Year 9 History & Geography
History is a disciplined process of inquiry into the past that develops students’ curiosity and imagination. It helps students appreciate how the world and its people have changed, as well as the significant continuities that exist to the present day. The History units are built around student-centred investigations into particular events and people, based on the available evidence derived from remains of the past. The course is deliberately interpretative by nature, promotes debate and encourages thinking about human values, including present and future challenges. Our process of historical inquiry develops transferable skills, such as the ability to ask relevant questions, critically analyse and interpret sources, consider context, respect and explain different perspectives, develop and substantiate interpretations, and communicate effectively.
Many of these same skills are also deployed in the study of Geography, where investigations into biomes and food security enable young Australians to develop a holistic understanding of their world through investigating its wonders, its vulnerabilities and our stewardship responsibilites. The Geography unit empowers students to shape change for a socially just and sustainable future.
The Year 9 course comprises three units of History and one unit of Geography.
Structure
Unit 1: The Industrial Revolution and the Making of Australia
- The social, economic, political, technological and/or environmental causes and effects of the Industrial Revolution on Europe in the late 18th and 19th century
- The changing population movements and settlement patterns during this time.
- The different perspectives and experiences of men, women and children during the Industrial Revolution, and their changing way of life.
- The ideas that emerged and influenced change in society, such as nationalism, capitalism, imperialism, socialism, egalitarianism and Chartism, are investigated through interrogating historical sources.
Unit 2: Australia’s involvement in World War I
- The causes of the First World War and the reasons why Australians enlisted to fight in the war.
- The places of significance where Australians fought, their perspectives and experiences, including the Gallipoli campaign, the Western Front and the Middle East.
- The effects of the First World War on Australian society, such as the role of women, political debates about conscription, relationships with the British Empire, and the experiences of returned soldiers.
- Significant events and turning points of the war and the nature of warfare, including the Western Front Battle of the Somme and the Armistice.
- Our commemoration of the First World War, including different historical interpretations and debates about the nature and significance of the Anzac legend and the war.
Unit 3: World War II
- The causes, outbreak and course of the Second World War
- The significance of Australian involvement
- The places where Australians fought, and their perspectives and experiences during the Second World War, such as the fall of Singapore, prisoners of war (POWs), and Kokoda.
- Contestable evidence-based debates about significant events and turning points of the Second World War, including the Holocaust and use of the atomic bomb.
Unit 4: Biomes and Food Security
- The biomes of the world, their characteristics and significance as a source of food and fibre.
- The distribution of biomes as regions, and their contribution to food production and food security.
- The effects of the alteration of biomes, and the environmental challenges and constraints of expanding sustainable food production in the future. This is a joint study with Science through the concept of clean and green futures.
Assessment
Extended written-response exam, essay based on research, an independent source investigation and a multi-modal presentation.
