Year 8 History Achievement Standard

• Elaboration identifying the key events that have shaped the modern era, such as the decline of ancient empires and societies; the spread of Christianity in Europe; the spread of Islam through the Arab world, Mediterranean coast, Egypt, North Africa and Persia; the development of the feudal system; the growth of towns and cities; trade; the migration of peoples and the emergence of new ideas
• Elaboration describing the connection between key events or developments of this period to modern day life, such as religious holidays and political systems; for example, the expansion of the Ottoman Empire, the Magna Carta and the Westminster system
• Elaboration investigating the emergence of ideas about the world such as those formed during the Renaissance, and the place of significant individuals and people that caused change
• Elaboration explaining the historical significance of selected key events such as the conversion to Christianity of the Emperor Constantine in 312 CE and the invasion of England by William the Conqueror in 1066

Medieval Europe

• Elaboration describing the features of castles and churches of the period, such as Warwick Castle in England and Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, as examples of the Church’s power in terms of its control of wealth, land and labour
• Elaboration examining the nature of illuminated manuscripts and recognising that the medieval manuscripts of monastic scribes contributed to the survival of many ancient Greek, Roman and Arab literary texts
• Elaboration explaining the changing relations between Islam and Europe, including the effects of the Crusades and trade
• Elaboration describing the impact of the Magna Carta on different social groups including the nobility, religious orders, merchants, workers/craftsmen, peasants and women
• Elaboration investigating the effects of the Black Death in a city such as Carthage, Damascus or Rome; for example, labour shortages, peasant uprisings, the weakening of feudal structures, increased social mobility, and challenges to religious ideas and power
• Elaboration identifying the effect of the Black Death on human populations using studies of church records from the period, considering the reliability of these statistics and explaining the impact of the population change in areas such as farming, commerce, culture and religion

The Renaissance

• Elaboration describing the significance of double-entry bookkeeping, as seen in the Messari accounts of the Republic of Genoa in 1340 CE, in accelerating the production of wealth and patronage
• Elaboration investigating learning in the Renaissance period (for example, humanism and the influence of ancient Greece and Rome) and analysing the symbolic representation of this learning in architecture, artworks and inventions from individuals such as Brunelleschi, Copernicus, Donatello, da Vinci, Michelangelo and Titian
• Elaboration explaining why the Catasto of 1427 was introduced in Florence following the end of war with the Duchy of Milan
• Elaboration identifying a range of primary sources, such as artwork, music, literature, architecture, correspondence and diaries, that demonstrate the spread of the Renaissance across Europe

The emergence of the modern world

• Elaboration describing the impact of the printing press on the rise of literacy
• Elaboration investigating the Enlightenment ideas about human freedom and the exercise of authority, which promoted radical change to the political order; for example constitutional government and the separation of Church and state
• Elaboration examining how rulers in different European nations responded differently to new and dissenting ideas that were emerging by comparing the responses of France, England, Spain and Russia
• Elaboration investigating the way of life in key features of the French “Ancien Régime” and how it represented increasing centralisation of administrative power in the monarchy

Mongol Empire

• Elaboration 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
• Elaboration explaining Genghis Khan’s use of decimal organisation in his army and his policies for governing his empire, including codifying laws, banning the killing of animals in the breeding season, supporting religious freedom and expanding trade
• Elaboration analysing the effects of Mongol expansion including life in China before, during and after the Mongol conquest

Ottoman Empire

• Elaboration explaining the role of warfare in expanding Ottoman territory, including the sieges of Bursa (1317–1326 CE) and Nicaea (1328–1331 CE)
• Elaboration describing Ottoman art and architecture, such as Selimiye Mosque in the city of Edirne in Turkey, and Islamic geometric design
• Elaboration outlining inventions and developments in the Islamic world, such as the astrolabe, public hospitals and libraries, and their subsequent adoption in the Western world
• Elaboration explaining the impact of the Crusades in challenging the Ottoman Empire and the responses of the Ottomans to the challenge

Vikings

• Elaboration identifying the key role of gods such as Odin, Thor, Frey and Freyja in Viking religion and the impact of the adoption of Christianity during the Viking period
• Elaboration explaining the significance of the construction of longboats and their role in exploration, including innovations in keel and sail design
• Elaboration identifying and analysing evidence of Viking trade between Russia (Kiev) and the east (through Constantinople)
• Elaboration describing Viking craft with particular emphasis on the production of weapons and armour (for example, swords, battle axes and helmets) and the effectiveness of these in battle
• Elaboration explaining the triggers of declining Viking power such as the Battle of Standford Bridge, the treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte, new colonies, changing climate and/or the spread of Christianity

The Spanish conquest of the Americas

• Elaboration 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
• Elaboration analysing the significance of Alexander VI’s papal decrees of 1493 in legalising Spanish territorial expansion and claims in the Americas
• Elaboration outlining the effects of Spanish conquest on the Americas, such as the spread of disease, introduction of crops such as maize, beans, tobacco, chocolate and potatoes to Europe, the Encomienda system, mining and deforestation, and the impact of the loss of natural resources
• Elaboration explaining the longer-term effects of conquest and colonisation on the Indigenous populations of the Americas, such as the unequal distribution of land and wealth, slavery, political inequality, and supremacy of Spanish culture and language over conquered territories

Angkor/Khmer Empire

• Elaboration investigating theories about the decline of the Khmer Empire; for example, the development of an unstable climate such as drought and monsoons, the rise of Theravada Buddhism, the breakdown of Angkor’s water management system
• Elaboration 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 the population to defend the empire as well as to invade neighbours
• Elaboration explaining the significance of the archaeological site of Angkor Wat as a demonstration of the empire’s power
• Elaboration explaining how archaeologists and paleo-environmentalists have established the prevalence of droughts in the 14th–15th centuries and the impact of these droughts on the empire

Japan under the Shoguns

• Elaboration explaining reasons for Japan’s closure to foreigners under the Tokugawa Shogunate and the impact of US Commodore Perry’s visit in 1853
• Elaboration explaining the continuity of Shogunate power in areas such as trade, resource use and social classes
• Elaboration outlining the reasons for attempts by the Tokugawa Shogunate to curb deforestation, such as imposing heavy regulations on farmers, managing the harvesting of trees, and using new, lighter and more efficient construction techniques
• Elaboration explaining the role of the daimyo in contributing to the end of the Ashikaga Shogunate

Polynesian expansion across the Pacific

• Elaboration outlining different theories about the expansion; for example, west–east and east–west movements of settling peoples, and/or the expansion as accidental versus intentional
• Elaboration 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, such as that they are representations of dead ancestors or chiefs
• Elaboration explaining the significance of Rahui as a way of prohibiting the collection of resources to ensure their sustainability as a response to the decline and extinction of animals such as the moa
• Elaboration explaining how environmental challenges were overcome on different islands to make settlement possible; for example, the practice of aquaculture in Nauru and/or agricultural practices in Hawaii

Medieval Europe

• Elaboration describing the structure of feudal society, including the role and responsibilities of the king, nobles, church, knights, peasants, and women and men
• Elaboration explaining the continuities and changes in society in one of the following areas: crime and punishment; military and defence systems; towns, cities and commerce; farming and the impact on the environment such as tree clearance
• Elaboration explaining how medieval society changed and affected the environment; for example, harnessing water and wind power for milling, urban settlements and agriculture, management practices and legal structures of medieval forests such as the English royal forests
• Elaboration describing key changes of life in the late Medieval period such as the spread of literacy and the development of new ways to disseminate ideas through schools and universities, scientific academies, debating societies, literary salons, coffee houses, and the reach of printed books, journals and pamphlets
• Elaboration explaining reactions to the Black Death, such as the emergence of flagellants (those who would whip themselves to be free of sin) and the persecution of Jewish people

The Renaissance

• Elaboration identifying the similarities and differences of daily life between the popolo minuto and popolo grasso
• Elaboration describing the way of life of people in Renaissance Italy; for example, the role of men in tending the fields or merchant shops, the role of women in the society and the influence of government in particular city-states such as Naples (a monarchy) and Florence (a republic)
• Elaboration identifying the spread of Renaissance culture to England; for example, the rise of literature through Shakespeare

The emergence of the modern world

• Elaboration describing the contribution of key theories such as Nicolaus Copernicus’ De revolutionibus orbium coelestium, Galileo’s Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems and Isaac Newton’s Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica to the changes brought about by the Scientific Revolution
• Elaboration examining the changes in economic activity created by the discoveries of new commodities, making the costs of basic foodstuffs lower and the quality higher, and the advancements of technologies such as in tools, armaments and shipbuilding

Mongol Empire

• Elaboration describing the nomadic nature of Mongol life and how it enabled the rise of Temujin (Genghis Khan), who united all Mongol tribes in 1206 CE
• Elaboration describing facets of life in Mongolia and the incorporation of these facets into Chinese life; for example, agriculture – domestication of animals such as horses, camels and cattle; food – dried meat and yoghurt; housing – yurts

Ottoman Empire

• Elaboration describing the way of life of people in the Ottoman Empire; for example, the role of women, the role of the coffee house and bazaar or marketplace, and the power and responsibility of the Sultan to ensure that justice was served within society
• Elaboration using a selection of primary sources to track changes in the way of life in the Ottoman Empire across time or locations

Vikings

• Elaboration 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 and the role of gender
• Elaboration explaining how the environment of Viking lands in Scandinavia influenced the activities of societies

The Spanish conquest of the Americas

• Elaboration describing pre-Columbian life in the Americas, including the social organisation of the Aztecs (for example, nobility and slaves), their beliefs (for example, worship of a number of gods and the need to make human sacrifices to appease these gods), and life in the capital city of Tenochtitlan

Angkor/Khmer Empire

• Elaboration describing the way of life in the Khmer Empire as depicted through stone carvings and the writings of the Chinese Ambassador Zhou Daguan; for example, in relation to fishing, trading in markets, temple construction

Japan under the Shoguns

• Elaboration 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
• Elaboration analysing how the relationship between the different social classes, such as the emperor, shogun, daimyo, samurai and workers, promoted social and cultural continuity

Polynesian expansion across the Pacific

• Elaboration describing the way of life in one Polynesian society, including the social, cultural, economic and political features, such as the role of the ariki in Māori and in Rapa Nui society
• Elaboration investigating the way of life of Easter Island (Rapa Nui) society; 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

Medieval Europe

• Elaboration explaining the reasons for different punishments for different groups of people, such as trial by combat as a privilege granted to the nobility and ducking stools as a punishment for women, and the use of punishment as a deterrent
• Elaboration describing the impact of the Black Death on daily life using primary sources such as Matteo Villani’s diary, Boccaccio’s Decameron, Fordun’s Chronicle of the Scottish Nation and Ibn Khaldun’s recollection of the impact of the plague
• Elaboration analysing how rulers responded to demands from the lower classes to improve their working conditions and lives following the plague, using sources such as King Edward III’s law Statute of Labourers

The Renaissance

• Elaboration analysing primary sources to understand the interactions between the rulers of Florence, Venice, Naples and/or the Papal States
• Elaboration explaining the differing levels of political involvement in city-states such as the guilds in Florence and Libro d’Oro in Venice

The emergence of the modern world

• Elaboration examining the change in the role and power of monarchies in the political systems of Western Europe, for example, decline of "absolutism", development of parliaments, and new ideas relating to nationalism
• Elaboration investigating the changes and continuities in the political power of the bourgeoise and peasant classes with the growth of cities and increased urbanisation, and the movement of peoples

Medieval Europe

• Elaboration explaining the influence and dominance of the Catholic Church on society using visual sources such as the illustration of Hell in the Hortus Deliciarum manuscript by Herrad of Landsberg
• Elaboration investigating the role of the Catholic Church in Medieval Europe in the provision of social services such as education, health care and social welfare, and in feudal village organisation

The Renaissance

• Elaboration explaining the influence of the Medici family in Florence as bankers and merchants, and their patronage of the arts
• Elaboration explaining the influences and contributions of individuals such as Lucrezia Borgia, Galileo, Leonardo da Vinci, Niccolo Machiavelli, Martin Luther and Louis XIV

The emergence of the modern world

• Elaboration investigating the role and achievements of Henry VIII, Elizabeth I and Martin Luther
• Elaboration investigating the importance of the Scientific Revolution, in particular the scientific theories and discoveries of Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler and Newton, for overturning traditional views of the motion of the planets, and how these contributed to science being seen by many as an alternative to the Church as a source of fundamental truth about reality
• Elaboration investigating the role and significance of Oliver Cromwell and the execution of Charles I in the English Civil War in the development of the Westminster parliamentary system

Mongol Empire

• Elaboration describing the reign of Kublai Khan as the first Mongol emperor of China (the Yuan Dynasty), including the processes of government using administrators from different backgrounds and the growth of Chinese culture during this time
• Elaboration explaining the role of the Mongols in forging connections between Europe and Asia through conquest, settlement and trade, for example the meeting of Marco Polo and the development of trade

Ottoman Empire

• Elaboration outlining the millet system that regarded non-Muslim people as subjects but as not being subject to Muslim law
• Elaboration explaining the tolerance of the Ottomans towards Christians and Jews

Vikings

• Elaboration explaining the attacks on monasteries such as Lindisfarne (793 CE) and Iona (795 CE) and reviewing the written accounts of monks that contributed to the Vikings’ reputation for pillaging and violence
• Elaboration 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 and the Anglo-Norman conquest
• Elaboration investigating the remains of Viking settlements such as Dublin (Ireland) and Jorvik (York)

The Spanish conquest of the Americas

• Elaboration describing encounters between Hernán Cortés and the Aztecs, as well as the siege of Tenochtitlan
• Elaboration investigating the impact of conquest on the Indigenous populations of the Americas (for example, the introduction of new diseases, horses and gunpowder, and the loss of natural resources) and the wider world (for example, the introduction of crops such as maize, beans, potatoes, tobacco and chocolate from the Americas to Europe and increased wealth in Europe)

Mongol Empire

• Elaboration identifying the similarities in leadership styles and successes of Genghis Khan and Kublai Khan

Ottoman Empire

• Elaboration comparing historians’ interpretations of the achievements of individuals such as Selim I in establishing the empire and capturing Jerusalem, or Suleiman the Magnificent in expanding the empire to Belgrade in Europe

Vikings

• Elaboration outlining Erik the Red’s development of Viking settlements in Eastern and Western Greenland in 985 CE
• Elaboration comparing the artefacts discovered at L’Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland (Canada) with Viking artefacts as possible evidence that the Vikings had journeyed to North America 500 years before Christopher Columbus

The Spanish conquest of the Americas

• Elaboration explaining the significance of key chronological events in the lives of individuals such as Columbus, Balboa, Cortés, Montezuma II and/or Pizarro

Angkor/Khmer Empire

• Elaboration analysing the perspectives of Angkor as depicted through stone carvings and the writings of Chinese Ambassador Zhou Daguan; for example, in relation to fishing, trading in markets and temple construction

Japan under the Shoguns

• Elaboration discussing the role of the Tokugawa Shogunate in reimposing a feudal system (based on daimyo and samurai) and explaining the impact of this change on the daily life of different classes

Polynesian expansion across the Pacific

• Elaboration examining artefacts such as Lapita pottery from Vanuatu, tapa cloth and/or ship-building techniques to provide insight into those societies
• Elaboration describing the responsibilities and privileges of being a chief in a society such as those in New Zealand, Hawaii, Tonga and/or the Society Islands

Angkor/Khmer Empire

• Elaboration describing the rule of Jayavarman VII and his influence in expanding the empire, expelling the Chams and on the scale of the construction program in Angkor

Japan under the Shoguns

• Elaboration explaining the legacy of Tokugawa Ieyasu as founder of the Edo Shogunate

Polynesian expansion across the Pacific

• Elaboration describing the achievements of one Polynesian group of people such as Māori, Samoan, Tahitian (Maohi), Tongans or Rapa Nui

• Elaboration developing a key question such as “How did the decline of Rome’s western empire change the organisation of European society?” or “Why did Easter Island (Rapa Nui) society decline?”; identifying related questions to inform the inquiry, such as “What evidence is there?” and “What theories have been developed?”
• Elaboration developing questions about historical significance such as “How many people were affected by the Black Death?” and “How long did it last?”
• Elaboration reviewing questions when faced with unexpected or challenging developments posed by the historical investigation; for example, “How was the organisation of Japanese society influenced by world events?”

• Elaboration organising sources into categories such as primary and secondary sources and/or written, visual, material culture, and artefacts; for example, sources from the period investigated including journals, church records, paintings, artefacts, and sites and sources written after the period including fictional and artistic interpretations, and academic texts
• Elaboration retrieving relevant information from multiple digital sources, including repositories of primary sources, maps and photographs of culturally significant artefacts such as online platforms, and using advanced search functions to refine the search

• Elaboration responding to questions such as “Who wrote/produced this?”, “When?”, “Why?” and “What does it show about the past?” about photographs, artefacts, stories, buildings and other sources to explain the past
• Elaboration explaining how clues within a source can be used to identify where it was made or who it was made by; for example, the place where it was found, the materials used, the condition of the object, decorative features
• Elaboration discussing the difficulty of identifying the origin and purpose of some sources, and how this can impact on the source’s usefulness

• Elaboration examining the validity of sources by asking questions such as “Where does it come from?”, “What information is provided?”, “Is the information factual or an opinion?” and “What other sources may be needed to support/challenge this source?”
• Elaboration distinguishing between fact (for example, “The moai were constructed on Easter Island [Rapa Nui]”) and opinion or interpretation (for example, “The moai on Easter Island [Rapa Nui] are representations of gods”)
• Elaboration using strategies to detect whether a statement is fact or opinion, including word choices that may indicate an opinion is being offered; for example, the use of conditionals “might” and “could”, and words such as “believe”, “think” and “suggests”

• Elaboration sequencing historical events to identify broader patterns of cause and/or effect, and change and/or continuity across society, and explaining their observations with reference to key events, individuals, themes and sources of evidence
• Elaboration describing continuities by highlighting the lack of deviation, the similarities of important aspects, and the widespread nature of similarities in the era, period or society despite an event, idea, person, group or movement achieving short-term significance

• Elaboration describing the values and attitudes revealed by a source such as an individual account, and using additional sources to show how they are broadly representative or contrast the values and attitudes of the society
• Elaboration identifying the perspective in a source and discussing the values and attitudes of the society that produced it; for example, explaining why historians have different interpretations, including access to source material, personal views and other contextual factors influencing the time in which the historian was working

Medieval Europe

• Elaboration explaining how historians have disproved medieval myths such as King Arthur or Pope Joan
• Elaboration analysing why the Black Death has been misconceived as impacting Europe predominantly, with reference to differing historians’ interpretations

The Renaissance

• Elaboration analysing the importance of key women in Renaissance society, such as Caterina Sforza (1463–1509), Isabella d’Este (1474–1539), Lucrezia Borgia (1480–1519) and Catherine de Medici (1519–1589), using a range of artwork, written sources and historians’ interpretations to justify claims

The emergence of the modern world

• Elaboration explaining how the interpretations of the discoveries of science are linked to ideas about the free exercise of human reason and how that could lead to improvements and progress in human life and society generally
• Elaboration examining historical interpretations of key events, developments or achievements during this period, such as the Scientific Revolution or the beginnings of the Age of Reason/Enlightenment, and how these interpretations highlight their importance or significance to contemporary society

Mongol Empire

• Elaboration discussing the validity of various death tolls linked to Mongol expansion, such as 1,000,000 people in Nishapur and 60 million people in China, and using primary sources and historians’ interpretations

Ottoman Empire

• Elaboration describing the contrasting perspectives on the Fall of Constantinople (1453), including prophecies and legends, and how these shaped historians’ interpretations of the experiences of people living at the time

Vikings

• Elaboration analysing the extent to which historians’ interpretations are corroborated with the oral histories contained in Icelandic sagas, such as about Erik the Red founding Greenland

The Spanish conquest of the Americas

• Elaboration analysing the extent to which historians’ interpretations that the Spanish conquest can be attributed to the pursuit of “Gold, God and Glory” differ

Angkor/Khmer Empire

• Elaboration discussing theories about the causes of and/or the factors that contributed to the decline of 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 through drought and monsoons, and the breakdown of Angkor’s water management system

Japan under the Shoguns

• Elaboration evaluating the significance of the range of reasons for Japan’s closure to foreigners under the Tokugawa Shogunate and the impact of US Commodore Perry’s visit in 1853

Polynesian expansion across the Pacific

• Elaboration explaining the challenges posed by the lack of written sources in understanding the history of Polynesia, such as changes in interpretations of Lapita culture being present in Vanuatu

• Elaboration identifying differing historians’ interpretations on the short-term triggers and longer-term causes of a significant event
• Elaboration identifying different interpretations of an event or development, such as the influence of scientific ideas or the status of women, and accounting for the differences
• Elaboration using historical interpretations to describe change in relation to quality, type, speed and impact

• Elaboration communicating explanations or analysis using structural elements for effect; for example, an introduction that outlines an argument and a conclusion that summarises and restates the argument
• Elaboration presenting findings or historical knowledge in range of formats, such as a podcast, an oral presentation or an essay, appropriate to audience and purpose with reference to evidence
• Elaboration developing descriptions and explanations, applying historical terms and concepts in their appropriate historical context