects of the histories of cultural groups that make up their class, community and nation. They describe how aspects of places in their local area have changed over time. From direct observation or observation of a variety of media, they describe the human and physical characteristics of their local area and other parts of Victoria. They describe how people use and affect different environments in Victoria.

Humanities skills

At Level 3, students use a range of historical evidence, including oral history, artefacts, narratives and pictures, to retell events and describe historical characters. They develop simple timelines to show events in sequence. They explain some of the differences between different types of historical evidence, and frame questions to further explore historical events. Students draw simple maps and plans of familiar environments observing basic mapping conventions. They identify the location of places on a simple map using an alphanumeric grid and describe direction using the four cardinal compass points. Using atlas maps and a globe, they locate and name the states and territories of Australia.