Year

10 History
World War II

What is history?

What is history?

The study of the past.

Historians seek to piece together accurate pictures of what life was like in days
gone by.

They also look for pa?erns(What has changed? What has remained the same?
Why?).

Historians use historical inquiry. This includes:

Asking quesHons.

Forming opinions and theories.

LocaHng and analysing sources.

Using evidence (from sources) to develop an informed explanaHon about the past.

Oral accounts, artefacts and archaeological nds form the basis of research and
invesHgaHon in history.

Jigsaw AcHvity

Concepts for historical

understanding
PerspecHves.
Consider some of the
perspecHves and opinions
of most Europeans at the
Hme of colonisaHon. What
did they think of the
Indigenous people of Asia,
Oceania and Africa?

Concepts for historical

understanding
ConHnuity and change.

Concepts for historical

understanding
Cause and eect.
IdenHes chains of development (short and long term).
Helps to idenHfy, examine and analyse the reasons why events

have occurred and the resulHng consequences or outcomes.

Think of cause as the why of history.

Think of eect as the what of history.

The discovery of gold in
NSW and Victoria (1851).

Gold rush.

ImmigraHon.

DiscriminaHon and violence
against Chinese miners.

Dispossession of Indigenous
people from their land.

Concepts for historical

understanding
Empathy.

Concepts for historical

understanding

Evidence.
Signicance.
Contestability.

Historical Skills
Chronology, terms and
concepts.
-

IdenHfy links between

events to understand
the nature and
signicance of causaHon,
conHnuity and change
over Hme..

Use historical terms and

concepts in appropriate
contexts to demonstrate
historical knowledge and
understanding.

BCE: Before the Common Era (the period of history

before the birth of Christ).

CE: Common Era (any Hme a^er the birth of Christ).

Notes: These terms have largely replaced the old-
fashioned abbreviaHons of AD and BC.

Historical Skills
Historical quesHons and research.
-

Formulate, test and modify proposiHons to invesHgate

historical issues.

Frame quesHons to guide inquiry and develop a coherent

research plan for inquiry.

IdenHfy, locate and organise relevant informaHon from a

range of primary and secondary sources.

PracHce ethical scholarship when conducHng research.

Historical Skills
Analysis and use of sources.
-

IdenHfy the origin, purpose and context of historical

sources.

Analyse, interpret and synthesise evidence from

dierent types of sources to develop and sustain an
historical argument.

Evaluate the reliability, usefulness and contestable

nature of sources to develop informed judgements
that support an historical argument.

Primary and secondary

sources
Primary sources: A primary source is informaHon and/or records that
provide rst-hand evidence that can be used to create a picture of what
happened at the Hme. Primary sources may be unpublished.
Some examples include: artwork, artefacts, cerHcates (births, deaths,
marriages, etc), journal or diary entries

Secondary sources: Secondary sources can be thought of as second-hand
informaHon. Secondary sources analyse and interpret primary sources.
Some examples include: essays, journal arHcles, history books and text
books
SACE Board of South Australia, 2009, Primary and Secondary Sources:
h9p://students.adelaidehs.sa.edu.au/Subjects/SACE/PrimarySecondarySources.pdf

DO!

DONT!

Check catalogues at your school and local

libraries

Use informaHon from blogs

Use online search engines like Google and

Yahoo (but with cauHon!)

Take all your informaHon from sites like

Wikipedia

Visit museum and government websites

Ever cut and paste work from a website

into your own assignments

Look in magazine and newspaper archives

Use someone elses work without

referencing it!

Get in touch with local historical socieHes

Use too few (or too many!) references;

nd a good balance

Use sites that are linked to educaHonal

insHtuHons (universiHes)

Use only primary or only secondary

sources in your research

Historical Skills
PerspecHves and interpretaHons.
-

Analyse and account for the dierent perspecHves of

individuals and groups in the past.

Evaluate criHcally dierent historical interpretaHons of the

past, how they evolved, and how they are shaped by the
historians perspecHve.

Evaluate contested views about the past to understand

the provisional nature of historical knowledge and to
arrive at reasoned and supported conclusions.

Historical Skills
ExplanaHon and communicaHon.
-

Develop texts that integrate appropriate evidence

from a range of sources to explain the past and to
support and refute arguments.

Communicate historical understanding by selecHng

and using text forms appropriate to the purpose and
audience.

Apply appropriate referencing techniques accurately

and consistently.