Rationale
History is a disciplined process of inquiry into the past that develops students’ curiosity and imagination. Awareness of history is an essential characteristic of any society, and historical knowledge is fundamental to understanding ourselves and and others.Aims
The Australian Curriculum: History aims to ensure that students develop:interest in, and enjoyment of, historical study for lifelong learning and work, including their capacity and willingness to be informed and active citizens
Structure
The Australian Curriculum: History is organised into two interrelated strands: historical knowledge and understanding and historical inquiry and skills.Historical knowledge and understanding strand
This strand includes personal, family, local, state or territory, national, regional and world history.
PDF documents
Resources and support materials for the Australian Curriculum: History are available as PDF documents.History: Sequence of content 7-10
History: Sequence of achievement 7-10
Glossary
Year 9
Year 9 Level Description
The making of the modern world
The Year 9 curriculum provides a study of the history of the making of the modern world from 1750 to 1918. It was a period of industrialisation and rapid change in the ways people lived, worked and thought. It was an era of nationalism and imperialism, and the colonisation of Australia was part of the expansion of European power. The period culminated in World War I, 1914–1918, the ‘war to end all wars’.
The content provides opportunities to develop historical understanding through key concepts, including evidence, continuity and change, cause and effect, perspectives, empathy, significance and contestability. These concepts may be investigated within a particular historical context to facilitate an understanding of the past and to provide a focus for historical inquiries.
The history content at this year level involves two strands: historical knowledge and understanding, and historical skills. These strands are interrelated and have been developed to be taught in an integrated way, and in ways that are appropriate to specific local contexts. The order and detail in which they are taught are programming decisions.
Key inquiry questions
A framework for developing students’ historical knowledge, understanding and skills is provided by inquiry questions through the use and interpretation of sources. The key inquiry questions for Year 9 are:
- What were the changing features of the movements of people from 1750 to 1918?
- How did new ideas and technological developments contribute to change in this period?
- What was the origin, development, significance and long-term impact of imperialism in this period?
- What was the significance of World War I?
Year 9 Content Descriptions
Overview of the making of the modern world
The following content is taught as part of an overview for the historical period. It is not intended to be taught in depth. Overview content identifies important features of the period (1750 – 1918) as part of an expansive chronology that helps students understand broad patterns of historical change. As such, the overview provides the broader context for the teaching of depth study content and can be built into various parts of a teaching and learning program. This means that overview content can be used to give students an introduction to the historical period; to make the links to and between the depth studies, and to consolidate understanding through a review of the period.
Overview content for the making of the modern world includes the following:
Depth Studies
Making a better world?
Students investigate how life changed in the period in depth through the study of ONE of these major developments: the Industrial Revolution or Progressive ideas and movements or Movement of peoples. The study includes the causes and effects of the development, and the Australian experience.
The Industrial Revolution (1750 – 1914)
Progressive ideas and movements (1750 – 1918)
Movement of peoples (1750 – 1901)
Australia and Asia
Students investigate the history of an Asian society OR Australia in the period 1750 – 1918 in depth.
Asia and the world
Making a nation
World War I (1914-1918)
World War I (1914-1918)
Chronology, terms and concepts
Historical questions and research
Analysis and use of sources
Perspectives and interpretations
Explanation and communication
Year 9 Achievement Standards
By the end of Year 9, students refer to key events and the actions of individuals and groups to explain patterns of change and continuity over time. They analyse the causes and effects of events and developments and make judgements about their importance. They explain the motives and actions of people at the time. Students explain the significance of these events and developments over the short and long term. They explain different interpretations of the past.
Students sequence events and developments within a chronological framework, with reference to periods of time and their duration. When researching, students develop different kinds of questions to frame a historical inquiry. They interpret, process, analyse and organise information from a range of primary and secondary sources and use it as evidence to answer inquiry questions. Students examine sources to compare different points of view. When evaluating these sources, they analyse origin and purpose, and draw conclusions about their usefulness. They develop their own interpretations about the past. Students develop texts, particularly explanations and discussions, incorporating historical interpretations. In developing these texts and organising and presenting their conclusions, they use historical terms and concepts, evidence identified in sources, and they reference these sources.