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• VCHHC054

  Identify the content features of primary sources when describing the significance of people, places or events

  Elaborations

  • how the stories of families and the past can be communicated, for example through photographs, artefacts, books, oral histories, digital media, and museums
  • engaging with the oral traditions, painting and music of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and recognising that the past is communicated through stories passed down from generation to generation
  • sharing the story of an object from home, describing its importance to the family, for example, photographs, old toys, statues, medals, artwork, jewellery and creating a class museum
  • recognising that stories of the past may differ depending on who is telling them, for example, listening to stories about the same event related by two different people such as a mother and a grandmother

  VCHHC054 | The Humanities | History | Foundation to Level 2 | Historical Concepts and Skills | Historical sources as evidence

• VCHHC067

  Identify the origin and content features of primary sources when describing the significance of people, places and events

  Elaborations

  • using historical terms such as immigration, exploration, development, settlement and naming days of commemoration and emblems when speaking, writing, and illustrating
  • using and understanding the meaning of acronyms, for example, NAIDOC and ANZAC
  • identifying sources to investigate change in the community in the past, such as photographs, maps, and the remains of buildings
  • analysing a range of sources to locate information about the people, places and events in their community’s present and past, for example photographs, maps and oral histories,
  • using information technologies to organise information and make connections, for example, creating tables in word processing software and concept mapping
  • identifying sources to investigate the story of the First Fleet and its arrival, such as paintings, maps, written records/accounts

  VCHHC067 | The Humanities | History | Levels 3 and 4 | Historical Concepts and Skills | Historical sources as evidence

• VCHHK107

  The nature of sources of evidence about ancient Australia and what they reveal about Australia’s ancient past, such as the use of resources

  Elaborations

  • investigating a local site of indigenous historical and cultural significance. Discuss reasons why this site is significant
  • analysing and evaluate the significance of Lake Mungo as a site of importance. Examine theories and hypothesis about the people who lived around Lake Mungo

  VCHHK107 | The Humanities | History | Levels 7 and 8 | Historical Knowledge | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and cultures

• The Humanities | History: Resources

  A range of resources to assist with implementing the Victorian Curriculum F – 10 are available. Please visit the following websites to access these resources (links open in a new window):

  • Victorian Curriculum F – 10 Resources and Support (VCAA)

  Includes general advice and information...

  Overview material | History

• VCHHC099

  Analyse and corroborate sources and ask questions about their accuracy, usefulness and reliability

  Elaborations

  • differentiating between primary sources (those from the time of the event/person/site being investigated) and secondary sources (those that represent later interpretation).
  • organising historical sources into artefacts, visual, written, audio
  • asking questions of sources when identify origin, content, explaining context, and analysing reliability the usefulness about the historical context
  • discussing the difficulties in identifying the origin and purpose of some sources
  • creating categories with which to organise information obtained from sources. Identifying features and symbols in primary source
  • creating an annotated visual concept map using historical sources to explain the changes brought to Europe during the Renaissance

  VCHHC099 | The Humanities | History | Levels 7 and 8 | Historical Concepts and Skills | Historical sources as evidence

• VCHHK147

  Significant events, turning points of World War II and the nature of warfare, including the Holocaust and use of the atomic bomb

  Elaborations

  • investigating the scale and significance of the Holocaust, using primary sources
  • identifying key events in the European theatre of war, for example, Germany’s invasion of Poland in 1939, the Holocaust from 1942–45 and the Russians reaching Berlin in 1945
  • identifying key events in the Asia–Pacific theatre of war, for example, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour in 1941, the fall of Singapore in 1942 and the American victory at the Battle of Midway in 1942
  • explaining the race to build the atomic bomb by Germany, Japan, the US and why the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki

  VCHHK147 | The Humanities | History | Levels 9 and 10 | Historical Knowledge | The modern world and Australia | Australia at war (1914 – 1945): World War II

• VCHHK095

  The stories and perspectives of people who migrated to Australia, including from one Asian country, and the reasons they migrated

  Elaborations

  • investigate migration programs to Australian since World War II
  • comparing push and pull factors that have contributed to people migrating to Australia, for example, economic migrants and political refugees
  • exploring individual narratives using primary sources, for example, letters, documents and historical objects, interviewing and recording an oral history, dramatising the journey and circumstances of arrival based on the sources
  • describing cultural practices related to family life, beliefs and customs of newly-arrived migrant groups and comparing these with those of the communities in which they settled within Australia
  • connecting stories of migration to students’ own family histories (where appropriate)

  VCHHK095 | The Humanities | History | Levels 5 and 6 | Historical Knowledge | Australia as a nation

• The Humanities | History: Learning in History

  Historical concepts and skills

  In the History curriculum, students have the opportunity to develop historical understanding through the application of the following historical concepts and skills:

  • sequencing chronology
  • using historical sources as evidence
  • identifying continuity and change
  • analysing...

  Overview material | History

• VCHHC121

  Sequence significant events in chronological order to support analysis of the causes and effects of these events and identify the changes they brought about

  Elaborations

  • creating a timeline that identifies the significant events or individuals across the period 1750-1918 and observe and discuss patterns of causation and change and/or identifying parts of the world that were involved in, or affected by, those events
  • developing an argument using historical sources and perspectives about the effects of the Industrial Revolution on changing living and working conditions, including within Australia society in the 19th Century
  • placing in sequence the main events of the Freedom Rides campaigns in the United States and Australia and explaining the links between the two campaigns
  • using interactive timelines to explore the various manifestations or effects of an event in different geographical locations
  • organising a range of primary sources and/or perspectives in chronological order to support the development of a historical argument about effects or changes

  VCHHC121 | The Humanities | History | Levels 9 and 10 | Historical Concepts and Skills | Chronology

• VCHHK116

  The significant social, cultural, economic, environmental and political changes and continuities in the way of life and the roles and relationships of different groups in society

  Elaborations

  • Vikings
    • locating Viking lands in Scandinavia (Denmark, Norway and Sweden)
    • describing the way of life of the Vikings, for example, living in a cold and harsh environment; the importance of farming and raids; the significance of honour in Viking warrior society
  • Medieval Europe
    • describing the structure of feudal society, for example, the role and responsibilities of the king, nobles, church, knights and peasants
    • using a selection of primary sources track changes to the way of life in medieval Europe across time or across locations
    • continuity and change in society in one of the following areas: crime and punishment; military and defence systems; towns, cities and commerce
  • Ottoman Empire
    • describing the way of life of people in the Ottoman Empire, for example, the role of the coffee house and bazaar or marketplace
    • using a selection of primary sources track changes to the way of life in the Ottoman Empire across time or across locations
    • explaining the power and responsibility of the Sultan to ensure that justice was served within society
  • Angkor/Khmer Empire
    • mapping the Khmer empire and its physical features and annotate how these significantly influenced everyday life
    • describing the way of life in the Khmer Empire through stone carvings and the writings of the Chinese Ambassador Zhou Daguan, for example, in relation to fishing, trading in markets, temple construction
  • Mongol Expansion
    • describing the nomadic nature of Mongol life and the rise of Temujin (Genghis Khan) who united all Mongol tribes in 1206 CE
    • describing the way of life in Mongolia and its incorporation into Chinese life, for example, agriculture (domestication of animals such as horses, camels and cattle), food (dried meat and yoghurt), and housing (yurts)
  • Japan under the Shoguns
    • describing the way of life in feudal Japan under the shoguns, for example, ‘bushido’, the chivalric code of conduct of the samurai that emphasised frugality, loyalty, mastery of martial arts, and honour
    • explaining reasons why the Shogun increased power
    • describing the relationship between the emperor, shogun, daimyo (lords) samurai (warriors), workers (for example farmers, artisans and traders)
  • Polynesian Expansion
    • describing the way of life in one Polynesian society, including social, cultural, economic and political features, such as the role of the ariki in Maori and in Rapa Nui society (Easter Island)
    • investigating the way of life of Easter Island society (Rapa Nui), for example, fishing by the men, links between the household and the extended clan through the exchange of goods, wives, and labour; the use of stone tools
  • Renaissance Italy
    • examining the way of life in Renaissance Italy (social, cultural, economic and political features) and the roles and relationships of different groups in society
    • mapping the political city states on the Italian peninsula. Annotate their significance
    • describing the way of life of people in Renaissance Italy, for example, the role of men in tending the fields or merchant shops,
    • explaining the influence of government in particular city-states, for example the monarchy of Naples or the Florentine republic
  • Spanish Conquest
    • describing pre-Columbian life in the Americas, including the social organisation of the Aztecs, (for example, nobility, slaves), their beliefs (for example, worship of a number of gods and the need to make human sacrifices to appease these gods), life in the capital city Tenochtitlan

  VCHHK116 | The Humanities | History | Levels 7 and 8 | Historical Knowledge | Middle Ages and early exploration

• VCHHK118

  Perspectives of subject peoples and their interactions with power and/or authority of others

  Elaborations

  • Vikings
    • comparing different perspectives of monks, changes in the way of life of the English, and the Norman invasion
    • explaining the attacks on monasteries, for example Lindisfarne (793 CE) and Iona (795 CE) and reviewing the written accounts by monks that contributed to the Vikings' reputation for pillage and violence
    • explaining the survival of a heroic Iron Age society in Early Medieval Ireland, as described in the vernacular epics, and its transformation by the spread of Christianity; the influence of the Vikings; the Anglo-Norman conquest
    • investigating the remains of Viking settlements, for example, Dublin (Ireland) and Jorvik (York)
  • Medieval Europe
    • investigating different types of crime and punishment, for example, trial by combat as a privilege granted to the nobility; being hanged, drawn and quartered as a punishment for heinous crimes such as treason, and the use of the ducking stool as a punishment for women
    • explaining the ways in which the nature of crime and punishment stayed the same or changed over time
  • Ottoman Empire
    • discussing why the Ottoman Empire practiced religious tolerance
    • outlining the millet system that regarded non-Muslim people as subjects, but as not being subject to Muslim law
    • explaining the tolerance of the Ottomans towards Christians and Jews
  • Angkor/Khmer Empire
    • evaluating the perspectives of Angkor trough stone carvings and the writings of the Chinese Ambassador Zhou Daguan, for example, in relation to fishing, trading in markets, temple construction
  • Mongol Expansion
    • describing the way of life in Mongolia and its incorporation into Chinese life. For example agriculture (domestication of animals such as horses, camels and cattle); food (dried meat and yoghurt); and housing (yurts)
    • explaining the role of the Mongols in forging connections between Europe and Asia through conquest, settlement and trade, for example, the use of paper money and coinage; the growing number of European merchants travelling to China
  • Japan under the Shoguns
    • examining extracts from Sei Shonagon’s <i>The Pillow Book</i> and extract points/quotes that explain what life was like for women
  • Polynesian Expansion
    • examining artefacts such as Lapita pottery from Vanuatu or tapa cloth or ship building techniques to give insights into those societies
  • Renaissance Italy
    • using primary sources to analyse the relationships between rulers and ruled in one Italian city-state such as Florence, Venice or Naples
  • Spanish Conquest
    • using sources examine the nature of the interaction between the Spanish and the indigenous populations, with a particular focus on either the Aztecs or Incas
    • describing encounters between Hernan Cortes and the Aztecs, as well as the siege of Tenochtitlan

  VCHHK118 | The Humanities | History | Levels 7 and 8 | Historical Knowledge | Middle Ages and early exploration

• VCHHK106

  The significant beliefs, values and practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and cultures including trade with other communities, causes and effects of warfare, and death and funerary customs

  Elaborations

  • inviting a local elder to conduct a smoking ceremony and Welcome to Country
  • explaining why different language and tribal groups have different beliefs. Compare and contrast their understandings of creation beings, ancestral beings, and totemic beings
  • explaining the purpose of ceremonies of initiation of boys and girls and funeral ceremonies
  • identifying reasons for trade between tribes and explain that trading via overland pathways and songlines was a method of sharing resources and a form of social control and law, respect for others boundaries, marriage arrangements, sharing the Dreaming, songs, rituals and settling disputes

  VCHHK106 | The Humanities | History | Levels 7 and 8 | Historical Knowledge | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and cultures

• VCHHK063

  The history of a significant person, building, site or part of the natural environment in the local community and what it reveals about the past

  Elaborations

  • using the internet, newspapers, community information guides and local knowledge to identify and list the people and places promoted as being of historic interest in the local community
  • suggesting reasons for the location of a local landmark before searching for resources that provide an explanation
  • using books, newspapers, oral histories, audio visual material, digital sources, letters, photographs to investigate the history of a chosen person, building, site or landmark in the local community and relating a story these sources reveal about the past

  VCHHK063 | The Humanities | History | Foundation to Level 2 | Historical Knowledge | Community histories

• VCHHK089

  The nature of convict or colonial presence, including the factors that influenced changing patterns of development, how the environment changed, and aspects of the daily life of the inhabitants, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

  Elaborations

  • investigating colonial life to discover what life was like at that time for different inhabitants, for example, a European family and an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Language group, a convict and a free settler, a sugar cane farmer and an indentured labourer, in terms of clothing, diet, leisure, paid and unpaid work, language, housing and children’s lives
  • mapping local, regional and state/territory rural and urban settlement patterns in the 1800s, and noting factors such as geographical features, climate, water resources, the discovery of gold, transport and access to port facilities that shaped these patterns
  • investigating the impact of settlement on the environment, for example, comparing the present and past landscape and the flora and fauna of the local community

  VCHHK089 | The Humanities | History | Levels 5 and 6 | Historical Knowledge | The Australian colonies

• VCHHK062

  How they, their family, friends and communities commemorate past events that are important to them

  Elaborations

  • making a calendar of commemorative events that students, their family and friends celebrate and discussing why they are significant, for example, birthdays, religious festivals such as Easter, Ramadan, Buddha day, feast of Passover, family reunions and community commemorations such as NAIDOC week, and ANZAC day
  • discussing ‘Welcome to Country’ and recognising that the country, place and traditional custodians of the land or sea are acknowledged at ceremonies and events as a mark of respect
  • using the internet, newspapers, community information guides and local knowledge to identify and list the people and places promoted as being of historic interest in the local community
  • suggesting reasons for the location of a local landmark before searching for resources that provide an explanation

  VCHHK062 | The Humanities | History | Foundation to Level 2 | Historical Knowledge | Community histories

• The Humanities | History: Rationale and Aims

  The VCAA has published the Victorian Curriculum F–10 Version 2.0. To view the curriculum, familiarisation resources and support material, go to the Victorian Curriculum F–10 Version 2.0 website.
  
  Go to the VCAA website to explore the timeline for familiarisation and implementation of...

  Overview material | History

• VCHHK109

  How physical features influenced the development of the civilisation

  Elaborations

  • Egypt
    • describing the importance of the River Nile to Egyptian society, for example, inundation and farming, the worship of Hapi (god of the Nile), and the use of the Nile as a means of transportation
  • Greece
    • describing the impact of the sea and mountain ranges of Ancient Greece on the development of self-governing city-states
  • Rome
    • mapping the geography of Rome’s River Tiber and the seven hills of Rome to explain reasons for the development of the city
    • describing the methods used by the Romans to manage resources, for example the water supply through aqueducts and plumbing systems
  • India
    • describing how harmonious relationships with the natural world were reflected in Indian belief systems, for example, Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism
    • creating a graphic representation of the extent of India as a political unit at this time, including for example its diverse climatic and geographical features, types and location of food production, areas of high and low density population
  • China
    • describing the significance of the Yellow River to irrigation and the impact of features such as the Himalayas on contacts with other societies, including trade

  VCHHK109 | The Humanities | History | Levels 7 and 8 | Historical Knowledge | Ancient world and early civilisations – 60 000 BC (BCE) – c.650 AD (CE)

• VCHHK120

  One significant challenge and one development faced by the society that caused progress or decline

  Elaborations

  • Vikings
    • using a cause effect wheel, explain the decline of Viking power such as defeats in battle, the Battle of Stanford Bridge, treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte ending Viking raids in France, new colonies, changing climate and the spread of Christianity
  • Medieval Europe
    • analysing the causes and effects of the Black Death in Europe and Asia
    • investigating living conditions in London in the fourteenth century, for example, the lack of sanitation, crowded housing; the extent of medical knowledge, for example, based on Hippocrates’ theory; and beliefs about the power of God, for example, that diseases were a punishment of God
    • mapping the origin spread of the Black Death (Asia, Africa, Europe) in the fourteenth century CE and The role of expanding trade between Europe and Asia in the Black Death
    • evaluating the long and short term effects of the Black Death on Asian, European and African populations, and conflicting theories about the impact of the plague. Other immediate and long-term effects of the Black Death, including labour shortages, peasant uprisings, the weakening of feudal structures, and increased social mobility
    • using studies of church records from the period to identify the effect of the Black Death on human populations and to consider the reliability of these statistics
    • using a graphic organiser to identify and describe short-term and long-term effects of the Black Death in Europe and draw conclusions about the severity over time
  • Ottoman Empire
    • examining the significance of the Crusades in challenging Ottoman Empire and their responses to the challenge
    • analysing the causes and effects of the Black Death in Europe and Asia.
    • mapping the origin spread of the Black Death (Asia, Africa, Europe) in the fourteenth century CE and The role of expanding trade between Europe and Asia in the Black Death
    • evaluating the long and short term effects of the Black Death on Asian, European and African populations, and conflicting theories about the impact of the plague. Other immediate and long-term effects of the Black Death, including expansion of the Ottoman Empire, labour shortages, peasant uprisings, the weakening of feudal structures, and increased social mobility
    • categorising the effects of the Black Death on the Ottoman Empire using a graphic organiser to identify and describe the effects as either short-term or long-term and drawing conclusions about the severity of the Black Death
  • Angkor/Khmer Empire
    • analysing reasons for the decline of the Khmer Empire
    • discussing theories about the causes and/or contributing factors to the decline the Khmer Empire for example, Tai invasions,  economic decline as a result of Jayavarman VII’s building program, population growth and attempts to control trade routes, religious revolution through the rise of Theravada Buddhism, internal political tension, environmental challenges such as soil sterilisation, over-intensified land use, the development of an unstable climate such as drought and monsoons and the breakdown of Angkor’s water management system
  • Mongol Expansion
    • analysing reasons for the decline of the Mongol Empire
    • analysing the causes and effects of the Black Death in Europe and Asia. The Black Death began in the densely inhabited Mongol dominions from 1313 to 1331. This disastrous plague devastated all khanates, cutting off commercial ties and resulting in the death of millions
  • Japan under the Shoguns
    • examining the theories about the decline of the Shogunate, including modernisation and westernisation, through the adoption of Western arms and technology
    • describing internal pressures in Shogunate Japan, for example, the rise of a commercial class at the expense of the samurai, peasant uprisings such as Osaka 1837, and famine
    • describing the increasing exposure to Western technology and ideas, for example, the establishment of a naval school with Dutch instructors, the translation of Western books
    • evaluating the significance of the Meiji Restoration of 1868 CE that restored imperial rule to Japan
  • Polynesian Expansion
    • investigating the way Polynesian societies used environmental resources (sustainably and unsustainably), including the extinction of the moa in New Zealand, the use of religious/supernatural threats to conserve resources, and the exploitation of Easter Island’s palm trees
    • researching the extinction of the moa in New Zealand as a result of hunting and habitat decline
    • explaining the significance of Rahui as a way of prohibiting the collection of resources, to ensure their sustainability
    • evaluating the evidence for theories about the deforestation of Easter Island (Rapa Nui)
  • Renaissance Italy
    • explaining the causes and effects of the spread of Renaissance culture to the rest of Europe, and its legacy
    • outlining the spread of Renaissance culture to England, for example, the rise of literature through Shakespeare
  • Spanish Conquest
    • using a fishbone to explain the conquest on the Aztecs or Incas as well as on the wider world, such as the introduction of new diseases, horses and gunpowder in the Americas, and new foods and increased wealth in Europe
    • outlining the effects of Spanish conquest on the Americas, for example, the spread of disease due to the lack of immunity; the introduction of crops such as maize, beans, potatoes, tobacco and chocolate from the Americas to Europe, the Encomieda system, mining
    • explaining the longer-term effects of conquest and colonisation on the indigenous populations of the Americas, for example, the unequal distribution of land and wealth, and political inequality, rise of the Spanish language

  VCHHK120 | The Humanities | History | Levels 7 and 8 | Historical Knowledge | Middle Ages and early exploration

• VCHHK119

  The role and achievements of a significant individual and/or group

  Elaborations

  • Vikings
    • creating a biography of Leif Ericson and the significance of the establishment of the colony in Newfoundland
    • outlining Erik the Red’s development of Viking settlements in Eastern and Western Greenland in 985 CE
    • comparing the artefacts discovered at L’Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland (Canada) with Viking artefacts as possible evidence that the Vikings had discovered America 500 years before Christopher Columbus
  • Medieval Europe
    • explaining the influence and dominance of the Catholic church on society using visual sources such as the Medieval illustration of Hell in the Hortus deliciarum manuscript of Herrad of Landsberg (about 1180)
    • explaining why Charlemagne was a significant figure in Medieval Europe, such as his expansion of the Frankish kingdom and his support of the Church
    • explaining the causes and symptoms of the Black Death and the responses of different groups in society to the spread of the disease, such as the flagellants (those who would whip themselves to be free of sin) and the persecution of Jewish people
  • Ottoman Empire
    • creating a biography of Selim I or Suleiman the Magnificent in maintaining the strength and influence of the Ottoman Empire
    • evaluating the achievements of individuals, for example, Selim I in establishing the empire and capturing Jerusalem, or Suleiman the Magnificent in expanding the empire to Belgrade in Europe
  • Angkor/Khmer Empire
    • create a biography of Jayavarman VII (r. 1181 CE - 1215 CE) and his influence in expanding the empire, expelling the Chams, territorial expansion, scale of the construction program in Angkor
  • Mongol Expansion
    • creating a biography of Genghis Khan or Kublai Khan and there significant achievement of Expanding the empire, military success, codification of laws
    • creating a Venn-diagram to compare and contrast the achievements of Genghis and Kublai
  • Japan under the Shoguns
    • creating a biography of Tokugawa Ieyasu Shogun
  • Polynesian Expansion
    • examining reasons why the Maori used rahui to restrict the use of land and sea resources by individuals and groups
  • Renaissance Italy
    • explaining the influence of the Medici family in Florence as bankers and merchants, and their patronage of the arts.
    • creating a biography on the role and achievements of significant individuals such as Lucrezia Borgia, Galileo, Leonardo da Vinci, Niccolo Machiavelli
  • Spanish Conquest
    • creating a biography or a jigsaw on the significance of Columbus, Balboa, Cortes, Montezuma II, Pizarro

  VCHHK119 | The Humanities | History | Levels 7 and 8 | Historical Knowledge | Middle Ages and early exploration

• VCHHK117

  Significant causes and effects of developments and/or cultural achievements that reflect the concentration and/or expansion of wealth and power

  Elaborations

  • Vikings
    • mapping Viking expansion across Europe, weapons and shipbuilding, and the extent of their trade
    • describing Viking craft with particular emphasis on the production of weapons, for example swords, battle axes and helmets
    • outlining the key role of gods such as Odin, Thor, Frey and Freyja in Viking religion and the adoption of Christianity during the Viking period
    • investigating the construction of longboats and their role in exploration, including innovations in keel and sail design
    • describing evidence of Viking trade between Russia (Kiev) and the east (through Constantinople)
  • Medieval Europe
    • explaining the changing relations between Islam and the West (including the Crusades), analyse the causes and effects of the crusades
    • describing the features of castles and churches of the period, for example, Warwick Castle in England and Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, as examples of the Church’s power in terms of its control of wealth and labour
    • recognising that the medieval manuscripts of monastic scribes contributed to the survival of many ancient Greek and Roman literary texts
    • examining the religious nature of illuminated manuscripts and how they were the product of a complex and frequently costly process
    • listening to the Gregorian chants of Western Christianity and exploring how they reflect the nature and power of the Church in this period
  • Ottoman Empire
    • mapping the expanding power and influence of the Ottoman Empire, explain reasons for its development, such as the fall of Constantinople in 1453 AD (CE)
    • outlining inventions and developments in the Islamic world, for example, the astrolabe, public hospitals and libraries and their subsequent adoption in the Western world
    • describing Ottoman art and architecture, for example, the Selimiye Mosque in the city of Edirne in Turkey, and Islamic geometric design
  • Angkor/Khmer Empire
    • explaining how being revered as the ‘god-king’ or ‘deva-raja’ enabled the Khmer kings to rule over the empire with absolute authority, thereby enhancing their ability to mobilise manpower to defend the empire as well as to invade neighbours
    • describing the main features of the water management system at Angkor, for example, the extensive use of reservoirs and canals
    • investigating the significance of the archaeological site of Angkor Wat
  • Mongol Expansion
    • outlining Genghis Khan’s use of decimal organisation in his army and his policies for governing his empire, for example, codifying laws, banning the killing of animals in the breeding season, supporting religious freedom, and expanding trade
    • analysing the causes and effects of the Mongol expansion as one of the largest land empires in history, including life in China before, during and after the Mongol conquest
    • mapping the expansion of the Mongol empire across Asia and Europe
  • Japan under the Shoguns
    • discussing the role of the Tokugawa Shogunate in reimposing a feudal system (based on daimyo and samurai) and the increasing control of the Shogun over foreign trade
    • explain reasons why the Shogun controlled trade
    • explaining reasons for Japan’s closure to foreigners under the Tokugawa Shogunate and the impact of US Commodore Perry’s visit in 1853
    • explaining why the use and management of environmental resources in Shogunate Japan and the forestry and land use policies of the Tokugawa Shogunate were required
    • investigating the demand for available land and the patterns of land use in the period
    • outlining the attempts by the Tokugawa Shogunate to curb deforestation, for example imposing heavy regulations on farmers, managing the harvesting of trees, and using new, lighter and more efficient construction techniques
    • analysing the woodblock prints such as the ones created by Hokusai, geisha culture, and the development of the arts
  • Polynesian Expansion
    • locating Polynesia on a map, tracing the expansion of Polynesian settlers throughout the Pacific, and considering how they made their journeys
    • outlining different theories about the expansion, for example, west/east and east/west movement, the expansion as accidental versus intentional
    • investigating the cultural achievements of one Polynesian society, such as the Ta moko and hangi in Maori society or the moai constructed on Easter Island
    • investigating the construction of the moai (giant statues) on Easter Island (Rapa Nui), the techniques used to make and transport them, and theories about their meaning, for example, representations of dead ancestors or chiefs
  • Renaissance Italy
    • analysing the effects of the Black Death in causing the Renaissance
    • organising notes using a concept map or visual display of the significant developments and/or cultural achievements that reflect the concentration of wealth and power in the city-states, such as art and learning and the invention of the printing press
    • describing the work of Leonardo Da Vinci, for example, his artworks the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper and inventions including a rudimentary helicopter and solar power;
    • describing the work of Michelangelo for example, the Sistine Chapel paintings, David, Pieta
    • describing the thinking of Copernicus for example, seeing the sun as the centre of the universe (astronomy)
    • investigating learning in the Renaissance period, for example humanism, astrology, alchemy, the influence of ancient Greece and Rome
    • investigating the achievements of Galileo, for example improvements in the telescope and his astronomical observations
  • Spanish Conquest
    • analysing the causes of Spanish exploration and expansion including when, how and why the Spanish arrived in the Americas, and where they went, including the various societies and geographical features they encountered
    • explaining the arrival of Spanish conquistadores in Mexico and Peru from 1510 CE (Balboa) to 1531 (Pizarro), and their reasons, for example, seeking wealth, claiming land for their king, converting the local populations to Christianity, sense of adventure
    • explaining the siege of Tenochtitlan

  VCHHK117 | The Humanities | History | Levels 7 and 8 | Historical Knowledge | Middle Ages and early exploration