AC9HH8K07 Year 8 Humanities and Social Sciences

AC9HH8K07 – Year 8 Humanities and Social Sciences: Empires and expansions

Strand

Knowledge and understanding

Substrand

Empires and expansions

This Content Descriptor from Year 8 Humanities and Social Sciences provides the specific knowledge and skills students should learn. Use it to plan lessons, create learning sequences, and design assessments that align with the Australian Curriculum v9.

Content Descriptor

the significant social, religious, cultural, economic, environmental and/or political features of different groups related to the empire and/or expansion

Elaborations

• 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
• 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
• 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
• using a selection of primary sources to track changes in the way of life in the Ottoman Empire across time or locations
• 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
• explaining how the environment of Viking lands in Scandinavia influenced the activities of societies
• 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

Achievement Standard This Supports

This Content Descriptor contributes to the following Achievement Standard:

Year 8 ASHAHISY8

Year 8 Humanities and Social Sciences Achievement Standard

By the end of Year 8, students describe the historical significance of the periods between the ancient and modern past. They explain the causes and effects of events, developments, turning points or challenges in Medieval, Renaissance or pre-modern Europe, or in the societies connected to the empires or expansions, or the societies of the Asia-Pacific world during these periods. They describe the social, religious, cultural, economic, environmental and/or political aspects related to the changes and continuities in a society or a historical period. Students describe the role of significant individuals, groups and institutions connected to the societies of these periods and their influences on historical events. Students develop questions about the past to inform historical inquiry. They locate and identify a range of primary and secondary sources as evidence in historical inquiry. They describe the origin, content and context of sources and explain the purpose of primary and secondary sources. Students compare sources to explain the accuracy, usefulness and reliability of sources as evidence. They sequence events and developments to explain causes and effects, and patterns of continuity and change across societies and time periods. They describe perspectives, attitudes and values of the past, and suggest reasons for different points of view. They explain historical interpretations about significant events and people. Students use historical knowledge, concepts, terms and references to evidence from sources to create descriptions, explanations and historical arguments.